Office of Instruction Update - January 2024

Hello, colleagues! I hope the start to the semester was a smooth one for you all. I returned from quality time spent with family recharged and ready for all the work ahead of us this semester, and I am off to a running start!

Accreditation

Jaclyn Rowley is inching her way closer to the finish line with our ISER. You will receive drafts through various constituency groups in the month ahead, so please watch for another opportunity to provide feedback. We appreciate your suggestions thus far, so keep them coming! The ISER will be submitted to SCCCD Board of Trustees for first and second reads in May and June. The final product will be submitted to ACCJC this summer. The team assigned to review our ISER will do so in Fall 2024 and, if needed, will plan a visit of the appropriate members of the team in Spring 2025.

AgTEC

Implementation on both the instructional and student services sides is underway. On the Instructional side, Matthew Graff has been busy writing curriculum and following the process for Curriculum Committee approval. I have part of several day-long or half day-long convenings with regional VPIs, Deans, and the SCCCD Director of Grant Projects, Dr. Kaomine Vang to ensure alignment through each phase of implementation. To learn more about AgTEC, please visit the website. If you would like information about the needs of farmworkers as identified by farmworkers themselves through surveys, please view Empowering the Future of Agriculture: Bridging the Skills Gap - Insights from the Farmworker Surveys.

AANHPI (Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander)

I have joined the planning group that meets weekly for the AANHPI SAP (Student Achievement Program) grant, and I am looking forward to understanding the experience of this population of students at our College and then working with colleagues on how best to support them.

Guided Pathways

We have three upcoming districtwide conversations scheduled, thanks to the College Faculty Leads. Thanks to this group and their planning efforts, especially our representative, Rachel Moring! Department Chairs will join Rachel, David Cao, Teresa Mendes, Gurdeep Hébert, James Ortez, Kira Tippins, and me at the first two sessions. A team for the last session has yet to be finalized.

  • Feb 23 (11 am - 3 pm) - Success Teams
  • Mar 15 (11 am - 3 pm) - Institutional Structures
  • April 19 (11 am - 3 pm) - GP Websites and Tools

New Faculty Institute

NFI participants are spending this semester visiting various governance committees to observe proceedings. I know you will welcome them, and I hope you will reach out to them with offers to answer any questions they may have and/or to help them understand the operations of the committees they are visiting.

District Meetings

I will be spending all day tomorrow at the District Office at two different meetings: DEIA Faculty Evaluation Training in the morning and Affinity Groups in the afternoon.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a productive month ahead!

Thanks,

Monica Chahal, Ed.D. (she, her)
Vice President of Instruction