Dr. Brenda Lee Morales holds a Bachelor’s Degree in General Elementary Education from Universidad del Turabo in Puerto Rico. A few years later he completed a Master’s degree in Educational Administration at the same institution. In 2016, he completed a PhD in Educational Leadership at Keiser University where he had already earned a Specialist in Education degree. Finally, in the academic aspect, Dr. Morales holds a Post- Doctorate in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Walden University. She is currently doing another Post-Doctorate at Walden University in the Human Resources area. In terms of work and professional career, she has 27 years of experience working in the field of education in several positions as a teacher, Curriculum Specialist, Director of Federal Educational Proposals, Academic Dean, among others. He has worked at all levels of the education system in Puerto Rico, from Head Start to High School and at the university level. Eleven years ago she began as Director of Federal Proposals and Professor of University Institutions, and currently serves as Title V Graduate Project Director at Universidad Ana G. Méndez – Gurabo Campus in Puerto Rico. She is also working as a graduate professor in the Educational Graduate Program Master and PhD Degree at Keiser University.
Dr. Angiemarie Rivera holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in Liberal Arts, a Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Administration and Educational Supervision from Dowling College, a Doctorate in Education with a Concentration in Curriculum and Instruction at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, and a Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Adults from the University of Berne.
Dr. Rivera has worked as an elementary education leader in a private educational institution in Puerto Rico. She has also served as a professor at the undergraduate and graduate level at the University of Puerto Rico, Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, Universidad del Este (Ana G. Méndez), National University College Online in the Master’s Program in Education with a concentration in Educational Leadership. She is also working as a graduate professor in the Educational Graduate Program Master and Doctorate Degree at Keiser University.
Abass Abdullahi, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Bronx Community College of the City University of New York
Dr. Abass Abdullahi has a background in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, where he has mainly worked on carbohydrate metabolism and related gene expression under changing environmental conditions using various models like diatoms, bacteria and recently yeasts (Pichia pastoris). He has successfully obtained PSC CUNY and CUNY Collaborative grants and a recent US patent through CUNY’s research foundation. This was on collaborative work with City College related to the “Purification of Recombinant Human α-Galactosidase A with C-terminal Truncation with Increased Activity”. Dr. Abdullahi has also helped design Bronx Community College of CUNY’s Biotechnology program, which he coordinated until recently and still teaches in the program on a course in Cell and Molecular Biology. Dr. Abdullahi also has interests in pedagogical research including distance learning, assessment, teaching with technology and other innovative teaching strategies. He has been involved in departmental assessment for one of the largest courses, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, for a very long time and still serves as one of the coordinators for A&P. He has published and presented widely in the region and nationally as well as help mentor a number of students and junior faculty.
Dr. Ailema Frigerio is a licensed psychologist with the Miami Dade County public school system. Formerly Assistant Director of Clinical Training and Associate Professor at Carlos Albizu University, she has mentored countless students through to degree completion at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels. Dr. Frigerio has earned her bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees from Carlos Albizu University.
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
Carlos Albizu University
Ms. Karli Martin is a clinical psychology doctoral student at Albizu University in Miami, Florida. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and psychology from SUNY Oneonta in New York. Her clinical interests include neuropsychological assessment, behavior therapy, traumatic brain injury, neurodevelopmental disorders, dementia, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. She enjoys hiking, bowling and relaxing at home with her two dogs for self-care. Karli aspires to learn more about a variety of cultures through her work and travel.
Associate Professor of Education Title V. Project Director Carlos Albizu University, Miami
Dr. Floralba Arbelo has had the privilege of teaching, mentoring students, and participating in community based education in the United States and in the Caribbean. Her areas of expertise include research methods, curriculum development, distance education, youth development, nonprofit management, and grant writing. Dr. Arbelo mentors graduate students in their research for qualifying degrees. Her own research centers on Hispanic student achievement, Hispanic Serving Institutions, student retention, and online teaching and learning. Dr. Arbelo earned her bachelor degree from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, a master’s degree The New School for Public Engagement, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Liberty University.
By: Professor Hector W. Soto, J.D.
Assistant Professor of Law and Public Policy;
Behavioral and Social Sciences Department Public Policy and Law Unit
Hostos Community College CUNY, The Bronx, New York
Historically, the role of the community college has been to serve the non-traditional student. Today’s community college is confronted with the challenge that it is failing to attract and graduate in appropriate numbers that non-traditional student, commonly referred to as coming from an underserved or marginalized community, usually referencing poor communities of color. In spite of a general diminution of law and policies providing a remedy for past exclusionary practices, higher education understands that as a matter of equity it has an obligation to provide educational opportunity to the marginalized community. This obligation traditionally has also required the college to be responsive to the needs of the community.
The purpose of this paper is threefold: to propose that a college’s responsiveness to community now needs to include addressing the conditions that contribute to its marginalization; to posit the civic engagement community change model as the vehicle for the college to develop the kind of collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship with the community that will catalyze curative change; and to underscore the necessity of integrating the use of technology as a strategic element in the development and implementation of the college’s civic engagement initiative. Successful implementation of a civic engagement community change model will result in a greater number of graduates from that community, as well as spur the development of a more cohesive, stable and civically engaged community.
KEY WORDS
Community college and civic engagement, community college and community change, civic engagement community change model, community college-marginalized community collaboration, technology and civic engagement, technology and community change, equity and the underserved student, equity and community change, marginalized community development, technology and community development, community college responsiveness to community needs.
By: Floralba Arbelo, Ed.D; Carlos Albizu University, Miami Campus
Karli Martin, M.S.; Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student at Carlos Albizu University; and
Ailema Frigerio, PsyD; School Psychologist, Miami Dade Public Schools
Abstract
This study focused on understanding Hispanic post traditional college students’ perceptions of the factors of success in an online learning environment at a Hispanic Serving Institution in the United States. Survey, interview, and focus group data indicate that Hispanic post traditional students assert that hybrid learning, social interactions, faculty communication, and independent learning behaviors contribute to successful outcomes in online learning. Furthermore, Hispanic students learn best when engaged with peers and faculty, have access to a brick and mortar institution with support services, and consider face to face interaction important to their learning experiences.
By: Elys Vasquez-Iscan, Ed.D, MPH; Assistant Professor, Health Education Unit Coordinator Aging and Health Studies Faculty Education Department, Presidential Fellow & ELEVATE Fellow
www2.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi/ELEVATE
Hostos Community College
718-518-4160
Abstract
The focus of this article is to discuss how Hostos Community College of the City University of New York, located in an underserved community such as the South Bronx, is gaining mastery in education technology and online teaching. The article aims to provide an overview of how Hostos compares to the national trend of community colleges and how its students, who mostly start as remedial students, are dispelling held beliefs in higher education that community college students are not able to succeed in online courses. The article also gives insight to an area that is largely unexplored, which is faculty perceptions of online teaching and what higher education administrators can do to support faculty in online teaching.
By: Jacqueline M. DiSanto, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Education; Sandy Figueroa, M.S., Associate Professor, Business; Carlos Guevara, M.S., Director, Office of Educational Technology; Antonios Varelas, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Behavioral and Social Sciences; Diana Macri, M.S.Ed., R.D.H., Assistant Professor, Allied Health;
Andrea Fabrizio, Ph.D., Associate Professor, English; Sherese Mitchell, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Education; Sean Gerrity, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, English
Hostos Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Abstract
This paper discusses existing literature on peer observation. It also focuses on work done by an investigative, information-sharing committee at an urban community college in the South Bronx that was created to communicate best practices for conducting peer observations. The Peer Observation Improvement Network for Teaching (POINT) committee views peer observations as faculty-development opportunities that can lead to improved teaching. Using pre- and post-observation conversations to share pedagogy and resources, writing recommendations for growth, and conducting faculty observations in an online environment are examples of topics addressed by POINT.
El propósito del trabajo es identificar las tendencias en la evaluación de cursos en línea. Para ello se realizó una revisión de literatura y luego se clasificaron los estudios por el propósito en la evaluación. Además, se identificaron los modelos y enfoques de evaluación usados.
Se concluye que en la evaluación de cursos en línea, existe una clara tendencia a evaluar la efectividad y calidad de los cursos en línea, así como, al uso de cuestionarios. La evaluación de un curso en línea debe ser sistemática, no limitarse al estudio del aprovechamiento y de la satisfacción de los estudiantes.
Bronx Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Abstract
The drive to increase on-line course offerings has many motivations. The most compelling for Community College students is often the need to juggle family demands and the need to work while attempting to earn their college degree. On-line education began with the for-profit educational industry and the experiences of students in the for -profit arena has much to teach us. A significant feature is the high drop -out rates associated with massive on-line courses (MOOCs). Bronx Community College is a Hispanic Serving Community College whose students could benefit from the flexibility on-line courses can provide. However, recent data suggests that these are the very students who tend to underperform in an on-line setting. The current work is a case study that compares the performance of students taking a hybrid General Biology I course to students in the classic lecture sections of the course. The results indicate that students in the hybrid course sections show lower performance on common final exam assessments, lower passing grades and rates compared to students enrolled in the classic lecture sections of the course.
Keywords: Hispanic Serving Community College, General Biology, On-line Education.
This article is a case study of a courseware experience with the creation of a live-online virtual classrooms using Zoom. Live-online virtual classrooms with two-way audio and HD video were created for seven different courses at the higher education level. This innovative technology allows all participants to see and hear every classmate using any device, including iPhones, tablets and computers. We describe how to set up the Zoom account and how to set up the live-online virtual classroom, including the parameters we use. We document how to set up a home or office studio and how to broadcast the classes. We explain our virtual classroom class experiences and how we evaluated students live-online. We also provide several best practices for hosting and studying in a live-online virtual classroom.
Professor,Biological Sciences Department College of General Studies University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus
Professor Mary Jo Barbosa spent over six decades teaching Biological Sciences. She was a pioneer integrating technology into the classroom. From audio-visual materials to Zoom. She began her career in 1960 as a high school Biology teacher. She worked at the Biological Sciences Department where she taught first-year Biology for 53 years. She created the first audio-visual course for the Biological Sciences department. In 2004, after 39 years of pencil and bubble testing, Prof. Barbosa changed to online assessment using the Blackboard LMS for all tests. She input her entire item pool that had been researched and fine-tuned in the previous 39 years with a base sample of over 42,000 first-year students. Prof. Barbosa was the first Director of Environmental Education at the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, where she created the first high school biology research-based course about Puerto Rico. At the PRDNR, she created videotapes for the classroom and for teacher training. In 2012 she created videos for her YouTube channel (Induktiva), in the areas of Mendelian Genetics and Drosophila melanogaster culturing techniques. In 2017, she integrated Zoom to teach live-online.
Prof. Barbosa holds an MS in Biology from Rutgers University and Doctoral Studies in Higher Education from New York University. In the Spring of 2018, Prof. Barbosa became a Distinguished Honorary Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars for her contributions to Leadership, Scholarship and Service.
Assistant Professor Business Communication Department College of Business Administration Rio Piedras Campus University of Puerto Rico
Dr. Tamara JG Barbosa has spent over two decades working in the areas of Distance & Online Education, Business Communication & Technology, in-service and Pre- service Teacher Education with an emphasis in TESOL, STEM, Evaluation & Assessment, Leadership & Organizational Development, Executive Education, Public Policy & Management in academia, government and non-profit institutions. She has designed and developed over 1,347 hours of eLearning courses for Federal Senior Executive Service training, and Skills Training at the USDA and 1,071 hours of Graduate online courses at various universities in the USA.
Dr. Barbosa has been named an Edmodo Spanish-speaking Ambassador (top user out of 90+ M) at the global education social learning network. She holds a PhD in Educational Policy, Leadership & Technology and an MA in Higher Education Administration from The Ohio State University and an MA in TESOL in College from New York University.
Universidad Ana G. Méndez | Keiser University
