Coastal Bend College Foundation awards innovative teaching grants to faculty members

Photo Cutline: From left to right: Dr. Twila Johnson, dean of academics and professor of history; Laura Yeck, English instructor; Kelly Rea, social sciences division chair and assistant professor of psychology and sociology; and Jarod Bleibdrey, history and government instructor, were awarded ConocoPhillips Innovative Teaching Grant awards from the Coastal Bend College Foundation. These faculty members will implement their initiatives during the spring 2015 semester.

The Coastal Bend College Foundation proudly awarded two ConocoPhillips Innovative Teaching Grants to four Coastal Bend College (CBC) faculty members. The funds for the grants are made possible thanks to a ConocoPhillips grant awarded to the Foundation. All faculty members from the college, from either the workforce or academic divisions, are eligible to apply for the grant, and the grant awardees are selected by the CBC Foundation Board of Directors based on measurable student success outcomes, creativeness, and impact on the community at large.

The CBC Foundation would like to congratulate Kelly Rea, assistant professor of psychology and sociology; Jarod Bleibdrey, history and government instructor; Laura Yeck, English instructor; and Dr. Twila Johnson, dean of academics and professor of history on being selected for the spring 2015 Innovative Teaching Grant recipients.

The CBC/Bee County Historical Society Service Learning Project

Students enrolled in US History I and US History II during the spring 2015 semester will take part in a service learning project in a partnership between the CBC Social Sciences Division and the Bee County Historical Society. The students will put their classroom learning to practical use as they assist the historical society with organization, cataloging, and classification of artifacts. Approximately 40 students will participate as part of the service learning initiative. Faculty members Kelly Rea and Jarod Bleibdrey are leading this service learning project.

Accelerated Avenues to Student Success (English and History)

The proposed initiative would develop and pilot a form of competency based education called self-directed learning (SDL) that will help meet the needs of underserved, non-traditional students. The SDL courses will deliver high-quality learning experiences in an innovate format that will allow the student to progress at his or her own pace throughout the course. It will also challenge faculty to embrace new teaching formats and course schedules that adapt to the needs of underserved students. Laura Yeck will lead the English department initiative and Dr. Twila Johnson will lead the government initiative.

For more information on the CBC Foundation Innovative Teaching Grants, please contact the CBC Foundation Executive Director, Patricia Patel, at (361) 354-2447 or via email at foundation@coastalbend.edu.