Initiatives
African American Outreach and Retention
The Board of Trustees of Riverside Community College District has presented this Strategic Plan in Objective 3.1:
Strategic Goal 3: Equity
The district will work with community, workforce, and education partners to reduce and eliminate equity gaps.
- Objective 3.1: Decrease equity gaps by 40% in 5 years and eliminate within 10 years.
- Objective 3.2: Increase RCCD’s workforce diversity to better reflect communities served.
Black Student Success Week
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office will again be hosting a Black Student Success Week in April. The focus will be on “building a better future together.”
Save the Date: April 22-26, 2024
All Flyers for Black Student Success Week [PDF]
Flyers preview:
Past Events
Black Child Book Fair
The Black Child Book Fair took place at Riverside City College Campus on February 24, 2024.
RCC's Campus News documents the event in their article entitled Beyond Screens: Empowering RCCD’s Online Student Engagement through Literature at the Black Child Book Fair.
The Riverside Community College District (RCCD) Distance Education department organized and hosted the Black Child Book Fair on Saturday, February 24th, at the Bradshaw Building on the Riverside City College campus. This event was uniquely crafted to bridge the gap between the virtual student population and campus engagement, offering RCCD students enrolled in online courses a rare opportunity to interact with the campus community alongside their families. From 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, over 100 individuals, representing diverse socio-cultural backgrounds, converged to celebrate African-American-focused literary resources and community engagement.
Established by Darryl Harvey, the Black Child Book Fair serves as a guiding light
of advocacy, committed to enhancing the educational, emotional, developmental, and
social landscape for youth from diverse backgrounds. The fair boasted an array of
sixteen vendors, ranging from local bookstores like Cellar Door and Book Off to entities
such as the RCC Student Parent Club and The Allen Chapel AME Church of Riverside.
Notable independent authors such as Jennifer Ricketts, Edward Rice, Iman Hubbard,
and Vantavia were among the participants. Additionally, other notable vendors included
the Center for Social Justice, Scholastics, and the Riverside Public Library.
Attendees were offered many engaging activities and meaningful interactions with vendors
and community leaders. UMOJA volunteers curated family-friendly activities, fostering
an inclusive atmosphere. The contributions of the Student Parent Club, providing gently
used clothing, and JCSM Non-profit, distributing free books to children, showed the
event's commitment to nurturing environments.
Additionally, over 100 complimentary spaghetti dinners were funded by the church food
disparity grant, thanks to Allen Chapel AME Church of Riverside. Mama T’s Food for
the Soul was also present catering soul food. These contributions enhanced the familial
ambiance and ensured attendees departed with full hearts and stomachs.
Shawna Bú Shell, RCCD's Dean of Educational Services and Distance Education, reflected
on the event's impact, stating, "As we embark on fostering community engagement at
RCCD, the heartening presence of families at this academic event not only captivated
but also energized our online students, signaling the commencement of an exciting
series of interactive experiences for students in the future."
The overwhelming success of the Black Child Book Fair has inspired plans for future
events, with a commitment to offering even more opportunities for online students
to engage with the campus community. RCCD's Distance Education department remains
dedicated to ensuring that all students, regardless of their mode of learning, have
access to enriching experiences that foster a sense of belonging and support within
the RCCD community.
OER/ZTC
The ASCCC OERI has a back-to-the-basics OER series in February every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Faculty will get a chance to gain knowledge, resources, and guidance on the following:
- OER, Copyright, and Fair Use
- OER Licensing
- Searching for OER – best practices and resources
- Evaluating OER for accessibility
- Advanced Licensing for curation and adaptation
OER Basics Series
The OERI is pleased to offer a series of webinars addressing the foundations of using, adapting, and developing OER to support your local ZTC work.
Thursday, February 15, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Searching for Open Educational Resources (OER)
Looking for OER? This interactive session will cover search strategies for finding OER. Participants will search for resources and leave the webinar with some “go to” sites for locating OER.
Register for Searching for OER
Thursday, February 22, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Evaluating Open Educational Resources (OER) for Accessibility
Accessibility is not only a legal and ethical requirement, it is central to creating resources that are inclusive and support the education of all learners. In this webinar, we will provide considerations for accessibility and tools for evaluating content.
Register for Evaluating OER for Accessibility
Thursday, February 29, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Open Educational Resources (OER) Curation and Advanced Licensing
How do you remix and attribute content with different licenses? How are collections and remixes different and why does it matter? This interactive session is intended for those who are familiar with the Creative Commons licenses and would like to expand their understanding. Bring your questions and licensing challenges.