You Matter, You Belong: Closing the Achievement Gap

with Pat James (California Community Colleges) and Francine Van Meter (Cabrillo College)

Thursday, March 9th 12:00-1:00pm, Biomed 300 Host: Gabe Mednick

Description: Our most vulnerable students are often first generation college students, from low income families, and are students of color. This seminar focuses on educational technology efforts both statewide and locally to engage our high-risk students in academic life through technology-enabled solutions. Connecting to students’ emotional, social, and cultural life helps them build confidence, and overcome challenges they face.

Pat James' Bio: A California Community College (CCC) distance education leader for over a decade, Pat James is dedicated to increasing student success through high quality online learning. She just retired in January from the position of Executive Director of the California Community Colleges’ Online Education Initiative (OEI), a 70 million dollar Distance Education project funded by the California legislature. In 2016, she received the Frank Mayadas Award, a national award from the Online Learning Consortium. Pat has been both a teacher and an administrator for Mt. San Jacinto College, where she led the MSJC Basic Skills Initiative, Learning Center, Libraries and Distance Education. She co-directed the state @ONE professional development project, served on system advisory committees, and taught online educators through the @ONE certification program. Pat is proud to have graduated with an AA Degree from Canada College, and a BA in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz, then completing a Masters Degree from Capella University in Instructional Design for Online Learning.

Francine Van Meter's Bio: As Coordinator for Cabrillo’s Title V Grant, Closing the Completion Gap, Francine Van Meter is currently working to provide individualized, technology-powered student support so that high-need students stay on degree transfer track, and design transfer courses as active/collaborative/technology-enabled, with a hybrid online component to reduce seat time and promote academic success and timely completion. Francine graduated from Cabrillo College (Dental Hygiene), UCSC (Biology), and SJSU (MA, Instructional Technology). She’s been a faculty member at Cabrillo since 1993 and directed the Teaching & Learning Center most of her career. She continues to be involved statewide with distance education through the OEI.