Skip Main Navigation
Skip Navigation
  1. Home
  2. Professional Development
  3. Professional Development

Professional Development

Calendar of Events

February 9

Introduction for Accessibility for OER
7:30-8:30 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Join ISKME for an exploration of Accessibility for Open Educational Resources (OER) with 60 minute Zoom sessions designed to support our community with the processes, tools, supports, and best practices for creating and remixing openly licensed resources for accessibility. These introductory sessions will be an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the US Department of Justice’s Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments, discover OER that support accessibility, and engage in discussions about Accessibility for OER creation and implementation practices in breakout rooms. The Introduction to Accessibility for OER Sessions will be repeated in February and March to accommodate our communities’ different time zones and schedules. Please register for the date and time that works for you below. We look forward to engaging with you and building our community of OER and Accessibility Leaders. Registration is required, and the sessions are free.

Beyond Compliance: Using Accessibility Tools as a Student Success and Retention Strategy
Presented by NISOD (AHC is a member- each employee must create their own free account using AHC credentials)
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Many institutions view accessibility as a compliance issue rather than a driver of student success. This session reframes accessibility as a core retention strategy by showcasing innovative uses of accessibility tools within Canvas courses. Participants will see how accessibility improvements can positively impact engagement, persistence, and equitable outcomes. Through live demonstrations, interactive discussions, and a digital takeaway toolkit, attendees will explore actionable ways to support faculty and staff in creating inclusive learning environments. Whether you are an instructor, instructional designer, or administrator, you’ll gain practical strategies and resources to transform accessibility work from a checklist to a student-centered practice that promotes success for all learners.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Explain how accessibility practices directly impact student retention and success in community colleges.
  • Demonstrate using accessibility tools to identify and resolve Canvas accessibility issues effectively.
  • Develop a plan to engage faculty and staff in building accessible, inclusive digital learning environments.

CalSTRS Presents: My Retirement System
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
This online workshop provides an overview of the CalSTRS hybrid retirement system, your survivor and disability benefits, how your benefit will be calculated, ways you can increase your benefit and other CalSTRS resources available to you. Learn more about this first step in your life journey with CalSTRS.

February 10

Understanding Seasonal Depression
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Do the winter months get you down more than you think they should? Discuss the signs and symptoms of seasonal depression, when it’s time to see a doctor, and what treatment options are available. Learn practical ways to manage symptoms & support others in this one-hour seminar with a licensed therapist.

CalSTRS Presents: Am I Saving Enough?
4-5:30 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Once you retire from CalSTRS, you’ll receive a lifetime monthly pension. Yet saving additional money for retirement is an essential part of reaching your retirement savings goal. Learn how CalSTRS Pension2® can help you close any gap between the amount your pension provides and your retirement income needs. Also explore a few scenarios to help you understand how long you may need to work and how much money you may need to save to achieve the retirement you desire.

Getting Started with Turnitin Similarity for Instructors
8:45-9:45 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Join us for a 1-hour webinar led by Turnitin's Customer Onboarding team! This session is crafted especially for new users of Turnitin Similarity or Turnitin Similarity with Originality products, and for those who just need a general refresh of skills. You’ll leave the webinar feeling confident in your ability to interpret the Similarity Report and AI Writing report (included with the Originality add-on), and equipped to utilise these reports as a valuable formative learning tool in your classes. 

What we'll cover:

  • How to define plagiarism, academic misconduct, and the difference between plagiarism and text similarity
  • Recognise expected similarities and the factors that increase expected similarity
  • Understand which processes to follow if plagiarism is detected
  • Utilise Turnitin Similarity as a formative tool to improve writing outcomes
  • Identify plagiarism in the Similarity Report
  • Identify potential misconduct using the AI Writing detector (included with the Originality add-on only)
  • Understand how to harness key Turnitin Similarity settings

February 11

Understanding Workplace Anxiety
8-9 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
While stress at work is common, constant and overwhelming anxiety can negatively impact productivity, confidence, and overall health. Discuss common anxiety triggers and learn practical strategies for managing stress, setting boundaries, and building resilience in this one-hour seminar. 

The Retention Disconnect: What Adult Learners Need—And What Institutions Miss
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required 
New research from UPCEA and Collegis Education reveals a growing misalignment between how institutions approach retention and what adult learners actually need to succeed. While many institutions are investing in retention, strategies still over-rely on structured oversight and under-deliver on the flexibility, visibility, and autonomy adult online learners say they need most.

What you’ll learn: 

  • Why nearly half of institutional leaders can’t report their online retention rate — and why that matters
  • The disconnect between staff-led interventions and student-preferred tools like dashboards and self-service
  • How to shift from compliance-based models to empowerment-driven support
  • The importance of segmentation based on life stage, not just demographics
  • Three strategic shifts institutions can act on now

OER and DE Office Hours
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required 
Drop in to chat, share ideas, and ask questions about the intersections of OER and DE. If you are creating, teaching, and/or supporting DE courses which use OER, let’s talk about platforms, pedagogies, policies, and practices, whether they’re problematic, promising, or a little of both!

Turnitin Clarity: Expanding the Horizons of Written Essays in the Age of AI
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
This webinar introduces Turnitin Clarity – a new add-on to Feedback Studio and a substantial step forward when it comes to guaranteeing academic integrity and enabling students to deliver their best, original work! With Clarity's Composition Space, instructors gain insight into the writing process of each student in detail, and the 'guardrails' of the in-built AI Assistant teach students about the ethical use of AI - as a support, not a shortcut. Join us to explore this new horizon in academic writing!

Instructor Training for LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Prevent Cheating During Online Exams
11-11:45 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams in Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle, and Schoology.

LockDown Browser is a custom browser that prevents digital cheating during an online exam. Respondus Monitor is a companion product for LockDown Browser that deters cheating when students take online exams in non- proctored environments. Students use their own computers with a standard webcam to record assessment sessions.

The training will cover:

  • - How to use LockDown Browser to prevent digital cheating in proctored testing environments
  • - How to use Respondus Monitor in non-proctored environments, to protect exam integrity and confirm student identity
  • - The student perspective using each application
  • - Efficient review of the assessment data collected, including the Review Priority system, timeline, and milestone features
  • - Best practices and tips for success with both applications

All attendees will receive a link to a recording after the session.

AHC Faculty Learning Lab
4-5 p.m.
Location: F-243 (the conference room upstairs in the Fine Arts Building). 
This week's lab session will be guided by our longtime, creative colleague Earl Murray, who will engage us in an informal discussion centering on quality experiences within the classroom. 

 We offer wholesome refreshments and lively conversations during our Faculty Learning Labs so we hope you will join us to support one another in our learning and teaching journeys! Attendees are encouraged to share their knowledge, tips, concerns, and struggles. All ideas are welcome!

February 12

What is Emotional Intelligence?
8-9 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize your own emotions and how other people feel, and use this information to understand behavior and guide decision-making. It’s a skill set that can be developed and improved; people with high emotional intelligence are better at navigating relationships, managing conflict, and achieving goals. Explore the core components of emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills—and gain practical tools to understand and manage your emotions in this one-hour seminar with a licensed therapist. 

Respondus 4 and the Test Bank Network: Quickly Create Online Exams
12-12:45 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Respondus 4 is a powerful tool for creating and managing exams that can be published directly to Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle, and other learning systems. Exams can be created offline using a familiar Windows environment, or moved from one LMS to another. Whether you are a veteran of online testing or relatively new to it, Respondus 4 will save you hours on each project.

The Respondus Test Bank Network enables instructors to create online tests – in just minutes – from official publisher test banks. The Respondus Test Bank Network is FREE to instructors who use Respondus 4 and adopt a participating textbook. It  integrates seamlessly with Blackboard Learn, Brightspace (D2L), Canvas, Moodle, and other learning systems.

This training will cover:

  • - Overview of Respondus 4
  • - Overview of the Test Bank Network, which includes official test banks from dozens of leading publishers
  • - Creating test questions from test bank items with Respondus 4
  • - Editing, formatting, and publishing test questions to your LMS from Respondus 4
  • - Q&A

Recordings