Conference Schedule

Presented in the right way, data can be a powerful tool to support access to high-quality CTE and prepare learners for economic success during COVID-19 and beyond. But how can state leaders translate data into relevant insights and present information in a way that is understandable and actionable to key audiences? In this session, participants will learn design principles for CTE data reporting and strategies for communicating data effectively.

COVID-19 has disrupted the lives of everyone, especially underemployed adults who now find themselves dislocated and needing a career change. Simultaneously, employers in high growth industries are seeking talent to fill in-demand jobs. As a rapid response, LCCC launched in the Fall of 2020, over 20 Free Fast Track Programs that lead to an industry recognized credential. This rapid response initiative has led to 70% enrollment growth in short-term programs, expanded community collaborations and investments, while advancing LCCC’s equity commitment by increasing participation by at-risk and underrepresented learners. Data from the first cohort of students shows that 41% of students who enrolled are from underrepresented groups which far outpaces regional demographics highlighting the critical need to embed an equity-focus supporting learners. This workshop will demonstrate how LCCC utilized guided pathway principles to re-imagine student success in ways that change futures in weeks rather than years.

Much has been noted about equity and credentials and the need to ensure that pursuing a non-credit credential does not become a dead-end for students who may eventually choose to upskill by pursuing additional credentials but must start from the beginning. Institutions must learn how to transition non-credit to credit credentials so that they are stackable and support upward mobility for learners. Nevertheless, where should institutions begin?

The Making All Credits Count session offers participants the opportunity to learn from practitioner presidents' how they have engaged in efforts to build non-credit to credit pathways, which have made an enormous difference in their campuses' student success strategies.

This proposed workshop will be an opportunity for hands-on development of a marketing and outreach plan designed for quick implementation and built upon foundational principals that will guide these efforts for years to come. The workshop outline assumes that participants will have a working knowledge of marketing, branding, and advertising. Questions that will be posed to participants: 

How do we get them here? How do we keep them here? How do we ensure success? How do we know? 

This session presents a conceptual framework for Equity-minded Teaching with Digital Learning that draws on our work with community colleges and broad-access universities in the Every Learner Everywhere network. It incorporates six key instructional practices backed by research evidence and dimensions of Zarretta Hammond’s Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching. This interactive session will highlight specific tools and practices aligned with the framework that are being used to improve course success rates for students of color. They include digital supports for student-student collaborative learning, differentiation of content to align with learner interests, and new, more authentic ways to assess student learning.

We have seen the impact that the last year has had on students at community colleges from enrollment to retention. As we move into 2021, we can continue to find success by making small and large adjustments to how we support our students – the challenge is prioritizing where to focus and what to adjust.

In this session, hear directly from community college students as they share the challenges that they have faced and what has kept them moving toward their goal of completing their degree. They will share insights and feedback on what makes a difference to them in their student experience – how can we adjust how they receive input and feedback; where are opportunities to improve the classroom and co-curricular experience; how do they expect to be supported in their career search from a technology perspective, and much more. Leave this session with insights into student priorities and ways that your team can impact the student journey.

For first-generation students, higher education offers a gateway to career advancement, valued social capital, and intergenerational mobility. Despite the best efforts of instructors, first-generation students face numerous challenges to successfully completing a degree, evidenced in higher drop-out rates compared to their peers. Understanding those challenges can help inform course design strategies that foster a greater sense of inclusion and belonging that can help all students find academic success.

We’ll explore how to improve equity, enrollment, and the student experience by improving student-to-student engagement. Fostering student engagement also reduces isolation and loneliness, a root cause of our growing student mental health crisis. Everyone wins when we meet students where they are and help them find their community - and most are not finding that belonging through social media. Join our workshop to hear directly from leaders at 2-year and 4-year institutions as they share what’s working to build community and commitment - and steps you can take to achieve gains at your institution in 2021 and beyond.