As part of the collaborative, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) intends to build on its existing campus-wide initiatives to foster metacognitive skill acquisition in prerequisite and introductory courses in preparation for more challenging upper-level content material. Bunker Hill Community College in Boston is the largest community college in Massachusetts, with more than 19,000 students enrolled annually. Founded in 1973, BHCC offers more than 100 academic programs, including associate degree programs, certificate programs and programs designed to allow students to complete their first two years of a bachelor’s degree before transferring to a four-year university. BHCC is a minority-serving institution.
Calbright College will leverage its involvement in the collaborative to further develop its model as an online-only college and enhance its faculty-development framework, which focuses on the affective dimensions of teaching, to deliberately integrate the student’s experience. Calbright College, California’s first online-only community college, focuses on careers not credentials. Calbright uses a combination of online classes, mobile apps, and career readiness training and services to provide working adults with the skills they need to move into higher paying jobs. Courses can be taken on each person’s own timeline and from wherever is most convenient.
As part of the collaborative, Macomb Community College will explore methods to encourage deeper student engagement in online courses by actively improving course design and faculty training. Macomb will align its participation in the collaborative’s research and development activities with its broader equity and inclusion initiatives. Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, offers nearly 200 degree and certificate programs that prepare its students for life and work in the 21st century. Macomb is a commuter college with a campus life, with student clubs to join, study trips to take, cultural programs to check out, and college athletic and other events.
Odessa College will leverage its involvement with the collaborative to build on initiatives coordinated by the college’s Global Center in the Institutional Effectiveness office, which supports the development of innovative instructional design and facilitates scaling successful models across the entire college. Odessa College has been an integral part of educating West Texans since 1946. Currently OC offers more than 120 associate and certificate degree programs, including more than 30 occupational/technical programs to meet the needs of citizens who want to learn new or improve existing skills.
Palm Beach State College (PBSC) intends to use knowledge and experience gained through the collaborative’s research to enhance several ongoing initiatives, including the recent expansion of its e-Learning and Instructional Technology team and the implementation of Quality Matters, a faculty-development program. Palm Beach State College was founded in 1933 as Florida’s first public community college.
Already a national leader in teaching and learning innovation, Portland State University intends to leverage its participation in the collaborative to build on existing digital-learning initiatives and efforts to infuse academic-success skill development into its general education University Studies program. Portland State University is Portland, Oregon’s public research university. Its innovative approach combines education with creative problem-solving and collaboration across campus for maximum impact. From its founding to serve veterans home from World War II, it has grown into Oregon’s most diverse urban public research university with 26,000 students and more than 200 degree programs.
Tulsa Community College (TCC) recently trained faculty in online teaching, built an online instruction team in response to COVID-19, and now requires each course to have an online component. TCC intends to leverage its involvement in the collaborative to build on this work to improve online STEM courses and enhance online offerings throughout college programs. TCC has served Tulsa and northeastern Oklahoma since 1970.
As part of the collaborative, Virginia State University (VSU) will investigate use of self-directed learning interventions in its growing online course offerings, especially STEM and introductory biology courses, and build off the success of its STAR Program, which aims to enhance the performance of minority STEM majors enrolled in general biology courses in preparation for possible careers in allied health fields. VSU, an HBCU founded in 1882, is one of Virginia’s two land-grant institutions and is located in the village of Ettrick. With a current student population of approximately 4,000, VSU offers 36 undergraduate degree programs, 16 graduate degree programs, two doctoral degree programs, and eight certificate programs.
Wake Technical Community College will use its participation in the collaborative to build on previous improvements to online instruction, including Project COMPASS, which enhances student engagement in online courses. Wake Tech in Raleigh is North Carolina’s largest community college, serving more than 70,000 adults annually, with six campuses, three training centers, multiple community sites, and a comprehensive array of online learning options. Wake Tech offers more than 200 associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates that prepare students for university transfer or immediate employment. The college also offers short-term, non-degree programs and serves high school students in partnership with Wake County Public Schools.