March/April 2005 InfoStream

Teaching and Learning Workshop for Faculty

The Professional Development Office is pleased to announce a special teaching and learning workshop for ACC faculty. Dr. Marilla Svinicki, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas, will conduct a two-hour workshop, from 1:00-3:00 PM on June 17th at HBC, room 201, entitled “From Theory to Practice: From Teaching to Learning.” Dr. Svinicki, formerly the Director of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness at UT, has authored several books on teaching theory, including Learning and Motivation in the Postsecondary Classroom, College Teaching: From Theory to Practice, and Changing Face of College Teaching. Dr. Svinicki’s workshop will be structured so that the first hour covers general teaching and learning theory discussion, followed by an hour of hands-on problem-solving. She will remain available to participants with special questions until 4:00 pm. Space is limited to the first 40 participants so click here to register.

Below are some of the workshops being offered in March and April. Go to the Workshop and Event Registration database to view or register for any of the 2005 workshops, including those listed below:

Managing Job Burnout

Approximately one-third of U.S. workers say they feel overwhelmed or overworked by their job responsibilities. Often personal and workplace problems correlate with the feelings of overwork and burnout. This workshop will help employees identify potential causes for burnout and provide tools and strategies for preventing it.
3/3/2005, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM, HBC - Room 411

Plagiarism: Detection and Prevention Online

The growth in online information has greatly increased the temptation to and ease for students to plagiarize. Learn techniques for searching for uncited writing. Learn the different places that students can steal from that you may not be aware of. Join in a discussion of ways of preventing plagiarism ranging from gentle explanation to creative assignment design or simply instilling fear. Handout and live demonstration techniques included.
3/4/2005, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, HBC - Room 301.7
4/15/2005, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM, HBC - Room 221.0

Lighten Up: What's Food Got To Do With It?

How you eat affects the way you feel, look and perform, and yet so many of us are engaging in eating patterns that diminish our productivity and vitality. In this workshop, Dr. Vincent Bellonzi of the Austin Wellness Institute will discuss how to monitor your metabolism and physiology in addition to using proper nutrition as a strategy towards weight loss and better health.
4/27/2005, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM, RVS 8100

Effective Leadership: Handling Workplace Attitude Problems

This course is designed to help build leadership skills effective in managing "bad attitudes." Participants will learn to understand the difference between attitude and behavior as well as the connection between the two, identify ways to create open and supportive work environments, and explore techniques for giving effective feedback about behavior issues.
3/23/2005, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM, RVS - Room G-8100

Lighten Up: Gaining Energy and Productivity in 2005!

Learn some simple techniques for lightening up in 2005--physically, mentally and emotionally. Whether it's losing a few belt notches or gaining a lighter attitude, this workshop will reconnect you to your sources of vitality. By lightening up in even one area of your life, you can gain energy that will enhance both your personal and professional productivity.
3/24/2005, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, PIN 1013

Proofreading A - Z

Do you often have to proofread documents and find yourself frustrated that you don't find more of the errors until after the document has been distributed? There may be some routine parts of the process that you're overlooking. Come to this session and learn how to reduce the frustration surrounding this process.
4/5/2005, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM, SVC - Room 133

Choosing Healthy Options For Your Anger

Conflict that smolders behind the scenes can be divisive and destructive. Conflict that gets on the table can be transforming. Learn how to minimize conflict, address it effectively, and learn from it when appropriate.
4/13/2005, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, HBC - Room 411

Teleconference: Pedagogy 102 For Distance Learning Faculty

This Starlink seminar is a continuation of the February 24 “Pedagogy 101” broadcast. It features panelists who are successful practitioners and highly-regarded theorists presenting the most current and most useful pedagogical models and applications for distance learning.
4/21/2005, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM, HBC - Room 103.6

Conflict Resolution

Do you have a hard time discussing differences of opinion with others with whom you live or work? It doesn't have to be as tough as you might think. Come and get some pointers about communication skills that can help you deal with this common challenge.
4/28/2005, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM, HBC - Room 301.2

Two Mandatory Courses Now Offer New Online Option

Recently several changes have occurred in mandatory training requirements for ACC employees. Prior to this fiscal year, supervisors were to complete both Sexual Harassment Prevention training and Americans with Disabilities Act Awareness training every other year while all other employees were responsible for completing the training every three years. Now all ACC employees are required to complete these training programs once every two years.

While classroom training is still available, employees now also have the option of completing these courses online. To choose the classroom option, look for Sexual Harassment Prevention and ADA Awareness Training at https://workshops.austincc.edu. Online versions are listed as Online Course: Sexual Harassment Prevention and Online Course: ADA Awareness. In addition, employees who have already completed sexual harassment prevention training at ACC have the option of completing only the refresher course when they log in.

The IT staff has been working with the Professional Development Office to develop a notification system for keeping employees informed about when updated training is due. The system, which should be available within a couple of months, will send email reminders to let employees know when their renewal dates are approaching as well as reminding supervisors whose employees have missed training deadlines.

Employees Can Soon View Payroll Info Online

In April, ACC Employees will be able to use ACC Online Services to view their position summary, leave plan summary, W-2's, paycheck stubs and advice forms. These services are inquiry only, meaning you will be able to view your information but will not be able to change the information. A notice will be going out in the near future that will direct employees to the location of this service online and explain how to navigate through the system.

Expanded Choices for ACC Employee Workshops

ACC employees now have even more professional development workshops to choose from. Selected workshops offered through the Center for Community-Based and Nonprofit Organizations at Austin Community College can be taken free by ACC employees. These offerings are found at https://workshops.austincc.edu with topics for March and April including:

Facilitating Collaborative Groups
Aligning Your Career
Understanding and Promoting Personal Accountability
The Power of Asking Wicked Questions

Professional Development Day Announced

Plan to attend Professional Development Day Friday, June 3. Details of the annual day-long event will appear in the next issue of InfoStream.

Cindy Yates

In the past year, ACC gained a valuable "multimedia" asset by hiring Cindy Yates to assist employees with multimedia needs. By using Flash, HTML, DreamWeaver and several video editing formats, she assists faculty and staff in creating interactive materials for courses, web sites, and other special projects.

Cindy has worked as a multimedia developer in Austin for the last ten years, focusing on the development of educational CD-ROMS and web sites. She is also a Macromedia Certified Instructor (MCI) and has taught as an adjunct instructor at ACC in the Visual Communications Department and at a local Macromedia certified training facility.

Cindy has been in Austin since 1991, but grew up in Salado. She and her husband have been renovating a home for the past several years, including the arduous task of transforming a one-story home into a two-story. I believe she has some stories, so if you're over at Riverside, near the Media Department in Building A, stop on by and say hello.