The spring semester of faculty development is off to a strong start with courses, cohorts, workshops, and webinars. For those of you planning your PD calendar in advance, don’t fret – there will be more scheduled events added for the upcoming months. And don’t forget – Magna Digital Llibrary is waiting with hundreds of on-demand PD sessions on topics ranging from Active Learning to Zoom.

Check out this month’s offerings and let us know what you think! fpd@cod.edu

COD Connects: Spring Faculty Learning Cohorts

Join colleagues from across campus in exploring the 4 Connections – key practices that any instructor can easily implement to create engagement and community in their classroom. 4 Connections Faculty Learning Cohorts are now enrolling for the spring semester! Each of the four 4-week cohorts are online with weekly synchronous meetings (recorded for your convenience if you cannot attend). Full-time faculty can earn 4 PDH; Adjunct faculty can receive a stipend for participating.
Register in Cornerstone
     Cohort 1 – 2/5/24 – 3/3/24
     Cohort 2 – 2/12/24 – 3/10/24
     Cohort 3 – 2/19/24 – 3/17/24
     Cohort 4 – 4/1/24 – 4/28/24

Free Online Conference: ILCCO Growing Online

The ILCCO Growing Online Conference is the free web-based conference for Illinois community colleges. With conveniently scheduled sessions over three days, ILCCO Growing Online provides opportunities for community college educators to learn from one another on topics related to online teaching and learning and technology. This year’s theme is artificial intelligence and conference sessions range in scope from global (the impact of AI on higher ed) to discipline-specific (AI and writing curriculum, Humanities, and Science). Did I mention that it is free?
AI: Transforming Education for Tomorrow – ILCCO Growing Online Learning Conference – February 6-8, 2024 | Online (free) 

Register for the Illinois Community College Assessment Fair!

Registration is now open for the 27th Annual Illinois Community College Assessment Fair. The Keynote speaker for this event will be Dr. Ryan Glover, Chancellor of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges.
27th Annual Illinois Community College Assessment Fair
College of Lake County
February 23, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Basic Advising

Basic Advising is back! In this online course designed for Full-Time Faculty, participants will discuss: The philosophy of advising within student development theory; Degree requirements; Specific College of DuPage advising materials available for use; The Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI); Online advising; Class placement testing; And resources available through the Library. This course will enhance the advising skills of Full-Time Faculty or Administrators in order to best ensure student success. Registration is open in Cornerstone.
  In-person section: Thursdays, 1:00 – 3:00 PM | Feb 8 – Mar 14 – BIC 3541 

Teaching Squares

Get out of your classroom and into someone else’s! Teaching Squares is a well-loved professional development program that allows faculty members to learn from colleagues across divisions and disciplines by observing how they teach. Participating faculty have found the experience more-than worth it!
Whether you’re looking to (re)connect with colleagues from other disciplines, interested in new approaches to teaching and learning, or just curious about what other instructors do in their classrooms, Teaching Squares is for you!

To get started, complete this online application form at https://forms.office.com/r/tCWt5Zqz82. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, February 21st. Full-time faculty can earn 4 PDH.

Visit https://library.cod.edu/guide_reflection/squares and review the handbook resource for information about the Teaching Squares program and requirements.

Shut Up & Write!

No matter what you’re writing, finding time in your busy schedule is usually the biggest challenge to meeting your writing goals. Commit to writing with others for an hour a week and find the accountability, focus, and structure you need to get your writing done! Shut Up & Write sessions are 90 minutes – 15 minutes for introductions, 60 minutes of focused writing time, and 15 minutes to check in at the end. Registration is not required – attend whenever you can! Contact Jenn Kelley at kelleyj@cod.edu for more information. (PDH unavailable)
     Thursdays, starting February 1, 2:30 – 4:00 PM – SRC 3144

Are you teaching Hyflex classes? Let’s talk!

Are you teaching a Hyflex class this semester? If so, I would love to talk with you about it! As part of a COD research study seeking to understand how instructors successfully teach in multiple modalities (online and in-person) simultaneously, I’m hoping to interview faculty and observe hyflex classes. The goal? To learn from COD’s faculty practitioners in order to provide faculty development to instructors who are also interested in teaching in hyflex learning environments.
Email me at kelleyj@cod.edu or fill out this form for more information.

We Want Your Ideas: Propose a Workshop

We are always looking to offer new faculty development opportunities that are interactive and collaborative, share practical, evidence-based best practices on pedagogical themes, and encourage participants to try new things in the classroom. Do you have an effective teaching strategy that you’d like to share? Are you conducting research with remarkable results? Have a wicked problem that warrants discussion? Submit your proposal by completing this online form and let’s get your session on the FPD calendar! FT faculty can earn 2xPDH for facilitating workshops. Contact Jenn Kelley at kelleyj@cod.edu with any questions.

February Workshops

Registration for all Workshops is available in Cornerstone. PDH is available for FT faculty unless otherwise indicated.

Ongoing Feedback: Creating a Culture of Feedback – Online
Tue, Feb 6 | 12:30 – 1:30 PM
This session includes Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) that allow you to check in on student learning, well-being, and general course climate. If you have unanswered questions about your students–anything from “Do they get it?” to “Why doesn’t anyone talk in this class?!”–this is the session for you! 

Big Interview: Building Interview Skills in the Classroom
Tue, Feb 13 | 12:00 – 12:30 PM
Oral communication is an essential part of both education and preparing for the workforce. Career Services will demo a virtual interviewing platform that can be incorporated in the classroom to help connect career concepts to learning outcomes. Read a little more about the Big Interview mock interview platform on the Career Services Webpage for Faculty and Staff. 

Alternative Grading Panel Presentation – Hyflex
Facilitators: Jill Grauman, Jacinta Yanders, Karin Evans, and Jessica Nastal
Feb 19, 2024 | 2:30-3:30
Three English faculty who use alternative grading strategies will share their philosophies and approaches to grading. Learn more about alternative grading and discuss possibilities with other participants. This panel presentation will be available HyFlex–you can join via Zoom or come in person. [registration coming soon]

Becoming One COD – SRC 2000
Mon, Feb 19 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Mon, Feb 19 | 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Mon, Feb 26 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Mon, Feb 26 | 1:00 – 4:00 PM
This workshop will provide you with valuable insights and tools to practice conscious inclusion with every member of the COD community on a daily basis. Join us and be a part of our journey towards becoming One COD. 

UndocuALLY I – BIC 3E07
Thu, Feb 22, 2024, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Undocumented students and their families face unique challenges. Join us as we learn about the breadth of myths and inaccuracies surrounding this population, while developing a much-needed campus support system. This training will help eliminate barriers, build trust, and enable us to best support this population on campus. Trainers will utilize a version of United We Dream’s Educator Toolkit and UndocuPeers curriculum, modified with statistics specific to DuPage County. * Look for the new UndocuALLY II session in March. 

The Dual Credit Site Visit
Facilitator: April Zawlocki
Fri, Feb 23 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
This workshop will prepare you to conduct Site Visits at dual credit sites. This workshop is required prior to conducting Site Visits. [Registration coming soon]

VMock: Providing Resume Feedback Efficiently – Online
Tue, Feb 27 | 12:00 – 12:30 PM
Are your students thinking about resumes? Is it because you gave them an assignment? Or do they ask you for feedback because you are a trusted professional? There is a system to help you and your students develop better resumes. Learn how an AI software can help you be more efficient in providing student resume feedback. Read a little more about the VMock Smart Resume Platform on the Career Services Webpage for Faculty and Staff 

How to Make Learning Fun – Online
Facilitator: Sandy Fries
Tue, Feb 27 | 3:00 – 5:00 PM
This FPD session will discuss tools to make learning enjoyable for our students and also for our professors. Making learning enjoyable would help students see that there is great enjoyment possible when you learn in college. Some items might include how to inject comedy into teaching when appropriate, how to have extremely busy professors enjoy teaching while faced with many pressures and deadlines, how to make group projects more enjoyable, etc.