Welcome to the Fall 2025 Professional Development Week (PDW)!
Theme: Level Up Your Teaching: Building Foundations
We’re excited for you to join us for professional development week! This event is CETL’s pre-semester conference where you can gain the professional development you need for the upcoming semester. PDW focuses on teaching techniques and tips that you can try this semester, technological trainings to help you gain the skills needed to utilize software and apps that support teaching, and networking to connect our campus community.
As you prepare your schedule, focus on the workshops that best suit your professional development goals and schedule. A wide range of offerings is provided, so pick the ones that will benefit you the most.
Hey there! Feeling like you could use a little pick-me-up during PDW? Well, you're in luck! The lovely CETL team has got you covered with a selection of HOT breakfast, coffee, tea, water, and snacks in the cozy CETL classroom (Centennial Campus Grove).
Welcome new full-time faculty! This session is an all day kickoff where you will learn about the NFA program, what to expect throughout the year, and get oriented as a full-time faculty member.
Teaching is an act of belief — belief in our students’ potential and their ability to grow. In this inspiring keynote, Dr. Bryan Dewsbury explores how teaching students as whole individuals requires fostering both their technical competencies and personal growth. Through the lens of equity-minded education, he will challenge us to rethink how we engage, encourage, and empower students in meaningful ways. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on the transformative role of love in teaching and its impact on student success.
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Florida International University
Bryan M. Dewsbury, PhDI was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, and pursued a Bachelor’s degree at Morehouse College, and a Masters and PhD from Florida International University (FIU). At FIU I explored a number of interesting questions in marine ecology and ecological economics... Read More →
Ready to take your teaching to the next level? This interactive workshop will build upon the themes from Dr. Dewsbury’s keynote, offering practical strategies to create inclusive, equity-centered learning environments. Participants will explore how to foster authentic connections with students, support their development, and create classrooms where every learner can thrive. Through collaborative discussion and reflection, faculty will leave equipped with actionable approaches to make their teaching more intentional, impactful, and equitable.
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Florida International University
Bryan M. Dewsbury, PhDI was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, and pursued a Bachelor’s degree at Morehouse College, and a Masters and PhD from Florida International University (FIU). At FIU I explored a number of interesting questions in marine ecology and ecological economics... Read More →
Ever noticed how we write our hearts out in feedback for the students, only to find that they don't absorb it fully? Or worse, didn't read it at all? Let's work together to combat the burn out and disappointment by developing skills to streamline our assessments to be more accessible, take less time and still focus on giving that valuable feedback. Let's give that feedback a facelift and use AI, Rubrics and more in a hopefully whole new way.
This workshop will define the concept of trauma and explore how it affects student learning. It will introduce the key principles of trauma-informed pedagogy that foster safer, more supportive educational environments.
Join us for an interactive, hands-on AI and machine learning workshop, designed specifically for faculty and instructors. This immersive lab session will introduce practical applications of AI in education, with live demonstrations and guided exploration. Attendees will use computer stations equipped with cameras to engage with real-time tools and concepts that bring AI into the classroom. Perfect for those ready to explore the next level of tech-integrated teaching.
Ever question if an accommodation is reasonable? or if it can be provided in your course? Balancing student access with maintaining essential academic standards and requirements can sometimes feel like walking a tightrope. This engaging and interactive workshop will help faculty and staff feel confident in navigating the complexities of the ADA, accommodation requests, and Fundamental Alterations process without sacrificing the core requirements of courses. Ready to master the tightrope walk? Join us!
Help your students level up for the workforce and future classes by providing them with the technology skills they need to be successful. This workshop will cover how to include AI such as Microsfot Copilot, cloud services, and other various technology into your classroom. Whether or not you are fantastic with computers or just a beginner, you will be able to use these tip and techniques to enhance your teaching for all majors and levels.
Come hang out with the FLAC team at Pikes Peak State College! It’s the perfect chance to ask questions and learn more about the FLAC process. Find out all about the FLAC team, learn about how you get paid, or just refresh your PDW with some coffee and donuts. We can't wait to meet you and kick off some great conversations!
Tips in Using your D2L Grades to create color-coded early-warning systems to spot at-risk students in your class as early as the second week of the semester! Learn specific intervention strategies and track them over time conveniently in the D2L grade book. Come ready to share your own experience(s) as well as any ideas that you currently use. NOTE: we will also cover Using Predictive Analytics of ALL of your students by week two and the essential component of SQ (look it up) along with IQ and EQ.
I like to tinker with certain kinds of innovation to better engage our students in the learning process... for example:
~ how to use technology (d2L) to record and spot trends in assessing students' performance
~ how to employ a VARIETY of teaching techniques and assignments as... Read More →
Unlock a learning environment where integrity thrives and students demonstrate their knowledge with confidence. Discover how to design engaging, low-stakes assessments that naturally minimize dishonesty and reduce test anxiety, fostering genuine learning for all. Equip your students with powerful, research-backed test-taking strategies that build competence and encourage honest success. Gain actionable insights from the latest research on academic integrity to cultivate a classroom culture where ethical learning flourishes.
Ready to Teach courses and programs ensure instruction and design preparedness, promote assessment continuity, reduce short-notice instructor and course scheduling crises, establish uniform expectations, foster chair, faculty, and instructor collaboration and consensus, and eliminate stress for instructors new to a course, all while preserving instructor autonomy. Don't believe it? Join us for a discussion on the value of this stabilizing approach to course and program design.
Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) is a crucial component of online education, ensuring meaningful engagement between instructors and students. RSI can be achieved through various methods such as providing direct instruction, offering timely feedback, and facilitating group discussions. Utilizing tools effectively can help instructors maintain consistent and impactful communication with their students.
This session provides a comprehensive overview of past active shooter incidents and explores best practices for responding to threats on campus. Participants will gain awareness tips to help keep students and staff safe during an active threat, along with essential guidance on how to react quickly and effectively. The workshop will also introduce basic medical response strategies, including bleeding control techniques that can help save lives in emergency situations.
In this interactive workshop, instructors will explore the fundamentals of Social & Emotional Intelligence (SEI) and learn practical strategies to enhance their students' emotional and social skills. Through engaging activities and discussions, educators will develop tools to foster self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills in their classrooms. The workshop aims to create a supportive environment where instructors can practice and refine their SEI teaching techniques. By the end, educators will be equipped with a comprehensive toolkit to help students navigate college life more successfully and build meaningful relationships.
Teaching is thrilling, though talking can be fatiguing! Come join us in this workshop to learn easy to use healthy vocal tips to reduce the wear and tear on your professional asset. Vocal health can be achieved both in and outside the classroom, and there are many ways to reduce the strain on your voice. Come learn evidence-based and scientifically backed recommendations for keeping your voice healthy for the long haul.
EAB Navigate 360 has tools all divisions can use to support student progress and retention. PPSC's Department of Retention and Division of Health Sciences piloted a universal use of Progress Report Campaigns for all students in Health Science courses in Fall 24 and Spring 25. Come learn about the design and implementation of this effort! We will share data on student progress, grades, and interventions, and how these reports satisfy accreditation requirements, increase transparency for students, and contribute to the student-centered culture in Health Sciences.
If you ask Instructional Support (IS), the foundation for success at PPSC is an accurate and timely class schedule. In this 50-minute boot camp, join representatives from IS to learn the schedule building process. Participants can expect to get an overview of the roles and responsibilities of IS, academic staff, deans, and other stakeholders across the various phases of schedule building. Expect to leave in better condition to take on schedule extractions, Adobe Forms, and the class change process!
Many of us are currently experimenting with ways to increase student engagement with learning, support diversity and inclusion in our classrooms, and shift our time and focus from less important tasks to more important strategies. Ungrading--in its various forms--is a powerful strategy for accomplishing these kinds of goals. Do you want to explore ways to free yourself (and your students) from tracking and counting points and instead focus your (and their) efforts on actual learning? This workshop will discuss a few ways to implement the philosophy of ungrading in your classroom.
Our Recreation and Wellness Department would like to offer a wellness-centric class as one of a two-part series that should help employees find time to unwind and destress throughout the day. This class would be offered by our wellness partner, Mighty Mindful Beings, and will be focused on what little things can be done throughout the day that will help employees find inner peace amid the chaos of a workday. This class would be an offshoot of our larger "Mindful U" class series that has run at each campus throughout this semester and is open to both students and staff members. This class should give staff members helpful tips and tricks to utilize their time and practice mindfulness and meditation throughout the day.
Reflect on your learning during the in-person conference day with colleagues during the Tutoring Center/Learning Commons reception. Get a tour of the newly remodeled space, network with colleagues, and make plans for collaboration during the semester. But wait... there's more! Meet the new Tutoring Coordinators and share the importance of collaboration with our services for our students.
The Promoting Advancement and Growth for Educators (PAGE) program supports part-time instructor professional development. Learn more about this program during this info session.
At the request of faculty, the eLearning team will be available to provide tips and tricks to help you prepare to teach a pooled Colorado Online class. We will walk you through finding your required course materials, investigating what teaching resources are available, building your course shell, and answering questions - this is a hands on opportunity to get assistance and build your actual course! - NOTE: I talked to Katie about this a few months ago. We planned two, two-hour sessions on Wednesday - one during the day in person, and one in the evening on Zoom.
Ever question if an accommodation is reasonable? or if it can be provided in your course? Balancing student access with maintaining essential academic standards and requirements can sometimes feel like walking a tightrope. This engaging and interactive workshop will help faculty and staff feel confident in navigating the complexities of the ADA, accommodation requests, and Fundamental Alterations process without sacrificing the core requirements of courses. Ready to master the tightrope walk? Join us!
Get a sneak peek of Simple Syllabus, a new tool coming to D2L in 2025! This tool provides a centralized, online syllabus template for your courses and automatically brings in information from the Institutional Syllabus and Master Course Syllabi. Simple Syllabus also allows you to share your syllabus with students before the semester starts.
