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:AI(Learning) 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 Ventura College Faculty

and Rising Faculty (Graduate Students)

Adjunct to Tenure Program
Currently under re-design. Expected launch late fall 2024

Faculty Diversity Internship Program
Currently under re-design. Expected launch early spring 2025

 

Opportunities for Ventura College Faculty, Staff, and Administrators

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI Summits)

Held annual, 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 annual, 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)

Under development, in 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.