Title V - Annual Performance Report
prepared by: David Jordan, Chair of Staff Development
Dated: 12-12-05

1. Explain in detail challenges you faced in your area or anticipate in the coming year that may affect the goals of the grant. What are you plans to meet the challenges? Be specific and give dates whenever possible?

response: Staff Development has a difficult time in training both faculty and staff because budgetary and time constraints. Staff Development used to receive funding from the state (approx. $25,000 a year), but has received no funding for the last 3 years. This is a state wide phenomenon for Community Colleges as the Staff Development line item in the budget was removed due to fiscal challenges at the state level.

In addition to having no money for Staff Development training, time constraints also limit and hinder training on campus.

Most on adjunct faculty work during the day, and classified work only during the day, so it makes it difficult to organize training.

One of the methods to achieve training which we are implementing at Mission College is our Desktop Training Series (see http://profj.us/desktop). In our first training series we covered "file management" and our second series covered "Microsoft Outlook - opening, sending and saving email". We will be converting our Mission College email server which current utilizes an outdated system - Lotus Notes and CCmail, and we will be adopting the more commonly used Microsoft Outlook program. Faculty and Staff need to be trained to ensure fewer transition problems in converting to a newer email client. This affects all of the Mission College staff and faculty.

The same type of desktop training can be implemented in training staff and faculty for Title V - Math related curriculum and training.

Also, I have developed an "online tutoring" program (see http://www.profj.us/tutoring/) which uses our best graduate paralegals to train our current students. In addition to this tutoring, it is implemented with "Meet and Confer" - which utilizes e-conferencing with phone conferencing and email web materials through an online discussion room. (see http://www.profj.us/meet-confer/login/) - This same use of technology can be adopted both for on campus training and for Title V training of tutors.

2. How would you improve or change your area ?( eg. activities/services). Please be specific and descriptive of your proposed change.

response:

1. Mentoring Program: I would establish a "peer mentoring" program both for Title V participants and for on campus and online training. This would use the valuable resources of "mentors" who have already received training, or have learned through their experience, and they would pass along information and training to their "peer mentees".

2. Both off campus and on campus retreat(s): I would propose using an intensified period of training through "off campus" and/or "on campus" retreats. I believe that spending some intense training periods (a series of hours and workshops) would enhance the moral and spirit on campus towards receiving training.

3. Mini-grants: I would recommend providing some limited "mini grants" or "scholarship" moneys tied to special training, courses, or workshops.

3. Staff Development - Describe in detail professional development conducted to date. How many staff/faculty attended each activity? Activity dates and content. What were the outcomes? What were the benefits? What other activities would you have in the future? What will you change?

Flex Day 2005 (September 1, 2005)

In September, we held our annual Flex Improvement Day for all of the on campus and adjunct faculty. We had two sessions, one during the day and one in the evening. We had approximately 200 who participated during the day, and 75 during the evening.

We had a number of workshops. Approximately 50 faculty attended each workshop.

Here are the workshops:

Workshop #1
Academic Excellence Workshops (a collaborative learning model) - Kay Hudspeth -- Former Director of MEP at Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly Pomona MEP (in collaboration with the College of Science) conducts nationally recognized Academic Excellence Workshops (AEW) for foundation courses in Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering Mechanics, led by upper-division students. MEP is now a national model for other campuses initiating collaborative learning workshops. Over the years, the average increase in grade performance of participants is 0.5-letter grade over the class average. Longitudinal studies show minority AEW participants earn higher grades, have a higher retention rate, and graduate sooner than minority non-workshop participants. The average GPA of under-represented engineering graduates (2.72) is close to that of all engineering graduates (2.82).

Session #1: What constitutes an Academic Excellence Workshop and how do you recognize a successful one? The focus will be more on the pedagogy of workshops.

Workshop #2
Help your Students Succeed with "Plato" Learning - computer-based learner instruction - Gary Bannon at Plato.com. Plato Learning provides computer-based assessment, alignment, instruction, and information management tools to help learners succeed in focusing on what they need to learn. Diagnostic and assessment tools identify and target skill gaps for each learner and then provide age appropriate instruction in a tutorial, practice, test, re-teach cycle.

Workshop #3
Telephone and computer tips for faculty- Joyce Holloway - Computer Systems Services

Workshop #4
Financial Aid Workshop - Anafe Robinson, Director of Financial Aid - This session will provide general information about financial aid and how you can assist our students. Do you need a student worker? Attend this session to receive an Orientation on how to request for a student worker.

Workshop #5
New Payroll and Using ERPA for assignments - Johnny Berella, Technical Training Coordinator (LACCD), and SPOC (Ron Gluck)

Workshop #6
Session #2 -- What are the mechanics of an Academic Excellence Workshop program and what administrative structures enhance them? This session will focus on the infrastructure and mechanics of a program.

Workshop #7
Using Technology for At Risk Students - Advisement and assistance to At-Risk students- Prof. Karla Johnson-Majedi, co-Director of Project RISE ("Raising Interest in Science and Engineering") at CSUN

Workshop #8
Successful Learning Outcomes - Creating Responsible Students - Marna Cornell

Workshop #9
How to use "Assist.Org" - (an online student-transfer information system that shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another). Madelline Hernandez - Articulation

Workshop #10
Budget and Procurement (for Department Chairs)- Connie Reyes - Administrative Services

Additional Workshops done by Staff Development

1. Business and Workplace skills workshops were held at Mission College

- Have you ever had an etiquette question you were afraid to ask?
- Looking for a promotion? Learn how to make your case and negotiate for
a promotion.
- Tired of bad customer service?
- Learn how to address a delicate situation with a colleague.

There are 6 sessions that are part of a series. You may attend one or many, however as they are self-contained modules.

Approximately 25-30 staff and faculty attended each one of the workshops.

Description of the program:

Soft skills are the non-technical skills, abilities, and traits that workers need to function in a specific employment environment. They include four sets of workplace competencies, problem-solving and other cognitive skills, oral communication skills, personal qualities and work ethic, and interpersonal and teamwork skills.

Modules:

1.Business etiquette basics Oct. 14, 2005 10am/ 90 min. - CC #3
2.Communication skills Nov. 10, 2005 1pm/ 90 min. - Room TBA
3.Office Etiquette Dec. 8, 2005 1 pm/ 90 min. - Room TBA
4. Courtesy and customer service Spring 2006 TBA
5.Work ethics/team work Spring 2006 TBA
6.Professional wardrobe Spring 2006 TBA

2. "Cultural Tolerance" as part of our Trainings in the Worforce Series

Workshop #1
How does culture affect the workplace? Tuesday. Oct. 25th

Workshop #2
Positive Interaction in the Workplace through Trust, Respect and Good Manners - Weds. Oct. 26th

Workshop #3
Techniques for Communicating, Negotiating, and Resolving Issues, Friday Oct. 28th.

Approximately 2--30 staff and faculty attended each one of the above workshops.

Survey Assessment Completed to determine training in 2006
On November the 9th, we carried out a Survey of needs for training of our staff, and determined the top three areas for training in the new year, ie. topic
#1 retirement
#2 dealing with difficult customers and students
#3 improving customer service

Below are the survey questions:

Classified Professional Development Survey.

Could you please respond by email. Indicating which below you might be interested in receiving training and professional development. Thanks.

* Navigating your career/Career planning
* Leadership development
* Dealing with emotional behavior
* Basic principles for a collaborative workplace
* Handling emotions under pressure
* Moving from conflict to collaboration
* Influencing for win-win outcomes
* Personal strategies for navigating change
* Raising difficult issues with your supervisor or co-worker
* Managing your priorities
* Problem solving tools and techniques
* Recognizing positive results and giving constructive feedback
* Getting good information from others and getting your ideas across
* Diversity awareness
* Recharging your batteries/Workplace survival skills
* Taking on a new assignment & keeping your boss informed
* Improving customer service
* Dealing with difficult customers/students
* Making the most of team differences
* Effectively participating in group meetings
* Handling violence in the workplace
* Time/Project Management
* CalPERS Retirement
* Non-verbal communication skills
* Effective communication skills
* Active listening skills
* Communication & gender: How men & women can communicate more effectively
* Spanish for Classified staff
* How to de-clutter & organize your work space
* Developing & achieving personal goals
* Speaking with confidence
* Improving communication with international students
* Improving facilitation skills
* CPR training
* First aid
* Healthy Cooking Demo
* Stress management
* FrontPage for web design
* Excel
* Access
* PowerPoint
* Word
* Outlook
* Publisher
* Adobe Photoshop
* Misc. ________________________

Please list other workshop topics that would be of interest to you
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

Thank you for completing this survey. Your input and suggestions are valued and will be used to plan Classified Professional Development training.

Please email your response to David Jordan (jordandc@laccd.edu)

The results of the survey will be published, and the Staff and Professional Development Committee will coordinate said training.
David Jordan Chair of Professional Development

Wellness Seminar

On 12-07-05 we had experts gives us a seminar of "Empowering Wellness: - this was imparted by Longevity. Inc. - a well respected wellness educator, which covered the following topics:

1. Life -saving treatments for stroke and heart disease
2. Early warning signs of stroke and heart disease
3. Women and heart disease
4. Prevention and treatment of cancer
5. Easy lifestyle changes that you can make to help prevent cancer, stroke, and heart disease.

This seminar will be followed up with "wellness screening" on December 13th at Mission College, for those who want to be screened for stroke, cancer, heart disease and the like.

The outcomes of the above training: Staff and Faculty enjoyed all most all of the workshops, and just would like more of the same, with some also done in the evening hours. The Staff and Faculty believed uniformly that they benefited from the above workshops and seminars. What would we change? - we would send out more advance information and notice of each seminar, we should get the Department Chairs more involved when training faculty, and the Supervisors more involved when training staff and faculty. We should coordinate our acitivities more with the Diversity Committee

Training in Online Education
As Chair of Staff Development, and also Chair of the Distributive and Distance Learning (DDL) - we have organized a new Committee - the DDL Committee - see http://profj.us/ddl and this is pursuant to Article 40 of our AFT Teachers Contract. We will carry on training for our faculty in Distributed Teaching and Learning in 2006 and also training in our new Etudes NG learning management platform which we use to deliver web content for both online and hybrid on campus classes which use internet materials at Mission College.

This completes the annual Performance Report for Staff Development

Sincerely,

David Jordan
Chair of Staff Development