Category: C3

Help is here! Faculty one-on-one Support

Hello, Faculty Community! 

Who is this for? 

All faculty at MiraCosta 🙂 

Faculty Helpers are available to work with you one-on-one on all things online teaching and learning. If you want some help with your class or just want another person to discuss pedagogy, design, accessibility, etc. simply respond to this email or contact a helper directly. Trouble with getting your syllabus to look right? Students won’t participate in the discussion board? Can’t get things organized? Still, making Canvas or Zoom your friend? Looking for some fresh inspiration?

Whether you need help now or over the upcoming break (yes, faculty helpers are available over the break!), connect with a faculty helper now so y’all can collaborate on a short- or long-term plan. 

Contact one of the helpers listed below today – or anytime – for a quick question by email or to schedule a Zoom meeting. They are compensated by the college. You can claim Flex for your time working with them. No strings attached! Free to work with them as much or as little as you need! No forms to fill out – just select one from the list below and contact them directly or respond to this email if you want me to match you up with a helper. 

NameEmailDepartment
David Detwilerddetwiler@miracosta.edu International Languages
Pilar Hernandezphernandez@miracosta.eduInternational Languages
Laura Hayeklhayek@miracosta.eduCounseling
Katy Baileykbailey@miracosta.eduESL
Lisa M. LaneLLane@miracosta.edu History
Laura Pacioreklpaciorek@miracosta.edu Child Development

We hope to hear from you soon! 

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 🙂
Coordinator, C3 Teaching and Learning Center
Sociology Department Chair

C3 in Spring 2022

Hello Faculty,

I’m Lauren McFall, and I’m the Interim Coordinator of our C3 Teaching and Learning Center while Sean Davis is on sabbatical this Spring. I hope that you have had the restful break that you need and deserve. I spent a good deal of time thinking about what I would write to you, but I realized that what we all need right now is something succinct. We only have one short semester together, so I’m going to get right to the point and share what you can expect from me (knowing full well that making plans in the 2020’s can be a bit foolhardy).

Opportunities for Spring 2022

  • Building Connection and Community (hopefully both in person and online)
  • Addressing Burn Out Culture and Self Care (as it relates to our role as teachers and the impact on our students)
  • Supporting Zero Textbook Cost Courses (based on upcoming funding from the state)
  • Expanding Futures Thinking (as a way to prepare for all the possibilities)

In addition, I’ll continue the work that Sean has already established as part of the C3. It’s going to be a busy semester, but aren’t they all?

Let’s Chat

Want to ask questions? Or talk about possible offerings this Spring? Or even just say hello?

Drop in to my Zoom Room this week:

  • Today – Tuesday at 12pm – January 11, 2022
  • Tomorrow – Wednesday at 1pm – January 12, 2022
  • Thursday at 3:30pm – January 13, 2022

Want to Share?

If you have some resources, tips/tricks, and questions to share, please contribute to the newsletter using this C3-2-1 Form.

With Gratitude and Goodwill!

Lauren McFall
Interim Joyful Teacher in Residence and Coordinator of the C3 Teaching and Learning Center
Web Services + Emerging Technology Librarian

Down with Spring Break – A SAFE Topics Podcast

Hello campus community and happy Tuesday!!

The SAFE Topics team just released the latest episode, “Down with Spring Break!” In this episode, the team host a debate among with MiraCosta students and faculty over spring break. We ask why about the value of breaks and the costs of interruptions. We share the realities of workloads carried into breaks. And question what exactly it is we need a break from in the first place. Join hosts Sean, curry, and Mana along with Daniel Ante-Contreras (English), Carson Arias (mechanical engineering major), and Kayla Kamani (psychology & film major) in an argument over keeping or abandoning spring break!

Ways to Listen!

  1. Podbean – S.A.F.E. Topics
  2. Google Podcasts
  3. Spotify
  4. Apple Podcasts
  5. Amazon Music
  6. Audible

What to Listen For

  • Is spring break necessary?
  • The importance of a mental break where you can breathe.
  • Eliminating spring break altogether and extending our summer instead.
  • Catching up on work, working on mental health.
  • An institutional lens around spring break.
  • The lack of student input in talks around spring break.
  • “Doing the good for the most amount of people.”
  • The concept of spring break as a guilty pleasure.
  • Do we need a break from classroom culture?
  • Learning vs. time demand.
  • Admin and faculty should be more mindful of time especially during distant learning.
  • Working smarter and not harder.
  • Were any minds changed about their views on spring break?

The S.A.F.E. Topics Team

curry mitchell – Faculty, Letters (Co-host)
Sean Davis – Faculty, Sociology (Co-host)
Mana Tadayon – Student, ASG President (Co-host)
Kelly Barnett – Intern and Music Technology Student (Audio Editor)
James Garcia – Associate Faculty, Sociology (Show Notes, Online)

Connect with Us

PodBean
Safe Topics

Why Ethnic Studies? – A SAFE Topics Podcast

Hello campus community!!

The SAFE Topics podcast is BACK! We’re now in our 4th season of the podcast and we are truly appreciative of our guests, supporters, and our listeners. This season we’re kicking things off with a bang and already pumping out some episodes for you all. Our first episode this season was entitled, “Back to Campus! Kinda…” and started with a series of interviews with some folks around the MiraCosta College campus. The team interviewed students, staff, and faculty about their experiences about what’s making them happy to be on campus and some of the realities we’re still dealing with.

Along with that, we’ve also started a “Hyflex” mini-series where Sean and curry try to figure out this new HyFlex teaching thing. Check out the episodes on Hyflexing, Designing a New Course, and the COR of Your Class. Truly helpful and informative dialogue between Sean and curry about all things Hyflex!

And finally, our most recent release is now available to all! In this episode, the SAFE Topics team has a conversation with faculty leaders at MiraCosta who are charged with developing an Ethnic Studies program. We ask why about the political context, the timing, and the salient characteristics of Ethnic Studies, and how an Ethnic Studies department will benefit students and faculty campus wide. Join hosts Sean, curry, and Mana along with Maria Figueroa (English), JahB Prescott (English), Tyrone Nagai (English), Alicia Lopez (Sociology), and Steven Moreno-Terrill (Sociology) as we get into this topic!

Ways to Listen!

  1. Podbean – S.A.F.E. Topics
  2. Google Podcasts
  3. Spotify
  4. Apple Podcasts
  5. Amazon Music
  6. Audible

What to Listen For

  • Why ethnic studies and why now?
  • Ethnic studies have historically been met with resistance.
  • Why is it important for ethnic studies to be its own thing?
  • Student generated, not institutionally generated.
  • What are the characterizing features of ethnic studies today?
  • The interdisciplinary approaches to teach ethnic studies.
  • How ethnic studies benefits everyone.
  • We’re pioneers because we’re the first ones to do this at MiraCosta.
  • The “ah-ha” moment of ethnic studies.
  • The concept of community in ethnic studies.
  • What about students who might feel like they don’t fit in?
  • How ethnic studies can make us better.

Additional Resources (Thanks to Tyrone Nagai!)

The S.A.F.E. Topics Team

curry mitchell – Faculty, Letters (Co-host)
Sean Davis – Faculty, Sociology (Co-host)
Mana Tadayon – Student, ASG President (Co-host)
Kelly Barnett – Intern and Music Technology Student (Audio Editor)
James Garcia – Associate Faculty, Sociology (Show Notes, Online)

Connect with Us

PodBean
Safe Topics

Stay great!

The S.A.F.E. Topics Podcast Team

Part Two of It’s Our Classroom, But Whose Culture? – A SAFE Topics Podcast

Hello campus community and once again, happy Friday!!!
This week the SAFE Topics Podcast team is releasing part two of our latest episode that gets into the idea of academics as a culture, “It’s Our Classroom, But Whose Culture?” If you enjoyed part one, the second part gets even better! Our hosts Sean and curry were joined by some awesome MiraCosta College faculty members that included Jade Hilde (Letters), Alexis Tucker Sade (Anthropology), Rica French (Astronomy), Karl Cleveland (Media Arts & Technology), and Rick Cassoni (Computer Science & Information Technology). Join us and listen in!

Ways to Listen!

  1. Podbean – S.A.F.E. Topics
  2. Google Podcasts
  3. Spotify
  4. Apple Podcasts
  5. Amazon Music
  6. Audible

What to Listen For

  • Disrupting the merit-based system by taking the position of a facilitator.
  • What are we as humans missing that prepares us for different cultures in a classroom?
  • A culture shift in how we grade students.
  • The process, not just the product when grading. 
  • The culture of industry certifications and standardized tests.
  • How must students feel if all they focus on is a grade?
  • Allowing students to take away something so they feel brave enough to contribute. 
  • “Humans are born scientists… that just gets sucked right out of us if you go through the US education system.”
  • Play in practice to perform in the game – when does the ‘play’ matter?
  • How often do we question who the gatekeepers are?
  • The demoralizing experience of a GRE. 
  • Meeting the threshold to ‘check the box.’
  • When the student asks, “is this good enough?”
  • Design Thinking and a human-centered approach as a process.
  • Trying something new and being culturally responsive by challenging your own assumptions.
  • Creating a community culture.
  • The notion of scaffolding and empowering students to be this. 
  • Being culturally responsive to each other as professionals and colleagues.

Mentioned in the Episode

​Human Centered Design (Design Thinking) – Stanford

The S.A.F.E. Topics Team

curry mitchell – Faculty, Letters (Co-host)
Sean Davis – Faculty, Sociology (Co-host)
Mana Tadayon – Student, ASG President (Co-host)
Kelly Barnett – Intern and Music Technology Student (Audio Editor)
James Garcia – Associate Faculty, Sociology (Show Notes, Online)

Connect with Us

PodBean
Safe Topics

Stay great,
S.A.F.E. Topics Podcast Team

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