Abstract:

Tarrant County College was remote from March 2020 to August 2021. After a return to in-person classes and services, we began a campus redevelopment process that will continue until 2026. There is no “business as usual” at Tarrant County College Northwest. Instead, there is only the continual evaluation of how to best serve students and minimize disruptions to their educational plans as we tear down buildings, build new ones, and operate in swing spaces. In order to do this, the Humanities Division dean and department chairs at TCC Northwest have collaborated to build intentional schedules that maximize our existing spaces and promote student progression through their chosen pathways. For many of our students, small disruptions in their progress toward a degree can mean total derailment. Our student body has diverse needs and is primarily part-time, which means we must constantly assess our schedules so we can provide options that improve our ability to retain students and help them complete their degrees.

This presentation will focus on the following topics from the perspective of a department chair:
- The creation and evaluation of blended schedules (half in-person/half online) that maximize space. We are currently collecting data on faculty and student experiences related to blended schedules, and I will have success rate data by spring 2024 to include in my presentation.
- Our approach to training and mentoring faculty who did not teach remotely or in a blended format prior to the pandemic.
- Our development of schedule blocks that promote retention and completion and allow students to intentionally progress through their pathway.
- Our biannual Guided Pathways Fair that helps students understand educational and career pathways and promotes retention and completion of coursework.

Keywords:

Minimizing educational disruption, guided pathways, retention and completion, hybrid instruction.