August 20, 2026
Cuyamaca College Faculty Josh Franco Receives the 2026 APSA Award for Teaching Innovation
Published August 20, 2026 by Political Science Now
El Cajon, CA – At the August 20, 2026 American Political Science Association(APSA) Annual Meeting, Cuyamaca College faculty member Josue (Josh) Franco received the 2026 APSA Award for Teaching Innovation. The APSA Award for Teaching Innovation honors a wide range of new directions in teaching by recognizing a political scientist who has developed an effective new approach to teaching in the discipline.
Citation from the Award Committee: After considering many worthwhile applications, the Committee has selected Josh Franco from Cuyamaca College as this year’s winner of the APSA Award for Teaching Innovation. Dr. Franco’s commitment to providing free and quality resources to students and faculty is the foundation for his creativity and his scholarship.
Dr. Franco’s teaching innovations include: Sim Capitol, an online platform that instructors
can use to generate individualized simulation material for American Politics classes;
iPolSci, which is a platform for any faculty to use for managing their courses and
building networks; and the creation of an open education resource textbook Introduction
to Political Science Research, the first of its kind at the community college level.”
This text fills a critical gap in community college curricula and should have significant impacts on lowering DWF rates in required political methods as community college students transfer to four-year institutions. He also created a companion STATA textbook Polimetrics, which offers an introduction to STATA and modeling. All of these works are free and allow all political scientists to use these to expand their classroom engagement.
As his nomination letter states, “Josh’s innovations in teaching include many resources, mostly free, to make political science teaching more engaging not just for students but also for professors. Dr. Franco’s work has implications far beyond his own campus or state.”
After reviewing his materials, the Committee agreed that Dr. Franco’s innovations expand the field of Political Science Education and are excellent examples of how faculty developing resources for teaching their students can have an impact on more than just their students and institution, but can be expanded to their profession and communities across the country and even internationally.
Dr. Josh Franco is a tenured Associate Professor at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, California. Born in Mexico and raised in Los Angeles County, he is a proud first-generation college graduate who holds A.A. degrees in economics and political science from Cerritos College, and a B.A. in public policy and M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Merced.
He served as his college’s inaugural Open Education Resources (OER) Coordinator and assisted colleagues in securing over $1 million in grant funding. He created a student learning platform called SimCapitol.org, co-authored Introduction to Political Science Research Methods OER textbook, published in the Journal of Political Science Education, and has presented at over a dozen conferences.
Dr. Franco served as the Chair of the APSA Status of First-Generation Higher Education Scholars in 2022-2023 and Co-Chair of APSA Committee on the Status of Community Colleges from 2025-2026.
He served as 2024-2025 APSA Congressional Fellow for U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, the first community college faculty to earn the fellowship since the 1960s. Prior to his academic career, he worked for 5 years in the California State Capitol and U.S. House of Representatives for former Lieutenant Governor and Congressman John Garamendi of California.
About Cuyamaca College
Cuyamaca College has been proudly serving the diverse community of East County since its opening in 1978. As a comprehensive educational institution, Cuyamaca College offers a wide range of opportunities for students through both transfer programs and career & technical education pathways. The college is deeply committed to social justice, ensuring that all students, regardless of background, have access to high-quality education and the resources they need to succeed. Offering 197 degrees and certificates, the college serves over 13,000 students annually, providing a student-centered approach to learning. Cuyamaca College delivers exceptional support services and is dedicated to ensuring students’ future success and long-term economic mobility through high transfer rates to universities and preparation for careers in their chosen fields.
About the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (the District) includes Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges, which offer hundreds of degree and certificate programs, including Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Advanced/Basic Certificates. The colleges lead the way in developing educational programs, classes, and services that meet the needs of the community of learners, and prepare students to meet changing community and workforce needs, while advancing social justice and economic mobility. www.gcccd.edu
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