Table E

Sample ACE Mentor+ Training Outline

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 was a novel concept 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 was effective due to the adaptability of the ELL success coach model. The success coach worked with each professor, classroom dynamic, and student to implement the curriculum to its highest effectiveness. 

The first, perhaps most important change was the modality in which the course was offered. ELL courses were offered in three modalities:

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 of these 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. 

Because of these course format changes, success coaching was also adapted to 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. 

E-Mentoring Framework

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.

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

Additionally, the ACE mentors+ continue to 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 ACE mentors+ model became a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous content. The pandemic may have forced us to change the way we coach our courses, but we are also now equipped with resources to meet students regardless of whether the class meets in-person or online. . 

Most notably during the pandemic, ELL success coaching was adopted across all sections during fall 2020 in congruence with the implementation of the ELL curriculum reform. Students who were taking classes at night and on the weekends were now receiving the same integrated support services as other sections. With the assistance of three full time AAPI success coaches and the ACE Mentor+ Program, 100% of ELL students were now receiving integrated student support services. It is important to note that during the final phase of implementation, 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. 

Initial Results of Success Coaching
and 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 has almost doubled since the implementation of the grant. While we cannot take credit for the successful implementation of the ELL curriculum reform, we believe that the culturally sensitive and adaptive success coaching model and integrative support services have contributed to this success.

Figure 1

English Language Learner Progression to College-Level English (Attempted ENG-111) within two semesters as of spring 2020 semester

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 Learners Successful Completion of College Level English within Three Semesters as of spring 2020 semester

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.

Following these cohorts, of the 423 students who took an ESL course for the first time in fall 2019, 235 or 56% progressed into College Writing I (ENG-111) within two semesters, and 199 or 47% successfully completed the course with a final grade of C or higher. 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%.

Adaptability to other colleges and universities

Much like each ELL course section, each college and university has a unique cultural and academic landscape to navigate. However, because the success coaching model is adaptable in its curriculum, we believe that this model can be successful in other contexts. By understanding the institutional context, working with faculty and staff, and learning more about the students, the success coach model can serve as an engagement tool for students and the support services offered at other institutions. We believe that the scaled implementation of ELL success coaching in alignment with the ELL curriculum reform also contributed to its wide adoption across the department. 

Limitations and Future Considerations

One limitation of the ELL success coaching model despite its success is the lack of research and focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander populations. 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 reflect this. However, this is not a substitute for a success coaching model that focuses on the Asian American experience. 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 Asian Americans did not detract from the success rates of other 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 was being launched. While we were able to model the ELL success coaching on the initial 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 to compare 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 created a difference between how students were engaging in our support services, in addition to challenges brought on because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In future studies, we think it would be informative to do a direct comparison on the effects of success coaching built for racially marginalized populations and traditional, more generalized success coaching.

Conclusion

Although there is a lack of research about culturally competent success coaching models, the AANAPISI grant allowed the success coaching team at BHCC to explore and adapt the success coach model to Asian American English Language Learners. We discovered that the culturally competent approaches that we have established are key to its successful implementation. 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 and adapted to the new remote learning modalities and successfully scaled to 100% across all course sections. 

About the authors

Cherry Lim currently serves 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. Outside of work, Cherry enjoys knitting, crocheting, and catching up on all sorts of sports and television programs. 

Christina Lambert currently serves as Coaching Services Manager at the Making Waves Foundation in Richmond, California (a college access and success non-profit).  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 partner and is an avid hiker, reader, and soccer player in her free time.

Zaida Ismatul Oliva currently serves as the Interim Assistant Director for Dual Enrollment and Early College Program at Chelsea High School for Bunker Hill Community College. Zaida served in the ACE Mentor Program for 3 years and then transitioned into her current role. 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.

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.

• 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.