wrap up: stem faculty institute ohort ii · thank you to each and every one! valerie gámez the...
TRANSCRIPT
CONGRATULATIONS COHORT II!
We at South Texas College were honored to receive the lead on the $800,000
Texas Regional STEM Degree Accelerator. We thank Educate Texas for entrusting
us with this important work. We knew we were up for the challenge of changing
the face of STEM education in the Rio Grande Valley; the first cohort of the RGV
STEM Faculty Institute confirmed that belief. Cohort II has made us more certain
than ever that our goals will be achieved!
61 educators from across the Valley, spanning Dual Credit/K-12, community
colleges and universities came together to partner with industry. They completed
seven full days of in-person, hands-on, collaborative training, as well as participating in eight online dis-
cussions in-between sessions. Powerful ideas were exchanged and powerful lessons were learned! Facul-
ty provided excellent feedback regarding the Institute experience. Cohort II respondents gave a resound-
ing 97% approval rating to the RGV STEM Faculty Institute!
We are pleased with the way these dedicated faculty came together to accept the challenge of not only
serving, but inspiring the students of South Texas to capitalize on their strengths and follow through with
their dreams! We are extremely grateful for the industry partners who shared their expertise and their
facilities - because they care. This can only mean greater things are in store for the Rio Grande Valley!
Thank you to each and every one!
Valerie Gámez
The Texas Regional STEM Degree Accelerator
Rio Grande Valley STEM Faculty Institute:
Provides Professional Development for faculty in order to support improved and innovative
methods of teaching and learning, such as active learning.
Focuses on the re-design of gateway courses in STEM pathways so that they are realigned to
workforce opportunities, particularly in Health Care and Information Technology.
The two major outcomes of the project will be to:
Increase retention in STEM pathways by ensuring that STEM teaching practices are engaging
and supportive.
Ensure that institutional policies and systems support retention and completion of STEM
pathways, particularly among underrepresented students.
The project is generously supported by a grant from Educate Texas.
Brownsville ISD: Adriana Abete, Ofelia Buffamonte,
Roberto De La Garza, Jacqueline Del Castillo, Adina Garcia,
Carmen Garcia, Roxana Jimenez, Gregorio Lopez, Julio
Cesar Martinez, Alfonso Noe Solis, Jose Francisco Trevino
Edinburg CISD: Esequiel Alaniz, Jessica Garcia Badillo,
Yolanda Barrera, Jorge Guadalupe Garcia, Leticia
Hernandez, Mellyssa O. Ortega, Ramon R. Regalado,
Veronica Rodriguez, Tomas Trevino, Carolina Zamora
La Joya ISD: Miguel Alanis, Jorge Garcia, Elydia G. Guerra,
Arnold Gutierrez, Eremer Santos
McAllen ISD: Juan F. Betancourt, Cynthia Chavez,
Rodolfo De Leon, Estela Peralez, Felipe Santiago Rico*
Mission CISD: Veronica Burgoa*, Roy Villanueva, Yvonne
Zuniga
PSJA ISD: Maricruz Cantu, Gina O. Miquiabas, Fabian
Quintana
Valley View ISD Eduardo Cruz*
South Texas College: Torrence Crutchfield, Kelli Anne
Davis, Robert Ho, Johnny Luna, Alan Herrera Martinez,
Thomas Ndolo, Hilaire Saint-Pierre, Deborah Villalon, Meng-
Hung Wu
Texas Southmost College: Babajide Samuel Ajanaku,
Martha Casquette, Renata Lara, Gloria G. Rangel
UTRGV: Madhavi Devanaboina*, Frank J. Dirrigl*, Salma
Jesmin Mahmood, Adriana Olvera, Mirayda Torres-Avila
Liliana Zamfir
TAMUK: Abdulhakim Amer Agll, Omar Al-Qudah, Rutilio
Hernandez Sosa, Nazmul Rahmani
*not pictured
Friday Oct. 07, 2016
Morning: SCARF Activity: Managing with the Brain in Mind presented by
Rachael Brown, facilitated by STC Psychology instructors Yvonne Chapa
and Sandra Moreno.
Afternoon: Overview: Active Learning, Common Instructional Frame-
Thursday October 06, 2016
Morning: Industry Engagement: Health Care Panels: Pam
Bond, MSN, MBA, RN, of Rio Grande Regional Hospital, Kim
Marwick MSN, RNC, CPHQ, of McAllen Medical Center, and
Dr. R. Armour Forse, MD PhD, of Doctors Hospital at
Renaissance.
Information Technology panels: Director of Regional 9-1-1
Call Center, Sergio Castro, City of Weslaco IT Director Jose Pena, South Texas Health System IT Director Juan Juarez,
and IT Consultant and chair of local non-profit CodeRGV, Rene Ramirez.
Afternoon: Intro to Active Learning Classrooms and Math with Focus Graduate Veronica Rodriguez, Presentation
of re-designed Instructional Technology Lesson plan with career connection by SFI graduate Nicholas Hinojosa.
Conclusion: Building Executive Function with Creative Wellness exercises.
Friday, March 03, 2017
Morning: Industry Tour—Valley Nature Center, Weslaco, TX and panel
discussion - ‘Environmental Engagement and Healthcare Before the Hospital.’
Panelists: Javier De Leon, Allen Williams, Dr. Edwin J. Tamayo, Tony Henehan.
Afternoon: Leadership: StrengthsFinder 2.0 : Leading from Your Strengths.
Thursday, March 02, 2017
Morning /Afternoon Industry Tours and Career Connections:
LRGVDC 9-1-1 Call Center, Rio Grande Regional Hospital, Pamela
Bond, RN, Director of Education, and Education Team, and Career
Center presenters Michelle Rodriguez, STC, Ronnie Garcia, UTRGV.
Rio Grande Regional Hospital— an HCA-affiliated hospital, found-
ed in 1982, is a 320-bed, full-service acute-care medical facility serving the Rio Grande Valley. 500+ physicians
represent over 35 specialties, and nearly 1100 employees, RGRH is focused and committed to providing quality
healthcare. They are dedicated to providing superior quality and compassionate care. RGRH was chosen as the
2015 “Favorite Hospital” in The Monitor’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
April 07, 2017 Afternoon: Active Learning Lessons Collegial Review
Thursday, April 06, Friday, April 07, 2017
Active Learning Strategies, Guided Pathways Facilitated Discussion Liz Melson, EM Consulting
Liz Benavides Melson is a life-long Texan committed to making a difference in the life of others. As a
consultant and professional life coach in her company, EM Consulting: Empowering Minds, Liz taps
into her rooted experiences as a teacher, principal and associate superintendent of public schools to
frame her work. Liz is invested in her relationship with Educate Texas, a public-private initiative of the
Communities Foundation of Texas where she serves as an External Instructional Coach. Liz provides
professional development to Early College High Schools and STEM Accelerators throughout Texas. As
a former “Teacher of the Year”, Liz works closely with teachers and campus leaders to create solutions
to meet the needs of students. Growing along side other professionals in education, Liz recognizes
that school improvement is driven by our need to change, to adjust and meet the needs of the 21st Century. This new course
of action requires Liz to broaden her professional coaching skills so she can support and help others grow as they think through
issues for themselves. Liz completed her professional coaching certification through the Institute for Professional Excellence in
Coaching (iPEC), and is excited about using her coaching skills to improve teaching and learning.
Friday, June 09, 2017
Morning: Crucial Conversations Training provided high-leverage skills for effectively hold-
ing conversations where there are high stakes, opposing opinions, and strong emotions.
Throughout the training participants had the opportunity to apply Crucial Conversations
principles and skills to real life challenges they may be facing.
Facilitator Candace Bertotti brings more than ten years of experience in communication
and leadership development to the VitalSmarts Facilitator Faculty. A Senior Master Certified Trainer in Crucial Con-
versations®, Crucial Confrontations® and Influencer Training™, Candace specializes in conflict resolution,
negotiation, and interpersonal communication to help individuals, teams, and organizations increase effectiveness
and achieve bottom-line results.
Afternoon: Presentation of Certificates
Presentation remarks by Dr. Shirley A. Reed, President,
South Texas College, and Dr. Ali Esmaeili, Dean, Math,
Science and Bachelor Programs.
Employer Engagement: Faculty participated in tours of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council Regional
9-1-1 Call Center, Rio Grande Regional Hospital, and Valley Nature Center to study a variety of locations where careers
in both Healthcare and Information Technology play a role. Faculty used a ‘scavenger hunt’ activity to model question-
ing strategies and learn from the experience. Employers emphasized that along with content knowledge, communica-
tion and critical thinking skills were essential to a prospective employee, along with clean credit and legal histories.
Instructional Strategies: Liz Benavides Melson of EM Consulting, an affiliate of Educate Texas, provided an in-depth
review of Common Instructional Framework/ Active Learning protocols, and modeled excellent classroom manage-
ment. On the second day of her visit, faculty revised, presented and reviewed group projects in a rotation process in an
effort to familiarize participants with the upcoming ‘Rounds’ process.
Leadership and Change Management: Participants took part in discussion and workshops focused on research in
two areas. Neuroscience research on individuals’ processing of reward and threat responses has led researcher David
Rock to develop the SCARF model. Additionally faculty experienced a VitalSmarts Crucial Conversations workshop to
better understand and evaluate their leadership and conflict management style both in the classroom as well as with
colleagues.
STEM Pathways lesson re-design : Faculty were grouped to work with each other, from Dual Credit /K-12, to college
and university faculty, so that faculty can see themselves as collaborators across levels in the educational pathway
from classroom to career.
Valley Nature Center's 6-acre park is home to a wide variety of the LRGV's native plants and animals. Efforts are ongo-
ing to enhance and protect the plant diversity of the park, to make food and habitats available for resident and migra-
tory wildlife. By strolling the 1 mile of trails of the Nature Park, one may examine plant species native to areas such as
the Sabal Palm Grove, Arroyo Colorado Brush, the Barretal, Coastal Lomas, and the Chihuahuan Thorn Forest. The
Lower Rio Grande Valley is one of the top birding and butterfly destinations in the United States. Nature tourism con-
tributes $266 million to gross regional product and a $163 million to labor income across the region, impacting both
health care and IT sectors. (2011, Kyle O’Haver, ELG NP Nat. Resource Specialist)
What did you find most useful about the STEM Faculty Institute?
Understanding the needs of some career fields in the valley. The networking with other educational insti-
tutes staff/faculty.
The discussion panel with the different industry leaders was very helpful.
Several areas of content have been useful and have helped me to re-think myself and my profession. For
starters, I have enjoyed the different group activities that we have done and could be used in the class-
room. I have also enjoyed very much the Crucial Conversations.
I found very useful the active learning strategies, and the creative wellness activity.
Active learning activities and how to collaborate with professionals in the field of STEM. I built a network.
I enjoyed working with my group when doing the lesson plan.
Meeting people/teachers from other school districts.
Brought in an array of different experts that collaborated, shared, offered time to interact with us.
Direct application and ideas on how and what careers we need to fulfill in our area. It also gave me a
wide variety of resources and contacts that I can use in my instruction.
This has been an amazing experience, one which has led me into research on brain theory and playful
learning.
Texas Regional STEM Degree Accelerator
Division of Math, Science, and Bachelor Programs Pecan Campus A-105
No person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any
program or activity sponsored or conducted by South Texas College on the basis of race, color, national origin,
religion, age, sex, gender, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.
Grant Director:
Valerie Gámez 956.872.3545
Professional Development Coach:
Rachael Brown 956.973.7606
The Texas Regional STEM Degree Accelerator is funded through the generosity of Educate Texas, The
Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation, CREEED, The
Kresge Foundation, Greater Texas Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, The Powell Foundation, and Still Water
Foundation.
This project is developed in alignment with priorities for education and workforce outlined by the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission.
Thank you also to our local partners:
Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, InfraGard RGV Members Alliance, Inter National Bank, Lone Star
National Bank, McAllen Chamber of Commerce, McAllen EDC, RGV Focus, Rio Grande Regional Hospital,
South Texas Health Systems, San Juan Nursing Home, VTX1 Companies, CodeRGV, Workforce Solutions
Cameron County, Workforce Solutions Hidalgo County.