May/June 2005

Current Issue

Past Issues

Annual Professional Development Day Scheduled for June 3rd

All ACC employees are invited to attend this year’s Professional Development Day to be held in the new Health Sciences Building at Eastview Campus. Some of the workshops being offered include:

• Lighten Up: What’s Food Got to Do With It?
• Ethics and Character in the Workplace
• Living Safely in a Dangerous World
• Creating Effective Tests
• Releasing Stress and Enhancing Mental Focus
• Legal Issues You Should Know About

This day-long event, which will include lunch, is an excellent opportunity for employees to obtain new knowledge and information in a relaxing environment. Beginning May 2, 2005, go to https://workshops.austincc.edu and choose “Calendar View” under Available Workshops to see the sessions offered and to register.

2005 Summer Institute

Summer Institute is an intensive training session focusing on the development and application of specialized instructional methods designed to help faculty become more effective teachers. Hosted by Instructional Development Services, the institute schedule requires that faculty members participate in ten 4-hour sessions over a 2-week period. A stipend of $800 will be distributed upon completion of stated outcomes. This year’s Summer Institute will be held July 11–22, 2005.

Entitled "Engaging and Motivating Students: Interactive Presentation Design and Development," the institute is designed to help faculty develop learning modules/objects with interactive components to help students become more engaged and motivated and subsequently to improve student performance. Participants will be exposed to a variety of tools for various skill levels including PowerPoint, Flash, Dreamweaver and others. To get more information or apply to become a participant please go to: http://itdl.austincc.edu/development/SumInstitute/

Listed below are some of the workshops being offered in May and June. Go to the Workshop and Event Registration Database to view or register for any of the 2005 workshops:

Blackboard Training

On Friday, April 29th, Instructional Development Services will offer a series of workshops at HBC about teaching online. If you are interested in using Blackboard to supplement your campus-based course or develop a distance learning course, please take advantage of this opportunity to learn the best practices, techniques, and strategies for a successful online experience. You can register for this training through the college’s workshop and events registration system at https://workshops.austincc.edu. Search for “IDS” to find these workshops.

8:30 – 9:30 AM, IDS: Blackboard Basics: Tools for developing online courses
9:30 – 11:30 AM, IDS: Blackboard Blitz: A quick-start guide to setting up your Blackboard course
1:00 – 2:00 PM, IDS: Online Options: Create an online learning environment to support students
2:00 – 3:00 PM, IDS: Pragmatic Principles: Implement the principles of good practice
3:00 – 4:00 PM, IDS: Assertive Assignments: Online Student Submissions and Teacher Feedback using Blackboard

Datatel UI

This workshop will familiarize you with the new Datatel user interface (UI). Topics to be covered include opening and navigating through Datatel UI, changing fonts and colors, entering and modifying data, and entering favorites.
5/5/2005, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM or 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, HBC - Room 301.8
5/13/2005, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM, HBC - Room 301.8
5/18/2005, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM or 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, HBC - Room 301.8

ACC Faculty Online

This is an introduction to the web-based system for accessing online class rosters and grade rolls. Learn how to enter grades, review student withdrawals, check grades from previous semesters, and retrieve student phone numbers -- all electronically.
5/6/2005, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, HBC - Room 212
5/7/2005, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, HBC - Room 301.7
5/9/2005, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM, HBC - Room 212

ADA Awareness Training

What constitutes a disability? What is a reasonable accommodation and who determines what is reasonable? Who pays for accommodations that involve renovations or equipment? These and other issues are discussed in this seminar. A refresher course is required every two years for all employees.
5/18/2005, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, HBC - Room 301.1

Sexual Harassment Prevention

Everyone deserves a work environment free of harassment. This course will focus on recognizing harassment, options for dealing with it, and ACC policy. A refresher course is required every two years for all employees.
5/18/2005, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, HBC - Room 301.1

From Theory to Practice: From Teaching to Learning

Dr. Marilla Svinicki, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas, will conduct this two-hour workshop. Formerly the Director of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness, Svinicki has authored several books on teaching theory. The 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.
6/17/2005, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM, HBC - Room 201

Photoshop Elements

Perfect and transform your digital photos like a pro. This workshop introduces participants to an inexpensive, easy-to-use image manipulation program that will enhance and organize your photos.
6/17/2005, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM, RVS - Room 1119

Online Resources for Educators

“Creativity in teaching,” “curriculum renewal,” and “copyright issues” are just a few of the links found on the Faculty Development Associates web site for educators at http://www.developfaculty.com. If you click on Online Resources you’ll be led to a portal that holds 100 plus links to critical issues in higher education. The web site also offers a “Teaching Tip of the Week” relevant to that particular time of the semester.

Starlink Videos Now Available 24/7

Ever had a STARLINK program come and go before you could take advantage of it? For enhanced professional development opportunities, STARLINK has now made 18 programs from their teleconference library available via Internet streaming video for the rest of the academic year. Such videos include:

• Does Your Online Course Need Extra Credit to Pass?
• First Class Tips for Adjunct Faculty
• I Taught It but They Didn't Learn It (Series)
• Developmental Education: Best Practices and Exemplary Programs

To see the entire list of these programs and how you can get professional development credit for them click here.

George Payne

ACC Help Desk Manager George Payne is not your typical “geek.” While he can tech-speak with the best of them, his warm and engaging communication style makes him an ideal leader for a department with the word "help" in it. Since he arrived at ACC in November of 2003, George has initiated some critical changes for the Help Desk, including automating some of the routine processes that were bogging down employees’ time. An example of this includes purchasing a system that automatically resets student passwords that have been forgotten. One other Help Desk process, however, is about to change, that being the 223-HELP number which will no longer offer a menu but instead go straight into the Help Desk queue. There is also a new Registration Help Line (223-INFO).

Raised in Dallas, George spent many of his adult years in Virginia where he pursued a variety of career paths including retail and radio. (He even had his own morning show.) His hobbies include lacrosse, golf, and photography. Next time you’re at the Service Center, stop in and say hello!

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Professional Development and Evaluations Office
5930 Middle Fiskville Road • Austin, Texas 78752
Telephone: (512) 223-7997 • Fax: (512) 223-7995

Modified May 21, 2007
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