H-LTLA Academy – Voting 2021

Part I. Personal Information and Demographic Data

Applicant Full Name

Sara Garcia

Applicant Title

Learning & Development Coordinator

Institution or System

California State University, San Bernardino

Address for Official Correspondence

5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407 (ATTN: Staff Development Center)

Track of interest

English track

Languages

English

Have teach an online course in the past three years

Yes

Have taken an online course in the past three years

Yes

Have you been in charge of an instructional technology initiative

Yes

Have you been in charge of a distance education initiative

Yes

Years of experience in Higher Education

6-10 years

Part II. Education

Highest Earned Degree

Bachelor of Art’s Degree

College/University

California State University, San Bernardino

Field/Major

Psychology/Criminal Justice

Next Highest Earned Degree

N/A

College/University

N/A

Field/Major

N/A

Other Degrees Earned

N/A

College/University

N/A

Field/Major

N/A

Part III. Experience

Present Responsibilities

I am responsible for contributing to my department’s mission of promoting and encouraging opportunities for the professional and personal growth of employees. Specifically, I am responsible for the coordination of learning opportunities to help develop professional skills, including technical proficiency for staff, administrators, and student assistants. It is also my responsibility to identify, propose, and develop training on systems and software to support student and faculty success. I also serve as the Domain Administrator for my campus’s learning management systems, facilitate software and systems training (including but not limited to Qualtrics, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Adobe, NEOGOV), meet with employees as a technical consultant, design and develop communication materials, assist with generating metrics, data collection, and reporting for programming.

Academic and Professional Distinctions and Honors

As I was pursuing my undergraduate degree, I was invited and inducted into two (2) honor societies: CSUSB Rho Lambda Honor Society, and the National Society of Leadership and Success-Sigma Alpha Pi Honor Society. In my time as a staff member at CSUSB, I have also earned one of the most prestigious awards presented to employees, the President’s Staff Award, in the Team Achievement category, in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Civil and Community Activities

I served as a Student Advisory Board Member for the Colleges and Organizations United for Good Health (COUGH) organization through the California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN) for 4 years, and also served on my campus’s Student Health Advisory Committee for 4 years. I also held many leadership roles within my sorority during my undergraduate career.

Professional Goals

A short-term goal I have is to earn my certification in instructional design, which I hope to complete by the end of the Fall term. In my current role, I am responsible for both creating and supporting learning opportunities for the entire campus community, and I want to ensure that these initiatives are designed utilizing best practices in program development. A long-term goal would be to become a specialist in area (I’m currently a coordinator) focusing on program design, implementation of learning systems, and program assessment. It is also a personal goal of mine to further my education and pursue a Master’s degree within the next few years.

Please explain what you expect to gain by participating in the H-LTLA

As someone whose job it is to both promote and create opportunities for personal and professional development, I am a huge proponent of learning and growth. I want to take advantage of this opportunity to further my knowledge on teaching and learning by means of academic technologies and online learning. I also believe this academy would complement my current endeavors of instructional design, and would assist in my role of managing learning management systems. I am also very proud to be involved with an institution that makes diversity a top-priority, and this academy would aid in becoming a champion for learning at a Hispanic-Serving Institute.

Part IV. Professional References

Professional Reference #1

Rowena Casis Woidyla, Director of Leadership Development & Employee Enrichment, CSUSB, (909) 537-3104, rwoidyla@csusb.edu

Professional Reference #2

Brandon Sierra, Assistant Director for Technology Support Center, CSUSB, bsierra@csusb.edu

Professional Reference #3

Marissa Boles, Learning and Development Specialist, CSUSB, (909) 537-5186, marissa.boles@csusb.edu

Upload a letter from a president, chancellor, or cabinet-level administrator stating the nominee’s qualifications for the program, leadership strengths, and development opportunities.

https://hets.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/145/HETS-Letter-of-Support-SG.pdf

Part V. Initiative and Mentor

Upload a letter describing a project that you will consider implementing at your campus or organization on any of the areas of the Program with the name of your Mentor. Your Mentor can be different from your references and should be a staff with experience in the area selected. The Mentor information will be submitted with the signature to confirm the availability to guide the implementation of your campus initiative.

https://hets.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/145/HETS-Academy-Project-Letter-Signed_S-Garcia.pdf

Part VI. Statement of Purpose

1. From your perspective, what are the top three issues facing higher education today? Why?

I believe the top issue within higher education today remains funding. This issue is not unique to the pandemic, and can cause a strain on both students interested in attending the university, as well as services and resources made available to the campus community. I also believe diversity is both a top issue and priority in higher education, as some institutions can struggle with both ensuring there is a wide range of representation in the student and employee populations, as well as providing the necessary diversity training to the campus community. Lastly, I believe another challenge within higher education is the decline of admissions/enrollment totals, which seems to be brought on by a combination of lack of funding and a lack of interest from students.

2. What are your own institution’s priorities and challenges with regard to leveraging instructional technology and distance education for the benefit of the entire organization?

It is an utmost priority of my division/institution to advance as one of the foremost teaching/learning environments in higher education by applying, as appropriate, technology solutions. It’s also important for us to be responsive to the changing information technology needs of a highly diverse student, faculty, and staff community, and offer support and leadership through collaborative efforts. A challenge we may face is that not all are receptive to the ever-growing nature of technology solutions.

3. If have the influence to instill change at your Institution, was one thing you could change, what would that be; and what is the unique aspect of your institution you would like to keep?

If I had the capability to instill change at my institution, it would be to create hybrid learning environments to suit the needs of both students and employees. As demonstrated in the virtual modality many institutions had to implement this past year as a result of the pandemic, some students thrive with virtual learning, while it is imperative for some to receive in-person instruction.

An aspect I admire about my institution is its dedication to diversity and inclusion. My institution has offered various diversity learning opportunities to the entire campus community, and has developed numerous committees and advisory boards to implement initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Most recently, our campus has implemented a university-wide diversity strategic vision, under the leadership of the University President, showing its commitment to this important topic, and that it has the support of all levels of leadership.

Evaluation

Please provide your input for the following candidate application, using a scale from 1 to 3 (based on the rubric and metrics provided for each area):

Applicant name (for your reference): *

Title (for your reference): *

Track of interest (for your reference): *

Part I. Personal Information and Demographic Data

Part I. Personal Information and Demographic Data: Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: Have not taught or taken an online course, or have not been in charge of instructional technology or a distance education initiative, and have less than 5 years of experience in Higher Ed.); 2- (Good: Have taught or taken at least two online courses, or have been in charge of instructional technology or a distance education initiative, and have between 6 and 10 years of experience in Higher Ed.); 3- (Excellent: Have taught or taken two or more online courses, have been in charge of instructional technology or a distance education initiative, and have between 11 and 20 or more years of experience in Higher Ed.) *

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Part II. Education

Part II. Education: Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1- (Poor: Bachelor’s degree or less than a bachelor’s degree in any academic Field); 2- (Good: Bachelor’s degree in Education with a major related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed., or a master’s degree in Education); 3- (Excellent: Master or courses towards a doctor degree, or a doctor’s degrees in Education related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed.) *

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Part III. Experience:

Present Responsibilities, distinctions, and activities: 1- (Poor: Not present responsibilities related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed., and doesn't have distinctions or activities related to the fields); 2- (Good: Present responsibilities related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed., and mentioned distinctions or activities related to the fields); 3- (Excellent: Present responsibilities related to management or supervision of Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. initiatives, and mentioned the distinctions or activities related to the fields). *

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Professional Goals: Professional Goals: 1 – (Poor: Goals described are not related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Initiatives); 2 – (Good: Goals described are related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Initiatives); 3 – (Excellent: Goals described are innovative and related to the management or supervision of Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Initiatives). *

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Please explain what you expect to gain by participating in the H-LTLA: Please explain what you expect to gain by participating in the H-LTLA: 1 – (Poor: Candidate’s expectations are not aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies); 2 – (Good: Candidate’s expectations are in some way aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies); 3 – (Excellent: Candidate’s expectations are significantly aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies) *

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Part IV. Professional References

Part IV. Professional References: Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: Provided are one or two references and are not related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Faculty or Administrators, and the nomination letter is pending); 2 – (Good: Provided two references and are related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Faculty or Administrators, and included the nomination letter or provided the evidence that is in process); 3 – (Excellent: Provided more than two references and are related to Learning Technologies or Distance Ed. Administrators, and included the nomination letter) *

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Part V. Initiative and Mentor

Part V. Initiative and Mentor: Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: The candidate’s initiative is unclear or not aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies, and the mentor does not seem to have experience in the proposed initiative area.); 2 – (Good: The candidate’s initiative is clear and somehow aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies, and the mentor seems to have some experience in the proposed initiative area.); 3 – (Excellent: The candidate’s initiative is clear and very aligned with the H-LTLA curriculum and competencies, and the mentor seems to have a lot of experience in the proposed initiative area) *

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Part VI. Statement of Purpose:

1. From your perspective, what are the top three issues facing higher education today? Why? Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: The issues and explanations are not clear or pertinent to the education reality today); 2 – (Good: The issues and explanations are somehow clear or pertinent to the education reality today); 3 – (Excellent: The issues and explanations are very clear and pertinent to the education reality today) *

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2. What are your own institution’s priorities and challenges with regard to leveraging instructional technology and distance education for the benefit of the entire organization? Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: The priorities and challenges described are not directly related to leveraging instructional technology and distance education); 2 – (Good: The priorities and challenges described are somehow related to leveraging instructional technology and distance education); 3 – (Excellent: The priorities and challenges described are directly related to leveraging instructional technology and distance education.) *

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3. If have the influence to instill change at your Institution, was one thing you could change, what would that be; and what is the unique aspect of your institution you would like to keep? Please provide your input using a scale from 1 to 3 with the following metrics: 1 – (Poor: Only mention one aspect, and is not directly related to a thing that he/she could change or keep at his/her Institution); 2 – (Good: Mention one or two aspects, and are somehow related to a thing that he/she could change or keep at his/her Institution); 3 – (Excellent: Mention both aspects and are related to a thing that he/she could change and keep at his/her Institution.) *

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Name of the Evaluation Board Member *

Evaluation Board Member Comments about the Applicant: Please write your recommendations or additional feedback

Please select the best category that applies to this candidate based on the following criteria

Please select the best category that applies to this candidate based on the following criteria: 1-Beginner: Obtained mostly 1 point in Personal Information and Demographic Data; Education; Present Responsibilities distinctions, and activities; and Initiative and Mentor; but the rest of the categories could score 1, 2 or 3); 2- Intermediate: Obtained mostly 2 points in Personal Information and Demographic Data; Education; Present Responsibilities distinctions, and activities; and Initiative and Mentor; but the rest of the categories could score 1, 2 or 3); 3- Advanced: Obtained mostly 3 points in Personal Information and Demographic Data; Education; Present Responsibilities distinctions, and activities; and Initiative and Mentor; but the rest of the categories could score 1, 2 or 3) *

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