Author: Gina Castillo

Campus, Education

Finals — they’re finally here

Gina Castillo

Many study aids available despite pandemic With finals here, it’s crunch time for most of us. The stress of taking finals can be lessened by creating a game plan to help you study everything your professor has taught you over the entire semester. GAME PLAN It is never too early to start putting together a game plan to help you study for all your classes. The first thing you should do is use the calendar on your phone or laptop to set up a study schedule and use alerts to help you stay on track. Block out chunks of time…

Campus, Food, Technology

YouTube the most important ingredient for Culinary Arts

Gina Castillo

Program still able to train students during pandemic When it comes to virtual learning, Israel Villanueva may have created the perfect recipe. Villanueva, an assistant professor in Del Mar College’s Culinary Arts Program, is no stranger to virtual instruction or technology. Before joining Del Mar, he earned a master’s in education technology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where part of his education required him to teach a six-week hybrid Fusion Cooking Course for a women’s shelter using YouTube and a webpage he created.   “The first thing I did when I arrived as a full-time instructor, I updated the curriculum. I…

Campus, Education, Technology

Students look to YouTube for extra help

Gina Castillo

Video series by math professor proves invaluable Many students continue to struggle with online education as they juggle work, school and family life in a less than ideal learning environment.  Like other schools around the country, Del Mar College has switched to online classes to help stop the spread of COVID-19, forcing students to meet online who were not quite ready to do so.  Nell Atkinson, an engineering major and bakery specialist at H-E-B, found himself overwhelmed when in-school classes were first canceled. “I was trying to juggle working full time, homeschooling my four girls and keeping up with my own…

Campus, Technology

Del Mar launches TikTok video series

Gina Castillo

Site features several ‘how-to’ videos for students Del Mar has long had a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram page, but this summer the college decided to expand its social media presence by adding TikTok to the mix. TikTok has been the most downloaded free mobile app during the pandemic, boasting over 800 million users worldwide despite security concerns from the U.S. government. Del Mar College has joined the rapidly growing social network platform under the username @DMCVikings in an effort to help students stay informed during the pandemic. “What started out as fun dance and viral videos, we quickly realized it…