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Faculty development (FD) plays a pivotal role in supporting instructors’ classroom practice and can be instrumental in driving transformational change across an institution. The present case‐study describes how FD supports the transformation of a mathematics department to promote inclusive active learning (IAL) classrooms at a community college, which has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Using a tiered cohort mentoring model, instructors worked together to learn the theory and techniques of IAL, redesigning their classrooms to be a space that creates the right conditions for all learners. Instructors were trained on analyzing disaggregated student outcome data and encouraged to explore student performance within their own courses. The FD team supported the design of a structured mentor training program for faculty, a curriculum designed to promote cohort learning, and supplementary instruction in effective mentoring practices and IAL, to equip mentors to guide their mentees. Qualitative data indicated both mentors and mentees felt strongly supported and empowered to make dynamic classroom changes that support learning for all students. Instructors reported being more open to trying new techniques in the classroom following the professional development experience. 

Mentoring has been used in higher education to support faculty growth and targeting the mentoring relationship to changes in classroom practice can help to inspire transformational growth in an institution. Further, pairing mentors and mentees in professional development focusing on constructing practices to support diverse learners builds reciprocal mentoring relationships in line with relevant literature. Such a reciprocal mentoring program was developed for mathematics faculty at a two-year Hispanic serving institution. Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, serves around 75,000 students annually with approximately 235 mathematics faculty. Faculty across the seven main campuses were given the opportunity to participate in the mentoring program and professional development designed to foster inclusive classroom practices and active learning. Cohorts underwent professional development in the summer and engaged in mentoring in the Fall semester. Two cohorts have participated in the faculty mentoring program (n=26, 25). Over 200 classroom lessons centered on inclusive active learning were developed and implemented from the pairings, indicating a substantial change in instructional delivery. Qualitative feedback from mentors indicated appreciation of the reciprocal nature of the mentoring relationship. In qualitative and quantitative preliminary results, mentees describe engaging in more student outreach and reported an increase in knowledge of inclusive active learning techniques and their importance.