CTN’s Transformative Teaching Track’s Spring Institute scheduled to be held in McAllen on March 26-27 was delivered through on-line and hybrid instruction on its original date through the efforts of CTN Director of Professional Development, Allegra Villarreal’s planning and coordination in conjunction with those presenting.
“When we planned our seminar, we did not anticipate that the World Health Organization would designate COVID-19 a pandemic… We are disappointed that we could not meet you in person, but our major concern had to be your well-being and the well-being of your loved ones,” commented CTN CEO, Dr. Chavez. “As educators, we must adjust to online and/or hybrid instruction to ensure that our students can continue on their path to achieving their academic and career dreams,” she added.
CTN webinars, moderated by CTN Director of Research and Development, Erin Doran, began at 9 am on March 27. The first speaker of the day was Keylan Morgan Program Specialist for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Ph.D. student in the Graduate Program in Developmental Education, Texas State University. His session was titled “Corequisites: The Statewide Perspective.” Attendees discussed HB 2223 and the implications on pedagogical practice moving forward. The day’s second speaker was Linda Serra Hagedorn, former Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, International Programs, Student Services, Diversity, and Community in the College of Human Sciences and Professor Emeritus in the School of Education at Iowa State University. She is a prominent researcher in the area of community college student success with over 200 publications and presentations. In her session titled “Performing the Impossible” attendees explored the ways education can change destiny and the key role educators play in transforming the lives of their students. She also discussed the theory and research behind corequisites. The day’s final session was presented by Frank Savina who leads the design, development, and implementation of the pathway to Calculus for the UT Dana Center Mathematics Pathways, and Anna Alaniz who currently serves as the Ascender Coordinator at South Texas College and also teaches all components of the program. In their session titled “Corequisites in Practice” they discussed their own experience with corequisites and offered advice on curriculum design and navigating the issues around implementation.
The link to the webinar series is https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhOU1UsUCwglFKFGRqY7SLuGIPPBd2S6O