Faculty, staff, and student development that is inquiry driven and equity focused contributes to a culture which honors the strengths and experiences of Latine/a/o students. A continuous improvement process will encourage innovation and improve practice, results used to increase knowledge and catalyze wide-scale, institutional change.

Through existing and expanded engagement in equity, inclusion, and “servingness,” professional development programs, Ventura College staff participate in comprehensive equity-minded professional development designed to develop a welcoming, inclusive, and identity affirming campus environment where historically marginalized students, particularly Latine/a/o students feel seen, heard, and a sense of belonging. Project S:AIL in STEM professional development programs expand existing faculty and staff professional development efforts to include a DEI-focused certification program to provide opportunities for faculty and staff to learn the most significant high-impact, evidence-based practices that have been shown to increase student outcomes, especially for Latine/a/o and other historically marginalized students.

Project S:AIL in STEM instills a sense of purpose through connection of course content to student goals, resulting in demonstrated persistence & STEM course success.1 (Yeager, et. al, 2014)

  • Research conducted across all disciplines indicates that the faculty behaviors and characteristics that have a significant effect on student engagement include active and collaborative learning techniques, communicating high expectations to students, course-related student-faculty interactions, and an emphasis on enriching educational experiences.2 Educational equity scholars argue that the effectiveness of HSIs depend on the institution’s ability to both improve academic and affective outcomes for Latine/a/o students and provide a positive, culturally engaging campus inclusive of Latine/a/o students’ strengths and needs.

 

Opportunities for Part-Time/Early Tenure Track STEM Faculty

Adjunct/Early Career to Tenure Program

Participants: Ventura College STEM adjunct (part time) pursuing tenure track positions in the VCCCD or California Community College system and early career (full time) tenure track faculty to apply for the STEM Adjunct/Early Career to Tenure Program.

This program supports the representation, professional, and pedagogical development of adjunct and early career STEM faculty, centering the goal of increasing the representation of STEM faculty from historically minoritized backgrounds in tenure track positions. This program will engage participants in learning essential equity-informed pedagogical principles and practices that will guide their current and future teaching practices as well as best practices for preparing for, and navigating, the tenure journey. 

Participants engage in weekly coaching series facilitated by STEM equity coaches. Coaches will guide and support participants through teaching, learning, and equity/culturally informed practices, equity data, the syllabus as a tool for racial equity, liberatory outcomes, and Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) informed pedagogy and practice. Tenured faculty colleagues and STEM Administrators will share best practices and resources for presenting CVs, cover letters, preparing for teaching demonstrations, and navigating the tenure journey. 

Participants must demonstrate the following: 

  • Currently teaching (Fall 2024-Spring 2025) in a STEM discipline at Ventura College. 
  • Some experience or full commitment to creating a serving-minded, engaging, equity driven, and culturally informed learning experience for Latine/@/x and historically minoritized STEM students at HSIs. 
  • Is a co-conspirator that holds asset-based perspectives in the ability of historically minoritized STEM students to achieve college success. 
  • Is a co-conspirator that is fully committed to advancing the goals and objectives of Project S:AIL in STEM. 

Role and responsibilities: 

  • Attend all coaching sessions as outlined above (see dates and times). 
  • Complete assessments, USC CUE’s Racial Equity Tools, Transforming HSIs for Equity and Justice workbook, and other activities as determined by coaches during meeting sessions. 
  • (Re)Design and implement equity-informed and culturally affirming STEM pedagogical practices/syllabi that centers diversity, racial equity, inclusion, access, and belonging. 
 Fall 2024

Opportunities for all STEM Faculty

Escala Education STEM-X

Participants: Ventura College STEM adjunct (part time) pursuing tenure track positions in the VCCCD or California Community College system and early career (full time) tenure track faculty to apply for the STEM Adjunct/Early Career to Tenure Program.

Escala STEM-X Learning Goals:

  • Explore how your own lived experiences have influenced how you set up your course and the ways you interpret student performance. 
  • Investigate peer-reviewed research evidence for best practices to inform how to implement practices more intentionally in STEM to minimize learning opportunity gaps for a broad spectrum of students. 
  • Practical examples of how to implement these strategies into your course learning spaces, assignments, laboratory exercises, and assessments.  
  • Analyze and improve your own course assignments, labs, and assessments to increase students' learning and more intentionally foster their STEM identities. 

Participants will engage in a six-session facilitated coaching series facilitated by STEM coaches. Throughout live synchronous sessions, coaches will guide and support participants through pedagogical practices, data sets, the syllabus, assessing student outcomes, and best practices for teaching at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).  

Faculty participants must demonstrate the following: 

  • Must be a faculty member teaching in a STEM discipline at Ventura College during the spring 2025 semester and/or the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year. 
  • Some experience or demonstrated commitment to creating a serving-minded, engaging, and culturally informed learning experience for STEM students at HSIs. 
  • Is a co-conspirator that holds asset-based perspectives in the ability of a broad spectrum of STEM students to achieve college success. 
  • Is a co-conspirator that is fully committed to advancing the goals and objectives of Project S:AIL in STEM. 

Role and responsibilities: 

  • Attend the sessions as outlined. 
  • Complete synchronous and asynchronous virtual activities, assessments, reflections and other reading/watching/listening activities as determined session facilitators. 
  • (Re)Design and implement culturally affirming STEM pedagogical practices/syllabi that centers a broad range of student experiences. 

To learn more about Escala Educational Services, visit their website.

 Summer 2025

Opportunities for Ventura College Faculty, Staff, and Administrators

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Summits

Held annually, these half day professional development trainings provide an opportunity for Ventura College employees to engage in critical assessment, discussion, learning, and interactively sharing best practices to build capacity for serving students while centering the success of Latine/@/x and historically minoritized students, particularly those in STEM.

Visit our events page to view dates and times.

 

Opportunities for Ventura College Students

Student Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Summits

Held annually, these half day professional development trainings for students provide an opportunity for Ventura College students to engage in discussion, learning, leadership, and interactively sharing best practices to build capacity for serving students while centering the success of Latine/@/x and historically minoritized students, particularly those in STEM.

Visit our events page to view dates and times.

Fellowship of HSI Educators and Students (FHSIES)

A partnership with Associated Students Ventura College (ASVC). In the summer of 2023, FHSIES was developed in response to students’ requests for professional, social, and leadership opportunities to supplement their campus experience and ensure that they have the tools, confidence, and support to prepare them for the next steps in their academic and career journeys.

Program Goals:

  • Increases student knowledge of HSI servingness, fosters agency in informing and leading HSI efforts on campus, and strengthens our understanding of what it means to be an intentional HSI.
  • Develop our campus HSI identity through leadership activities, compensated training, mentorship, and collaboration to bring forth best practices to create transformational change.

For information about all Ventura College professional development programs, visit the VC Professional Development website here.

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1. Yeager, D. S., Henderson, M. D., Paunesku, D., Walton, G. M., D'Mello, S., Spitzer, B. J., & Duckworth, A. L. (2014). Boring but important: a self-transcendent purpose for learning fosters academic self-regulation. Journal of personality and social psychology, 107(4), 559.

2. Umbach, P. D., & Wawrzynski, M. R. (2005). Faculty do matter: The role of college faculty in student learning and engagement. Research in Higher education, 46(2), 153-184.