VIDBE-Q Volume 68 Issue 3
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the needs of today's college students, which have changed drastically over the past
several years and were exacerbated during the pandemic. Faculty intentionally
moved from compliance-focused curriculum and services to student-centered
systems of support and personal and meaningful preparation. Support systems were
built, barriers were reduced, and opportunities for flexibility and personalization
were increased.
Students can enter degree programs in the lower division or upper division
classes. Students who enter lower division classes as freshmen are placed in
supportive learning communities for two courses per semester with dedicated full-
time teaching faculty who loop with them fall to spring. The learning communities
continue into the sophomore year where a new group of faculty help support,
guide, and educate them during their important foundational coursework. Students
who enter upper division classes in their fifth semester focus on professional and
pedagogical coursework. Classes in junior and senior years are offered in late
afternoons or evenings, ideally suited for working paraprofessionals. Courses are
offered in a variety of modalities from synchronous classes held face-to-face on
campus, at partner sites (such as FBC) or a Zoom-based modality called ASU Sync
or asynchronously through online courses.
During each semester of coursework, students take a one-credit seminar
course as part of a 'professional educator series'. The professional educator series
