In 2022, Middlesex Community College started its first Pedagogy of Real Talk (PRT) cohort for professional staff to build stronger bonds and connections with students, following the model Paul Hernandez created for faculty members. The purpose of MCC’s staff PRT cohort is to develop a theme based on personal experiences and speak directly to students in order to form meaningful associations with them that go beyond the classroom.
“When I speak to groups, I lean into my journey as a first-generation immigrant living in Lawrence, the things that I went through, and the forks in the road I had to navigate,” said Jeffrey Tejada, MCC’s Interim Assistant Dean of Admissions. “I relate that story back to them, where they are now and what they have to deal with in life, and tell them they can earn their degree, Middlesex is here and works with students similar to them and all of their backgrounds. The purpose of my talk is for students to realize they can be successful and MCC is a conduit for them to keep striving.”
All of the members of the cohort have different platforms to have these talks. While Tejada often meets with a larger group of prospective students, other staff members may have quick, one-on-one sessions with current students when they come to them. Staff in the cohort – including from Admissions, Enrollment and Advising – spent their first year in the program developing and delivering their real talks in order to grow more comfortable.
“I relate that story back to them, where they are now and what they have to deal with in life, and tell them they can earn their degree, Middlesex is here and works with students similar to them and all of their backgrounds. The purpose of my talk is for students to realize they can be successful and MCC is a conduit for them to keep striving.” - Jeffrey Tejada, MCC’s Interim Assistant Dean of Admissions
“My experience in the PRT cohort has enhanced my interactions with students,” said Beth Kelley, MCC’s Coordinator of Academic Success Programs. “Through the use of Real Talk, I am able to connect with students on a deeper level and develop a greater sense of trust and belonging. The cohort has also strengthened my own sense of connection and belonging at the college.”
Now in its second year of the three-year program, the cohort is focused on collecting data. During the Fall 2023 semester, the cohort sent out its first Student Climate Survey in order to have a better understanding of students’ sense of belonging at the college. Reaching out to 6,000 students via text message, email, and the college’s online management system Blackboard, 2,324 students responded for a 44 percent response rate.
To encourage participation, completed surveys were entered into a raffle. Middlesex Liberal Studies student Bryanne Fitzgerald, of Billerica, was the winner.
The cohort is now focused on looking at the data to identify important trends for questions centered around feeling accepted in the community, connecting with a faculty or staff member, participating in campus activities and events, feeling safe as their authentic selves within the community, and being treated with as much respect as other students.
With a second cohort in their first year, the college is also looking at starting another. In one year, the first PRT staff cohort will run the same survey to see if changes have been made across campus based on this collective work. While many of the responses were positive, the cohort is analyzing both the strengths and weaknesses of each question identified in the survey.
“The hypothesis behind this survey is that as this staff cohort activity increases on campus, we would see that these responses would move toward the positive,” said Kayla Caron, MCC’s Registrar. “To make our vetted, peer-review questions, we did research using multiple platforms to pull data sets and look at how other campuses have evaluated this. Incorporating what we’ve learned in PRT – compassion, taking the time to listen, and focusing on making connections with students – we hope it has a grassroots effect across campus.”