Marjorie Blen had nearly finished her associate’s degree at the City College of San Francisco when the pandemic hit. Suddenly classes moved to an unfamiliar online format, and her life was full of logistical hardships and financial ones.
“What am I going to do with my kids home, losing my job and having to pass these classes so I can transfer to a four-year institution?” Blen asked. “It brought so many challenges.”
So what is the best way to keep students on track academically in the COVID-19 era? What can colleges do to support their students during these unprecedented times?
That’s the topic of this week’s podcast, which was recorded live last month in front of an audience (via Zoom) at Learning Man, a conference for college innovators hosted by Arizona State University.
We were joined by two guests who shared their perspectives—and discussed what they are doing to tackle this challenge. First was Mordecai I. Brownlee, vice president of student success at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas. The other was Blen, who shared her story and talked about her activism to help other students continue their studies.
Listen to this week’s episode on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or use the player on this page.
