First Faculty Fridays
First Faculty Fridays provide instructors with consistent, dedicated time to tackle the evolving educational challenges and opportunities. These workshops offer practical strategies and fresh perspectives that can be immediately applied in the classroom, helping you stay ahead and make a lasting impact on your students.
11/1 Updating Emergency Contacts and Career Profiles in Workday
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Instructor: Scot Brown
Description:
This training session provides a quick demonstration on how to complete three critical updates in Workday. These updates are essential for accurate reporting and emergency preparedness at Montgomery College. It also supports classification and compensation actions, institutional reporting, and allows the College to identify employees with specific skills or experience.
The topics covered will include:
- Updating emergency contacts.
- Updating educational degree status.
- Updating and completing your career/talent profile.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this training, employees will be able to:
- Update Emergency Contacts in Workday: Accurately navigate to the “Contact” section in Workday and update or confirm their emergency contact information.
- Update Educational Degree Status: Successfully update or confirm their educational degree information, ensuring all qualifications are current and correctly listed.
- Complete and Update the Career/Talent Profile: Fully complete their career/talent profile, including adding certifications, trainings, and uploading a resume if applicable, to ensure accurate and comprehensive profile information
11/1 Engaging Quiet Students: Including Silence in Active Learning
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Instructor: Philip Bonner
Description:
Faculty often wish their quiet students would take a more active role in classroom discussions and activities. This workshop examines the reasons why some students do not participate, and what faculty can do to engage and encourage them to contribute their ideas in class.
Measurable Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this one-hour class, participants will be able to:
1. Explain why students may be quiet in the classroom.
2. Define the instructor’s role in promoting participation in class.
3. Use best practices for helping quiet students participate in class.
11/1 Microsoft Bookings
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Instructor: Megan Calvert
Description:
This hands-on workshop will provide an introduction to Microsoft Bookings, a web-based scheduling tool. Microsoft Bookings makes scheduling and managing appointments a breeze. It helps you schedule and manage meetings and appointments with your colleagues or students without granting others direct access to your Outlook calendar. Whether you need to book time to meet people or set aside time for different meetings, Bookings makes it easy and convenient for both you and your attendees. Bookings is highly customizable and can help you save time by reducing repetitive scheduling tasks.
The workshop will be conducted via Zoom. To fully participate, it is best to join from a device with two screens or from two side-by-side devices so that you can follow the instructor’s demonstrations. See the Microsoft Essentials website <https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/offices/elite/microsoft-office-essentials.html> for more details on technology requirements.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the benefits of web-based scheduling tools
- Access Microsoft Bookings via Microsoft365
- Create and manage your own Bookings page
- Share your Bookings page with others
11/1 Blackboard Learn Ultra Virtual Office Hours
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Instructor: Blackboard Learn Ultra Transition Team
Description:
The MC Learn Ultra transition team invites you to join us virtually for office hours. We are here for you to answer questions and connect you to resources around MC’s transition to Blackboard Learn Ultra. In person options are also available (separate signup in Workday). Please ensure you have access to a development course in Blackboard Ultra before attending office hours. More information: https://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/thehub/stay-connected/blackboard-learn-ultra/#Development-Courses
Measurable Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this session, participants will be able to:
- Access Blackboard Learn Ultra resources at MC
- Answer FAQs about this transition
11/1 Converting Original Courses to Blackboard Learn Ultra – Fall 2024
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Instructor: Blackboard Learn Ultra Transition Team
Description:
This session introduces the key things instructors need to know when converting an existing course from Blackboard Learn Original into Blackboard Learn Ultra.
Measurable Learning Outcomes:
On completion, participants will be able to:
- Understand the differences between Original and Ultra Courses.
- Examine features unique or common to Original and Ultra Courses.
- Understand value of course preparation for conversion.
11/1 Blackboard Learn Ultra Basics – Fall 2024
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Instructor: Blackboard Learn Ultra Transition Team
Description:
This session covers the basics of Blackboard Learn Ultra, from the interface and navigation to best practices when building a new course.
Measurable Learning Outcomes:
On completion, participants will be able to:
- Navigate the Blackboard Learn Ultra environment.
- Identify key features of the Blackboard Learn Ultra interface.
- Understand how consistent course navigation can support student learning.
11/1 Improve Document Accessibility with Microsoft 365 Tools
Time: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Instructor: Gloria Barron
Description:
Improve the accessibility of your documents using Microsoft 365’s powerful built-in tools. This session will guide you through best practices for designing accessible content and utilizing features like Accessibility Checker, Immersive Reader, and Dictation to make your documents inclusive for all users. You’ll also discover how to implement structured headers and create a table of contents.
Measurable Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this workshop, you’ll be equipped to create documents that meet accessibility standards, enhancing the experience for students with disabilities and diverse learning preferences.
11/1 Using Micro-Learning Strategies to Improve Students’ Learning Outcomes
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Instructor: Laurent Ndeze
Description:
Micro-learning refers to instructional strategies utilizing ‘bite-sized’ segments of course content, presented in a wide range of formats and using different platforms, including social media. During this workshop, we will examine how you can use micro-learning strategies in your course design and delivery to increase attention span while minimizing constraints on the human brain. In addition, we will review samples and research supporting the idea that most students learn better when engaged in short sessions than in long sessions.
Measurable Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the workshop, you will be able to:
1. Identify effective modes/methods of delivering micro-learning content.
2. Integrate micro-learning activities/objects into your course.
3. Explain how micro-learning strategies can contribute to cost containment for students.
4. Identify 2-3 preferred micro-learning strategies that you would like to use in your teaching.
11/1 Experiential Learning in Action
Time: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Instructor: Angela Lanier
Description:
Experiential learning has benefits for student learning during a course and prepares them for opportunities beyond the course. Many courses cannot accommodate the large-scale experiential learning activities such as internships, practicum, and research, instructors can integrate meaningful, small-scale experiences that benefit student learning; however, instructors can create experiential activities for students on a smaller scale. This workshop will guide participants through the four phases of experiential learning to brainstorm low stakes, shorter activities.
Measurable Learning Outcomes:
1. Give examples of simple experiential learning activities.
2. Identify opportunities to integrate experiential learning into a course.
3. Draft a 10–15-minute experiential learning activity for your course.
