Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) recently was selected as one of the top Bellwether finalists to compete at the 2020 Community Colleges Futures Assembly conference held Feb. 2-4 in San Antonio, Texas.

The annual Bellwether Awards highlight cutting-edge, trendsetting programs that can be replicated by other colleges. The awards are viewed as the one of the most competitive and prestigious recognitions for community colleges in the nation.

Annually the Bellwether College Consortium selects 30 community colleges as finalists to compete for one of three top Bellwether Awards in the categories of Instructional Programs & Services; Planning, Governance & Finance; and Workforce Development. Awards are presented during the annual conference.

The Consortium selected MCCC for its submission, “Anytime, Anywhere: An Equitable, Scalable & Impactful Approach to Academic Support,” as one of the top 10 finalists in the Planning, Governance & Finance category. This category recognizes programs or activities that have been designed and successfully implemented to foster or support teaching and learning. The “Anytime, Anywhere” initiative is MCCC’s additive academic support of 24/7 online tutoring.

“It is a great honor to be selected as one of the top 10 finalists, but the true reward of this initiative has been the success of our students,” said Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez, MCCC’s Interim President and Provost. “Providing 24/7 online tutoring in addition to our in-person tutoring helps our students perform better in their classes, achieve higher grades and persist in their academic pathways. I applaud our faculty for creatively resourcing all students, positioning them for greater success.”

MCCC’s team -  Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez, Interim President and Provost; Dr. David Kowalski, Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategy; Dr. Gloria Oikelome, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean of Health Sciences; Dr. Kendall Martin, Computer Science Professor; and Victoria Vetro, English Assistant Professor – presented the details and the data about the positive outcomes of the 24/7 online tutoring before a panel of judges at the conference.

 MCCC launched the 24/7 online tutoring pilot in the fall of 2017 to provide additional academic support for its students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses. Approximately 81% of MCCC’s students work while taking classes, and approximately 70% of students are attending college part-time. With their busy schedules, many students needed tutoring services beyond the hours provided by on-campus tutoring.

MCCC’s pilot produced positive results and feedback from students. As a result, MCCC offered 24/7 online tutoring to all students in the fall of 2018. During that semester, students used more than 5,700 hours of online tutoring. As a result, students are doing better academically.

Dr. Bastecki-Perez added, “Our faculty and staff are committed to ensuring that all students receive what they need to be successful through the intentional design of the college experience. The 24/7 online tutoring initiative is one example of an equitable solution.”

MCCC previously was named a top 10 Bellwether finalist in 2018 for its Gateway to College Program in the Instructional Programs and Services category. MCCC’s Gateway program provides high school students, who are not on track to graduate, with a pathway to complete their high school requirements, receive their diplomas and continue taking college courses or pursue careers.

The Bellwether College Consortium is comprised of award-winning colleges that address issues facing community colleges through research and the promotion and replication of best practices in the areas of workforce development, instructional programs and services, and planning governance and finance.