In this presentation, we describe an eight-week workshop designed to enhance the culturally responsive teaching of faculty at CSUDH, referred to as Faculty Community of Practice (CoP). The initiative was funded by the National Telecommunication Information Administration (NTIA) Connecting Minority Communities grant awarded to CSUDH Workforce Integration Network. The workshop consists of three key modules: (1) Understanding Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: provide faculty a space to learn culturally relevant pedagogy theory (Ladson-Billings, 1995) and best practices; (2) Syllabus Evaluation Using Digital Tools: evaluate syllabus using Skillabi and Skillsmatch to aligns syllabus content and skills development to job market demands; (3) Co-Creating Course Project through Faculty-Community Partnership: connect faculty with community organization partners to co-develop a community-focused student service learning projects in 20 courses. Through the Faculty CoP, faculty not only engaged in experiential learning to prepare for culturally responsive teaching (Villegas & Lucas, 2002; Warren, 2018) but also learned course design at the intersection of pedagogy and digital technology, which enhanced one critical digital skill for higher Education faculty (Hickey et al., 2023). By implementing such approaches, educators can enhance workforce readiness among undergraduate students and foster their community engagement and societal impact in preparation for the 21st-century workforce.

Research demonstrates that integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into course work and the student experience supports student success. Research also shows peer mentoring to be a highly effective professional development option for faculty. During the AY 2022-2023, faculty were given the opportunity to reimagine an assignment and related pedagogy via a peer mentoring program. Once admitted, faculty were asked to select an assignment and identify areas where more development/improvement was desired and mentoring would be helpful. Participants met with Dr. Baham to share ideas to build/strengthen the assignment and pedagogy in ways that best fit the course outcomes and faculty goals. Faculty provided Dr. Baham with an updated assignment/concept and associated pedagogy with the changes made and received feedback. Faculty integrated Dr. Baham’s feedback and implemented these changes in their courses. Faculty feedback was overwhelmingly positive and indicates the potential of this mentoring model.

This presentation will discuss the program led by Dr. Baham. It will underscore the importance of creating space for peer to peer mentoring that allows faculty to critically think about their work and its impact on our students. And will highlight how the informal, conversational format of the program created an environment of trust and collegiality.