12.1 Student Support Services

Academic and Student Support Services

Academic and student support services are designed to meet identified student needs and support key elements of the College’s Mission: empowering students to achieve success, economic mobility, academic excellence, and engagement.

Empowering Students to Achieve Success

Services in this area are designed to set students on the path to success and include Recruitment and Enrollment, Business Office, Admissions & Registration, Financial Aid, Career and Academic Advising, Student Mental Health and Wellness, Veterans Services, Computer Labs, Testing Services

Recruitment and Enrollment Support

Recruitment and Enrollment Support assists students through the “inquiry to application” and “application to enrollment” phases of the onboarding process. The Recruitment department provides information in local High Schools, Online, and in the community on access to higher education and the value of a credential as it relates to economic mobility. Monthly Titans Live webinars provide access to information in an online format. Prospective students can also schedule an appointment with an Admissions Recruiter on campus or complete a Request for Information to be contacted by a member of the recruitment staff. The department works with dual enrollment students, assisting them with the application process and offering student and parent webinars and admissions events. Further information on recruitment activities can be found in Standard 10.5.

The Enrollment Support team also assists with onboarding, including residency, transcripts, and testing information to prepare new students to enroll and meet with a Career and Academic Advisor. Students are assigned an Enrollment Specialist when they apply. The Enrollment Specialist communicates and assists students through appointments and check-ins in-person, by phone, and by email.

Business Office

The Business Office provides several services to students relating to student financial account information. These services include student account balance information, such as Barnes & Noble book charges, tuition payments, tuition payment plans, student refunds, Florida Prepaid plan, anticipated financial aid, scholarships, third-party contracts, and 1098-T information. These services can be accessed through campus business offices or by logging into the MySPC portal, supporting both traditional and distance-learning students at times convenient to their schedules. To further support timely information access, the Business Office utilizes robocalls and robo-texts to communicate with students regarding upcoming due dates. In addition, the Business Office has contracted with a pre-collections company to allow students additional time to pay past-due account balances before collection efforts are utilized.

Dual Enrollment students have limited interaction with the Business Office as they are exempt from application fees and tuition, but can gain access on campus or online if needed.

Admissions, Registration, & Records

SPC has an open admissions policy and ensures compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Admissions and Records processes and policies are overseen collegewide by the Office of Admissions and Records. Admissions and Records services are offered through the Advising and Business offices on campuses and 24/7 online through the SPC Admissions website and secure MySPC portal. The Admissions department works with Enrollment Support Specialists and Career and Academic Advisors to provide information about Florida residency classification, testing, transcripts, records management, financial aid, advising, academic pathways, and career planning. Admissions requirements for dual enrollment students are located on the Dual Enrollment Program website. To register for courses, Dual Enrolled students must first register with the Dual-Enrollment office. 

The Admissions department is also responsible for maintaining student records, which can be requested by current or former students in person or online through the MySPC portal and are protected per FERPA standards and federal and state regulations.

Financial Aid

Financial Assistance Services (FAS) provides students guidance on grants, scholarships, student employment, and loans to help pay their college expenses. Students begin the financial aid process by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The information given on the FAFSA determines eligibility for federal, state, and institutional funding. After completing the FAFSA, students may review the status of their financial aid awards through MySPC. At any time, if a student has questions, they may contact FAS through several methods: by phone, virtually, via A$KFA$ email, or in person at the Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, Seminole, or St. Petersburg/Gibbs campuses and the Midtown and Downtown centers. Students may also get answers to financial aid questions, including personal account status, via the SPC website’s automated chatbot Ask PETE. Financial aid policies do not differ by modality as distance education/online students receive the same access to financial aid. Dual Enrollment students are considered non-degree-seeking high school students and are not eligible for financial aid.

As part of our holistic approach, SPC works with IonTuition to assist students with successful student loan repayment. IonTuition is a web-based tool provided at no cost to students to allow for the management of all student loans through a single online location. Once a student registers, they will get immediate access to a personalized profile, showing their loan status, balance, payment amount, due dates, interest accrual information, and lender or servicer contacts. Students may live chat with a student loan counselor, use calculators to determine the best repayment scenario for their personal situation, create a budget, store important student loan documents, track conversations with student loan counselors, and include private loan information. IonTuition offers trained student loan counselors that can assist students in managing their student loan repayment options. Students may call Monday through Friday to speak with a counselor. To date, over 16,700 students have registered for IonTuition and over 18,000 student accounts have been resolved or cured. The Financial Aid department continues to educate students, alumni, faculty, and staff about IonTuition and aims to have the majority of students who receive student loans involved in this valuable student loan repayment program. The number of student loan borrowers has also decreased over the last three years:

• 2021-2022 – 5466 student loan borrowers
• 2020-2021 – 6652 student loan borrowers
• 2019-2020 – 8042 student loan borrowers

Career and Academic Advising

At St. Petersburg College, Career and Academic Advisors are assigned to specific Career and Academic Communities. Degree-seeking students are assigned a Career and Academic Advisor when they submit their admissions application, and assignments are based on the student’s program and home campus. Students can access Career and Academic Advising either on-campus or online via scheduled appointments. Advisors are also available by phone and email, and the AskPete chatbot is available for standard questions.

Career and Academic Advisors serve as a student’s main point of contact throughout their time at SPC. Using case management principles, advisors are expected to track and monitor their caseload of students and have five major outcomes that are measured for First Time in College Students in their caseload: a successful meeting, a completed learning plan, a conversation about career decision-making, outreach to students who are not performing well academically, and outreach to students to enroll in the next semester.

Advisors assist students with course selection, transfer requirements, and referrals to internal and external resources. They provide holistic advising and interventions to help students be successful in reaching their goals. Advisors also assist dual enrollment students with their academic planning.  

In 2021, SPC launched the Virtual Advising Center and expanded service hours until 8 pm Monday-Thursday and Saturday hours from 10-3 pm. The Virtual Advising Center’s purpose is to provide access to more students and meet student needs. There are four dedicated advisors to the Virtual Advising Center, and campus advisors also provide support.

Student Mental Health and Wellness Program

SPC’s Mental Health and Wellness Program (MHWP) aims to support students’ mental well-being so they are able to continue their education until they graduate. This is a priority for the college based on student feedback about their mental health, where 34% of students surveyed in Fall 2020 indicated experiencing frequent mental distress.

In order to support the students’ mental health, the MHWP provides students with access to a specific mental health contact, preventative programming, and mental health services. Services are delivered in a hybrid modality. Students can reach out to the MHWP manager to get help navigating the mental health system and learn about options.

Preventative programming includes educational events, workshops, and activities such as meditation, yoga, art therapy, and stress management. The program also coordinates a student-led mental health club, called NAMI, on campus. This club works to advocate for mental health support on campus and ensure that the student’s voice is heard when making mental health decisions.

The MHWP provides access to direct mental health services in three ways: telehealth counseling, in-person urgent care, and critical incident response and recovery services. All students have access to five telehealth counseling sessions per academic year with the College’s partner, Mantra Health. Students can access this service at any time and may register using their SPC email address. This arrangement eliminates the need to divulge the student’s personal information to the SPC staff.

If a student becomes overwhelmed or finds themselves in crisis, SPC has created an urgent/acute care program through a partnership with Directions for Living (DFL). Select staff has access to a hotline to call if a student needs these services. Once the call has been made, DFL will be in contact with the student within two hours and will see them for face-to-face counseling within 24 hours. DFL also provides the College access to critical incident response and recovery services should there be a crisis/tragedy on campus. If that were to happen, DFL would bring out a crisis intervention team to lead the campus through the processes of managing the emotions of the situation. This includes demobilizing, debriefing, diffusing, and one-on-one crisis counseling.

Veterans Services

SPC Veterans Services works with Academic and Student Affairs to assist active duty military and veterans both on campus and online with their transition to college while providing assistance in obtaining education benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Veterans Services Student Support Centers are located on the Tarpon Springs, Gibbs, and Clearwater campuses and have a school-certifying official and benefits counselor on staff. All three Veterans Services Student Support Centers offer:

• GI Bill Counseling
• Computers for students to use and for in-house MLP training
• Fax, copy, printing machines, and phones are available for use
• Study area with Veteran student peer tutoring (as available)
• Veteran Student Assistants are available for questions about benefits, college tours, peer support, engagement in the college experience, firsthand knowledge of readjustment into civilian life
• Assistance with residency issues
• Assistance with the application, registration, class enrollment, and tuition deferment
• Book exchange
• Student Veterans Association (SVA Club)
• Quiet area, mess area, coffee, water, snacks

All active-duty military and veterans may use the services at these campus locations and online. Veterans Services also offers support and resources to faculty and staff with questions about understanding military culture, engaging a military student in the classroom, and utilizing Veterans Administration and related resources available within the military community.

Computer Labs and Technology

Computer Labs are available on all campuses and centers and are usually located in the library and/or learning center. Most computers are Windows-based units with a small selection per each campus of Apple-based computers available for those working on special projects, such as those requiring high-graphical renderings. Computers contain productivity software from Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud, among others, and are networked to printers and scanners with features to promote confidentiality and easy-pay options through debit or credit card or digital wallet applications. All degree-seeking students also have Microsoft Office 365 available to them for free.

In addition to established computer labs, SPC meets students’ technology access needs through the Technology Lending program. Students are able to borrow a laptop with a webcam as well as an internet hotspot to complete coursework and may keep the technology until the end of the term or enrollment is completed.

Testing Centers

Testing Centers are located on each of the four full-service academic campuses (Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, St. Pete/Gibbs, and Seminole), as well as the Downtown and Midtown Centers. All sites are within 30 minutes of one another, allowing for easy access to all on-campus students.

The Testing Centers provide a variety of services for both current and prospective St. Petersburg College students, including:

• The Postsecondary Educational Readiness Test (PERT)
• Florida Civic Literacy Exam (FCLE)
• The College’s computer literacy proficiency test (CGS 1070 opt-out)
• Levels of English Proficiency (LOEP) test
• College-level Math or Accuplacer’s Advanced Algebraic Functions (AAF)
• Chemistry placement test (CHM 1045 opt-out)
• Proctored tests for students with disabilities who require a quiet testing area or testing accommodations such as scribes or readers. 

The Testing Center also works with public and private high schools to administer the PERT for Dual Enrollment, Early College, Early Admission, and Collegiate high school programs. Alternatively, for traditional prospective students, the PERT is used when necessary to assist in class placement. Online or distance learners are served two ways depending on the test needing to be administered: using third-party online proctors (e.g., Honorlock) and/or proctoring by SPC testing professionals through platforms like Cambium or Zoom. To serve students who may have difficulties testing during traditional school or work hours, special testing sessions are offered for Dual Enrollment and FCLE testers. These are held outside of the traditional testing center hours of 8:30 am – 5:30 pm EST.

Academic Excellence

Academic and Support Services in this area are designed to promote supplemental learning and development both in and out of the classroom, course completion, retention and graduation.  This type of support is performed through deep collaboration with faculty and academic administrators to complement and reinforce learning throughout the curriculum and include Student Orientation, Accessibility Services, Learning Resources, English for Academic Purposes, Honors Program and Specialized Services/ Programs.

Student Orientation

The Smart Start Orientation program is a non-credit course recommended to new SPC students enrolling in an AS or AA degree program, particularly those who are First Time in College students or First Generation students. Smart Start Orientation is offered in person, through Zoom, and online through the Learning Management System and is completed before the semester begins.

Smart Start is facilitated by Career and Academic Advisors and reviews the following areas:

• How to be a Successful College Student
• Communicating with your Instructor
• Overview of the Student Portal and Learning Management System
• College Resources (e.g., Learning Resources, Advising, Accessibility Services, Mental Health Resources, Veteran Services)
• Academic Pathways
• Campus Safety
• Academic Standing Policies
• Financial Aid
• How to get your Textbooks
• Career Development
• Student Life and Leadership
• Student Rights and Responsibilities

The Dual Enrollment Office schedules Smart Start Orientations for dual enrollment students. Through these efforts, students are better prepared to navigate the college setting and are aware of the resources and supports available to them.

Accessibility Services

Accessibility Services are offered on-campus, virtual, and in a hybrid environment. Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008 ensure that all qualified persons, regardless of the presence of any disability, have equal access to education. Accessibility Services seeks to enhance student success, retention, completion, and job placement by providing students with assistive technologies, support services, and accommodations throughout their career and academic endeavors at St. Petersburg College. More than 1280 unduplicated students presented with a disability in 2021-2022; Table 12.1.3 demonstrates the number of identified students with a disability over the last five years:

Table 12.1.3 — Students with Disabilities 2018-2022

^{*Numbers and percentages do not reflect students with multiple disabilities (duplicated)/Source PeopleSoft 11/2022}

The Accessibility Services office works with on-campus and distance-learning students, Dual Enrolled students, faculty, and staff to promote equal access for all students. The department provides or facilitates:

• Academic adjustments such as early registration
• Auxiliary Learning Aids and closed captioning of videos
• College Placement Test and exam accommodations
• Academic modifications such as course substitutions
• Certified/qualified sign language interpreters, C-Printers, and note-takers
• Professional tutoring in selected general education specific to math and science
• Adaptive classroom furniture, electronic equipment, and software
• Information Commons in MyCourses online learning management system

As there is an upward trend in the amount of assistive technology being utilized by students registered with Accessibility Services, the department works with faculty and staff to promote access and compliance at all physical and online learning environments at SPC using many technologies, auxiliary learning aids, and ADA checklists. All campus Accessibility Services Managers, Associate Provosts, and the Student ADA/504 Director were involved in the planning and implementation of Accessibility Checklists. In addition, Accessibility Services staff work with the Department of Instructional Design, Education, and Support (IDEAS) (formerly Online Learning Services) to ensure compliance and that Universal Design principles stay at the forefront of online course development.

Learning Resources

SPC Libraries

SPC Libraries and Learning Resources foster and support the curiosity, independence, and success of students through educational, informational, and recreational programming. The SPC Library’s physical collections are located at eight campus sites: Midtown, St. Pete/Gibbs, Seminole, Health Education, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Allstate, and EpiCenter. Resources are also available to all students, staff, and faculty online. As of December 2022, the physical collection included 73,694 circulating titles, 7,001 periodical titles, 4,498 audiovisual titles, and 3,788 reference titles. In addition, students and staff have access to nearly 150 subscription library databases through the Open Athens access portal.

The libraries also provide Information Guides, categorized by Academic Pathway with a number of video tutorials and handouts added for just-in-time learning. The Information Guides provide both general and specific research instruction and resources for courses across the curriculum. For instance, the presented materials in the Humanities guide dovetail with major research assignments in Introduction to Humanities (HUM 1020), one of the highest enrolled courses at SPC. To ensure information is up to date and readily available for students, the Students Need to Know guide is available on the Learning Resources webpage and provides pertinent information such as operating hours and relevant resources. Additionally, a faculty counterpart, the Faculty Needs to Know guide, is updated frequently to promote Learning Resources and services to faculty.

Departmental workshops and experiences are promoted through the college-wide events platform, Titan Connect, as well as through campus digital signage, printed fliers, weekly collegewide events coordination meetings, and the learning management system (MyCourses).  Educational workshops have included strategies to enhance research and citation methods, study skills, and technological literacy, as well as curricular competencies in Accounting, Math, Sciences, Writing/English, and Language courses. The department offered 875 programs in Academic Year 2021-22 with a very solid attendance for “optional” events and activities, as shown in Table 12.1.4 below.

Table 12.1.4 — Library Programming 2021/2022

Within SPC libraries, the Information Literacy Instruction program is the hallmark of faculty partnerships and student learning. Working in coordination with course faculty, the Information Literacy Instruction program provides course-integrated sessions to support research-based activities and projects in both in-person and online modalities. These sessions are offered to all faculty, including the College’s on-campus and off-site Dual Enrollment faculty, and may include a general orientation to library resources; instruction on use, evaluation, and documentation regarding information resources; or custom-tailored instruction toward a particular assignment. For the Academic Year 2021-22, SPC Libraries offered 388 Information Literacy Instruction sessions, reaching 7,526 students (duplicated). The SPC Libraries also work with the communities they serve through the partnerships and library spaces shared with the cities of Clearwater, Seminole, and St. Petersburg.

Learning Centers

Led by the Executive Director for Learning Resources, SPC Learning Centers employ more nearly 40 full-time and 60 part-time instructional support staff to meet the needs of students. All students, including SPC’s Dual Enrolled (on-and-off site), Early Admission, and Collegiate High students, have access to the seven on-campus Learning Centers for drop-in and scheduled in-person tutoring appointments in four main areas: Writing & Communications, Mathematics & Statistics, Natural and Health Sciences, and Computers and Technology. Staff also provide tutoring in specialized areas such as Spanish, ESL, and Accounting and Finance.

In addition, Learning Resources provides online tutoring; students are able to schedule live, 20-or-50-minute, one-on-one tutoring appointments over Zoom. Online appointments are available at a minimum of 65 hours a week, with multiple sessions offered each hour. Beyond SPC’s services, all students, both on-and-off site, have access to Tutor.com as a supplemental source of instructional support. SPC’s instructional support personnel and Tutor.com’s professionally trained employees co-staff the Tutor.com platform. All enrolled students are allotted five hours at the beginning of each semester, and the platform notifies users when getting close to exhausting all minutes, directing them to send a message to a commonly staffed email address for additional hours (the email account is staffed up to midnight throughout the week and weekends). In the academic year 2021-22, the SPC Appointment System, for both in-person and online appointments, and the co-staffed Tutor.com platform, accounted for 30,490 individual sessions. That number of sessions equates to 12,068 hours or 502 continuous days of instructional support. In addition, data shows that 8,041 students, or 26% of the overall college enrollment, received individual tutoring sessions. Learning Center staff also partner with faculty and Advising staff, giving presentations in classrooms, at orientation sessions, and at events throughout the College to make students aware of available resources.

The Learning Centers also undertake key initiatives to support the College’s strategic plan to help close achievement gaps and improve success rates, specifically in English and Mathematics gateway courses. The Center’s most recent initiative, launched in Fall 2022, Project ONEGOAL (Outreach for New Educational Goals in Online Asynchronous Learning) serves as a retention and success program that, through direct course integration, forms a partnership with faculty teaching asynchronous online courses with historically low success rates to provide regular outreach and communication as well as general and triage-level support toward student course completion. The courses supported in Fall 2022 included Composition I (ENC 1101), Liberal Arts Math I (MGF 1106), Intermediate Algebra (MAT 1033), and Trigonometry (MAC 1114). The image, below, shows how many course sections, faculty members, and guides (i.e., course mentors) were included in Fall 2022.

New Initiative Program

The New Initiative Program (NIP) is federally funded through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education grant and is designed to provide free academic assistance to Associate in Science or certificate-seeking health or pre-health students. While central to the Library and Learning Center at the Health Education Center (HEC), where courses for Nursing and Health Sciences programs are most commonly offered, NIP personnel and funding are also extended to Downtown, Midtown, St. Petersburg/Gibbs, Seminole, Clearwater, and Tarpon Springs campuses or centers to support students in pre-health courses. Students self-refer or are referred to the program and are offered individual sessions, both in-person or online, covering such areas as statistics, medical math, anatomical sciences, nursing and health sciences, test-taking strategies, and study skills. Working closely with Nursing & Health Science faculty, NIP staff aim to offer unique learning service offerings, such as mock/practice practicals with anatomical models to prepare for lab examinations; workshops to reinforce ongoing immersive knowledge of systematic anatomy, human pathology, and medical mathematics; and APA boot camps to lay the groundwork for the health programs that use this documentation style for research and writing. In 2021-22, 28% (1,259) of students enrolled in A.S. Nursing and Health Sciences programs received an in-person or online individual session from a NIP staff member, with a total of 7,995 sessions that year. The NIP center also offered 153 course-integrated and out-of-class group workshops with 3,086 students (duplicated) in attendance.

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses are provided face-to-face and online and offer a sequential curriculum to meet the needs of non-native English speakers. The courses are designed for those students who are interested in learning to read, write, speak, listen, and understand the English language in order to work toward a degree or certificate. Dual Enrolled students do not participate in this program.

Honors Program

The Honors Program is designed to attract highly motivated and talented students who are challenged by an intellectually stimulating academic program of study and have demonstrated the ability to achieve academic excellence. Each term the Honors Program offers courses that are populated by exceptional students taught by Faculty members dedicated to actively involving students in enriched learning experiences. The Honors Program also collaborates with many other college departments to offer a variety of options and elevated support to help these students along their academic journey.

Specialized Services / Programs

In addition to the services available to all students, SPC provides services to holistically address needs and support program persistence and degree completion for a variety of populations. These services, many of which are grant-funded, include:

• The Titans UP! Program, which provides students with intellectual disabilities a well-rounded, fully inclusive, modified college experience to help them gain the skills needed to transition to independent adult roles and into the workplace.
• The Federally-funded Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which provides access to high-quality, affordable childcare and support services for low-income, Pell-grant eligible student-parents.
• The Brother to Brother and FAAME Programs provide integrated models of academic, social, professional, and co-curricular resources that aim to increase the retention, progression, and graduation rates of young men at St. Petersburg College. FAAME also works with African American students in K-12 settings to promote completion of secondary education and matriculation to college.
• TRIO Student Support Services, a Federally-funded program at St. Petersburg/Gibbs and Clearwater campuses, gives first-generation, low-income, and/or disabled students additional support during their college experience through academic advising, mentoring, study skills development, tutoring, cultural events/trips, textbook lending, academic and career advisement, and assistance in accessing community and campus resources.
• The Women on the Way Program serves as both an online and on-campus resource and support program promoting resiliency and academic, professional, and personal success for adult learners.
• The Road to Independence, Success, and Excellence (RISE) program aims to increase graduation rates of students who are experiencing or facing homelessness and/or those currently or formerly in foster care. The program assists through advocacy, mentorship, extracurricular activities, and access to resources.
• The Tampa Bay Bridge to Baccalaureate (TB-B2B) program, an alliance with two other state colleges in the Tampa Bay region, provides resources and supports both online and on-campus to increase the number of underrepresented minority (URM) students pursuing 4-year STEM degrees.

Engagement

Services in this area promote opportunities for students to gain life and civic experiences and include the Center for International Programs and the Student Engagement Suite of Opportunities.

Center for International Programs

The Center for International Programs (CIP) is responsible for internationalization efforts across the College, continuously integrating intercultural opportunities for global engagement across the College and community. The CIP has its main office on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs campus with satellite offices located at the Clearwater and Tarpon Springs campuses. The department provides opportunities for global engagement including study abroad and faculty exchanges, pre-departure orientations, administrative assistance for students on scholarships, and ongoing support for students from pre-departure, during the program, and upon re-entry; international professional development and training for faculty and staff, such as Fulbright opportunities and benefits of study abroad; hosting international events on campus; collaborating with global partners both locally and abroad, and hosting international students from more than 54 different countries.

In an effort to increase student access to global engagement and prepare students for a global workforce, CIP also offers a Global Citizen Pathway (GCP) program designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a competent global citizen who is ready to live and work in a diverse world. The GCP entails curricular, co-curricular, and capstone components that students complete alongside their degree program.

Student Engagement

Whether with peers, faculty, staff, leaders, or community organizations, engaging students in out-of-classroom activities and programs while at SPC emphasizes the importance that the College places on creating a sense of belonging, a network for positive change, and a momentum toward completion. In this regard, SPC offers a wide variety of student clubs, programs, and activities to cultivate and connect personal and professional passions and interests.

St. Petersburg College has an extensive Student Life and Leadership program designed to provide a wide variety of opportunities for students to develop holistically in both academic and non-academic settings. Events, activities, and volunteer opportunities are available in a variety of modalities such as in-person, online, or in a hybrid format.  This allows for all students to participate, regardless of educational format. Academic and student support programs provide students with exposure to real-world skills and opportunities. Student growth and exploration are provided through activities such as volunteerism, workshops, networking events, and leadership and advocacy opportunities such as the Student Government Association. St. Petersburg College Intercollege and Intramural/Recreational Athletics, club and organization opportunities, ROTC, and honor societies such as Phi Theta Kappa also provide robust opportunities for student engagement and support.

Volunteer Services aims to build a bridge connecting SPC students with community service organizations through education, advocacy, and awareness. College-based volunteer opportunities are also open to students, including Dual Enrolled students, who meet the minimum age requirement of 16 and successfully complete a background check. Students are able to use Titan Connect to look up student organizations, track service hours and opportunities, search events, connect with resources, and find out what’s happening on campus.

Economic Mobility

Services within Economic Mobility prepare students for job attainment following graduation and includes Career Services and Work-Based Learning Experiences.

Career Services

SPC’s Career Services department provides career exploration services to students from the beginning of their academic careers through their status as alumni. Career Services staff, known as Career Readiness Navigators, deliver a curriculum focused on the following five pillars of career development: career exploration, personal branding, resume, and cover letter, job and internship search and network strategies, and interview preparation. 

The Career Readiness Navigators provide career development services to all SPC students, including dual enrollment and collegiate high school students, at all locations and online. Services are provided through face-to-face and virtual workshops, face-to-face and virtual class visits, individual student appointments, phone calls, and emails. These workshops, classroom visits, and individual interactions provide students with the tools they need to reach those goals. As students approach the final 25% of their programs, Navigators proactively reach out to an assigned caseload of students through a case management approach to ensure that all students are aware of the career development opportunities that are provided in support of the College’s mission and visionary commitment to economic mobility. The College also works in collaboration with Career Source Florida, an organization utilized by the State of Florida, to assist residents in their career development and career placement goals. 

SPC has made several online career exploration tools available to students through the Career Center and students’ MyCourses accounts, such as the career exploration assessment, and Career Coach, which helps them to understand their skills, values, and interests and connects them to possible career paths through research opportunities. Students also have access to Handshake for their job search and Skills First for resume development. 

Work-Based Learning Experiences

St. Petersburg College values the importance of work-based learning as a key component of post-secondary education and provides opportunities for a variety of work-based learning experiences. Opportunities are offered both on-campus and online, and include:

• Work-based Learning Courses: Internships, Clinicals, Practicums, and/or Co-operative work experience courses are required components of Associate in Science degree programs, and internship courses are offered as electives in other programs, such as the Associate in Arts and Bachelor’s degree programs. Dual Enrolled students who are participating in those programs are eligible to participate and receive support services through the SPC Career Services department.  
• Service Learning: Service learning is a work-based learning strategy that combines community service with career and technical learning goals. Students provide volunteer service to public and non-profit agencies, as well as to civic, charitable, and governmental organizations in the local community. Service Learning is coordinated through the College’s Center for Community Engagement and Civic Learning.
• Business/Industry Field Experience, Job Shadowing, and Mentorship: Students benefit from both short-term and long-term visits with industry leaders through classroom-based field experiences, job shadowing (usually half-day) experiences, and one-on-one relationships with community professionals as mentors. These experiences allow students to observe and investigate activities related to a specific subject and career development objective and extend the learning environment beyond the school facility while building a network in the community.

Faculty Engagement and Support for Student Success

SPC believes that creating a culture of care, belonging, and success for its students begins with ensuring faculty, both full-time and part-time, have access to ongoing support and professional development. To that end, both the College’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and the Instructional Design, Education, and Support (IDEAS) team share a Faculty Support site and provide regular workshops, training and certification courses, and just-in-time learning opportunities, in addition to those supports discussed previously in this narrative. Examples of professional development have included:

• Monday Morning Mentor, a weekly message from the CETL Director in fall and spring semesters with links to 20-minute educational videos on a variety of actionable and timely topics pertaining to college teaching and learning;
• Learn Forward, Keep Teaching (LFKT), a multiple-time-per-month webinar series featuring different hosts to share topics on teaching insights and tools, academic and student support programs, and other relevant resources;
• Summer Institute, a summer series, hosted by the IDEAS team, featuring multiple workshops on areas such as high-impact teaching and learning strategies;
• Teaching and Learning Conference, a semi-annual conference highlighting faculty and other academics’ breakthrough insights on teaching techniques, technology tools, and other classroom-related success strategies and resources;
• Fall/Spring Adjunct Learning Day, a semi-annual conference for adjunct faculty to provide training and collaboration in best practices in teaching, assessment, classroom management, Learning Resources, and other topics key to adjunct success;
• On-Demand Certification Courses, an in-house curriculum, developed by the IDEAS team, available in a just-in-time fashion to train and certify faculty in areas, such as Teaching an Online Course, Teaching Live Online, Applying the Quality Matters Rubric, Developing an Online Course, and Rapid Course Refresh;
• ACUE Micro-credential Course program, a nationally research-based faculty development program institutionally implemented to provide extensive learning through courses, that usually take faculty 50-60 hours to complete, such as Creating an Inclusive and Supportive Online Learning Environment, Promoting Active Learning Online, Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learning in Your Online Course, and Designing Learner-Centered Courses.

Faculty engagement and professional development/training opportunities are offered in a variety of platforms and modalities to support access for all.