Passport to Success is a Success
San Diego Continuing Education’s Passport to Success program provides professional development training opportunities for cohorts of new contract and adjunct faculty, and classified professional staff that supports institutionalized leadership and excellence. The program builds community amongst new employees and helps them establish connections with experienced faculty and classified professional leaders. This includes monthly meetings, and an opportunity to participate in a mentoring program and online training components. Passport is beginning its fourth year in the Fall of 2019. In year one we invited only new contract faculty to participate; in year two we added the Classified Professionals to the group; and this last year we included new adjuncts in our program.
Teaching with Purpose will focus on andragogy and consists of monthly sessions led by experienced faculty and staff who teach their newly hired peers to use active, collaborative learning. The idea is to have faculty embrace a learning environment that encourages creativity. A major part of the program is to ensure that faculty understand student learning outcomes, and have the tools to develop effective assessments and improve the culture of student success.
Passport to Success promotes dynamic and positive cultures and priorities amongst new faculty contract and adjunct, classified professional staff and counselors. The successful results for participants from our Academy include elected and appointed positions:
Veleka Iwuaba – Program Chair for ABE
Rachel Rose- Program Chair for Child Development
Sam Phu- Program Chair Automotive
Zak Ruvalcaba- Digital Media
Lydia Hammett- APC ESL- MCC
Maria Allan –APC ESL –Miramar
Shirley Pierson- Program Chair Fashion
Lisa Cork – Program Chair Healthcare Careers
Megan Leppert- Program Chair Hospitality and Culinary
Bradley Dorschel- Program Chair Skilled and Technical Trades
Bob Pyle- Program Chair Skilled and Technical Trades
Matthew Rivaldi- Secretary of the Academic Senate
Richard Gholson- Chair of the Curriculum Committee
John Louie- Vice President of Academic Senate
Olivia Flores- Treasurer of Academic Senate
Aaron Iffland- Chair of the Technology Committee
Edith Quintero-Pathways Coordinator
Deborah West- Work Based Learning Coordinator
Stephanie Thomas-El Civics Coordinator
Bryan Hicks- El Civics Assistant Coordinator
Monica Cueva-ESL Technology Coordinator
Maria Allan-WIOA Assistant Coordinator - NC/Miramar
Diana Vera- Alba-California Adult Education Program Coordinator
Eddie Madrid-Vice President of Classified Senate
Patty Lopez- Classified Senator- HQ Admin.
Sophear Slaketh- Classified Senator- ECC
Kenia Suarez- Classified Senator-North City
Molly Broene- Classified Senator- Chavez Admin.
The Passport Academy has three key activities.
The first key activity is to present professional development workshops for faculty over a one year period covering the following: 1.Technology training including essential computer skills, online learning/distance education and integrating technology into the classroom. 2. Student Support Services training to create a safe and inclusive classroom for all students highlighting counseling, veterans support, services for students with disabilities and career counseling. 3. Diversity and Inclusion training that outlines competency across San Diego Continuing Education and support efforts to increase diversity. 4. Andragogy training that outlines best practices across programs and exposes faculty to career focused SLO’s measured with effective evaluation and innovative assessments. 5. Leadership and Succession training to build communication skills and understanding of District procedures and organization. 6. Nuts and Bolts training focusing on rosters, emails, attendance paperwork, publications and accessing resources.7. Curriculum Development training to develop strong syllabi, author new course outlines, and understand online curriculum services. 8. Institutional Involvement training to become invested in shared governance and participation in Academic and Classified Senates, Flex, and district and state level professional development opportunities.
The Second Key activity is: Mentoring
The Face-to-Face Mentoring Program gives faculty members the opportunity to be a mentor or to be mentored by a colleague. The mentor/mentee relationship is flexible yet consists of directed goal-setting, orientation for mentor and mentee, face-to-face sessions, and a variety of communication sessions that occur over time. Interests and focus are tailored and may include discipline specific topics, pedagogy, educational technology, professional advancement, navigating SDCE departments, classroom management, or any other faculty-initiated topic. The Mentoring Program meets the individual needs of the participants.
The third key activity is On-line/ Web Support for participants.
Web exposes participants to CANVAS Learning Management System and encouraging the utilization of SDCE’s website as a primary location for information, forms, and resources for faculty, classified professionals and learners. A New Contract Faculty Academy CANVAS Course has modules for each workshop and is a repository for essentials covered. The CANVAS course includes video documentation of PSA’s initial cohort workshops. Maintaining the current SDCE New Faculty Academy structure replicates the onboarding team at San Diego Mesa College, a designated SDCE/Distance Education Faculty will manage the PSA online support, the CANVAS academy, on-going technical assistance, and the overall scope of the online components.