About
Our Mission
The California Outcomes & Assessment Coordinator Hub (COACHes), established in 2021 is a resource hub that focuses on Student Learning. Our goal is for community colleges and other higher educational professionals to join colleagues in discussion and sharing promising practices around our raison d’être: supporting students, their learning competencies, and creating communities where exemplary education can thrive.
Our Vision
Our Vision is to increase “Student Learning” and be a clarion call to action on behalf of the students and communities we serve. As educational professionals, and as Learning Leaders, each of us has the power to and responsibility for becoming student-centered and equity-minded agents of change at institutions and organizations. The work of creating lasting and needed systemic change in education and our larger nation will not be done by one individual but can only be achieved through the power of a collective sharing a similar vision (focusing on skills and competencies) for a brighter future.
Our Team
Alisha Bettencourt Ph.D.
Bettencourt holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Capella University, a Master of Arts in education from Oklahoma City University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from the State University of New York at Potsdam. In May 2022, she took on a new leadership role as faculty assessment coordinator to support the growing campus culture and to review and revise assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for instruction.
Michele Dunbar, Ph.D.
Michele Dunbar is the Director of Integrated Learning Assessment and Accreditation and the Accreditation Liaison Officer at California State University, Dominguez Hills. She supports assessment across the Division of Academic Affairs and leads a cross-divisional effort to conduct an integrated assessment of the First- and Second-Year Experiences in partnership with the Student Affairs Assessment Office. Michele completed WSCUC’s Accreditation Leadership Academy in 2023, has completed the CSU Student Success Analytics Certificate program, and she earned a badge for completing the Student Affairs Assessment Leaders’ “Applying & Leading Assessment in Student Affairs” course. She earned her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Southern California in 2003, has taught sociology and first-year composition, and has a research portfolio of original published work in peer reviewed journals, in addition to her applied research in assessment and institutional research.
Sheryl Narahara Hathaway, PhD
Sheryl Narahara Hathaway, PhD, is a digital learning expert with a focus on community-based participatory action research and instructional systems design. Her professional interests encompass neurodiversity, occupational narratives, and universal design for learning. Her career spans senior learning/development positions across major industry sectors, including defense, automotive, medical, sales, entertainment, IT, non-profit, finance and education. Dr. Hathaway’s expertise in course development, design thinking, emerging technologies, and strategic planning has been twice recognized by the international Online Learning Consortium. Currently, she works for Golden West College and California State University, Monterey Bay. Since earning her PhD from Indiana University Bloomington, master’s from SFSU, and bachelor’s from UC Davis – she is committed to creating dynamic learning environments for 21st-century students.
Jarek Janio, Ph.D.
Dr. Janio is an associate professor of ESL at Santa Ana College, School of Continuing Education. He has been involved in Student Learning Outcomes since 2012. He has been working as a faculty coordinator, conducted research projects, written articles, and delivered numerous professional development workshops and webinars on the topics of assessment of student learning, equity, technology, and competency-based education. Dr. Janio founded the annual SLO Symposium in 2014, Friday SLO Talks in March 2020, and in collaboration with other coordinators California Outcomes Assessment Coordinators Hub (COACHes) in November 2021.
Enrique Jauregui
Enrique Jauregui has been an educator for the past 20 years and currently is serving as the SLO Coordinator at Fresno City College. He is dedicated to improving education for all students and acting as agent of change in the institution; designing, implementing and improving the assessment of Service Unit Outcomes and Student Learning Outcomes (Skills and Competencies).
Benny Ng, Ph.D., ACUE
Dr. Benny Ng is currently an associate professor of chemistry and the College Outcomes Coordinator at the Los Angeles Pierce College. He views outcomes and assessments as intentional work to continuously improve teaching and services provided to students. His goal is to create a culture of assessment that celebrates success and moves beyond compliance and accreditation. In addition to outcomes, he also serves as Instructional Excellence Specialist at Pierce College and ASCCC OERI Chemistry Discipline Lead.
Liza Rabinovich
Liza Rabinovich has been an educator for the last 5 years and a lifelong student. She is currently teaching part-time at several community colleges in San Diego and working as the Faculty Outcomes Coordinator at San Diego Mesa College. Her teaching philosophy is to approach learning from a culturally-responsive lens to create meaningful learning environments that can extend beyond the classroom and cultivate independent learners. Liza is on the journey of continuous improvement and works to promote the advancement of authentic and equitable assessment at her campus to continue to support our students.
Amanda Taintor
Amanda Taintor began her higher education journey as a full-time Early Childhood Education instructor. She is now the Faculty Coordinator of Instructional Design and Outcomes for Reedley College. She loves challenging faculty to think about assessment of learning in new and creative ways stretching both herself and the faculty she supports in their pedagogical/andrological assessment and evaluation approaches
Bethany Tasaka
Bethany Tasaka is an associate professor of mathematics at San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC). She is also the Outcomes Faculty Lead and Curriculum Faculty Co-Chair at SBVC. She is the President of the Asian and Pacific Islander Association at SBVC and the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus Chair for the statewide Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. Bethany is passionate about advocating for API voices, lifting the stories of women, and breaking down silos in institutions.