Online training course recognized as exemplary
The San Jacinto College educational technology services department recently earned international recognition for ACAdemic Learning, a course that provides professors training for teaching online and hybrid classes. The League for Innovation in the Community College recognized ACAdemic Learning as one of its Innovation of the Year award winners as an “exemplary online program for faculty training.” The San Jacinto College educational technology services department began offering the program in 2010, and 565 faculty members have completed the course to date. Content in the course emphasizes educational design principles and teaching methods, including effective content design and delivery, learning environment design, alternative methods of assessments, and effective integration of technology resources. In addition to providing direct content and instruction, ACAdemic Learning also makes new tools and teaching approaches available, providing faculty with a better understanding of the student perspective.
San Jacinto Times reporters scoop up TIPA
journalism awards
Six San Jacinto Times staff members were recently honored for excellence in collegiate journalism at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) annual convention in Fort Worth. Award recipients won recognition across several categories for content generated in 2012. Current editor-in-chief Leif Hayman won third place in the feature photo category for his stylish photography of the colony of cats that call Central Campus home. Right out of the gate, first semester journalism student Monica Davila earned an Honorable Mention in the news feature story category for her retrospective on pole dancing, from an ancient ritual to a legitimate contemporary fitness activity. Also earning an Honorable Mention, news editors Vanessa Pina and Angelica Rodriguez were recognized for their collaboration on the front page of the Oct. 1, 2012 edition of the San Jacinto Times featuring Pina’s frontline photo of the space shuttle Endeavour piggybacked on a 747 at Ellington Field. Sports editor Brandon Hurley earned an Honorable Mention nod for sports page design for the Oct. 12, 2012 edition featuring new Rockets’ acquisition Jeremy Lin. The Texas Intercollegiate Press Association is the oldest collegiate press association in the nation and has grown into one of the largest and most respected collegiate groups in the country. Congratulations San Jacinto Times staff!
Grainger Foundation supports
San Jacinto College students
The Grainger Foundation has donated $10,000 to the San Jacinto College Foundation in support of its mission to increase resources and partnerships to support the success of its students. The grant will be used to support student scholarships for students interested in auto technology; welding; and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) programs at each of the three San Jacinto College campuses. This donation was recommended by Mark Gour, Branch Manager of W.W. Grainger, Inc.’s, Deer Park location. Grainger has been a part of the Deer Park business community for more than 50 years as the leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating products.
Job demand creates need for new pipefitting fabricator program
To meet growing industry demand, San Jacinto College will launch a new pipefitting fabricator program in Fall 2013 that will feature a “fast track” option, enabling students to finish courses and be ready for work in just one semester. The program will prepare graduates to enter the construction industry as entry-level pipefitters or pipe fabricators – workers who fabricate, install, and maintain pipes that carry chemical products, steam, acids, and gases. Such pipes are mostly used in manufacturing, commercial, and industrial settings. Pipefitting fabricators generally install and maintain pipe systems in power and petrochemical plants, as well as heating and cooling systems in large office buildings. They also install pipe systems that move steam under high pressure. The new pipefitting fabricator classes will begin at San Jacinto College North in the Fall 2013 semester.
ESOL students donate $600 to Houston Food Bank
Students from the San Jacinto College English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program recently donated $600 to the Houston Food Bank with proceeds from their “International Cookbook.” Perry McAfee, director of volunteer engagement with the Houston Food Bank, visited the College to accept the donation. Students raised the money by selling copies of their cookbook, which features recipes from Peru, India, Vietnam, China, Mali, Nepal, Mexico, France, and Columbia. Pictured (left to right): San Jacinto College ESOL students Meshwa Patel, Rajeev Ranjan, Dat Nguyen, Camillo Jaramillo, and Monireh Mehran; Perry McAfee, director of volunteer engagement with the Houston Food Bank; Rayna Shaunfield, professor of college preparatory at San Jacinto College; and ESOL students, Nora Almeida, Blanca Castillo de Guerra, Ibrahim Bocoum, and Shan Jiang.