Innovation of the Year Past Winners
2014 - 2015
Overall winner receives an award of $3,000
Doug Miller, Steven Fogg, Celeste Skinner, Julia Miller, and Diego Pardo
“Competency Based Education in the SAT”
The nominated team has demonstrated themselves to be leaders in the effort to design the pedagogical approach to the School of Applied Technology's Competency-Based Education (CBE) Initiative. The pedagogical approach being developed by the faculty has required dedication to pursuing innovation in the classroom and a departure from the traditional approach to teaching and learning. This new approach to the teaching and learning process will be the foundation for developing a robust, scalable and cross-disciplinary educational delivery model. The CBE model will measure success by increased enrollment, retention, completions and a reduction in time to completion and cost of attendance. As part of the School's CBE initiative, goals and outcomes have been set through our TAACCCT Department of Labor grant, application to Department of Education's Experimental Sites Initiative and the White House College Day of Opportunity commitment. Over the next 3-5 years our goal is to increase enrollments, retention and completions in the School of Applied Technology by 25%, and to reduce cost and time of completion by 10% and 15%, respectively.
Excellence in Innovation (3) awards of $500 each
Melaney Birdsong Farr and Dr. Arleen Sawitzke
“Developing Pathways for Student Contributions to the Teaching Team”
Human Anatomy (BIOL2320) is a prerequisite for many clinical programs, and is a notoriously difficult course for students, with a drop/withdraw/fail rate approaching 50% nationwide. We have implemented a peer instruction and mentoring system that improves student access and success in this course, while affording strong, motivated students opportunities to both teach their peers and engage in undergraduate research, in preparation for their future academic and professional goals. This program has also improved departmental accountability and consistency in Human Anatomy, which serves up to 700 students per semester, taught by multiple full-time faculty members, and the accompanying Human Anatomy laboratory, which is taught by part-time instructors.
Tyler Hall, Marcos Chard, and Kent Frogley
“Outbound Calling Center”
The Outbound Calling Center was built to create a new method of outreach to current and prospective students of Salt Lake Community College. During the first eight months of operation, Outbound Calling Specialists made more than 30,000 calls to student as part of recruitment, retention, and other departmental campaigns. For the future, the Outbound Calling Center is looking to expand the breadth of services it offers and to continue proactively reaching out to students to promote access and success at Salt Lake Community College.
Madeline Corona, Sonia Parker, Hilda Sandi, Scott Wakefield, Dr. Marlin Clark, and Joe Gallegos
“Promoting Academic Excellence through Recognition”
Every year, the Academic and Career Advising Department plans The Annual President's and Dean's Lists Recognition Reception event to publicly recognize students that have demonstrated outstanding academic performance during one or more semesters in a year. Many of them accomplished this honor in addition to other responsibilities, including work and family. This event is a tradition that involves innovative and new ideas each year in an effort to encourage students toward excellence and completion. Students on the Dean's List have earned 3.50 to 3.79 GPA in a semester, carrying a load of 15 credits or more. Students on the President's List have earned 3.80 to 4.0 GPA in a semester while carrying a load of 15 credits or more.
2013-2014 Winners - SLCC's Disability Resource Center and Veterans Services
Darlene Head, Steven Lewis, Mary Keinz, Candida Mumford, Michael Foster
SLCC's Disability Resource Center and Veterans Services has partnered to create a unique partnership to serve student-Veterans. Knowing Veterans were hesitant to seek assistance from the DRC Office, we brought the service to them, where they felt safe and comfortable, in the Veterans Center. The new Veterans Accessibility Advisor (VAA) position now spends time in the Veterans Center in the lower level of the Student Center and works with the VetSuccess on Campus Counselor to provide required VA medical documentation. This provides for increased access to support not typically sought after, due to Veterans not identifying with stigma of having a disability. The camaraderie in the Veterans Center creates an atmosphere of safety and comfort, and Veterans talk between fellow veterans sharing helpful tips and now share the benefits of the services from the VAA. Through this unique partnership, SLCC is now able to provide quality service to student-Veterans where they are comfortable, removing roadblocks, easing frustrations and concerns students share due to similar challenges they may have in the classroom. The DRC is now serving many more Veterans and student-Veterans who have used the services are now bringing other Veterans in to see the Veterans Accessibility Advisor to start services for them. Our student-Veterans are experiencing support and success because of the partnership between the Veterans Services staff, Disability Resource Center staff, and our VetSuccess on Campus Counselor.
2013 - 2014 Excellence in Innovation Winners
Luz Gamarra & Sonia Parker
Hispanic Students Promote Retention and Success as Mentors- "SLCC Manos Amigas"
The Peer Mentoring program, “SLCC Manos Amigas” (a helping hand) enhances, promotes and encourages Hispanic students to be part of the milestones that provide a clear understanding and framework that education is key to success. This program impacts and is a bridge to Enrollment Services and other departments providing fluent Spanish speakers students to address questions, concerns or needs of our large Hispanic student population. All Peer Mentor leaders and participants (350) have used this service as a springboard to master the school systems available for them to succeed academically.
Past Winners
2012-2013 Winners - Nonprofit Volunteer Management Training Series
Sean Crossland, Gail Jessen, Gina Russo, Nicholina Womack, Julie Tille
The Volunteer Management Training Series is a one of a kind collaborative training effort between the Thayne Center for Service & Learning at Salt Lake Community College, United Way of Salt Lake, the Bennion Community Service Center at University of Utah, and the Center for Civic Engagement at Westminster College.
The VMTS is a free training designed to serve as a a resource to nonprofit professionals at all experience levels. The goal of the trainings is expand organizations' ability to make positive impacts on the community while enhancing the learning environment of a service-learning and student volunteers.
2012-2013 Winners - Active and Collaborative Learning through ePortfolios
SLCC's General Education ePortfolio Initiative provides this ideal format for students to collect and connect evidence of their learning at SLCC. The initiative has two main purposes: First, it seeks to change the culture of learning at the college from passive to active by requiring students to present and upload signature assignment(s) as well as a reflection from each Gen Ed course. Students become active learners when they make connections among various forms of information and the different disciplinary methods that are used to organize and explain that information as well as reflect on the implications of those connections on their learning and education. The ePortfolio initiative, through its emphasis on reflection, seeks to ensure that students experience General Education at SLCC as a series of connected disciplines that will help them lead thoughtful, creative, and productive lives in addition to becoming citizen scholars. Finally, when students, faculty, and staff work together on ePortfolios, the experience is one of mutual teaching and learning.
2011/2012 Winner - SLCC Community Writing Center's Salt Lake Teens Write Program
Tiffany Rousculp, John McCormick, Andrea Malouf, Elisa Stone, Stephanie Maenhardt (not in photo)
SLCC Community Writing Center (CWC) partnered with the Salt Lake City Public Library to create the innovative program Salt Lake Teens Write (SLTW). The program pairs underserved teens with same-sex mentors who use writing in their daily lives and professions. Together, the teen and mentor explore how writing opens different pathways to education and successful careers. Not only teens, but the mentors write, creating an interactive and equalizing environment.
Mentoring teams meet for 1-2 hours a week for a full school year and work together to produce a portfolio of writing based on the teen's interests. They also attend quarterly writing workshops with other SLTW mentoring pairs. At the end of the school year, all of the mentoring teams come together to collaborate on an anthology publication and public reading to celebrate the different texts they have created during the year.
2010/2011 Winner - Creation of an Inclusive Veteran's Center
Darlene Head Goldman, Eric Weber, Jim Kopecky
The creation of the Salt Lake Community College one-stop inclusive Veteran's Center centralizes multiple services available to veterans on campus as they transition from military service to the College community. Because of the unique center design, support from College administration and multiple community services, the SLCC Veteran's Center is considered a model program to colleges and universities around the nation and was chosen for inclusion in a new limited national VA pilot program.
Veterans, served by other veterans, receive educational, financial and emotional support from College, VA, State and Community agencies in the Center. Veterans can study, use computers and print assignments, relax and decompress between classes. In the words of one veteran "This center provides an area for veterans to draw strength from one another, since only another veteran understands what a fellow veteran has gone through and continues to go through." Providing these services to veterans on campus allows them to be able to focus on their education, feel supported and successfully complete their degrees.
2009/2010 Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Program for Diverse Students
Ana Archuleta, Cindy Clark, Janet Felker, Ruth Henneman, Dale Smith
The Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Program for Diverse Students is a partnership among local school districts, Salt Lake Community College, and the University of Utah's College of Education, designed to increase the number of culturally and ethnically diverse students accessing higher education and completing teaching preparation programs. The partners built support services and modified curriculum to enhance engagement and learning as students transition to and progress through SLCC and transfer to the U of U College of Education.
Students participate in program orientations, a summer bridge option, a cohort class, developmental education courses as needed, case management advising, financial aid coaching, mentoring, tutoring and transfer activities. Teaching and learning strategies validate students' identity and develop their sense of community and social justice as they think about their roles as future educators. The program annually funds up to sixteen new high school graduates.
2008/2009 Special Studies ESL for Facilities and Food Services Personnel
Bob Askerlund, Lidya Gonzalez, Douglas New, Sonia Parker
This program promotes social justice at SLCC by providing an opportunity for part-time personnel to improve their English language skills. The Division of Developmental Education, in collaboration with Student Services and Business Services, prepared English as a Second Language instruction for Facilities and Food Services staff members. Employees give up part of their lunch breaks, combined with some work time, to receive four hours of instruction weekly. More than forty employees, some preliterate in their native language, have benefited from the program; three have secured full-time work at the College. The special studies English as a Second Language program reaffirms the College's goal to provide lifelong learning to people of diverse cultures, abilities, and ages.