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

Hello campus community and happy Friday!!!

All of us on the SAFE Topics Podcast team are super excited to announce the release of our latest episode, “It’s Our Classroom, But Whose Culture?” We were left in disbelief after the recording finished because the conversation was so good!!! In this episode we delve into the idea of academics as a culture. 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). This episode was so great that we had to split it into two parts! Join us and listen in to part one!

I would also like to announce and officially welcome our newest member of the SAFE Topics Podcast team! Mana Tadayon (Associated Student Government President & Chair) will be joining the team as our student co-host and we can’t be more excited! 🙂

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

  • Do you consider an academic discipline a culture? 
  • “Linguistic Bias” and preparing our students for upper division culture.
  • Acclimating students to a disruptive culture and experiencing resistance.
  • Academia itself is rooted in a culture that has many subcultures.
  • Teaching hegemony and the culture of dominance.
  • “Disruptive literature becomes literature.”
  • “I’m not your instructor, I’m your facilitator.”
  • Changing the language in our classrooms.
  • The importance of the first five minutes on day 1 and creating trust.
  • How we take for granted that “going to school is a good thing.” 
  • Doing nothing is problematic. 
  • Difference between classroom, discipline, and institutional culture.
  • When a student asks, “Does this count?”
  • The underlying culture of a consumer system in education.
  • The commodity of education tying back to race, ethnicity, and culture.

Mentioned in the Episode

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
S.A.F.E Topics logo

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

Misinformation Forum Series

Hello, Campus Community! 

I am excited to introduce a new forum series that will cover a range of topics pertaining to an ever-growing social problem – the spread of misinformation.  Our amazing Web Services & Emerging Technologies Librarian, Lauren McFall, has organized an interdisciplinary faculty lineup to present on intriguing and timely topics.  

Here is more from Lauren – 

Misinformation is an old problem, but technology has manifested that problem in new ways. 2020 only intensified these issues and the exposure to the public at large. From conspiracy theories to science denial to online bias, we are being impacted by a distorted information landscape like never before. In this series of four misinformation forums, we will take a deep dive into some of the recent information issues that have plagued our society alongside the problems that will permeate our future.

Forum series details – 

We invite you to join these cross-disciplinary discussions and invite your students to participate, as well. 🙂 

Stay joyful, 

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence
Coordinator, C3 Teaching and Learning Center

What’s Going Well? – A SAFE Topics Podcast Live Show

Hello and welcome back campus community!

The SAFE Topics Podcast is back at it with our first 2021 release! In this latest episode, we aired our first live recording during the Spring 2021 flex week! Hosts Sean and curry asked a panel of MiraCosta faculty including Himgauri Kulkarni (Biology), Leila Safaralian (Math), Casey McFarland (Kinesiology), Billy Gunn (Film), and Edward Pohlert (Faculty Director, Retention Services): what’s working, what’s challenging, and what should students expect as we all prepare for another semester of remote/online teaching and learning? This is one episode you won’t want to miss!

Ways to Listen!

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

What to Listen For

  • Introductions from each of our guest faculty members. 
  • What made remote learning easier for students this last semester?
  • The importance of flexibility. 
  • Asynchronous classes working well for entirely new student populations.
  • Opportunities for students to connect with one another.
  • How did the synchronous classes go?
  • Building trust with students from the get-go. 
  • Trying to humanize the online class experience.
  • What has made learning challenging during this time?
  • The lack of instant feedback.
  • Reminding one another that we are all going through this together.
  • Unforeseen challenges that come the student’s way. 
  • The importance of low-stakes meet-n-greets, chats, and online hangouts.
  • The real problem of access and knowledge of technology.
  • Student access to a safe space to learn. 
  • The importance of being more empathetic towards our students.
  • Wrapping up with a one-minute message to students that each of our guest speakers want them to know.

The S.A.F.E. Topics Team

curry mitchell – Faculty, Letters (Co-host)
Sean Davis – Faculty, Sociology (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
S.A.F.E Topics logo

Stay great,

S.A.F.E. Topics Podcast Team

The SAFE Topics Podcast – Two Episode Release and Semester Finale

Hello campus community!

The S.A.F.E. Topics Podcast team is wrapping up the semester with the release of two episodes! We are finishing up our series on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In the episode, “Student Voices: Climbing Uphill Both Ways,” we hear from Haillie Hill (Theater) to get another student perspective on UDL. In the semester finale, “Quality and Quantity – Student Voices as Data,” we hear from Kimberly Coutts (Research Analyst) to get their perspective on UDL (*releasing later tonight!). Listen in as we wrap up the Fall 2020 semester with two great releases.

Ways to Listen!

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

What to Listen For

Student Voices: Climbing Uphill Both Ways

  • Who is Haillie and what are her educational goals?
  • The feeling of anxiousness at this point in the semester.
  • What has made learning challenging during this time?
  • Internalizing the feelings of being an online student.
  • Online group projects, good or bad?
  • What has made learning easier during this time?
  • The importance of communicative professors.
  • Getting assignments in earlier before they’re due.
  • The ability to see updated grades.
  • Recorded lectures are a huge plus to follow along with content.
  • The fear of reaching out to the DSPS office. 
  • Vibing well with professors when they are open in the beginning.
  • Students have feelings too! 

Quality and Quantity – Student Voices as Data

  • Bias and data.
  • The importance of having an open mind when reviewing your data.
  • “Bad news bias.”
  • Quantitative vs Qualitative data.
  • The reliability of campus wide surveys. 
  • Data over the course of time and comparing it to right now.
  • Success/retention rates are skewed now because of EW’s (excused W’s)
  • Definitions between success and retention.
  • Are we collecting data of the student experience right now?
  • Asking students: what does not help with your learning and success?
  • Asking students: What advice would you give to faculty to improve our courses at this moment?
  • Qualitative feedback for a teacher may be the most important thing for teachers and students to come to an agreement.
  • The importance of maintaining communication.
  • Plug from Office of Research, Planning & Institutional Effectiveness.
  • Kim: Here to answer questions to help drive good decision making. Happy to help and eager to help any time!

The S.A.F.E. Topics Team

curry mitchell – Faculty, Letters (Co-host)
Sean Davis – Faculty, Sociology (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

S.A.F.E Topics logo

Accessible Houses Make for Better Homes – How Structure and Pedagogy Work Together – A SAFE Topics Podcast

The S.A.F.E. Topics Podcast team is back at it with our latest episode continuing the series on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)! Our hosts Sean and curry are joined by Catherine Walker (Computer Science) and Liesl Madrona (CE Instructional Designer) in a conversation on “Accessible Houses Make for Better Homes – How Structure and Pedagogy Work Together.”

Ways to Listen!

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

​More ways to listen coming soon!

What to Listen For

Accessible Houses Make for Better Homes – How Structure and Pedagogy Work Together

Listening points:

  • Who is the target audience when we talk about UDL?
  • Design takes time – be patient with the process.
  • Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), a different approach.
  • Example of our host Sean and accessibility.
  • Having the user in mind when designing and striving for accessibility.
  • What is accessibility?
  • We are all website designers now.
  • The importance of having alternate modes of content.
  • *New: Audio description; students like to listen to on-screen actions.
  • Being intentional about our designs to promote student interaction and collaboration.
  • The need for people with different experiences and backgrounds.
  • How refining our classes can be scary.
  • Creating “water cooler” spaces for equity.
  • There is mindfulness and tension in equity and UDL. 

Resources from the Show:

What is POGIL?
Public Canvas Accessibility Self-Paced Course

Idea for water cooler space: Gathertown (mentioned off air)

The S.A.F.E. Topics Team

curry mitchell – Faculty, Letters (Co-host)
Sean Davis – Faculty, Sociology (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

S.A.F.E Topics logo

1 2 3