Schedule
April 5, 2024
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Check In & Breakfast
9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Welcoming Remarks
9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. Keynote Address: Dr. Steven Alvarez
10:20 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Break & Raffle #1
10:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. Concurrent Sessions:
Bridging Cultures: Transfronterizo Student Experiences in Higher Education
Earl Cason and Hilda Cecilia
Room: R102
This presentation explores the educational journey of transfronterizo students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, leveraging Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands theory to understand their challenges and strengths. Focusing on a case study at New Mexico State University and two National Science Foundation-funded mentoring programs, we delve into how students’ cultural, social, and linguistic identities influence their higher education experience. The session aims to shed light on effective practices for inclusivity and support for transfronterizo students in STEM, contributing to discussions on bridging educational gaps across cultural boundaries. This exploration enhances our understanding of identity, education, and border dynamics in shaping inclusive educational environments.
Educational Tips and Techniques for Students Under the Autistic Spectrum
Christina Diaz
Room: R120
Educate students within the autism spectrum using tips and techniques while exploring perspectives of students themselves. Videos and activities will encourage faculty to place themselves in the shoes of the youth being instructed. Discussion of public-school services and protocol verses college-level resources will shed light onto the reason many students seem to fall through the cracks of the educational system. Reinforcement of classroom management and guidelines will reinforce procedures teachers already practice in the classroom setting.
The Culture Map: How Cultural Differences Affect Educational Communication
Nicolas Cooper
Room: R201
This presentation will focus on the cross-cultural communication book, The Culture Map, by Erin Meyer, connecting its concepts to an educational framework. When working with international students and colleagues, we often bring our own home culture’s perspectives and can impose them without even realizing it. Sometimes, we are not sensitive to the differing attitudes and paradigms from elsewhere, and this can cause unresolved conflict in the spheres of communication and education. Being more sensitive to cultural differences can help us navigate situations better and increase student engagement in a variety of ways. This presentation will help jumpstart that process.
Empowering and Guiding the Next Generation of Scholars
Seleste Cardoza-Comer
Room: R204
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, El Paso Community College saw a slight decline in students wanting to take college courses through the Dual Credit Program. With funding from the IREPO Grant, the Dual Credit department was able to bring two academic advisors on board to assist with recruitment. Through various school events, our Dual Credit Academic Advisors began a campaign to inform primary and intermediate school students about the benefits of Dual Credit.
11:20 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Break
11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Concurrent Sessions:
Implementing a Pragmatist Pedagogy
Andres Muro
Room: R102
This presentation describes how an Adult Basic Education (ABE) program uses philosophical theory to inform its practice. The Community Education Program (CEP) offers educational and support services to economically and academically disadvantaged adults to prepare them to earn a GED certificate and to better participate in family, vocational, academic, and communal life. Unlike most ABE programs that do not attempt to connect theory to practice, CEP engages in philosophical inquiry to better understand how a theoretical understanding can enhance service delivery. Three philosophers, namely Maxine Greene, John Dewey, and Paulo Freire have informed CEP’s pedagogical enterprise.
Pasos Oral History Project
Jorge Rodriguez and Oscar Baeza
Room: R120
Have you ever encountered a personal story from a student, colleague, or member of the community that left an impression on you? Did you ever try and convince this person to document their story for a newspaper or school project? This presentation will discuss how the Pasos Oral History Project is attempting to collect these amazing stories from our communities and preserve them for future generations. We’ll also discuss how the Valle Verde Library is playing an important role in this project.
Lesson Planning for Collaborative Learning
Suzanne Ramirez and Diana Esparza
Room: R201
This workshop will discuss and demonstrate collaborative learning techniques that can be integrated into lectures and online activities. Collaborative learning refers to students working in pairs or small groups to achieve learning objectives. Techniques for discussion, reciprocal teaching, problem-solving, and writing will be incorporated, all of which can be applied across disciplines.
Digital Media Literacy: Learning To “SIFT” Through “CRAAP”
Oscar Porras and Neysa Hardin
Room: R204
Digital media literacy is the ability to critically analyze stories presented in mass media and to determine their accuracy or credibility. As our students learn to “SIFT” through “CRAAP,” they will use two methods to assess the validity and reliability of claims and sources of online content.
12:20 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. Lunch
1:20 p.m. to 1:40 p.m. Crossing Borders Award Presentation
1:40 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. Break & Raffle #2
1:50 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. Concurrent Sessions:
Utilizing Laban Movement Analysis to Understand Students’ Personalities and Learning Methodologies Through Body Language
Alexis Anderson
Room: R102
This presentation will explore effort qualities and shape flow support from the Laban Movement Analysis and Notation to help participants understand organizational dynamics. This presentation will discuss the correlation between effort qualities and the Myers-Brigg personality test, along with the connection between shape-flow support and trauma responses. After the presentation, there will be an open discussion and exercise that will encourage self-evaluation and reflection on personal experiences from past or recent organizational culture(s).
Building Educational Bridges Through Grant Funding
Jessie Arellano and Arlene Alarcon
Room: R120
What can grant funding be used for? Join us to learn how grant funding can assist in building bridges to educational success for borderland students. This workshop is designed to present firsthand narratives in a quasi-round table discussion with current grant awardees at El Paso Community College (EPCC). Participants will gain knowledge of how an idea for assisting minority students is translated into a grant proposal and, ultimately, into a grant-funded program that supports borderland minority students’ educational success. Attendees will be provided with a list of tips for submitting grant funding proposals.
Educational Legacy and Challenges of the Latino Community
Raul Reyes
Room: R201
The presentation examines socio-economic circumstantial factors promoting the existence of a two-tiered educational environment (post-secondary public schools), particularly the Texas border (El Paso). Upon the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, inhabitants/expatriates (50,000 plus) of México now on American soil became “colonized laborers.” The presentation reveals a historical record of people of Mexican extraction valued more as an exploitable underclass. For policymakers, educating the sons and daughters of sweat labor became less about “civic duty” and more about diluting the labor pool. The presentation examines institutional mechanisms, subtractive Americanization, and segregation as self-devaluating practices. Comparatively speaking, the presentation explores familial environments undercutting educational advancement.
UTEP’s Teaching with Artificial Intelligence Academy: A Self-Paced Course
Cira Montoya
Room: R204
The Teaching with Artificial Intelligence Academy is tailored to equip faculty with knowledge and skills to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into course curriculum. Explore how AI can be integrated into syllabi, course design, and assessment. Learn how AI tools can leverage student engagement, address ethical implications, and impact student success.
2:40 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. Break
2:50 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. Concurrent Sessions:
Relieving Work-Related Stress Using Gardening as a Mental Health Intervention
Sonia Santana and Carmen Gomez
Room: R102
Everyone demonstrates and deals with stress differently. In our working environment, stress is alive and well. This workshop will be different from other workshops because it will deal with our natural environment. Come and enjoy natural stress-relieving methods that will serve as a guide to improve your health.
Economic Dynamics of Cross-Border Learning : El Paso and Juarez
Hamilton Cruz
Room: R120
This presentation explores the economic dynamics of cross-border learning between El Paso and Juarez, emphasizing the collaborative educational landscape, workforce development, and its impact on regional economic growth.
El Paso Community College High School Equivalency Program and the College Assistance Migrant Program: Bridge to Higher Education for Agricultural Families in El Paso Region
Suamy Meza
Room: R201
Students from agricultural work face tremendous obstacles in completing high school and pursuing higher education. These students move frequently due to their parents or their own employment as agricultural workers. These frequent disruptions contribute to a high rate of dropouts and a low rate of college attendance. For over 15 years, the High School Equivalency Program (HSEP) and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) have succeeded in providing educational opportunities to farmworkers and their children to enable them to pursue higher education and secure jobs that allow them to become successful and contributing members of American society in the El Paso region.
Bridging Theory to Practice: An Essential for College Instructors
Dr. Eduardo Arellano
Room: R204
Connecting important theoretical concepts to future professional practices of college students is needed for applied learning and effective teaching. In my presentation, I will share multiple strategies I implement to foster and facilitate for students how they can convert different knowledge bases into practical and meaningful ways of working in their careers so that they can continuously improve their work and contribute positively to the organizations they work with as future professionals. I will also invite participants to discuss additional strategies that have been successful in their experience in and out of the classroom.