Applications & Letters of Support are due Friday, March 18, 2022.

Scaling Humanized Online Teaching
in STEM

Achieving equity through instructor-student relationships online

A Call for Institutional & State Level Partners Across the CCCs and CSUs

Project Overview

Over the last three years, a partnership between Foothill-DeAnza Community College District, Modesto Junior College, Humboldt State University, and UC Irvine created the Humanizing Online STEM Academy, a grant-funded professional development course for faculty and instructional designers with the goal of closing equity gaps in online STEM courses. Over eighty faculty completed the program and rated it 4.6 out of 5 stars. A research study is examining the impact of this PD on STEM faculty and their online students.

To build on the success of this original grant, we are now pursuing a new California Education Learning Lab grant to scale the Academy and the community of practice that it has inspired in California. We are inviting CCCs and CSUs to be part of the scaling project (pending successful funding). Being able to show support from partner institutions is an important part of strengthening our proposal. We hope you'll see valuable synergies between your institutional goals and our project.

Fostering Belonging for Students & Faculty

This project supports the success of diverse learners and connects faculty in a supportive online teaching community. Since the start of COVID, supporting the affective components of learning through inclusive online teaching has been highlighted in equity-oriented publications such as the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), Every Learner Everywhere, and Achieving the Dream (Caring for Students Playbook, 2020), and as an equitable teaching practice in math pathways (Solving for Equity in Practice: Just Equations, 2021). Many STEM faculty are starting to recognize that teaching online requires moving from away from a mindset of teaching science to one of teaching humans. In recent literature, inclusive online teaching that incorporates culturally responsive and trauma-informed pedagogy has been noted as an integral component of successful online STEM courses (Harris et al, 2020).

Today, the isolation that faculty feel due to being away from campus reduces their ability to connect, discuss, and share with colleagues. The Humanizing Online STEM scaling project restores and cultivates connection for full-time and part-time faculty/lecturers through a statewide online community of practice fueled by supportive peer relationships.

Project Goals

Contingent upon funding, the goals of Scaling Humanized Online Teaching in STEM are:

Reduce equity gaps in undergraduate online STEM courses in the CCCs and CSUs;
Increase identity safety and belonging in online STEM classes;
Integrate culturally responsive teaching into more online undergraduate STEM courses;
Advance the digital fluency of STEM faculty;
Increase STEM faculty engagement in online teaching

The Original Grant: 2019-2022

In the original grant project, 82 STEM faculty and faculty support specialists from eight institutions across the CCC and CSU systems completed the Humanizing Online STEM Academy, an intensive 6-week online professional development program. During the 6-weeks, participants are introduced to social psychological concepts that undermine belonging in STEM, including stereotype threat, belongingness uncertainty, and imposterism. In a supportive learning community of peers and "warm demander" facilitators, participants experiment with technologies and create 8 humanized elements that foster trust, validation, and care. All participants complete an openly shared humanizing showcase comprised of their 8 humanized elements and receive a digital badge issued by the California Community Colleges' initiative, CVC/@ONE.

A research study is also underway to explore the impact of humanizing on STEM faculty and their online students.

The Scaling Grant: 2022-2024 (contingent upon successful funding)

The Humanizing Online STEM project team is developing a proposal for the Scaling Success California Education Learning Lab grant opportunity. An important part of the proposal is showing support from institutions and other entities in the CCC and CSU systems. We've developed a unique partnership model that will incentivize participation from new institutions and provide existing partners an opportunity to increase adoption of humanized online teaching and validate its efficacy through equity-focused research.

To support our proposal, the project team is seeking CCC and CSU partners in two categories: Seed and Grow.

Seed Partners

Seed Eligibility

For colleges new to the Humanizing Academy. All California Community Colleges and California State Universities that have adopted Canvas and have not previously served as a partner in the Humanizing Online STEM grant project (see list under Grow Partners) may apply to be a Seed Partner.

Seed Partner Benefits

Pending successful funding of our grant proposal, Seed Partners will receive:

The opportunity for their STEM faculty and 1-2 faculty support specialists to apply for a limited number of grant-funded scholarships that will provide each person with $1,800* upon completion of the Humanized Online STEM Academy, a faculty-vetted, 6-week, culturally responsive professional development program. The Academy is facilitated and community-oriented. It is not self-paced.
STEM faculty who complete the Academy will also be invited to participate in:
- Facilitated monthly gatherings to discuss implementation of humanizing/share teaching practices with peers across the state
- A yearly, conference-style online summit

Seed Partner Commitment

Seed Partners will complete a brief application and provide a letter of support signed by the VP of Instruction/Provost/or equivalent that agrees to:

Promote and encourage participation in the Humanizing Online STEM Academy to STEM faculty across their institution;
Recognize the commitment to equity and professional growth of STEM faculty who complete the Humanizing Online STEM Academy

*The actual amount of the stipend will be contingent upon the amount of the grant award and the number of Grow Partners we obtain. This is our target goal but the actual compensation may be lower.

Grow Partners

Grow Eligibility

For colleges that have had faculty complete the Humanizing STEM Academy. To be eligible to be a Grow Partner, an institution must have been a partner in the original grant and must use Canvas. Eligible institutions are:

Bakersfield College
CSU Channel Islands
Foothill College
Cal Poly Humboldt
Modesto Junior College
Saddleback College
Southwestern College

Grow Partner Benefits

Upon successful funding of our grant proposal, institutional Grow Partners will receive:

Results of a research study that shows the impact of humanized online teaching on STEM equity gaps at your institution
Reserved space for STEM faculty in online, faculty-vetted, culturally responsive professional development that is actively facilitated and community-oriented. It is not self-paced. The professional development includes:
- A 6-week Humanizing Online STEM Academy
- Facilitated monthly gatherings to discuss implementation of humanizing/share teaching practices with peers across the state
- A yearly, conference-style online summit

Grow Partner Commitment

Grow Partners will complete a brief application and provide an updated letter of support signed by the VP of Instruction/Provost/or equivalent that:

Provides an estimated number of STEM faculty that will participate in the Academy and monthly gatherings between Fall 2022 and Spring 2024;
Agrees to:
- Promote and encourage participation in the Humanizing Online STEM Academy to full-time and part-time faculty/lecturers in STEM across their institution;
- Incentivize all Academy participants with compensation for their commitment to equity and professional growth ($1,800 is advised). Institutions are encouraged to think broadly about leveraging available funds, which may include state funding tagged for professional development, equity funds, or relief funds;
- Share institutional record data in support of a research study conducted under approval of the Foothill-DeAnza Institutional Review Board (IRB) and research partners at UC Irvine

Apply by March 18th to Become an Institutional Partner

Complete the two steps below March 18, 2022 to indicate your support of becoming a Seed or Grow Partner (pending successful funding).

Step 1: Submit Application

Institutions are encouraged to submit the application as early as possible to help us identify interest in our project. Applications must be submitted by March 18, 2022.

The application may be completed by any individual at your institution. Prior to submitting the application, please identify interest from STEM faculty and secure verbal support from the Vice President of Instruction/Provost/or other equivalent role.

Submit Your Application

View a PDF of the application questions.

Step 2: Submit Letter of Support

By March 18, please email your letter of support to Michelle Pacansky-Brock, Lead Principal Investigator, at pacanskybrockmichelle@fhda.edu. Your letter of support will be included in our grant proposal.

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