UH Community Colleges OVPCC News

OVPCC Olelo of the month

—To lead, guide, direct; leader, guide

“As students navigate their way through college, it is important to provide guidance to our haumāna (students) as they pursue their academic and career goals.
—Leilani Puchalski, Native Hawaiian Success Counselor, Leeward Community College

Della Teraoka

September 2024: The Return of Fall

Aloha mai kākou,

The fall semester has begun, and the memories of summer have begun to fade. There is an energy in the air which seems different than the past couple of years; it is reminiscent of this time of year before the pandemic. The college campuses are teeming with students, faculty, and staff in a way that is refreshing. Of course, it is not 2019, but it is invigorating to see more people on campus. It is also exciting to see higher enrollments in classes— in person and online.

Mahalo for all you do to support our students as they pursue their goals and dreams at the community college campuses and beyond. Early College enrollments continue to increase as we refine the pathways for students and create stronger alignment from the high schools to community colleges. This semester, the OVPCC will be looking more closely at the alignment of pathways from community colleges to 4-year schools to ensure our students can complete in a timely manner.

Additionally, the community colleges will have a challenge this semester—transitioning to Lamakū, our new course management system to be used with online course delivery as well as a supplement to in-person courses. The new system has many advantages and I expect you will be pleased with the new tools, but moving to a new system while teaching in the old will be a challenge. Please take advantage of the workshops and support services offered to assist you with this transition. More information on what’s available is below.

Enjoy the fall semester!

Me ke aloha pumehana,
signed Della

Campus Spotlight

Hawaiʻi CC, Kapiʻolani CC and UH Maui College

Hawaiʻi Pāmaomao

campus group

A recent cultural exchange program between four UH colleges and four Indigenous nations in Maine demonstrates the connectedness that can exist across continents. Participants from Hawaiʻi Community College, Kapiʻolani Community College, and UH Maui College traveled to Maine to engage in the exchange program along with participants from UH Hilo.

cultural exchange

The Hawaiʻi Pāmaomao initiative was conceived by Hawaiʻi CC Professor Taupōuri Tangarō during his first visit to Aotearoa (New Zealand) in 2004. There have been more than two dozen cultural exchanges since 2005. “Hawaiʻi Pāmaomao is not a topical cultural-tourism experience; rather, it is a rigorous commitment to the learning of one’s Indigenous self and the current conditions of Indigenous peoples; it requires we engage in comparative research of the histories and cultures of the communities we are to experience,” said Tangarō, who is the director for Hawaiian culture and protocols engagement for Hawaiʻi CC and UH Hilo. “Here, everyone on the journey participates in learning to deliver traditional oratory, dances and chants and to conduct cultural workshops appropriate to the communities and ages we visit—no passive participation.”

Pāmaomoa impacts participants in a number of ways including gaining a deeper understanding of indigenous cultures, enhancing problem solving by drawing upon indigenous wisdom for holistic solutions, improving communication skills, engaging in transformative leadership rooted in indigenous culture, developing greater resilience in the face of change, and contributing to a more inclusive and positive workplace culture.

students on a boat

This year’s participants in Pāmaomao were taken to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest mountain on the Atlantic coast. The Penobscot hosts shared about the cultural significance of the area and Wabanaki origin stories. The Hawaiʻi Pāmaomao cohort also interacted with art from Hawaiʻi in closed collections at the Harvard University Peabody Museum, including mahiʻole and ahuʻula (feathered helmets and capes), kiʻi (statuary), hula implements, kapa and more, and honored them through Hawaiian protocol.

“Through Hawaiʻi Pāmaomao, we are transforming higher education and, therefore, our communities,” Tangarō said. “Moreover, through Hawaiʻi Pāmaomao, we are transforming ourselves.”

For more on this initiative, participants, and photos, visit UH News.

System Initiatives

What you need to know

Annual Report of Program Data

University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges Policy 5.202 outlines review of established programs under the overarching commitment to continuous quality improvement. UHCC Academic Affairs prepares quantitative data reports to support campuses’ processes for program review.

  • View the VPCC memo announcing the timeline and process for 2024 reports.
  • Completed analyses will be posted publicly on December 15.
  • Preliminary program data for ARPD 2024 is available online now.

If you have questions about the ARPD, please contact or Joshua Kaakua ().

Open Educational Resources (OER) at the UHCC

The Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges supports the development and expansion of OER at the UH Community Colleges through annual funding for professional development and incentive programs. OER supports students by ensuring access to textbooks and class resources with no additional cost to the student.

It is estimated that students save around $2,000,000 each semester due to OER, and since 2015, total savings is estimated to be over $25 million. Current estimates are that ⅓ of UHCC classes offer OER or zero cost textbooks. Since 2015, Wayde Oshiro, Leeward CC, and Sunny Pai, Kapiʻolani CC, have led this effort, with support from project co-leads Sheryl Shook, Kapiʻolani CC, and Leanne Urasaki, Hawaiʻi CC, along with OER leaders at each campus. Mahalo to all of our OER leaders and adopters for using no cost textbooks to provide engaging, relevant curriculum for our students.

Special shout out to Sheryl Shook's Anatomy & Physiology team for winning the WICHE WCET WOW award for 2024. Also check out the OER Report for 2023-2024 for more information. Visit UHCC OER for campus OER leads, OER project awardees, and details on upcoming professional development and incentive programs.

UHCC Systemwide Team Spotlight

Instructional Designers

The UH Community Colleges have relied on our outstanding instructional designers to ensure quality online content and support the Learning Management System (LMS) of choice through robust professional development. Instructional designers (sometimes called Educational Technologists) are critical to providing training and support to faculty and lecturers who present content online in the current LMS. Today, that means the instructional designers (IDs) are busy training faculty and lecturers on how to transition from Laulima to Lamakū in one semester! See UHCC Systemwide Updates below for more on the transition plan. The OVPCC IDs are working with campus IDs to support all faculty and lecturers with their transition to Lamakū.

Let’s meet the OVPCC and Community College IDs!

UHCC Online Teaching Excellence Phase 2 Course Development in Lamakū

The IDs will be facilitating a guided training course in Lamakū from September 16 to October 28. To date, 112 faculty from all seven CC campuses have signed up, and the course was closed due to capacity limitations.

UHCC Lamakū Training Course Participation by Campus

112 responses

your primary campus pie chart

[Depicted in the Lamakū Training Course Participation by Campus pie chart is a percentage breakdown from all seven community colleges. We received 112 responses of which: 10.7% were from Hawai‘I CC, 22.3% from Honolulu CC, 33% from Kapi‘olani CC, 4.5% from Kaua‘i CC,13.4% from Leeward CC, 7.1% from UH Maui, and 8.9% from Windward CC.]

UHCC Lamakū Support Roadshow

The UHCC Lamakū Support Roadshow will commence in October/November and will visit Hawaiʻi, Honolulu, Kauaʻi, Maui , and Windward CC campuses to provide in-person support. Kapiʻolani and Leeward will be providing support for their campuses during this same time period. Contact your college ID if you have questions or need assistance.

Mark Your Calendars

Upcoming Events

2025 Hawaiʻi Student Success Institute (HISSI)

Save the date for the 2025 Hawaiʻi Student Success Institute! We will be back on the first Friday in March for this systemwide professional development day, so mark your calendars for Friday, March 7, 2025. We will send more information as planning will begin soon.

OVPCC Campus Visits

Mike Unebasami and I are looking forward to visiting the colleges this fall semester. We will be sharing data on campus outcomes from the previous academic year, and we also look forward to your questions!

Date Time College Room #

Friday, Oct. 4

10:00 - 11:00 am

Kauaʻi CC

OCET 106C/D

Thursday, Oct. 10

10:00 - 11:00 am

UH Maui College

Kaʻaʻike 105BCD

Wednesday, Oct. 16

2:00 - 3:00 pm

Honolulu CC

2-201

Thursday, Oct. 17

9:00 - 10:00 am

Hawaiʻi CC

MC Cafeteria

Thursday, Oct. 17

1:30 - 2:30 pm

Hawaiʻi CC

Pālamanui Panini 126

Friday, Oct. 18

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Kapiʻolani CC

Ohia 118

Tuesday, Oct. 22

10:30 - 11:30 am

Leeward CC

GT-105

Wednesday, Oct. 23

10:00 - 11:00 am

Windward

Akoakoa 101

UHCC System Updates

Transition from Laulima to Lamakū

The UH System is moving its LMS from Laulima to Lamakū this year. The UH Community Colleges are on track to move all courses to Lamakū by January 1, 2025. This transition will occur for both credit and non-credit course sites in Laulima, and Laulima will be “turned off” for UH Community Colleges for the Spring 2025 courses. (Older courses in Laulima will be accessible to faculty for a few more semesters.) In order to accomplish this, all faculty and lecturers need to teach their courses in Laulima in fall 2024 while also transitioning the courses to be taught in Lamakū in spring 2025.

Key milestones have already occurred as part of the transition plan.

Lamakū pilot during Summer Session 2 concluded successfully

All Cohort 1 faculty & staff now have a Lamakū account

Lamakū Training and Resources

  • Keep an eye out for training programs, workshops, webinars, and other opportunities that may be offered by your campus.
  • Sign up for the Lamakū Discovery Series and Support Sessions to learn about Lamakū course-building essentials like content development, assessment setup, and gradebook management.
  • All faculty have been auto-enrolled into the Lamakū Instructors Essentials course, and it can be found under your list of courses on the Lamakū homepage. The course acts as a reference guide for mastering the basics of Lamakū.
  • Visit Discover Lamakū for updated news about the Laulima to Lamakū transition.
  • Visit the Knowledge Base: Lamakū Tutorials and Resources to explore a collection of Lamakū tutorials and resources.

Helpful Resources and Articles

  • UH Online Innovation Center (UH System) will be facilitating weekly Lamakū Discovery Series and Lamakū Support Sessions starting September 3. Also, check with your campus instructional designers for campus-based training opportunities and Discover Lamakū, a UHOIC website with updated information.
  • Hawaiʻi P-20 Releases Report on Student Math Outcomes in Our State
    Key Math Achievement Data Story Key Takeaways:
    • Waiting until college to address equity in math achievement among students is too late.
    • High school students who took Algebra 3 or higher were more likely to enroll in and complete college-level math before the end of their first year of college.
    • Math course data from K12 to postsecondary shows that students who are ready to enroll in and complete college level math are more likely to succeed at their college goals.
    • Approximately 71% of students who completed college-level math by the end of their first year earn a college certificate or degree within 6 years, which is more than double the rate for students who did not complete college-level math by their first year.
  • The New Rules of AI for Student Success
    Proper use of AI can help you set students up for success and get more out of your existing staff. The ebook includes: Five new rules of AI for student success; Four key questions for outcomes-oriented uses of AI; A higher ed leader's problem-solving framework; Plus contributions from around higher ed.
  • Multimedia Case Study: Rural Partnerships
    Across the country, rural colleges have found ways to prepare young adults for successful careers: Eastern Oregon University offers early college programs, career expos, and paid internships to local students; Zane State College partners with Intel to prepare students for high-tech manufacturing jobs; Patrick & Henry Community College works with the county Chamber of Commerce to run entrepreneurial boot camps for local business owners. Learn more about these success stories through a virtual forum, audio summary, and written case study from The Chronicle.
  • Innovative Educators’ Go2Knowledge
    • Take advantage of our free UHCC systemwide Go2Knowledge membership for all CC campuses.
    • Contact:
    • Innovative Educators’ Go2Knowledge offers training on a wide range of topics that are timely, practical, and relevant for higher education. The format includes both live webinars and a digital library for on-demand access. Sign up for a UHCC Go2Knowledge account (or log in if you had an account with a CC campus before), and take advantage of quality professional development from anywhere. Here are a few samples of upcoming live webinars. Recordings can be viewed on demand later:
      • First-Generation Students: How To Develop An FYE Course Based On Their Feedback
        Live: Tuesday, September 17, 9:00-10:00 am HST
      • Empowering Students With Disabilities: Needs Analysis, Early Interventions & Strategic Partnerships
        Live: Tuesday, October 8: 7:00-8:30 am HST

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