H-AGEP Student Voices – Reflecting on Their Experiences

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Presenter

Dr. Ivonne Santiago

Panelists

Eric Galván, Ph.D.
Olga Soto, PhD Candidate
Victor García, PhD
Anna Pinna, PhD Candidate
Joanne Moyer, PhD

Abstract

The Hispanic Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (H-AGEP) is a collaborative program between the City College of New York and the University of Texas El Paso in partnership with El Paso Community College, Queensborough Community College, and LaGuardia Community College The program aims to increase the number of Hispanic faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at community colleges and associate degree granting institutions by providing training and mentoring to doctoral STEM students to promote their success as faculty. Participating Hispanic STEM doctoral students, who are completing a dissertation in a STEM field are designated as H-AGEP fellows. The program focuses on teaching training, student mentoring, and career and professional development enabling the H-AGEP fellows to become agents of change in the classroom, able to transform the way STEM is taught, capable of making a positive impact on student learning and success, and, at the same time, develop successful academic careers. The teaching training program also includes a practicum at a community college. In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 impacted not only student learning but also the H-AGEP Fellows’ training activities. The proposed group of panelists composed of H-AGEP fellows will discuss the challenges in transitioning the program from in-person to on-line, especially the teaching training and practicum component. The inclusion of H-AGEP from the three different cohorts provides an opportunity to discuss three different training scenarios such as in-person training with Cohort 1, adapting from in-person to on-line with Cohort 2, and a fully on-line training with the current Cohort 3. The proposed panel discussion will also include lessons learned from H-AGEP fellows during their participation in the three education interventions offered by the H-AGEP program. From this panel discussion, the audience will be able to reflect about challenges, opportunities, experiences, and professional and career needs that can significantly impact the career decision making of doctoral students to considering a faculty position in academia.