Category: S.A.F.E TOPICS

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

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

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

• “Craft in the Real World – Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping” by Matthew Salesses – Book.
• Pizza Scene and “Our” Class “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982) – Video.
• Pulitzer Prize (2018) – Kendrick Lamar, “DAMN.” – Article.

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

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

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

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