The Ranger (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 2007 Page: 11 of 31
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The Ranger • www.theranger.org
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By J.A. Garcia
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Friday from Page 12
NVC developmental math program credits success to extra weekly lab hour
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By J.A. Garcia
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NVC positions multimedia
for future exemplary status
This is the fourth in a series
on exemplary and outstanding
programs at district colleges.
Nature walk: Following the Northwest Vista groundbreaking
April 12, biology instructor Jose Egremy guides students from
Elrod Elementary on a nature walk at the college as part of a
daylong celebration of Earth Day.
name change costing the district $4 million
by insisting there has been no cost for any
signage changes.
The only changes that have been made
so far have been online, costing nothing.
Still, many of the faculty criticize the
move, saying the name change has more
potential to create an identity crisis, rather
than alleviate one.
Claunch said she believes the faculty
and administrators are much more close-
ly aligned than seen in the meeting.
After the meeting, Claunch sent out an
e-mail to her faculty lamenting the poor
judgment someone exhibited in alerting
the media to the meeting.
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April 20, 2007 • 13
Manuel Duran
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Alamo Community College District is.
He pointed to confusion during the
January ice closing days.
Referring to the colleges as the Alamo
Community Colleges will increase com-
munity awareness of the district, but the
district will continue to refer to itself as
ACCD,. never ACC, because that is the
district’s legal name, Leslie said.
“The point of this is to try to do a
much better job of telling the public who
we are as a family of colleges that has a
wide diversity of opportunities and offer-
ings that they should avail themselves of,”
Leslie said.
Leslie also debunked a rumor of the
In addition, the district name change
from Alamo Community College District
to Alamo Community Colleges was
brought up by sociology Professor Kevin
L. Williams.
Williams asked the chancellor to
address a rumor that the name change is
costing the district $4 million.
He also questioned how it affects stu-
dents in the classroom.
The chancellor referred to a study from
last year that indicated a lack of under-
standing in the community about what the
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They attend lab hours on their own time at the
center for collaborative learning.
Observing the center on a personal tour given
by Harwin and mathematics coordinator Wesley
Anderson, the center is a very lively, interactive
and comfortable place. Somewhat loud and near
full capacity, some students were writing on the
board giving each other group lessons, some chat-
ted among themselves at the tables and others were
getting attention from student tutors.
Harwin pointed out how much the department
values their student tutors.
These tutors are students who have gone
through the same program and remember what it
is like, where as sometimes the faculty will forget,
said Harwin.
The advocacy center is a much quieter place
where students in need of extra attention can go.
The intention of the center is to help students
who have missed class, and offer one on one
tutoring to students who feel they are not doing
well in class. The staff in the advocacy center also
perform other counseling services such as drop
counseling and advising.
The staff advises students on strategies on
ag
With developmental math classes often times
being the biggest road blocks for college students,
frustrating them beyond belief, Northwest Vista
College has made their developmental math pro-
gram its No. 1 priority.
As a result, according to Cindi Bluhm, academ-
ic leader of the academic foundations program at
Northwest Vista, they have a success rate of 70
percent of students passing their developmental
math classes.
According to math coordinator Anna Harwin,
the average time a student has to repeat a develop-
mental math class at their college is 1.1 percent.
The program has received recognition from
certain organizations and has shared its strategies
and data with other schools, the district board of
trustees and is working with the districtwide ini-
tiative Achieving the Dream.
What makes the program successful is the
design of the program, the resources offered to
students, and the attitude of the faculty.
Students in all levels of developmental math are
required to attend a one-hour math lab each week.
Although Northwest Vista College has been around for 12 years,
it is still considered a young school, building its reputation for out-
standing programs.
One program the college offers that has caught many students’
attention is the multimedia technology program which trains stu-
dents in digital imaging, graphic design, digital sound, digital video,
Web development, CD-ROM authoring and 3-D animation.
The first of its kind in the city, the program began in 1999 and
features hands-on experience with software and equipment used in
the industry today.
A list of that software includes Macromedia Director, Flash,
Dreamweaver, Ultradev, Adobe Photoshop, Premier, Avid Xpress,
Digidesign Pro Tools, and Maya 3-D Animation.
There are three labs for student use: the main computer lab con-
tains high-end Dell computers with quad processors; the sound lab
contains a Pro Tool Station for analog sound editing and M Boxes
(an audio production system) for digital sound editing; and the video
room where students use Sony DV cameras and the Avid Professional
editing program.
Besides being able to use the latest technology in the industry,
students are exposed to the professional world through internships
and a professional advisory panel set up for the students and profes-
sional ties faculty members have kept.
Multimedia Instructor Susan Escobar said students have gotten
the chance to produce small segments for shows such as “Great
Day S.A.”
In the program there are 125 students, three full-time tenure fac-
ulty members and some adjunct faculty.
Students can earn either a certificate or an Associate of Applied
Science degree as a multimedia specialist or an Associate of Arts in
new media communication which transfers to four-year universities,
such at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The goal of the program is to‘get students fully prepared for the
work place and to ensure job placement.
According to the department’s Web site, recent graduates
have earned positions such as multimedia specialists, art direc-
tors, production assistants, production editors, help desk special-
ists, and free-lance opportunities in several different companies
in the area.
Even though the program has yet to receive much recognition, to
Escobar that really does not matter. “We like to keep our noses to the
grindstone,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of herself and the other faculty members,
she said the biggest reward is when students get jobs, and jokingly
added, "... and make more than us.”
how to stay in school, how to get through devel-
opmental courses and what instructor to pick who
teaches in their learning style.
Dropping students from their class is the last
thing professors want to do; therefore, they more
willingly give students an in-progress grade, said
Harwin. An IP grade is a non-punitive grade mean-
ing students don’t have to worry about staying in
a developmental class through its entirety and
failing, which would normally impact their grade
point average and financial aid. Rather, students
would have to take it again until they pass it.
The advantage of that is students would have
some knowledge on the subject already that
would help them pass the course the next time,
said Harwin.
“We are devoted to our student success,” said
Bluhm, which sets the tone for the entire staff.
Faculty, whether part-time or full, are chosen
based on their commitment to the program, stu-
dents and knowledge of the subject, said Bluhm.
“When you come here your mission better be
to change lives,” said Harwin in regard to choos-
ing new faculty members.
Before each fall and spring semesters, all staff
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members attend faculty development days where
they attend all-day workshops, review and modify
their syllabuses and have discussions about the
program to get all the teachers on common
ground, said Bluhm.
Most of the developmental classes are held in
Mountain Laurel Hall to provide easy access to the
labs, but there are some classes on the boardwalk,
the extensive portable system at Northwest Vista,
Wesley said.
In the fall, all classes will be in one of the new
buildings Northwest Vista is gaining from the 2005
bond election, complete with the labs that will be
placed in the middle of the classes to provide a
centralized system, he said.
The new building will be called Juniper Hall,
which will not only house the math developmen-
tal classes but the English, English as a second
language and reading developmental classes, bet-
ter known as the academic foundations depart-
ment, as well, Bluhm said.
Harwin urges those students who have given
up on math to allow their program to help them,
promising, “Once you make it through, you will
be successful.”
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San Antonio College. The Ranger (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 2007, newspaper, April 20, 2007; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1354398/m1/11/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting San Antonio College.