Asst Professor Mathues, A College & Career Success Author

Driven by a passion for education and a commitment to student success, Brookdale Community College Assistant Professor of Innovation and Learning Resources Sabrina Mathues recently authored a textbook for the University of Arizona Global Campus. The process of writing and publishing a book is an academic pursuit that highlights the intricacies of collaboration, networking, and the intersection between teaching and scholarship, with the aim of contributing to the broader landscape of knowledge dissemination and academic enrichment.

At Brookdale, Professor Mathues is the department chair for College Success and teaches College Success Seminar (CSSC 105). The course promotes academic self-efficacy among first-year college students by identifying and applying academic tools, skills, and strategies, applying critical thinking and information literacy skills, and honing academic and career plans. Students participate in research, discussion, and reflection on a common theme, learn to adapt and present an evidence-based stance, and preview careers in practice. With a deep understanding of effective pedagogy, she is well-equipped to contribute to creating a comprehensive college success textbook.

In fact, her first endeavor into authorship and publishing was in the subject of college success. She was credited as a contributing author for College Success, published in 2020 by OpenStax, a Rice University OER publisher. Mathues wrote Chapter 8 on Academic Planning.

Shortly after the publication of the OER text, the associate director of Editorial of Zovio, the custom publisher for the University of Arizona at that time, reached out to Mathues to co-author College & Career Success: Developing Skills & Strategies, collaborating with two other authors to bring the project to fruition in 2021.

“It was kind of a snowball: I wrote a chapter and was a co-author for OpenStax and then I was a co-author for University of Arizona’s College Success text,” Mathues said. “It’s one of those things that I talked to student about in terms of professional networking.”

The University of Arizona’s publishing group valued Mathues’ insights and last summer encouraged her to submit an outline for a new proposed book. Upon acceptance, she signed a contract to write the book One Step at a Time, A Roadmap for Problem Solving & Making a Difference. The brief contents include Identifying and Defining Problems; Developing a Lens of Understanding; Collecting and Considering Data; Finding Solutions and Gaining Support; and Taking Action and Leading Change. Different from her prior College Success based texts, this book is targeted for students who are completing their general education capstone at University of Arizona Global Campus, and leads readers through a practical problem solving process based on scholarly research practice and the application of project management tools. The overall aim of the text is to lead readers to become change agents in their workplaces and communities. The text is available to read online through the Vital Source platform.

“Professor Mathues is yet another example of the outstanding faculty we have here at Brookdale,” said Associate Vice President Dr. William F. Burns. “Our students are fortunate to have the opportunity to take a class with Professor Mathues and learn from someone with a national reputation and who exemplifies Brookdale’s dedication to student success.”