Building Relationships/Community

4DX: A Glance at the Math Division WIG

Submitted by Bobbi Mohr on

In conjunction with the 4DX campus initiative and the EMCC Super Goal #1, the math division developed the following WIG:  To contribute to closing the equity gap and improving a student’s sense of belonging, the Mathematics Division will increase the student’s response average on the twenty questions of the Classroom Community Survey (Rovai, 2002) from a 2.2 to 2.5 by December 2021.  Residential faculty reported what types of activities/practices were implemented in their classes to increase a student's sense of belonging.  Students reported an average

Early Registration Advising/Class Selection Module

Submitted by Polly Miller on

Objective: To ensure students are on track for completion in their certificate or degree pathway program, students meet with their advisor, either virtually or in person, to do the following:

  1. review progress of degree or certificate pathway
  2. determine classes to register for for the next semester
  3. ensure student is on track to complete in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
  4. identify a program of study if you have not already done so

Assignment Requirements:

It's in the Syllabus

Submitted by Shannon Manuelito on

This syllabus research project is an example of assessing learning practices to enhance learning environments at the classroom, program, and college level. I learned from student success literature that often, underrepresented students will not ask for exceptions to syllabus policies while their counterparts will, thus creating unintentional equity gaps with class syllabus policies. I studied various course syllabi from EMCC classes to see how my policies compare. I then surveyed EMCC faculty and students about the course syllabus.

Using Discussion Protocols to Actively Engage Students in Collaborative Learning in Live Online Classes

Submitted by Laura Popovici on

Using discussion protocols in a live online learning format promotes independent student collaboration and engagement in group discussions through quality instruction and student support. In conjunction with the use of Google documents and live online breakout rooms (Zoom, Webex, or Google Meets), protocols drive independent student discussion and collaboration using a set of guidelines that include student roles and responsibilities. Discussion protocols also allow for fostering student-to-student relationships and for providing immediate real-time feedback by faculty.

SAC's Celebration of Learning Spring 2021

Submitted by Catherine Cochran on

During the Spring 2021 Celebration of Learning event was hosted by SAC.  EMCC Faculty and staff had an opportunity to facilitate 30 assessment workshops within their areas to share best practices with colleagues and increase student learning.  There were three thirty minute sessions.  Some participants presented for multiple sessions.  We had:

  1. Number of workshops:  12 

  2. Number of presenters:  *12 (session I), 14 ( session II), 10 (session III)

  3. Number of attendees:  *224 attendees 

"Should I go to that?" Virtual events and what we learn from them

Submitted by Erica Wager on

This year, the Psychology Club and Psi Beta (PCPB) have had to meet all online. While this has presented us with challenges, it has also opened up our club to many possibilities. Our students wanted to have events, but indicated concern that they wouldn't actually be able to engage with the speakers, as in other online events they often aren't able to speak or raise their hand as frequently as they would like. We decided to create a Women In Psych Panel event.

Bueller, Bueller? Engaging Students in a Virtual World

Submitted by Bobbi Mohr on

In Fall 20, math courses transitioned to a Live Online format versus traditional online. Faculty spent the summer frantically learning technologies and strategies through workshops, brainstorming sessions, and social media. Math faculty also trained one another on Zoom/Webex, NearPod, and Whiteboard.fi with a common goal -  to learn and implement new tools in the virtual environment to keep students engaged; increasing student success and persistence.

The Virtual Cafe- Connecting in the Online Classroom During COVID and Beyond

Submitted by Jamie Lopez on

Meet me in the Virtual Cafe!  As I considered challenges that students may be facing during these times, I wanted to create a place in my online classes where students could connect in a non-threatening (non-graded) space much like they would in the hallway or in the physical classroom before and after class and during breaks.  I hope that it is successful and helps students to make connections!

Faculty and Tutor Interaction

Submitted by Rachel Aborne on

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate an environment to determine whether or not it encourages interaction among tutors and faculty. Prior to the intervention in Spring 2020, tutor and faculty interaction was low during pre-semester meet-and-greet sessions; the sessions were conducted in a panel format with tutors comprising the audience. The Spring 2020 session, however, was held in a small-group format, and informal feedback was positive. Formal tutor survey results showed that the small groups enabled more flow of conversation as well as deeper connection.

Bi-weekly ASC science student worker reflections

Submitted by Kristopher Rothermal on

Through conversations with the tutors, a desire was discovered to be better.  The tutors know their material very well but wanted to see if there was a way to improve on their delivery style and customer service.  I introduced the concept of continuous quality improvement (CQI) which is a culture of never-ending improvement.  The assumption is that unless we learn something about what we are doing, we are unlikely to know how to improve it.

Increasing engagement within an online learning environment.

Submitted by Najmah Muhammad on

I teach MGT101 online and most of the assignments are discussions and essays.I would like to explore more ways of online engagement using the Groups feature in Canvas. Discussions work fine, but I notice it can be challenging to encourage students to respond in a non-forced, non-mechanical way. Last semester, I used a group assignment from the course master. The assignment required students to read a case study, and as a team, respond to the written assignment as a discussion within their group. Groups gave students control of the assignment in their learning workspace.

ASC STEM Journal Forum - Spring 2020

Submitted by Christopher McNeal on

The STEM program has grown over the past two years, and has caused an increase in tutoring support for Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology courses. With the implementation of the STEM journal, students are able sufficiently prepare for their courses. The STEM tutors of the Academic Success Center are able to share helpful information and insight, for they went through the same courses and instructors as our current students.

Peek-a-Boo!: Previewing Assignments to Set Up Student Success

Submitted by Erin Blomstrand on

Helping students find success is the goal of teaching. By adding a short preview assignment allowing students to focus on upcoming larger essay assignments in Canvas, they learn the importance of taking the time to review assignment instructions before starting in, they think about what they're being asked to do, what challenges they might face while working on the asisgnment, what resources they can access for help, and ask specific questions of their instructor. Instructors can immediately respond and clarify or realign student preceptions setting students up for success.