March/April 2008

Current Issue

Past Issues

Teaching and Technology Trends Symposium - April 4th

On April 4th, Instructional Development Services will present the sixth annual Teaching and Technology Trends Symposium at the Highland Business Center.  The upcoming event will feature twelve hands-on workshops based on the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative's (ELI's) 7 Things You Should Know About...series that provides concise information on emerging learning technologies and related practices. Organized around four tracks, the sessions include:

• Connections - Student Response Systems (Clickers), Podcasting, Blogs/Vlogs
• Collaborations - Wikis, Virtual Meetings, Virtual Worlds
• Collections - Mapping Mashups, You Tube, Social Bookmarking
• Communications - Instant Messaging, Skype, Social Networking

You will need to register for these sessions through the ACC Workshop and Event Registration database. You can find a list of all sessions through a search for 'Trends 08' or search for the individual session by title or date.  Note that you will need to register for the “Poster Sessions” workshop to attend the free lunch.

More information, a schedule and workshop descriptions can be found at the “Teaching and Technology Trends Symposium” website at http://irt.austincc.edu/ids/workshops/trends0408/.

In addition to our usual offerings, the list below previews workshops being offered this Spring. Just click on the name of the workshop to get more information or enroll.

Exploring Second Life Basics for Educators: Webcast
3/20/2008, 12:00pm-2:00pm, EVC 9229

Personal and Professional Resilience
3/21/2008, 8:30am-10:00am, NRG 2119

HR: Building a Better Budget

PowerPoint 2
3/21/2008, 9:00am-11:00pm, HBC 301.8

PowerPoint 3
3/21/2008, 11:00am-1:00pm, HBC 301.8

Course Redesign 4: Integration and Redesign
4/18/2008, 2:00pm-4:00pm, HBC 410

Ally Training
4/30/2008, 11:00am-3:00pm, RRHEC TBA

Wellness Series

Six Simple Steps to Fitness Success
4/8/2007, 11:00am-12:30pm, HBC 410

Stretch to Beat Stress
4/10/2008, 10:00am-11:30am, SAC 1130

Foods that Create Vitality
4/17/2008, 11:00am-12:30pm, PIN 1013

It’s Time for ACC Teaching Excellence Award Nominations

The nomination process for ACC Teaching Excellence Awards is now taking place and nominations may be submitted by faculty, staff, and students. Full-time and adjunct faculty members who promote special learning opportunities, student interaction, and innovation may be nominated. Other selection criteria include depth/breadth of knowledge in subject area and a profound teaching philosophy. These awards will be presented at Commencement as they are each year.

To nominate the faculty member of your choice by the April 11 deadline, submit a form online at http://www.austincc.edu/hr/profdev/awards/bestprof.php, fill out the form found in your Campus Manager’s office, or download the form at http://www.austincc.edu/hr/profdev/documents/te-nomination.pdf and fax it to HR Professional Development at 223-7995. Keep in mind that forms submitted online may be easier for the selection committee to read than handwritten forms. Posters explaining the process may be seen at each campus.

The selection committee reviews the nomination forms with an eye toward interaction with students, knowledge of teaching field, creativity and innovation in the classroom, presentation of information, diversity awareness, and any combination of these. Decisions are not based on the number of nominations an individual receives, but rather on the content of the nominations themselves. If you have questions about the award, please contact Susan Hamende at shamende@austincc.edu or 223-7564.

Information about Spring Evaluations for Faculty

Anyone who requests an evaluation in the Spring or Summer will be a part of the testing phase for our new and improved process.  As we streamline faculty evaluations, there are three important differences you will notice:

• No more #2 pencils.
• New look, same questions.
• Results via your ACC email account.

For more information, click here.

Hill Country Ride for AIDS

Once again, the ACC Aces will be participating in the annual Hill Country Ride for AIDS.  This year’s ride is on April 26th.  This is a great way to get some exercise AND give something back to our community.  Money raised by this event provides life-saving services to people in the Austin area with HIV/AIDS. These services include medical care, prevention education, housing, hospice care, food bank use, transportation to medical appointments, counseling, prescription assistance, and legal assistance.

The spirit of the Hill Country Ride is that it's a Ride, not a race. There is a route for everyone. For those who are interested, there is a series of twice weekly training rides leading up to the main event.  The main route is 50 miles through the winding back roads of the beautiful Texas Hill Country. There is also a shorter 10-mile loop that allows you to choose your distance, and an Olympic Extension off the main route, which adds an additional ~ 20 miles. The route is fully supported, with Pit Stops every 15 to 20 miles, and SAG support all along the route. All levels, from very beginners to serious cyclists, have fun on the Hill Country Ride for AIDS.

There are 3 ways you can support the Ride and they are not mutually
exclusive:

1. Participate in the Ride. First-time riders agree to raise $400; all others agree to raise $500.
2. Volunteer to help with the logistics of the Ride.
3. Donate to someone like Biology Professor Salvatore Tavormina who participates in the Ride.

To join the ACC Aces or make a donation, go to http://www.hillcountryride.org, then click on “Find a Rider, Crew, or Team” and search for Salvatore Tavormina. If you have any questions, you can email Sal at: tav@austincc.edu.

John Caporusso Retires

John Caporusso was given a retirement send-off at the end of January which included a comedic video produced by Lara Niles. He worked 27 years for ACC and much of that time was spent in Professional Development and Evaluation Programs. John also taught psychology for many years as an adjunct faculty member. His work with ACC included teaching for the massage therapy program, which he will continue to do after retirement.

He will be missed!

View the video produced for John's retirement party.