Faculty Learning CIRCLE

The Project CHESS Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is a yearlong professional development program.   Faculty members who join are welcomed into a collaborative community with the shared goal of making courses more culturally proficient, relevant, and responsive. Through trainings, discussions, and support, members can learn valuable skills in meeting the diverse needs of underrepresented students.

Our core mission is learning and developing Culturally Inclusive & Responsive Curricula for Learning Equity (CIRCLE). This credo has helped guide our efforts in establishing ongoing dialogue about learning outcomes, course content, assessment, and pedagogical techniques to engage historically minoritized students. 

CHESS efforts have also contributed to overcoming articulation and transfer issues, which have often resulted in widespread credit loss, for community college students who transfer to 4-year institutions. Our work at the FLC continues to establish true articulation across institutions, a mark that will serve to insitutionalize Project CHESS beyond its grant expiration. 

Program Timeline

Beginning with a 3-day Summer Institute in May, participants reconvene in August and in the following Spring to discuss progress, share ideas, and participate in working groups. A completed course redesign, including a new course syllabus, is completed by the following May.

Upon completion of the program, faculty “alumni” may be nominated by their colleagues to serve as FLC Chairs. FLC Chairs lead discussion groups of faculty from complementary disciplines to facilitate course redesign.

 

The application period in Closed.

CHESS Goals

• Increase the number of Hispanic students who succeed in introductory/gateway courses.
• Improve retention rates of Hispanic males from the first to second year.
• Increase the transfer success of Hispanic students.
• Increase the capacity to effectively serve more students.

Faculty Learning Community Outcomes

• Redesign courses to be culturally responsive to needs and learning styles of underrepresented students.
• Develop a greater understanding of the challenges and barriers underrepresented students experience at an academic institution.

If you have questions, please contact:
Dr. Silvia Neves, Project Director at 805-493-3090 or by email.