Congratulations to the recipients of the 2016-17 NOCCCD Innovation Fund Grant! In total, close to $75,000 will be distributed to develop and implement the great ideas from the following individuals:
Sean Chamberlin and Roman deJesus, Fullerton College
COWABUNGA-STEM (Coastal Observing and Whale-watching Activities Bringing Underrepresented Next Generation Academics into STEM)
This program places middle school, high school, and community college students side by side as they employ science and technology to understand plastic debris and its impacts on the ocean. This innovative, research-based STEM recruitment program aims to increase the number of underrepresented students entering as STEM majors, improve their rates of retention and success in STEM courses at the community college, and increase the rate at which they transfer to four-year institutions. By engaging students at a young age, by maintaining their connection to the college, and by supporting their growth as young scientists, COWABUNGA-STEM represents an innovative, high-impact model for increasing the STEM pipeline.
Jolena Grande, Cypress College
OER (Open Education Resource) Curation and Adoption for the BDP (Baccalaureate Degree Pilot)
The NOCCCD strategic directions to “improve the rates of completion for degrees, certificates, diplomas, and courses”; eliminate the achievement gap; and improve the success rate for students, culminate in this proposal to develop Blackboard course sites to aid in the delivery of curated open and free educational resources for the new upper division courses included in the Cypress College Mortuary Science Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program. By creating companion sites supplemented with interactive media and educational technologies, the students who enroll in these courses will gain access to textbooks, instructional materials, and additional media to facilitate their understanding and retention of curricular concepts. The expansion of the California Community College mission to include offering baccalaureate degrees is founded on the principles of access and achievement—and this proposal provides for the accomplishment of these goals by eliminating or significantly reducing the cost of course materials as well as enhancing the instructional delivery by including multimedia materials. Being hailed as the $10,000 bachelor degree, the curation of OER further reduces the costs of obtaining a bachelor degree.
Sheila Nguyen, Cypress College
General Chemistry as Taught using POGIL Based Instructional Strategies
Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) techniques originated in college chemistry courses in 1994 and uses a model of cyclical learning involving exploration, conceptual invention and application. The goal of the project is to institute the POGIL learning strategies in a Chem 111A section in order to compare the test scores of a traditionally taught class. This quantifiable study will increase transfer readiness and successful completion of the General Chemistry course.
Jay Seidel, Fullerton College
Inside Fullerton News Academy
The Inside Fullerton News Academy will provide community news and information to the surrounding community of Fullerton. The community news outlet will not be for just journalism students, but rather open to all interested in learning how to create and share information in a “hospital model” community news outlet. The main goal of the Inside Fullerton News Academy is to create a sustainable hospital-model community news center that will create a learning hub for students in various majors and that will provide online information to enrich the surrounding community.
Olivia Veloz, Fullerton College
Fullerton College Student Diversity Success Initiative Laptop Loan Program
In line with the District’s Strategic Direction #2, the purpose of the Laptop Loan Program is to support students enrolled in the Student Diversity Success Initiative (SDSI) Program who have financial need and assist them in pursuing their educational goals. The SDSI Program aims to provide academic support and increase the success, retention, graduation and transfer rates among African-American and Latino males and other at-risk students.
The NOCCCD Innovation Fund was designed to encourage and provide financial support for faculty and staff in developing and implementing new ideas, methods or practices that will improve the quality and efficacy of education, programs, and services throughout the District. Proposals complement the District’s Vision, Mission and Values Statement, as well as the District-wide Strategic Directions. Recipients have one year to implement their proposals, and will present information to the Board of Trustees at the conclusion of their programs.
The NOCCCD Innovation Fund ad-hoc workgroup reviewed, scored, and recommended the five proposals above for funding, which Chancellor’s Staff unanimously approved on May 18, 2016.