Contributed by Qiaoying Joy Zhou, PhD
Department Chair/Professor
NVC Math and Engineering Department
On October 19, the Math and Engineering Department held our Mid-Semester Adjunct Faculty evening meeting. The focus of the meeting was to build a strong connection between our adjunct faculty and full-time faculty in the department, with the aim of better serving our students to the best of our abilities.
“We are very fortunate to have such an engaging and supportive group of full-time and adjunct faculty. Our department owes much of its success to the commitment and dedication of our faculty and its engaging culture. While we participated in cooperative learning activities for most of the meeting, the support and friendship among the faculty was truly amazing,” Hector, the Adjunct Coordinator, commented after the meaningful meeting.
The meeting included discussions on cooperative learning, the math pathway map, Developmental Education (DE) in Math, registration for Spring 2024, and Student Success. Our DE math coordinator, Greg Ward, believes that this was a great opportunity to exchange ideas with faculty members we don’t get to see on a regular basis.
The Adjunct Night event was very productive and enlightening. Some of the feedback from our adjuncts (Faranak, Nicole, Ruska, and Jim) includes:
‘The meeting provided us with valuable insights and made us feel like we were part of a tight-knit math community at the same time.’
‘I really enjoyed the refresher lesson on cooperative learning and the practical demonstration on how roles are assigned with the manila folders. It was nice to visit with people that I don’t see on a regular basis.’
‘Thank you for reminding us that early, personal intervention with borderline students can increase our success and retention rate.’
‘Cooperative learning is highly effective since most students learn best when they discover solutions in small groups.’
‘It was amazing to collaborate with my fellow faculty! The atmosphere is always engaging and inspiring!’
‘I really enjoyed Hector’s cooperative learning activity and will use some of the techniques in my classes. The sticks and the folder made it more fun, and the reading exercise was an eye-opener.’
‘Thanks to Joy’s clear explanation of internal recruiting. I believe it will help with the enrollment process, retention, and provide a more successful student experience at NVC.’
Thank you all! You rock!! Have an amazing day and weekend.”
