Professional Development Program Offerings

ThRIVE 

Thrive, Retain, Invest, Validate, Engage is an employee retention program that works to improve campus culture and climate using data and by promoting equity-minded and anti-racist mindsets; to build community and facilitate networking; to orient employees to their campus; and to provide support, resources, and professional development through a series of workshops and events each semester.   

 

GC Wellness Series 

The PD Office, in partnership with VEBA, is excited to offer wellness sessions over the fall semester! All wellness sessions will be held virtually at 3pm so that even if you're working remotely you can join in! All sessions will be between 15-30 minutes long.   

 

Faculty Equity & Innovation Institute (FEII) 

 

What is the Faculty Equity & Innovation Institute?  

A year-long cohort model of professional development for full and part-time faculty grounded in equity-minded approaches: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Community Cultural Wealth. The institute integrates these approaches for a holistic perspective with a firm commitment to social justice education that advocates for the classroom as a site for social change.  

 

What is the purpose of the Faculty Equity & Innovation Institute?  

To eliminate equity gaps while promoting instructional excellence.  
 
What are the goals of the Faculty Equity & Innovation Institute?  

• Support faculty in the use of disaggregated course-level data to identify equity gaps and set goals to achieve more equitable outcomes in their classes. 
• Provide an understanding of the history of race and racism, oppression and intersectionality, the system of meritocracy, specifically their impact on Higher Education and classroom culture.  
• Implement classroom and curricular changes based on culturally responsive pedagogy and assess interventions to engage in a cycle of continuous improvement.  

When and where are the Faculty Equity & Innovation Institute sessions?  

Selected Fridays from 1:00-3:00 pm  

There will be 14 sessions over the academic year: 7 in the fall semester and 7 in the spring semester. 

We will poll participants regarding their preferences for in-person vs. online sessions.     

 

How will I be compensated for my participation in the institute?  

Compensation is your AFT out-of-classroom hourly rate for 28 hours after the successful completion of the Faculty Equity & Innovation Institute portfolio.

 

The portfolio consists of the following: 

• Semester 1 Reflection 
• Welcome Letter and Video for their selected course 
• Teaching Philosophy
• Updated Equity-Minded Syllabus for their selected course 
• Action Plan for their selected course 
• Grading Philosophy and Structure 
• Evidence of updated, culturally relevant curriculum for their selected course  Overall FEI Reflection 

Classified Equity Institute 

The Office of Professional Development would like to invite you to the third (not quite annual) Classified Professionals Equity Institute!  

 

This year's institute is a collaboration between the Office of Professional Development, our own Professor Raymundo Quezada, and Dr. Curtis Acosta. Dr. Curtis Acosta was a high school teacher for nearly 20 years in Tucson, where he developed and taught Chican@/Latin@ Literature classes for the renowned Mexican American Studies program in the Tucson Unified School District. He is an award-winning educator who was named one of the “Top 10 Latinos to Watch in US Politics” by the Huffington Post. Curtis was featured in the documentaries Precious Knowledge and Dolores, and his teaching also received profiles on The Daily Show with John Stewart, CNN, PBS, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times amongst many other media outlets. He is now the founder and executive officer of Acosta Educational Partnership where he collaborates with school districts across the country. He is also a professor at Arizona State University.   

Dr. Curtis Acosta is excited to get to offer this institute to classified professionals who he knows are fundamental to students’ journey through community college. Topics will focus on identity, humanizing education through indigenous ways of knowing, how to keep going with equity work through tough times. Dr. Acosta is our convocation keynote speaker for this coming fall convocation so you’ll also get a sneak peek at his work and some one-on-one time with him. We hope this institute is a journey of shared knowledge and learning, and that you walk away feeling energized to continue the amazing equity work classified professionals do for our students every day.  

 

The institute will be on August 6th, 7th, and 8th from 1-5pm every day.  

If you’re interested, please register at the link in the flyer or below. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. We look forward to seeing you there! 

 

Community of Practice on DEIA and Generative AI

Our CoP will explore the practical, ethical, and innovative use of Generative AI tools like ChatGPT in our online teaching practices, culminating in shareable, useful resources for your students and colleagues.    

 

Key Details:   

• Duration: Six 1-hour sessions (9/13, 9/27, 10/11, 10/25, 11/8, 11/22)
• Location: Zoom  
• Compensation: Six hours of non-classroom hourly pay, funded through Student Success and Equity funds  

Session Breakdown:   

• Introduction to Generative AI   
• Practical Demonstrations with AI Tools   
• Integrating AI into Courses   
• Ethical Considerations and Limitations of AI   
• Implementation Strategies and Feedback   
• Review and Future Planning   

For more information, please reach out to Adelle Roe or Angela Feres 

FEII Community of Practice 

 

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