Tag Archive for: West Hills College Lemoore

Central Valley Transfer Project: valley’s four-year colleges collaborating

Fresno State, a founding CVHEC member, joined CVHEC’s historic Central Valley Transfer Project in January with (from left): Dr. Kent Willis, vice president of Fresno State Student Affairs and Enrollment Management; University President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval; Dr. Benjamin Duran, CVHEC executive director; Tom Burke, CVHEC regional coordinator; and Dr. Sergio La Porta, associate dean of the Fresno State College of Arts and Humanities.

Fresno State joins in transfer ‘centerpiece’ with

11 CVHEC community colleges, 3 CSUs, UCMerced

 The Central Valley Transfer Project is now partnered with the region’s three California State University campuses after Fresno State signed on in January joining Bakersfield and Stanislaus in the historic Central Valley Higher Education Consortium initiative designed to open new doors for students’ successful transfer from community college.

Along with founding partner University of California, Merced, this means the valley’s four public institutions of higher education are working in unison with 8 community colleges currently through CVHEC’s project using the groundbreaking Program Pathways Mapper software. The project has also gained the full support of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.

The community colleges already in the CVTP, with several more expected to sign on this year, are: Bakersfield College, Clovis Community College, Madera Community College, Merced College, Porterville College, Reedley College, West Hills College-Coalinga and West Hills College-Lemoore.

The Transfer Project is also expanding participation in the north end of the Central Valley with Modesto Junior College, Columbia College and San Joaquin Delta College scheduled to begin onboard this spring for a total of 11 community college partners said Stan Carrizosa, CVHEC regional coordinator and consortium lead for the project.

All Transfer Project partners are members of the consortium with their respective chancellors and presidents serving on the CVHEC Board of Directors.

“The Transfer Project is now a centerpiece for students to both enter and transfer from community college to their four-year universities,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director. “We are excited to share this latest progress of the project which has been featured statewide and nationally at conferences such as the Community College League of California and Complete College America.”

He added, “This innovative approach is the only one in the state that includes a University of California campus collaborating with partner California State University and community colleges in establishing transfer pathways for Central Valley students to get them to and through college in a timely manner.”

Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Fresno State president and CVHEC board member, said,  “I’m proud that Fresno State will be a dynamic partner in the Central Valley Transfer Project, as this pathway will empower community college students to become visionary Bulldogs.”

The Fresno State agreement was finalized Jan. 17 between Durán and President Jiménez-Sandoval, with Tom Burke, CVHEC regional coordinator and Transfer Project team member; Dr. Kent Willis, vice president of Enrollment Services; and Dr. Sergio LaPorta, associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.

At CVHEC’s Higher Education Summit last fall, CCC Chancellor Sonya Christian announced that the statewide system has designated the Transfer Project as a demonstration project as set forth in her Vision 2030 for all California community colleges. The Transfer Project’s participating community colleges are serving as the pilot campuses with plans to implement statewide.

Carrizosa said the state budget continues to support and fund the onboarding costs for all community colleges to subscribe to the Program Pathways Mapper.

Established in 2021 with UC Merced, Merced College and Bakersfield College, the project is designed to open new doors for students to successfully transfer from community college with its Program Pathways Mapper, Carrizosa said.

He said the Program Pathways Mapper — a public facing, internet-based app that can be downloaded and accessed by the public software platform — provides unprecedented ease of access for students, counselors, advisors and parents much more so than other existing platforms.

“There are no typical requirements for access to PPM such as other internal college systems like Degree Works, Assist.Org and the CSU Transfer Planner,” he said. “These are all course tracking systems but in order to use them, students need to be successfully enrolled in college and have a student email address or other form of login to try and plan. Through PPM students simply upload the public PPM app to their devices and have immediate access.”

Carrizosa said the PPM helps simplify the transfer planning process which can be the most difficult task for many students.

“In much of our Central Valley region, as many as seven out of 10 incoming college freshmen will be first generation students to attend college,” he said. “Research shows that the most difficult task for them is often the application process itself and completing the required steps for enrollment. Systems like Degree Works and others do nothing to remove this common barrier because these systems cannot be accessed until a student successfully enrolls.”

He explained that a high school student can start the Transfer Project journey as a junior or senior by enrolling in college dual enrollment courses enabling them to complete their transfer level English and Math courses while still in high school. These units roll up with them as they enter community college and track the completion of their lower division requirements for their Associate Degree for Transfer in their chosen major via PPM.

“Students can easily select a community college they wish to attend and a major they want to pursue and the lower division courses required are sequentially laid out for them through the Program Pathways Mapper software.”

In addition, the PPM then links those lower division courses to an upper division institution of the student’s choice and shows a clear sequence of upper division courses needed to complete the degree, Carrizosa added.

“The PPM contains clear and accurate information directly from course catalogues from all participating colleges,” Carrizosa said.  “The Central Valley Transfer Project is becoming an alternative continuum of courses to the traditional high school A-G or Career Technical Education continuums and is unprecedented in the state’s community college system. We call it ‘The Central Valley Way!’”

“Through the use of PPM, students complete exactly what is required of them to successfully transfer to their four-year university and they follow PPM through their last two years to degree/certificate completion,” Carrizosa said.

Baseline data results also demonstrate the promise that PPM delivers in the Transfer Project.

In a sample of 5,000 incoming freshmen to Bakersfield College in 2022 the students using the PPM increased their “percentage of on-path course completion” to over 80 percent which also closed the equity gap in this statistic for ethnic minority students when compared to their white counterparts, Carrizosa said.

“The same sample showed students using the PPM reduced the ‘number of units-to-degree’ from an average of 87 down to 67,” he added.

The project is now gearing up to expand the partnership with the College Bridge Math Project and to onboard community colleges from the northern region of the Central Valley.

For more information about the CVTP, contact Carrizosa at centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

 

CVHEC media inquiries: Tom Uribes – cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu or text 559.348.3278.

Fresno State media inquiries: PIO Lisa Bell – lbell@csufresno.edu.

See:

·  Pilot CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project improves process for students  

·  CVHEC Web Site Feature: Transfer Project

·  Historic Transfer Project spurs statewide movement to increase transfer rates

·  WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING BLOG (January 2024): CVHEC 2023 — surging forward for Central Valley students

·  HIGHER ED NEWS: College Bridge to expand Math Bridge; CVHEC Transfer Project

•  A-G

·   Career Technical Education

Valley’s math ed experts unite to address AB 1705 challenge for student success

Math Task Force Convening Jan. 26:

‘Central Valley Way To AB1705 Success’

 

With the agenda released this week, over 60 Central Valley math education experts will convene in Fresno Jan. 26 to plan math pathways for student success as they brainstorm within five strands of implementation around Assembly Bill 1705 that goes into effect this summer.

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s “Central Valley Way To AB1705 Success” Convening from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center, will bring together community college math educators, administrators and institutional researchers.

Presented by the CVHEC Math Task Force and facilitated by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, the convening is free with advance registration and includes lunch.

Discussion for the historic convening — with administrators and IR experts joining in the conversation — will center around five strands that the region’s community college math academicians can undertake for student success when the new law goes into effect July 1:  Validating Prerequisites; Designing Precalculus for 2025; Math Support Outside and Inside the Classroom; Building an AB 1705 Campus Team; and Guided Self-Placement.

Five Math Task Force members serving as strand leads are: Jeremy Brandl, Fresno City College math professor; Nathan Cahoon and Shelley Getty, both Taft College math professors; Marie Bruley, Merced College dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); and Jay Thomas, West Hills College Lemoore math professor.

After the event opens with a welcome and brief introductions, the strand subcommittees open the discussion by presenting reports regarding preliminary strand deliberations over the past few months that started at three meetings the Math Task Force held in the fall.

Participants will then break into tabletop talks for feedback and to brainstorm new ideas, a timeline and next steps followed by report outs of those subcommittee sessions.

Following lunch, the participants will break into their respective college teams to discuss “Preliminary College Plans” in two parts: “Validating Prerequisites Between Now and July 1, 2024;” and “Developing New/Revised Curriculum to Take Effect July 1, 2025.”

“College Team Report Outs” will follow before the final session “Where Do We Go From Here?” looks towards the future and the role of Math Task Force sub-committees, college teams and CVHEC.

Dr. Benjamín Durán of CVHEC with Dana Center reps Joan Zoellner and Tammi Perez-Rice at the Oct. 13 Math Task Force convening in Fresno.

 Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, said, “We are proud that our Central Valley community colleges are leaning in on the expertise of their own math experts to figure out the best way to support our students within the guidelines of the legislation.”

AB 1705 — passed in 2022 for implementation July 1, 2024  —  expands the provisions established in AB 705 (2017) by explicitly requiring community colleges not only to place students directly into transfer-level English and math courses but also to ensure that students actually enroll in those courses.

The legislation also establishes that for students who need or desire extra academic support, community colleges shall provide access to such support. The new law clarifies that a community college can require students to enroll in additional concurrent support if it is determined that the support will increase the student’s likelihood of passing transfer-level English or math.

Community colleges have been tasked with ensuring they comply with both AB705 and AB1705 designed to strengthen support for student success and increase degree completion.

CVHEC helped start the conversation by bringing together its Math Task Force — made up of representatives from CVHEC community colleges — and other math educators to discuss ideas and options regarding implementation within the Central Valley community college mathematics community last fall.

Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator

In three virtual sessions and one in-person convening in 2023,  the Math Task Force created a collaborative “Central Valley Approach” to each,  said Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator who oversees the consortium’s Math and English Task Forces.

“Now, for the January session, administrators and researchers are joining the Math Task Force to develop data-driven and college-endorsed solutions that help meet the challenge head on and in unity for the best interests of students.”

The fall inaugural sessions were facilitated by two Dana Center representatives who will return to Fresno for the Jan. 26 convening:  Joan Zoellner, M.A., who is the lead for the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative; and Dr. Tammi Perez-Rice, Postsecondary Course Program specialist.

Dr. Erik Cooper, assistant vice chancellor of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Cooper, also participated in the first virtual session to discuss the recent history of math education reform in California and answer questions as well as present the CCCCO’s AB 1705 Implementation Guide and FAQ webpage.

“With the passage of AB 705 then later 1705 – all designed to strengthen support for student success – CVHEC has been moving full steam ahead in assuring that our member colleges and their feeder high schools have a good understanding of the seemingly turbulent waters of the legislation,” Durán said.

Strand breakdown: 

  • Validating prerequisites — quantitative and qualitative: creating a Central Valley collaborative approach which would help make a strong case with the state. Point person: NATHAN CAHOON, Taft College math professor.
  • Designing Precalculus for 2025: An effective single-course prerequisite for Calculus 1 (especially valuable if the state allows in 2025-26 only one prerequisite course for Calculus 1). Point person: JEREMY BRANDL, Fresno City College math professor.
  • Math support outside and inside the classroom:  What’s working best in the Central Valley, including math lab centers, tutoring, embedded tutoring, supplemental instruction, etc. Point person: SHELLEY GETTY, Taft College math professor.
  • Building an AB 1705 campus team: Who needs to be on the team? Math and English professors, IR/IT staff, counselors, administrators, etc. How does it best function? Point person: MARIE BRULEY, Merced College dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
  • Guided self-placement: Helping ensure with the best possible questionnaire that students are taking the right math class when they start college. Point person: JAY THOMAS, West Hills College Lemoore math professor.

(Links to recordings of the two previous sessions are available below).

 

REGISTER – “The CVHEC Way to Math Success — Implementing AB1705” (Jan. 26, 2024)

EVENT AGENDA For questions: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

For media inquiries: Tom Uribes 559.348.3278 (text msg) or cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu 

 

SEE:

  • Previous sessions recordings:

CVHEC “AB1705 in the Central Valley” Webinar with Dr. Erik Cooper Oct. 6, 2023

MTF meeting  Nov. 17 (10 a.m. session)

MTF meeting Nov. 17 (1 p.m. session)

 

  • Coverage of the fall sessions:

Math Task Force begins discussion of AB1705 implementation – Nov. 17 next (with Oct. 13 photo gallery).

CVHEC Math Task Force meets in-person Oct. 13 for AB 1705 follow-up  

NEWS RELEASE – CVHEC Math Task Force: Impactful legislation (AB 1705) Convenings Oct. 6 & 13

 

 

Dr. Erik Cooper of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office zoomed into the Oct. 6 CVHEC Math Task Force session to address AB1705 implementation.

 

UPDATE: Math Bridge Program eyes productive 2024

Read more

MEMBER NEWS: West Hills College Lemoore breaks ground for Visual Arts/Applied Sciences Bldg.

 Dr. Kristen Clark (second from right), chancellor of the  West Hills Community College District and chair of the CVHEC board, leads the ceremonial ground-breaking crew at the Lemoore campus.

 

Construction is underway at CVHEC member West Hills College Lemoore for a new Visual Arts & Applied Sciences (VAAS) building with a groundbreaking ceremony held Dec.1.

This state-of-the-art, 44,382-square-foot facility will serve as a hub for laboratory classrooms, career technical education programs, and nursing and health careers, addressing the growing demand for high-paying jobs in the local community.

The VAAS building is set to be a cornerstone in the college’s mission to provide students with cutting-edge educational opportunities and practical skills. Modern laboratories will offer students the chance to gain hands-on experience in various fields. At the same time, dedicated spaces for career technical education and health career programs will ensure that the curriculum is aligned with local industry needs, preparing students for in-demand jobs and contributing to the region’s healthcare workforce.

“This new building is another significant step forward in our commitment to delivering high-quality education and training opportunities to our students,” said James Preston, president of West Hills College Lemoore and CVHEC board member.

“The VAAS building will feature an innovative blend of educational programs in the areas of Health Careers, Information Technology, and Visual Arts that will empower our student and community and enhance our capacity to meet local industry demands.”

In an interview with ABC30 at the event, Dr. Kristen Clark, chancellor of the  West Hills Community College District and chair of the CVHEC board, said, “We’re thrilled because this will be the first two-story other than the Golden Eagle Arena on campus.”

See West Hills College Lemoore story

See ABC30 story: https://abc30.com/west-hills-college-lemoore-location-visual-arts-applied-science-golden-eagle-arena/14128992/

 

MEMBER NEWS: West Hills College Lemoore awards nearly $200,000 to 20 STEM students

West Hills College Lemoore awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM CORES Scholarships to 20 STEM students studying biology, engineering, physics and math, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium member announced earlier this month.

The scholarships are valued up to $10,000 annually per student ($5,000 per semester) for a maximum of four semesters. This academic year, the college is distributing nearly $200,000 in NSF S-STEM CORES Scholarships, half of which was disbursed Dec. 12. A second distribution is planned for the next semester.

The scholarships provide recipient with comprehensive support, including a dedicated faculty mentor and complementary tutoring for courses up to Introduction to Calculus, monthly cohort meetings and seminars, field trips each semester, and paid research opportunities. Additionally, two students will attend conferences.

WHCL President James Preston said the scholarships are part of the college’s commitment to develop future STEM leaders.

“Our mission is to remove barriers and provide opportunities,” said President Preston, who is a member of the CVHEC Board of Directors. “These scholarships are more than just financial aid; they invest in our students’ futures and potential to contribute to the STEM community.”

 

See the West Hills College Lemoore press release.

 

 

Open Educational Resources movement launched with $580,180 K-16 grant to CVHEC members

 

 

Open Educational Resources has the potential to save students millions of dollars in textbook and material costs that helps minimize financial barriers impeding access to quality education, said Dr. Kristin Clark (left), WHCCD chancellor, with West Hills College-Coalinga President Carla Tweed and West Hills College-Lemoore President James Preston.

OER Task Force and convening

planned for this fall

 

The pioneering Open Educational Resources Improvement Project – a collaboration of Central Valley Higher Education Consortium members and partners –kicks off with a $580,180.00 state grant as well as a new OER Task Force and convening planned for later this fall.

CVHEC-member West Hills Community College District recently announced the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative Mini-Grant Award for the groundbreaking initiative that is poised to usher in a new era of educational opportunities by revolutionizing learning, teaching and research materials across the Central Valley.

The project is in collaboration with the State Center Community College District and its campuses — Fresno City College, Madera Community College and Reedley College (all consortium members) — and CVHEC.

Open Educational Resources has the potential to save students millions of dollars in textbook and material costs, said Dr. Kristin Clark, WHCCD chancellor, in the Aug. 22 award announcement. This helps minimize financial barriers that impede access to quality education.

“OER is pivotal in alleviating financial burdens on our students with the transformative power to enrich education, making it more affordable and accessible,” Chancellor Clark said.

 

The free exchange of knowledge

The initiative promotes accessibility, reusability, adaptation and redistribution said the chancellor who also serves as chair of the CVHEC Board of Directors made up of the chancellors, presidents and campus directors of 28 Central Valley institutions of higher education in the nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern counties.

OER encompasses a diverse range of materials, such as textbooks, curricula and multimedia resources made available under open licenses that encourage the free exchange of knowledge.

Since 2016, West Hills College Lemoore has been at the forefront of OER development, showcasing WHCCD’s dedication to providing an inclusive and equitable learning environment that serves as a testament to the district’s commitment to academic excellence.

Chancellor Clark said the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative Mini-Grant Award “will empower us to advance education in the Central Valley by leveraging the potential of Open Educational Resources underscoring our unwavering commitment to fostering innovation and student success.”

She called the grant “a testament to the collaborative spirit of the Central Valley’s educational community and the strides we can achieve together. We are incredibly excited to embark on this significant endeavor alongside our esteemed partners.”

 

Statewide leadership to a ZTC degree pathway

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, said this visionary partnership of consortium members will expand on WHC-Lemoore’s pioneer work with faculty and instructional administrators developing Open Educational Resources /Zero Textbook Cost textbooks, courses and pathways that serve area institutions and their feeder high schools.

“This Central Valley OER movement provides statewide leadership leading to a full ZTC degree pathway in Elementary Education for our students that immediately serves the Fresno and Madera County areas,” Duran said.

“We commend our community college members for uniting under CHVEC for this grant, enabling them to create a wealth of high-quality educational resources for the benefit of students and educators throughout the Central Valley and beyond.”

 

An evolution of teaching and learning

West Hills College-Lemoore President James Preston, who serves on the statewide California Community Colleges ZTC Task Force, said in a CVHEC “What Is Happening Blog” a year ago that his campus jumped into the “OERevolution” as a way to eliminate textbook cost barriers for students.

“However, what started as a revolution against textbook publishers and outrageous prices quickly turned into an evolution of teaching and learning as faculty utilized OER materials in creative and powerful ways,” wrote President Preston.

“Thousands of hours of teamwork, a few additional grants and six years later West Hills College Lemoore has saved students over $8 million dollars, revolutionized teaching and learning and currently offers 62 percent of our courses in the ZTC format with a dozen degrees and certificates that students can complete without any textbook costs.”

In a presentation to fellow CVHEC board members at their quarterly meeting in May,  President Preston said the use of ZTC is “a huge win for diversity and equity” that “allows for culturally responsive relevant materials.”

 

OER/ZTC Task Force

Dr. Duran said the next step for CVHEC is to finalize formation this fall of the OER/ZTC Task Force consisting of representatives from the consortium’s 28-member institutions.

“This new task force will support our members as they assist students attain basic needs that help navigate their way towards the completion of their educational goals. “

He said the first OER/ZTC Task Force Convening will be set for later this fall when task force members and other individuals and campuses can further explore strategies for addressing those basic needs.

For more information: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

 

For media inquiries:

WHCCD – Amber Myrick (559.934.2132) ambermyrick@whccd.edu

CVHEC – Tom Uribes (559.348.3278) cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu

SCCCD – Jill Wagner  jill.wagner@scccd.edu

 

Also see:

 

Interim Presidents Named at Bakersfield College, Columbia, West Hills Lemoore

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”5751,5790,5789″ img_size=”240×300″][vc_column_text]Congratulations to three interim presidents appointed recently and joining the CVHEC Board of Directors:

• Bakersfield College – Dr. Zav Dadabhoy was named to replace Dr. Sonya Christian who is now the chancellor of the Kern Community College District.

• Columbia College – Dr. G.H. Javaheripour, effective  July 1, to replace Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay, who is now president of Modesto Jr. College.

• West Hills College Lemoore – Dr. James Preston, effective July 1, following current President Kristin Clark’s selection as West Hills Community College District Chancellor.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Central Valley meets COVID-19 higher ed challenge

CVHEC offers remote learning opportunities
for faculty with FOCI, STATS 2020

If anything can be said about higher education in the historic Spring 2020, it is that colleges and universities stood up to the challenge posed by the COVID pandemic including Central Valley institutions responding with urgency, care and foresight.

Not only were they able to pivot to a virtual platform for instruction within a matter of days to complete the semester, but they geared up by providing students with the necessary technology, Wi-Fi hot spots and, in some cases, even met students’ basic needs. Even still, behind the scenes Central Valley leaders were looking ahead to prepare for a fall semester that would very likely continue with remote delivery of instruction.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”Dr. Chad Houck” link=”” color=”#33ACFF” class=”” size=”16″]“Some of the ideas were big concepts and others were small details, all of which the participants were excited to share with the class … It has been one of the best online professional development experiences.”[/perfectpullquote]

In that spirit, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) provided support this summer by cultivating two opportunities to help faculty build online teaching capacity:  The Focused Online Collaborative Interactions (FOCI) series and the Summer Teaching Academy for Teachers of Statistics (STATS) 2020.

FOCI — Professional Learning Series for Faculty

In collaboration with the Charles A. Dana Center, University of Texas at Austin, CVHEC offered a no-cost six-part FOCI professional learning series to a cohort of 25 multi-disciplined faculty May 8 to Aug. 4. This series provided guidance on using evidence-based methods to support each student’s needs while maintaining consistency in the class.  A by-product of this initiative was the creation of a support group of peers that can be networked to discuss the implementation of the teaching tools.

Dr. Chad Houck, dean of Instruction at Cerro Coso Community College, said the FOCI’s Virtual Teaching and Learning session has been powerful for instructors who are both comfortable with teaching remotely and for those who are brand new to using technology to reach students.

“The power of the FOCI was the interaction with other college instructors throughout the region through the use of topics that are highly relevant to the technology available today, and through breakout sessions that allowed for small group investigation and sharing,” Houck said.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”Dr. Benjamin Duran” link=”” color=”#33ACFF” class=”” size=”16″]“That ‘back to school feeling’ may not be the same as in traditional years, but students should know and feel that just as much energy, if not more, went into ensuring their needs will be met.”[/perfectpullquote]

The format of the sessions also modeled strong practices for teaching via Zoom.  By the end of the FOCI sessions, every participant was able to share many new ideas and techniques that they implemented in their classes right away with positive outcomes.

“Some of the ideas were big concepts and others were small details, all of which the participants were excited to share with the class,” Houck said. “It has been one of the best online professional development experiences.”

As a result of this successful undertaking, CVHEC will offer more FOCI series during the 2020-2021 academic year. One series will focus on Equity and another on Counseling for Math Pathways. If more teaching instruction is needed another FOCI series on teaching in the online environment will be offered. More information on the upcoming FOCI series will be forthcoming.

STATS 2020 — Strengthening Statistics Teaching

CVHEC’s Mini-Grants campaign supported the Summer Teaching Academy for Teachers of Statistics (STATS) 2020 convening that was presented June 8 to 12 by West Hills College Lemoore in collaboration with CVHEC and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO).

The concept of the week-long STATS 2020 emerged from regional Central Valley educator conversations sharing concerns of inadequate preparation as they are being asked to teach statistics due to implementation of AB705. In the last year, statistics course offerings have increased 150 percent at many campuses (from 20 percent of the math courses offered to 50 percent). STATS 2020 provided instruction to 48 math faculty representing colleges from CVHEC’s 9-county region.

Math faculty joined the conference seeking additional insights for teaching statistics effectively in the online/remote modality presented by Roxy Peck, professor emerita of statistics at California Polytechnic State University  where she served as chair of the Statistics Department for six years and as associate dean of the College of Science and Mathematics for 13 years. Her STATS 2020 workshop modeled the process by which to engage students synchronously using organized materials and applets in addition to Zoom technology features such as breakout rooms, polling and whiteboards. Many participants had previously attended workshops featuring Peck’s work and they looked forward to learning from her how to transfer engaging face-to-face activities into the online world.

“I entered the STATS 2020 conference wondering how fall was going to be much different from the transitional spring semester so many of us struggled through,” said Tina Akers-Porter, a 10-year math instructor at Modesto Junior College.

“But I left the conference armed with new websites, modeled experience using synchronous online teaching tools, fun content driven activities that translated to the virtual realm and lots of confidence about the new teaching possibilities for the fall,” she said. “I am very grateful for the STATS 2020 conference, as it helped fill in the virtual gaps for me.”

Other Online Learning Activities

Beside these two examples of CVHEC efforts to assist Central Valley colleges, many other teacher-learning opportunities have sprung up from systems offices and on individual campuses throughout the valley, such as Porterville College’s “Quick Tips for Online Success” webinar series. This weekly 20-minute presentation for faculty by faculty has gone so well that it will continue through the fall semester.  In addition, other CVHEC-member colleges and universities individually have addressed professional learning opportunities for their faculty and staff to deliver high level instruction and student services through their own efforts.  The response in the region to the challenges brought on by the pandemic have indeed been impressive.

Summer 2020 Prep

The summer of 2020, which in a normal year would have been a time for rest and renewal, saw a response in earnest by Central Valley higher education leadership and faculty who  invested hours in teacher and staff training to ensure they could confidently welcome students back. Instruction was a key summer focus, but so was creating solutions to provide students with as much support as possible. In addition to filling the broadband gaps, campus teams spent the summer on aggressive outreach, contacting students by phone, finding financial aid solutions on compassion grounds and upscaling as much support as possible.

That ‘back to school feeling’ may not be the same as in traditional years, but students should know and feel that just as much energy, if not more, went into ensuring their needs will be met.

 

• August 5, 2020 • CVHEC Digital Newsletter August 2020 issue.

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