What are the ACES Inquiry Projects about?

For the past three years, groups of faculty, staff and administrators have met every month to work on collaborative inquiry projects with the aim of improving outcomes for students and closing equity gaps. The process has provided rich learning experiences for colleagues and some concrete improvements for our college.

This academic year, we are inviting all faculty and staff to participate in focused inquiry for effective classroom practices that help to engage students equitably in meaningful learning experiences. As Community College practitioners, we often do not have the time to formally research what really improves outcomes for students in our classes, and we all benefit when colleagues share what we know with each other.

To support this practice of inquiry and collaboration, we continue holding one meeting per month to discuss ideas related to educational research and leadership, and give time for people to work on planning either in teams or as individuals.  At the end of the academic year, we hold a campus-wide poster-session to showcase the projects.

Projects that are continuing, or not directly related to the classroom are still welcome, and encouraged to continue with their projects. Please note, meetings emphasize classroom-specific inquiry this semester. Staff and Students have valuable perspectives that can contribute to discussions of classroom practice, so we hope to have meaningful dialogue and collaboration beyond just faculty members.