Teaching Excellence

What to do on the last day of class?
"Too often, the last day of a class can be taken up with housekeeping—information on the final, last minute details, and course evaluations.  But as Richard Lyons, author of several books on college teaching, says, 'the final class is a key student retention milepost.' Find ways to make the last day count, ways that fit your goals and approach."

Read this webpage on the UC Berkeley Office of Educational Development site to find a list of suggestions for the last class in a variety of disciplines as well as addition resources for college faculty.

Coming this fall:   Communication Institute
by Jeanne Elmhorst, CHSS Communication instructor

In Fall 2005, a Communication Initiative began as an Organizational Learning Department project to improve CNM's communication processes, climate, and networks. 

Those of us involved wanted to take an appreciative inquiry approach to learn best practices for organizational communication.

Consultants from DLI, a local company that specializes in appreciative approaches to communication issues, interviewed people across campus to understand the way that communication works at CNM. 

DLI recommended the formation of a Design Team to study and build a set of recommendations for effective communication at CNM. The Design Team, composed of people from across the college, is working to establish an Institute for Communication.

We hope to build on current assets, provide collaborative opportunities, and create new communication processes.  The Design Team explored best practices to frame discussion issues, facilitate meetings, be keynote listeners, engage in dialogue circles, and much more. We see communication as building community, not simply as transmission of information. 

Our vision, in part, is this:  "We envision listening as the positive core of communication at CNM, which takes place in a safe and constructive climate of trust."   

Much of our work will be posted on the Organizational Learning website for you to use.  Watch for workshops and other innovative communication learning formats this fall.

You can email Jeanne for more information at jelmhorst@cnm.edu.

2-Second Survey Will you work on preparing for your Fall 2007 courses during the term break? Yes No Thanks for your feedback. The results will be posted next week in this e-newsletter. Last week, 26 instructors replied to the 2-Second Survey, answering this question: "Do you plan to attend a professional development event--workshop, training, conference, etc.--related to your teaching or tutoring in the coming academic year?" View a pie chart showing their responses

At-your-desk learning
Learn or improve your technology skills right at your desk

Ready...set...go online to take Office 2007 workshops
The following Microsoft Office 2007 workshops are now available for you to take online:

• Office 2007
• Word 2007
• Outlook 2007
• Access 2007

Workshops in PowerPoint 2007 and Excel 2007 will be ready by August, according to Greg Casaus, Director of Organizational Learning.

You can sign up for one or more of these workshops by clicking on the Online Learning link on Organizational Learning's navigation bar on the left side of the homepage--or click on this link to go to the opening page.

Note that if you've never taken workshops on this LearnKey site before, you'll need to register as a first-time student before you can sign up for online workshops.

CNM employees who have taken online LearnKey workshops in the past were sent an email last Friday notifying them that they are immediately eligible--but not required--to take the new workshops.

More Office 2007 face-to-face workshops planned for fall, some at WTC and JMMC
Beginning, intermediate, and advanced learnshops in all Office 2007 application will be offered in computer classrooms during the Fall 2007 term. 

Some trainings will be scheduled at the Workforce Training Center and at the Montoya Campus as well as the Main Campus.

Greg Casaus, Organizational Learning Director, says that the Office 2007 face-to-face learnshops being offered this term are filling up, but seats are still available. If interested, you can register on this webpage.

Productivity Primer  
How negative self-talk can be a dream killer
"It is important for you to learn to monitor your language because by listening to yourself and changing your language, you can change your attitude from negative to positive." Read the full article on the Self Help website.

Quotation

"The limits of my language are the limits of my world."
-Ludwig Wittgenstein

About Organizational Learning The Organizational Learning Division's mission is to create professional development pathways for college employees that support the strategic mission of CNM and contribute in meaningful ways to college personnel’s lifelong learning and job enrichment. For more information about Organizational Learning or any of its events, contact
	Jean Montaño Admin. Coordinator	224-4400 jmontano@ cnm.edu
	Greg Casaus Director	224-4244 gcasaus6@ cnm.edu
	Eleanor Radius Director	224-4237 elarm@ cnm.edu
	Timothy Ligon Tech Support	224-4243 tligon@ cnm.edu
	Kayleigh Carabajal Executive Director	224-4401 kcarabajal@ cnm.edu

News & previews

New editor for the Organizational Learning News YOU Can Use
Eleanor Radius, newest Director of Organizational Learning, will take over as writer and editor of this e-newsletter beginning with the July 30 issue.

Eleanor replaces Nancy King, ECA instructor, who has written and edited the e-newsletter since Fall 2006. 

Organizational Learning would like to thank Nancy for her contributions to the e-newsletter, which provided the CNM faculty and staff with the latest information around professional development.

We would also like to extend our best wishes to Nancy in her next endeavor.  Nancy will be teaching at the Centro de Idiomas, Universidad Veracruzana, in Xalapa, México, (view a map) over the next year through the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program.

You can read about Nancy's adventures in México on her blog at http://nanseeking.blogspot.com

If you have any future articles that you’d like to include in the Organizational Learning Newsletter, please contact Eleanor at elarm@cnm.edu.

Preview of events for the week of July 23-28
The following events are taking place at CNM during the week of July 23-28.  Register on this webpage.

Preview of events for the week of July 30-August 3
The following events are taking place at CNM during the week of July 30-August 3.  Register on this webpage.

*TBD: To be determined

Joke of the Week

☺ An old codger is bragging to his neighbor about his expensive new hearing aide. "My doctor told me this hearing aide is the best money can buy. He said it's considered the Cadillac of hearing aides."

The neighbor says, "That's mighty impressive. What kind is it?"

The codger looks at his watch and says, "Two-thirty."

From the Prairie Home Companion