Strengthening Student Success Conference
Breakout Session 2
Wednesday, October 7 | 1:40 pm – 2:40 pm
From Voice to Impact: Insights From a University–College Research–Practice Partnership
Strand: Sustaining Partnerships and Networks for Student Success
Room: Garden 1
What can colleges learn when they center student voices? This session introduces Learning Together, a collaboration between UCLA and community colleges that supports practitioner-led inquiry to address equity-focused challenges. Through the Student Voice Project, cross-functional teams partner with faculty and students to collect survey data and conduct interviews exploring how students experience classrooms, services, and campus climate.
Findings from over 125 interviews across three colleges revealed barriers to belonging, engagement, and persistence not fully captured by institutional data. Colleges used these insights to redesign courses, enhance professional learning, and incorporate student perspectives into planning.
This session highlights practical examples and a replicable model for collaboration that centers student voice, strengthens practitioner research, and advances more equitable student success.
Presenters: Shelagh Rose, Pasadena City College; Daniela Amaya and Lynn Kim-John, UCLA
From Data to Change: Lessons from Faculty–Institutional Research Partnerships in Writing and Career Education
Strand: Achieving Equity in the Classroom
Room: Garden 2
This presentation explores how faculty and Institutional Research (IR) professionals can work together to address equity gaps through data-informed inquiry and course redesign. Beginning with an examination of first-year writing outcomes and extending to perspectives from career education (CTE), presenters will discuss how disaggregated student success data prompted critical reflection on instructional practices and course design.
Using equity-minded approaches, faculty partnered with IR to identify patterns in student outcomes, redesign learning experiences, and evaluate the impact of those changes over time. The session will share examples of course-level interventions, discuss the role of vulnerability and continuous improvement in equity work, and highlight how strategies developed in one discipline can inform practice across others. Participants will leave with practical tools for leveraging data to promote more equitable student success.
Presenters: Jaclyn Kessler and Debilyn Kinzler, Cerro Coso Community College
Reimagining Work-Based Learning: Embedding Career Exploration Into Non-CTE Classrooms
Strand: Achieving Equity in the Classroom
Room: Garden 3
Work-based learning (WBL) has traditionally been thought of as co-curricular activities, such as internships, job-shadowing, or apprenticeships, or has been sequestered to CTE classes where career and discipline alignment is clear. However, by broadening our definition of work-based learning to include anything that exposes students to the world of work and helps them make connections between what they are learning and potential career paths, we understand how WBL can and should be incorporated into all disciplines.
Participants will learn about a 3CSN/San Diego Mesa Community of Practice focused on embedding work-based learning practices, specifically career exploration activities, into the classroom curriculum. A summary of applicable research, related theoretical frameworks, and specific examples of revised learning artifacts will be shared.
Presenters: Diana Bonilla and Joanna Zimring Towne, 3CSN; Pegah Motaleb and Wendy Smith, San Diego Mesa College
The Joy of STEPping Into College: A High-Impact, Equity-Focused Approach to Welcoming Students Into College
Strand: Humanizing Professional Learning & Leadership Development
Room: Garden 4
For the past six years, Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) has provided students with a summer experience class called STEP (Summer Transition Enrichment Program), which provides a Counseling 1 class at scale and serves more than 1000 new students each summer. We now have evidence that shows this has made a positive impact on several equity metrics, especially when examining populations that have been experiencing “disproportionate impact” in the Mt. SAC Student Equity Plan.
In this interactive, hands-on session, participants will actively explore the components that contribute to STEP’s success. They will have the opportunity to reflect on their own campus, their programs, and the needs of their students and strategize how they can apply the lessons learned from STEP to their own campus community.
Presenters: Alana Bachor and Emily Versace, Mt. San Antonio College
Listening Back: Using Student Voice Data to Close Career Guidance Gaps at Community Colleges
Strand: Creating Support Systems for Students & Employees
Room: Harbor
California community colleges are students’ primary source of career guidance—but timing, depth, and equity of that guidance fall short for too many. Drawing on the “Listening to Learners” brief series, which surveyed over 5,000 current and recent California college students, this session equips practitioners to examine what the data reveals about career pathways guidance, work-based learning access, and early career satisfaction—and to surface where their own campus may be leaving students behind. Participants will engage with real student data disaggregated by race, gender, and age, connect findings to their own practice, and leave with a concrete question or campus conversation worth starting.
Presenters: Laura Bernhard, California Competes; Nicole Smith, Compton College; Jason Barqueroo, El Camino College
Dual Enrollment for ALL Adult Education Students
Strand: Sustaining Partnerships and Networks for Student Success
Room: Pacific
This session provides practical strategies to strengthen student success in SB554 dual enrollment programs. Attendees will learn how to expand access through partnerships with adult schools and community organizations, while using workflow planning, data tracking, and student journey mapping to identify critical support points.
Topics include legislation, funding, and sustainability; start-up requirements such as adult school agreements, special admit forms, and reporting structures; wraparound services including counseling, case management, tutoring, and technology support; and overcoming barriers such as scheduling, transportation, childcare, and documentation. Through real-world examples and support models, participants will gain practical tools to improve transitions, persistence, and academic outcomes for Adult Education dual-enrolled students.
Presenters: Abby Sunday and Donna Cooper, Columbia College
Equitable Student Worker Onboarding: Useful Canvas Design and Accessibility Strategies
Strand: Advancing Equitable Institutions
Room: Salon 1
This session explores how MiraCosta College’s Orientation department used a variety of tools and student experiences to create an accessible, student‑centered onboarding Canvas shell for student workers. Since many student employees are entering their first job, we sought to design training that was clear, equitable, and easy to navigate.
Participants will learn practical strategies and tools to streamline accessibility, enhance visual design, and build onboarding materials that support diverse learners. The session includes demonstrations, design tips, and replicable tools that attendees can apply in their own departments. Join us to discover how accessible course design can improve student preparedness, build confidence, and foster joyful learning experiences.
Presenters: Aaron Holmes, Cruz Reyes, Ismariceli Antonio Rios, and Cassidy Roberts, MiraCosta College
Designing Metacognitive Activities in Support Classes as Basis of Success for Calculus
Strand: Achieving Equity in the Classroom
Room: Salon 7/8
Metacognition—explicitly teaching students how to learn—is a powerful, equity-centered strategy for improving student success. Many students, particularly those who are first-generation or historically underserved, have not been taught how to break down complex content, monitor their understanding, or adjust their study strategies. This interactive session introduces practical, classroom-ready metacognitive activities that make the learning process visible and actionable. Participants will design and refine a discipline-specific activity they can immediately implement, such as structured reflection prompts or exam wrappers. Through collaboration and shared practice, attendees will leave with concrete tools to support deeper learning, increased persistence, and more equitable outcomes in their courses.
Presenters: Andy Bloom, Lori Silverman, and Yiyan Wu, Ohlone College
Back to Strengthening Student Success Conference 2026 Program & Schedule