Bridging the Great Divide: Creating an Equitable and Comprehensive Academic Support Model in the Classroom

Since the founding of the first American community college in 1901, community colleges have served the important purpose of bridging the gap between the academic skills students bring to the table and the academic rigor required to be successful in college. Although research has indicated a positive correlation between academic support and learning, many students are unable to take advantage of such services due to outside obligations such as family care or work, being unaware that such services exist, or because they’re afraid of being deemed inferior for needing extra help. Due to these obstacles, it is imperative that educators tailor their curriculum to the needs of their students. As part of this workshop, participants discuss current college degree completion rates and retention data; review psychological, college student development, and student success theories to explore the importance of holistic learning (i.e., learning that focuses on the entire student); investigate obstacles and challenges that college students face that impact academic success; and construct classroom written and interactive activities, data collection methods, instructional techniques, and curriculum design ideas to increase student success rates and create a sense of belonging in the classroom.

By the end of this workshop, participants know or will be able to:

• Comprehend and acknowledge student challenges and obstacles that impact academic performance and college completion rates (i.e., lack of academic preparedness, mental health difficulties, lack of financial support, familial needs, etc.).
• Understand the concept and implications of implicit and explicit bias and discrimination and develop activities aimed at decreasing such beliefs and behaviors.
• Use psychological, student success, and college student development theories to guide teaching practice.

Plans for Audience Participation and Interaction:

Participants engage in the following activities: Surveys, videos, storytelling and reflection, full-group activities, assessments, small-group discussions, vignettes, and check-ins.

All workshop participants can obtain, at no additional cost:

• A digital badge and certificate that provide a web-enabled, verifiable documentation of your professional learning experience.
• CEUs, which are awarded by passing the post-workshop learning assessment with a score of 80% or better.