Jump Into the Pool

Overcoming barriers to expanding effective programs is no easy task. To provide additional support to the 15 DEI colleges, a pool of technical assistants was created. In addition, colleges were encouraged to identify others who might be helpful to their efforts. Byron McClenney of UT-Austin’s Community College Leadership Program leads the training and deployment of DEI technical assistants; he notes that these “critical friends can raise difficult questions, challenge assumptions, and suggest pathways to scaling-up the important interventions.” DEI colleges can call in skilled DEI Technical Assistance Providers to aid them in developing and improving their programs, addressing issues of engaging full-time and adjunct faculty, contextualizing teaching and learning, and integrating technology, not to mention identifying the appropriate professional development to undergird these efforts. In Tales of Technical Assistance we will periodically spotlight a DEI college that has engaged technical assistance to take the institution’s DEI work to the next level. We begin in sunny Florida!

The College: Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida

The Difficulty: VCC is aiming for improved course completion rates in targeted mathematics courses, such as algebra. One approach that interested the college was identifying ways that math faculty could collaborate with faculty in other disciplines.

The Expert: DEI Technical Assistance Provider Susan Forman, Professor of Mathematics, Bronx Community College, CUNY

The Accomplishment: Forman facilitated a shift in the college’s thinking about how other disciplines, such as reading and English, can help students learn math. “We had always put the burden on the math teachers,” says Dr. Nicholas Bekas, Valencia’s DEI Project Director. Through a series of engaging sessions, with a variety of faculty, Susan encouraged discussion about how various disciplines can help students learn math. For example, Susan emphasized the importance of integrating reading skills into mathematics classes. “If a student doesn’t understand the first sentence, they won’t understand the second. Math is a building discipline rather than an explanatory one,” Forman explains. 

Forman also challenged the Valencia administration to become more involved in the college’s developmental education work. “She really talked openly and honestly to the administration about understanding their role in this and how they can help us move forward,” Bekas says.

What Really Worked: Forman helped connect faculty involved with the DEI project with faculty from the college’s general education courses, and was practical and open to questions. Bekas reflects, “She read everything, and because she knew what we were trying to do when she came to us, she was ready.  She knew about us.  That’s what made it more engaging and I think helped us more.”

Lasting Effects: Since Forman’s visit, Valencia is working to integrate reading, writing, and math, focusing particularly on incorporating math content into reading and writing classes.

Breanna Detwiler is MDC's Autry Fellow.