Dr. Eduardo Cabrera helps students prepare for college through daily lecture
Many high schools have had to find ways to enhance learning opportunities for Advanced Placement (AP) students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help address this need, the College Board, the nation's largest college-going organization, reached out to professors to help record video lectures for AP high school students around the world.
Titled "AP Daily," the lecture series consists of on-demand, short videos that teachers can assign to students, saving class time for focused discussion and collaboration. Taught by expert AP teachers, AP Daily videos help cover course content and skills, offering AP students daily support on each topic and practice applying relevant skills in every unit.
As part of the lecture series, students can view the videos independently or Advanced Placement teachers can assign them as homework. Practice questions accompany each lecture, giving students feedback on their learning progress. High school students who complete AP courses can earn college credit for their efforts.
Among the professors who provided an AP Daily video lecture was Dr. Eduardo Cabrera, Millikin University professor of Spanish and chair of the Modern Languages Department. Dr. Cabrera recently released a video lecture for AP Spanish Literature and Culture on how to analyze Latin American plays.
"I lecture on two plays, one of them of my own authorship. My main learning goal is for students to be able to analyze any play, focusing on the cultural, historical, social and political contexts," Cabrera said. "I am proud and very happy of the fact that I am helping thousands of students, especially at a time in which they need much more than what books and distant classes can offer."
Lecturers are chosen primarily because of their subject expertise and prior relationships with the College Board. In November 2012, Dr. Cabrera was selected as the Chief Reader Designate for the AP Spanish Literature and Culture program and exam by the College Board and the Educational Testing Service after working with the AP Spanish Literature program for several years. He played a critical role in the preparation of the course description and exam for AP Spanish Literature and Culture.
"I have been working with the AP Spanish Literature and Culture program/exam for many years, including a complete period as Chief Reader," Cabrera said. "Through the decades, I learned how rigorous the program is and the very high level of students who take AP classes and exams."
Dr. Cabrera says the video lecture series will provide students with new and original pedagogical tools to help them learn through more deep and creative ways.
"Given the very special circumstances we are living in, when so many students are taking classes online, they found themselves in need of extra help," Cabrera said. "Moreover, while learning academic material and improving their critical thinking skills, students can also get a more clear idea of what their transition from high school to college may look like. By watching videos with lectures created by university professors, AP students can visualize themselves as taking classes in those institutions of higher education."
Cabrera feels confident that many viewers of his video lecture will feel enthusiastic about coming to study at Millikin University.
"I am proud and very happy of the fact that I am helping thousands of students, especially at a time in which they need much more than what books and distant classes can offer," Cabrera said. "Equally important to me is being able to help AP Spanish Literature instructors … having so much material to cover for their AP classes, they are always happy to get tools and materials that are well organized and presented in a clear way. That is precisely the main compliment I'm receiving from both high school and college professors … they also point out the quality and the usefulness of my video lecture."