Adaptations due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Prior to COVID-19, ELL courses had been offered in-person with only one section involving independent online coursework. Remote coursework for faculty, staff, and students started off as a novel concept at the outbreak of the pandemic, and there was an assumption at BHCC that English language learning was most effective in person. The technology most students used was limited to Microsoft Word and email.

Then, when all ELL courses moved online due to the pandemic, all stakeholders worked collaboratively to adapt mostly in-person models to remote ones. This transition turned out to be effective due to the adaptability of the ELL success coach model. The success coach worked with each professor and their students and considered the dynamics of every class to maintain, and in many cases improve, effective delivery of the ELL course curriculum.

The first, perhaps most important change was the modality in which the course was offered. ELL courses were offered in three modalities: and these were explained to students as follows:

1. Remote synchronous: You will learn online with your instructor and classmates on a specific date and time each week at the same virtual location such as on WebEx, Zoom or other video platforms.  You can ask questions in real time and meet virtually face-to-face. This class will not meet face-to-face on campus. It will meet remotely during the scheduled times listed. Course materials will be online.

2. Hybrid & Remote: This class will not meet face-to-face on campus. It will meet remotely online during the scheduled times listed. This course modality will meet for a shorter period than traditional course times. In addition to remote class meetings, students will participate in coursework online independently.

3. Remote asynchronous: This class will not meet face-to-face on campus or remotely at a scheduled time. Students will complete coursework according to the syllabus provided by the instructor. Course materials will be online. The instructor may host optional meetings during the times listed.
   
   

All the above formats now involve either a video platform and/or learning management systems. In the transition to online teaching, success coaches and professors did individual outreach to each student to ensure that students not only had access to the internet and a computer, but also understood how to use these new tools imperative to their success. 

With the changes in course format during the pandemic, success coaching was also adapted to fit these three modalities. Videos that mirrored our traditional visits were created, so that students could review the concepts asynchronously (Appendix C). Success coaches were also still committed to completing as many class visits, time permitting, as previously scheduled. For those classes we were unable to visit, we were able to communicate via email, text messaging, and phone calls to each student. Handouts that we had traditionally given to students were now archived online through their online courses and accessed at any time (Appendix D). Presentations were closed captioned to increase accessibility online and the AAPI success coaches began to integrate more interactive elements in response to the online format. As we approach another semester of remote learning, the success coaches are continuing to integrate innovative online engagement strategies that go beyond our curriculum.

In addition to modifications made by the AAPI success coaches, the ACE Mentor program also adapted to the new remote format. Based on research from Shrestha et al. (2009), Single and Single (2005), and Single and Muller (2001), the senior special programs coordinator developed the e-mentoring framework which helped guide the adaptation of the ACE mentor+ model to remote work/learning conditions.. 

E-Mentoring Framework

The E-Mentoring model at BHCC was developed with the following objectives:

1. Support faculty’s choice of teaching online platform by learning how to navigate it and support students in the classroom of its usability.

2. Support and connect with students virtually and remotely via WebEx, Zoom, Skype, email, group chat, text, phone, etc.

3. Connect students to resources by providing direct referrals, links, articles, videos, etc.

4. Send weekly emails to students to continue to build relationships, keep students informed, and provide continuity to the work started prior to e-mentoring.

5. Provide ACE mentors training via online.

6. Provide ACE mentors opportunities to collaborate with each other and other BHCC departments using online platforms.

Additionally, the ACE mentors+ participate in online and asynchronous video trainings with the senior special programs coordinator and AAPI success coach.

Much like the coursework itself, the ELL success coaching and the ACE mentors+ model became a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous content. The pandemic enabled us to change the way we coach students in our ELL courses. As a result, we are now better equipped with resources to meet students where they are at, regardless of whether the class meets in-person or online.

Most notably during the pandemic, ELL success coaching was adopted across all sections with the full-scale implementation of the new program in fall 2020. Students who were enrolled in evening and weekend ELL course sections began to receive the same integrated support services as other sections. With the assistance of three full time AAPI success coaches and the ACE Mentor+ Program, the AANAPISI grant in its fourth year reached its goal of providing integrated student support services, including delivery of the culturally responsive ELL success coaching model, to 100% of ELL students. It is important to note that when the new ELL Program was fully implemented starting fall 2020, there was a significant decrease in enrollment across BHCC, resulting in fewer sections compared to the initial projections at the beginning of the grant. This allowed the AAPI success coaches to maintain equal amounts of work per section as compared to the initial launch of the model.

Impact of Success Coaching
and the ELL Reform

With the implementation of the AANAPISI Grant, students who are enrolled in our ELL classes have shown tremendous success in the classroom and high engagement outside of the classroom. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the progress and completion rates for College Writing I (ENG-111) of every target population have more than doubled from fall 2014 baseline levels since the implementation of the grant in fall 2016. While we cannot take full credit for the successful implementation of the ELL curriculum reform, we believe that the culturally responsive and adaptive success coaching model and integrative student support services have contributed to the overall success of the reform.

Figure 1

English Language Learner Progression to College-Level English

Source: BHCC Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

Note. These charts represent the percentage of students who completed ESL courses and their persistence to ENG-111 (College Writing I) within two semesters. It is disaggregated into groups that the AANAPISI grant was focused on. 

Figure 2

English Language Learner Successful Completion of College Level English 

Source: BHCC Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

Note. These charts show the successful completion rates of ESL students in college level English within three semesters. It is disaggregated into groups that the AANAPISI grant was focused on.

The general upward trends in Figures 1 and 2 capture in part the impact of the culturally responsive success coaching model that was integrated into the ELL program reform. By the grant’s fourth year in 2019, it was clear that the reform had made significant progress. Of the 423 students who took an ESL course for the first time in fall 2019, 235 or 56% progressed to College Writing I (ENG-111) within two semesters, and 199 or 47% successfully completed the course with a final grade of C or higher within three semesters. Both these rates exceeded the annual benchmarks as well as the overall grant goals -- 39% and 44%, respectively, for progression rates, and 34% and 40%, respectively, for successful course completion rates. The AAPI and Pell-eligible sub-group demonstrated the highest progression rate (62%) and the highest ENG-111 course completion rate (53%). One-year retention rates for the fall 2019 cohort were 54% for all ELL students, with the AAPI and Pell-eligible sub-group demonstrating a much higher retention rate of 68%.

In fall 2020, pandemic-related disruptions significantly reduced the number of students who enrolled in an ESL course for the first time. All course instruction also went fully remote. Despite these daunting challenges, ESL students’ progression and completion rates continued to increase. Out of 197 students who were first-time ESL course takers in fall 2020, 119 or 60% progressed to College Writing I (ENG-111) within two semesters, and 101 or 51% successfully completed the course within three semesters, again exceeding grant goals. As in the previous cohort, the AAPI and Pell-eligible sub-group continued to demonstrate the highest progression and course completion rates (both at 75%). One year retention rates for the fall 2020 cohort also increased, to 66% for all ESL students, and to 93% for the AAPI and Pell-eligible sub-group. While these increases in the last cohort need to be interpreted with caution owing to a much smaller number of enrolled students, the tremendous progress that our ELL students have made under the comprehensive ELL reform – and the critical role that our culturally responsive success coaching model has had on student success -- simply cannot be ignored.

A Closer Look at the Impact of the ELL Success Coaching Model

Data more specific to the impact of the ELL success coaching model on ELL student engagement with success coaches and ACE Mentors+ beyond the classroom also deserve to be highlighted. Using the notes function of Zogotech, the college’s data warehouse system, we tracked the number of ELL students who made one-on-one appointments with AAPI Success Coaches outside of classroom-based success coaching to seek support on a wide range of concerns, such as academic planning, career exploration, assistance with college and other resources, suggestions on how to balance life challenges and academics, and more. We also looked at survey data that collated student feedback on the in-class delivery of integrated student support services in ELL courses (Fall 2020 ELL Student Survey, ELL Department, Bunker Hill Community College).

When the embedded success coaching model was first piloted in Spring 2018 on seven ESL course sections, 142 or 22% of the total students enrolled in ESL sought individual advising from AAPI success coaches outside of the classroom (see Figure 3).

Figure 3

Percentage Rates of ELL Students Who Sought Individual Advising from AAPI Success Coaches

Outside of Classroom-Based Success Coaching Over Four Spring-to-Spring Semesters

Source: BHCC Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

Note. Pre-AANAPISI grant baseline data was not available. It is probable that there were students in ESL who met individually with success coaches in Advising and LifeMap prior to the start of the grant in fall 2016. To date, however, there is no known data on these that have been systematically collected or presented at the college.

By Spring 2019, when classroom-based success coaching was expanded to 14 ESL sections, the percentage rate of ESL students who had met one-on-one with AAPI success coaches outside class more than tripled to 68% (or 354 out of 518 total enrolled students in ESL). Even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when classroom-based success coaching and advising became virtual, these percentage rates continued to rise to 88% in Spring 2020 (or 424 out of a total 484 enrolled students in ESL) and 93% in Spring 2021 (or 187 out of a total of 201 enrolled students in ESL). It should also be noted that Spring 2021 was the second semester of full-scale implementation of the newly approved ELL Program and along with it, full-scale implementation of the classroom-based ELL success coaching model.

Figure 4 demonstrates a similar upward trend for the three fall-to-fall terms within the grant period.

Figure 4

Percentage Rates of ELL Students Who Sought Individual Advising from AAPI Success Coaches

Outside of Classroom-Based Success Coaching Over Three Fall-to-Fall Semesters

Source: BHCC Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

Note. Pre-AANAPISI grant baseline data was not available. It is probable that there were students in ESL who met individually with success coaches in Advising and LifeMap prior to the start of the grant in fall 2016. To date, however, there is no known data on these that have been systematically collected or presented at the college.

In fall 2018 when classroom-based success coaching model was offered to students in 14 ESL course sections, 41% (or 276 out of 669 total students enrolled in ESL) sought individual advising with AAPI success coaches outside the classroom. This increased to 79% in fall 2019 (or 473 out of 601 total students enrolled in ESL). With the full-scale implementation of the new ELL Program in fall 2020, 88% or 251 out of 286 total students enrolled in ESL) met individually with AAPI success coaches. This last fall semester of the grant was undoubtedly a challenging period. COVID-19 had upended the lives of all students and dealt a blow to ESL enrollment; it required that we offer virtual classroom-based success coaching and advising for everyone’s safety. But even under these conditions, the percentage rate of ESL students engaging individually with AAPI success coaches outside their virtual classes continued to increase.

Clearly, data from Figures 3 & 4 suggest that ELL classroom-based success coaching may have motivated more students to contact AAPI Success Coaches outside of class to seek further support. Still, numbers don’t always capture the totality of the student experience. Ultimately, we must listen to how ELL students experienced the way we delivered the success coaching model intended to support them.

Results from the Fall 2020 ELL Student Survey (ELL Department, Bunker Hill Community College) that relate to the culturally relevant success coaching model revealed that out of the four support services that students received during class time (success coach visits, language lab support, ePorfolio assistance, ACE student mentoring), students outside of class time chose to interact the most with their success coach (44% of total responses) and ACE student mentor (27% of responses). Furthermore, when asked how these four types of student support services helped them to succeed in their ELL course, 30 of the open responses identified the support they received from success coaches and ACE Mentors as instrumental to their success in and outside of the class. ELL students did mention that success coaches helped them understand the right course/s to take and that their ACE Mentor helped them learn how to succeed in the coursework and at the college, but the students’ articulated experiences of the success coaching model were more nuanced and went beyond these functional benefits. Indeed, our ELL students’ experiences closely mirrored the research findings that grounded the culturally responsive coaching model we developed under the grant – one that gave primacy to the role of relationship-building, understanding students’ cultural backgrounds and experiences, engaging students in meaningful educational activities, and helping to promote a greater sense of connectedness and integration (Allen and Lester, 2012; Gose, 2014; Kodamba and Maramba, 2017).

For brevity, we include just a few student voices here, to provide a deeper understanding of what culturally responsive success coaching feels like from the lens of our ELL students:

“I can understand clearly about the lessons. And they help me connect to people, help (with) what I want such as the MBTA card or plan for next semester and lots (of) things…”

“I have more friends.”

“They were amazing and helped me so much with many different doubts that I had.”

“…Success coach advising session helped me a lot, kept me on track with all my classes. Also, I met with my coach and I was able to figure out earlier on what I wanted, and decided on what major that I have to take because I really don't know what major I want. Besides, that success coach advising helped me with several situations like keeping me engaged with the course, and making sure successful completion of my program. Also helped me connect with campus resources and departments, such as financial aid. So the success coach helped me a lot for what I needed this semester, and how to register. I really appreciate you and thank you.”

“These services help students to know how to do some things that you will need in the college as in life.”

“I would say I like this college a lot. Everyone that I met so far is nice and responsible. And I am looking forward to diving into the ocean of knowledge in BHCC.”

For our ELL students, success coaching means so much more than just being advised on the next course/s to take or getting help with coursework. It also means finding the support they need to expand their circle of friends and feel a greater sense of belonging, giving gratitude to a guide who helps them decide on a program of study, having a cheerleader who roots for them, meeting mentors who help them cultivate a deep love for learning, and finding ways to learn how to navigate, not just life as a college student, but life itself.

Adaptability to other colleges and universities

The scaled implementation of ELL success coaching in alignment with the ELL curriculum reform contributed to its wide adoption across the ELL department, and scaling up the entire ACE Mentor Program to the ACE Mentors+ model is an idea that is now being considered at our college. In this light, we believe that other institutions can benefit from the culturally responsive model that we have developed, including the iterative process that we continue to engage in, to constantly adapt success coaching to changing academic and institutional contexts.

Much like each ELL course section, each college has a unique cultural and academic landscape to navigate. However, given the adaptability of the success coaching curriculum that we developed, we believe that this model can be successfully implemented in other contexts. If higher ed professionals continually engage in understanding their institutional context, working with faculty and staff, and learning more about the distinct characteristics of the students they serve, we believe that our success coach model can serve as an engagement tool for students and the support services offered at other institutions. 

Limitations and Future Considerations

One limitation of the ELL success coaching model despite its success is the continuing lack of research and focus on AAPI student populations, not just AAPI students who are in ELL programs. As mentioned previously, all three success coaches identified as Asian American and were able to connect and reflect their Asian American experiences in their in-class visits and individual coaching appointments. We believe that the marked increase of Asian American ELL students’ persistence and retention rates in our grant data reflect this. However, this is not a substitute for a success coaching model that focuses on the diversity of all AAPI student experiences. We are hopeful that others will be able to build upon our experience to further develop an Asian American success coaching model. 

Additionally, in any given semester, the percentage of Asian American identified students in ELL courses ranged from 19% to 26%. BHCC is very racially diverse, especially in the ELL program where there are Black, Latinx, and white refugees and immigrants learning English. The persistence and retention rates suggest that our focus on AAPI students did not detract from the success rates of other non-AAPI students.  We believe there is an opportunity to explore a success coaching model focused on all racially marginalized populations. 

The Title III grant ended at BHCC in 2018 as the AANAPISI success coaching model was being launched. While we were able to model the ELL success coaching on the initial Title III model, we were not able to compare the data between the two models in the same period. Although success coaching continued after the Title III grant ended, the LifeMap & Advising office could not maintain the same level of documentation of post-Title III grant success coaching that could have allowed us to compare its efficacy to the ELL success coaching model. Additionally, like many community colleges across the country (Lanahan, 2021), BHCC has faced decreasing enrollments over the course of the AANAPISI grant. This may have changed how students were engaging in our support services, in addition to challenges brought on because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally in future studies, we think it would be informative to do a direct comparison between the effects of success coaching built for racially marginalized populations and the ones designed for traditional, more generalized success coaching.

Conclusion

Although there is a lack of research about culturally responsive success coaching models, the AANAPISI grant allowed the success coaching team at BHCC to explore and adapt the success coaching model to ELL students, with a special focus on supporting AAPI students enrolled in ELL courses. We discovered that the culturally competent approaches we established were key to the successful implementation of our model. Without the assistance of the ACE Mentor program and faculty, we would have not been able to sustainably scale ELL success coaching despite hiring more AAPI success coaches. While the COVID-19 pandemic could have negatively affected ELL success coaching, the integrated support services benefited from our cross departmental partnerships, allowing us to adapt the model to remote learning modalities and successfully scale culturally responsive, classroom-based success coaching to serve 100% of students across all ELL courses. 

About the authors

Zaida Ismatul Oliva served as Special Programs Coordinator of the ACE Mentor Program before transitioning to Interim Assistant Director for Dual Enrollment and Early College Program at Chelsea High School for Bunker Hill Community College, and more recently, as Executive Director of the Chica Project, a non-profit organization focused on the empowerment of young women and girls of color. Zaida earned a M.Ed in Higher Education Leadership from Florida Atlantic University and a B.A. in Latin American & Iberian Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Before making the leap to Higher Education, Zaida served in non-profit organizations for over 10 years where her love for equity and social justice was formed and is now at the center of her work and practice. On her off time, she enjoys spending time with her family and pets, listening and dancing to music, advocating for her community, and traveling.

Cherry Lim served as Academic Success Coordinator and member of the Multilingual Advising Group in the Office of Advising & LifeMap at Bunker Hill Community College. Previously, she served as the AAPI Academic Coordinator and the AAPI Success Coach under the AANAPISI grant and provided support for ELL students through classroom-based success coaching.  Cherry also designed and piloted the first AAPI student events programming, a model that has since become a template for student affinity group programming at the College. In January 2022, Cherry transitioned to becoming the Project Director of the AANAPISI grant at UMass Lowell, and remains in touch with her colleagues at BHCC. Outside of work, Cherry enjoys knitting, crocheting, and catching up on all sorts of sports and television programs. 

Christina Lambert currently serves as Senior Director of Student Success with APIA Scholars. In 2017, Christina became the inaugural AAPI Academic Coordinator and AAPI Success Coach of the AANAPISI grant at Bunker Hill Community College. In these capacities, Christina designed and implemented the initial ELL Success Coaching model of the new ELL Program, later refining it to include ACE student mentors trained in providing targeted support for first-level ELL students. Christina currently lives in Oakland with her wife and is an avid hiker, reader, and soccer player in her free time.

References

• Allen, I.H., & Lester, S.M. Jr. (2012). The impact of a college survival skills course and a success coach on retention and academic performance. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 27(1), 8-14.

• Breaking the Cycle: A Framework for Success. Title III proposal submitted to the U.S. Department of Education for the 2016 Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Part F grant competition. Bunker Hill Community College.

• ELL Student Survey. English Language Learning Department, Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, Massachusetts. Fall 2020.

• Gose, B. (2014, November 9). On U.S. campuses, networking and nurturing to retain Black men. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/education/on-us-campuses-networking-and-nurturing-to-retain-black-men.html 

• Kodama, C.M., & Maramba, D.C. (2017). Reconsidering Asian American student development. New Directions for Student Services, 160, 25-37.

• Lanahan, L. (2021, January 15). 'It's just too much': Why students are abandoning community colleges in droves. The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/its-just-too-much-why-students-are-abandoning-community-colleges-in-droves/. 

• Shrestha, C.H., May, S., Edirisingha, P., Burke, & L. Linsey, T. (2009). From face-to-face to e-Mentoring: Does the “e” add any value for mentors?. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 20(2), 116-124. Retrieved from IJTLHE: International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (isetl.org)

• Single, P. B., & Single, R. M. (2005). E-mentoring for social equity: review of research to inform program development. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 13(2), 301-320. Retrieved from (PDF) E-Mentoring for Social Equity: Review of Research to Inform Program Development (researchgate.net)

• Single, P. B., & Muller, C. B. (2001). When email and mentoring unite: The implementation of a nationwide mentoring program. Retrieved from (PDF) When Email and Mentoring Unite: The Implementation of a Nationwide (researchgate.net)

• Whitman, R.L. (2011). BHCC Engaged Campus Initiative, Success Coaching Analysis.