Fall 2020 Workshops
Our workshop page will be updated regularly so visit often! REGISTER TODAY!
Teaching Academic Integrity in the Online Classroom
Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 1-2pm, Facilitated by Trish Portanova
This round table discussion will address maintaining academic honesty in the online teaching environment from a student-centered approach where plagiarism, co-authorship, collaboration, and misrepresentation are viewed as teachable moments for understanding academic integrity and intellectual ownership in a US-based cultural context. REGISTER!
Stress Relief: Because It’s 2020 and We All Need It
Thursday, 10/29 from 1pm – 2pm Facilitated by Instructional Designer and Yoga Instructor, Christina Gardner-Burns
Feeling stuck, physically, and mentally? Neck tight, back a mess, shoulders slumped from too much… everything? We carry tension and stress in our bodies, and the upper body is no exception (and that’s increasingly common with being bound to computers). What is happening physically affects our mindset. Come ease some tension out of these common stress spots, learn some self-care tips, and spend some time simply catching your breath.
What you will need for this session: towel or blanket; 2 tennis balls (or therapy balls); a long sock (to hold the balls); space to lie down; and chair or couch nearby
What you won’t need for this session: to turn your video on; worries about being judged; any particular level of flexibility; Blackboard 🙂
Microsoft Teams
Friday, October 23, 2020, 11:00am-12:00pm with Enoch and Alex
Microsoft Teams allows people to get together and work more efficiently. Teams give you a space where you can collaborate and share files, chat, make calls and much more. Join this workshop to learn the basics of Microsoft Teams.
Outcomes Alignment
Monday, October 26, 2020, 10 – 11 am with Scott Joubert
Friday, October 30, 2020, 3 – 4 pm with Scott Joubert
This session will help users develop measurable outcomes and objectives that are used in you course designs, Users will learn the difference between outcomes and objectives, how Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are aligned to Program/Department Outcomes (PLOs), how to develop Learning Objectives (LOs) that aid in Learning Activity creation, and how this process will build on Program Assessment. This session is directly related to iTech: Competency #1
Improving Accessibility with Microsoft Office
Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm with Kristen Sparrow and Melba Acevedo
Learn the essentials features in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to improve the accessibility of your course materials. Features to be explored are Microsoft Accessibility Checker, Heading Styles, Alternative Text, and tables. The discussion will also focus on usability and readability.
Recording Video with Kaltura Personal Capture
Monday, November 2, 2020, 11am-12pm with Kristen Sparrow
Create and post short video lectures using Kaltura Personal Capture to introduce a new topic, explain a concept from the readings, or provide additional information about an assignment. The screen capture feature allows you to create your own online tutorial or demonstrate a process. You will also learn how students can record presentations and upload them to Blackboard using Kaltura. This session will take place in Zoom. In the morning, you will receive an email with the link to join the session.
Mindfulness with Chocolate
Wednesday, November 4, 2020, 3 – 3:30 with Kim Burns
Mindfulness is a practice that helps you be in the moment. Rather than worrying about the past or stressing about the future, mindfulness help you to just be. Join us for a short mindfulness exercise where we will be in the moment while savoring chocolate. What you will need for this session: a small piece of your favorite chocolate and a comfortable seating position.
Asynchronous Teaching: Don’t Lose the Best Part of YOUR Course in the Transition Online!
Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 PM with Jody Carson and Sue Tashjian
What is the best part of YOUR course? YOU! How are you going to replace your teaching time in the transition to online? This session will share four tools that you can use to find and create instructional materials for your students. We will explore Open Educational Resources (OER), SoftChalk, Kaltura, and PowerPoint. This session will take place in Zoom. On Tuesday morning, you will receive an email with the link to join the session.
Setting Up the Grade Center in Blackboard
Thursday, November 12th, 2020. 11am-12pm with Rick Lizotte
This session will briefly discuss the setup for a Points System of grading in Blackboard and then concentrate on the steps for setting up a Weighted Grading System. Audience: Beginners or Previous Users of the Blackboard Grade Center. This session will take place in Zoom. On Thursday morning, you will receive an email with the link to join the session.
What’s Burnout and How to Stomp It Out
Monday, November 16, 2020, 12 – 1pm facilitated by Gabe Garcia
Have you felt physically, emotionally, and even mentally exhausted? You might be burning out! So much has changed and we might need some help dealing with it. Please join us in learning how to revitalize ourselves!
Discussions in Blackboard
Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm with Jody Carson
This session will introduce you to using discussion in Blackboard for asynchronous communication. This will be helpful for faculty looking to recreate faculty to student and student to student interaction online. After this session, you will be able to create a discussion forum, explore the settings, deploy, and grade. This session will take place in Zoom. On Tuesday morning, you will receive an email with the link to join the session.
Assignments in Blackboard
Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 11am-12pm with Melba Acevedo
This session will introduce you to the assignment tool in Blackboard. You will learn to create a space for students to upload submissions, based on a written assignment or project. We will also cover grading assignments and provide feedback to students using the inline grading feature. This session will take place in Zoom. In the morning, you will receive an email with the link to join the session.
English Language Learning Across the Curriculum
Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 1-2pm facilitated by Amy Cameron
This round table discussion will address effective strategies for delivering academic content so that English language learners can succeed in courses across disciplines. We will discuss best practices for being culturally responsive, supporting language learning beyond ESL classes, and supporting students as they apply their developing language skills to rich academic content.
Adjunct to Adjunct: Course completion data and the equity gap
Monday, November 30, 2020, 11am – 12 noon Facilitated by Adjunct Faculty Fellow, Pamela Hallock and Kelly Saretsky
Join Kelly Saretsky for an update on course completion data and the equity gap.
Teaching, Connecting, and Engaging with Zoom
Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:00 PM with Sue Tashjian
Zoom allows you to set up a virtual classroom where you and your students can see and speak with each other in real-time. Additional collaboration tools include breakout rooms, screen-sharing, polling, and group chats to help create an interactive online classroom. You can also record and post Zoom sessions so students can review the content later at their own pace. We will discuss how you can enable security features to keep your meetings safe from unwanted guests! This session will take place in Zoom. In the morning, you will receive an email with the link to join the session.
Personalize and Customize your Blackboard Experience
Thursday, December 3, 2020, 1:00pm-2:00pm with Christina Gardner-Burns
A banner image is a great way to create a unique look and feel for your course. In this workshop, we will explore the Teaching Style feature, learning how to create your own course banner, and more. In addition, we will cover tips and techniques to customize your My Blackboard landing page (like “how to hide those older courses”), the Notification Dashboard, and how to add your avatar. Come have some fun exploring Blackboard customization features for you and your student’s Blackboard experience.
Book Club
No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work
by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy
Spring Dates to follow
This spring, join Instruction & Research Librarian Laura Mondt, Professor of English Elle Yarborough and Adjunct Faculty Fellow Pamela Hallock for discussions of the book No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work.
Office Hours, Happy Half Hour, Coffee Break
Center for Professional Development Drop-in Office Hour
With Sharon McManus, Thursday, 10/8, Tuesday, 10/20, Thursday, 11/5 from 11am – 12 and Tuesday, 11/17, 10 – 11
With Kim Burns, Tuesday, 10/13 and Wednesday, 10/28, 11am – 12 noon
The Center for Professional Development Drop-in Office Hour is an opportunity for employees to connect one-on-one with Sharon or Kim to connect and discuss professional development opportunities and resources. Drop in at any time during the hour for one-on-one attention! If we are with someone, you will be in a Zoom waiting room until we are available to meet with you. REACH OUT FOR A ZOOM LINK.
Happy Half Hour, Thursday, 10/ 22 and 11/19, 4-4:30pm
Coffee Break, Wednesday, 10/ 28, Thursday, 11/5 and Thursday, 12/3 from 10-10:30am
CONFERENCES
10th Anniversary National Race Amity Conference, Reset to Our Destiny
November 18-20, 2020
Keynote presenters, special artistic presentations and break outs will offer stimulating and action-oriented sessions around the conference theme, “Reset to Our Destiny – E Pluribus Unum”.
Keynote speakers at the 2020 conference will include, along with others:
- · Activists/Authors – Joy DeGruy, Howard Ross Debby Irving
- · Entertainers/Activist – Penn Badgley and Rainn Wilson
- · International Activist/Author – Don Mullan
- · Award-winning journalist – Celeste Headlee
https://northernessex.wufoo.com/forms/klg8aib05c5p3v/
CONTACT Sharon McManus with questions at smcmanus@necc.mass.edu
REGISTER: https://northernessex.wufoo.com/forms/k61mep0pmumg7/