UH West Oʻahu faculty and staff gain new insights at learning communities summer institute

From left to right: Katrina Abes, Puʻu Zablan, Kaʻiulani Akamine, Melissa Saul, [insert name], Tiana Henderson, Rouel Velasco, and [insert name].

From left to right: Katrina Abes, Puʻu Zablan, Kaʻiulani Akamine, Melissa Saul,
Kalikolani Correa, Tiana Henderson, Rouel Velasco, and Makalani.

This July, UH West Oʻahu faculty and staff worked to create, expand and improve the University’s learning community programs during the National Summer Institute on Learning Communities at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash.

“We were able to learn best practices for implementing learning communities at our University and learn what other campuses are doing for student success,” said UH West Oʻahu PIKO Project Program Coordinator, Puʻu Zablan, who attended the institute along with First-Year Experience Coordinator, Katrina Abes, Noʻeau Center Testing Coordinator, Kaʻiulani Akamine, PIKO Project Director, Melissa Saul, Hawaiian Pacific Studies Instructor Kalikolani Correa, PIKO Project Program Coordinator, Tiana Henderson, and Student Life Coordinator, Rouel Velasco.

During the institute, the UH West Oʻahu team worked together with learning community resource faculty and experts in higher education reform movements to complete a two-year University learning communities action plan that will be shared with faculty and staff at Professional Development Day this August.

Dr. Melissa Saul, Puʻu Zablan, Tiana Henderson, and Kalikolani Correa also presented the seminar “Infusing Cultural Competency and Traditional Knowledge in Contemporary Education,” and discussed launching the ‘Ike Mauli Ola pre-nursing pathway learning community at UH West Oʻahu. The team explained the process of planning, implementing and completing this first-year pilot learning community; highlighted the importance of cultural values within Hawaiʻi’s educational system; and discussed how this cultural infusion enriched the student, faculty and staff experience at UH West Oʻahu.

Image courtesy of Melissa Saul