August 12 Convocation and Flex Day
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We continue the themes of building community by using ideas that will be discussed during convocation to work together for a more equitable future.
This Flex Day will be a mix of in-person and online sessions. We aspire to build a thriving learning and working environment, and to support Skyline College's goal to become an antiracist institution.
We hope you will join us in person for this special day and invite all classified, faculty, and staff to come when you can. There are online sessions and at least 1 general interest session during each time block.
August 12 Schedule at a Glance
Breakfast and Welcome 8:00- 9:00 am | Bldg 1 - Theater
Convocation Kick-Off and Danza Blessing, 9:00 am | Bldg 1 - Theater
Welcome 9:05 Members of Academic Senate, AFSCME, AFT, ASSC, Classified Senate, CSEA, Management Council | Bldg 1 - Theater
Employee Service Awards Presentation 9:25 am | Bldg 1 -Theater
Recognition of Tenured Faculty 9:55 am | Bldg 1 Theater
Recognition of Meyer Teaching, Classified of the Year, Classified Special Recognition, and Management Council Award Recipients 10:00 am | Bldg 1 - Theater
Accreditation and Educational Master Plan update 10:05 am | Bldg 1 -Theater
Student Voices Video 10:15 am | Bldg 1 -Theater
Introducing Dr. Carter video 10:18 am | Bldg 1 - Theater
Introduction of New Personnel 10:20 am | Bldg 1 - Theater
President's Message & Closing 10:25 am | Bldg 1- Theater
Meet & Greet with President 11:00 - 11:30 pm | Bldg 6 - Fireside Dining
Lunch and Tabling 11:30 - 12:20 pm | Bldg 6 - Fireside Dining
Early Afternoon Breakout Sessions 12:30 - 2:30 pm | Building 6 and Online
Late Afternoon Breakout Sessions 2:45 - 4:30 pm | Building 6 and Online
All SMCCCD full-time faculty members have a total of 6 days (30 hours) of Flex obligations to complete, while day/evening obligations vary based on semester assignments. Failure by full-time faculty to fulfill this obligation may result in a reduction of pay.
The District Academic Senate issued a clarifying memo on Flex Day obligations for 2024-25 along with the form. Full-time faculty complete the form annually with their Dean (new). See the Memo for details.
NOTE: Part-time faculty may be compensated for attending Flex Days regardless of which day they teach or if they teach asynchronously. Part-time faculty attending flex day(s) should fill out both the Flex Day Reporting Form and the Adjunct-OL Faculty Timesheet and submit them to their division assistant. Contact CTTL with any questions about flex reporting. Please see the Collective Bargaining Agreement for further details, Article 7.11.1 for full-time faculty and Article 7.11.2 for part-time faculty.
Timesheet Instructions Tutorial Video from AFT 1493 (Fall 2024)
If you are a faculty member unable to participate in any of the planned on-campus Flex Day activities and would like to know about alternatives available to you, refer to sections 5 and 6 of the District Academic Senate's clarifying memo.
SMCCCD provides a flexible calendar for staff development in accordance with California
Code of Regulations, Title 5,
Division 6, § 55724*. There are six (6) Flex Days in the 2025-2026 academic calendar:
● Monday and Tuesday, August 11 and 12, 2025, and Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
● Thursday and Friday, January 8 and 9, 2026, and Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Per Title 5, all Flex Day obligations are on “flexible time.” All faculty members
are encouraged to attend Opening Day
activities on Monday, August 11, 2025 and Convocation at Skyline College on Tuesday,
August 12, 2025. As of 2018,
SMCCCD requires mandatory attendance at two Flex Days for full-time faculty, while
the other four Flex Days remain on
flexible time. The mandatory Flex Days for full-time faculty are August 12, 2025 and
January 9, 2026.
You can click the Register buttons on the Agenda and Schedule tab for each session, or to bulk register:
1. Go to the SMCCCD Employee Portal and login with your SSO credentials:
2. After you enter your SMCCD credential you will see this page; click the Vision Resource Center tile:
3. Once there, click the Events Calendar Button link to go to the desired date. Be careful to select Skyline Events, CSM also uses the VRC to register for their events.
4.Click the name of each session you choose and Register by clicking the blue “Request” button.
You have now registered for the session. You will receive an email confirmation from skylinecttl@smccd.edu and a calendar invite.
ⓘ VRC Registration
If you are denied access, it means one of two things:
- You are not signed in with your employee Single Sign-On. Please sign in with SMCCCD OneLogin and try again.
- Your primary job needs to be updated to enable acess to the VRC. Please request this update, so we can promptly resolve the issue for you. NOTE: This can take up to 48 hours to resolve. After you submit the request to update your primary job, if this is not resolved by Opening Day, simply go ahead and attend the sessions you are interested in and make sure to write your name in the sign-in sheet. We can credit you retroactively in the VRC once your primary job is updated.
For more information about a session, please contact Lucia Lachmayr at lachmayrl@smccd.edu.
If you need an ADA accommodation or help with VRC registration, please contact Kim Saccio at sacciok@smccd.edu.
Instructions: How to Register in VRC
Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning - CTTL
Building 5, Room 5-118
Email: skylinecttl@smccd.edu
Phone: 650-738-7080
For professional learning/development inquiries contact:
Lucia Lachmayr : lachmayrl@smccd.edu
Breakfast Meet and Greet Dr. Carter | Theater, Building 1 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast and Registration Instructions
Even if you are not attending the full Flex Day sessions, please take a moment to
register if you are going to the continental breakfast. We so much appreciate it
and look forward to being in community with you!
Remember, when selecting your sessions, they are marked as suggested for Faculty, Classified, and All. You can register for all sessions in the Vision Resource Center (log into portal
first) by going to August 12 on the Events Calendar and following the prompts for
each session or simply click the links for each session.

Convocation | Theater, Building 1 | 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Ceremonies and Celebrations
Welcome 9:05 Members of Academic Senate, AFSCME, AFT, ASSC, Classified Senate, CSEA, Management
Council | Bldg 1 - Theater
Employee Service Awards Presentation 9:25 am | Bldg 1 -Theater
Recognition of Tenured Faculty 9:55 am | Bldg 1 Theater
Recognition of Meyer Teaching, Classified of the Year, Classified Special Recognition,
and Management Council Award Recipients 10:00 am | Bldg 1 - Theater
Accreditation and Educational Master Plan update 10:05 am | Bldg 1 -Theater
Student Voices Video 10:15 am | Bldg 1 -Theater
Introducing Dr. Carter video 10:18 am | Bldg 1 - Theater
Introduction of New Personnel 10:20 am | Bldg 1 - Theater
President's Message & Closing 10:25 am | Bldg 1- Theater
Register for Convocation
Meet and Greet Dr. Carter | Fireside Dining | 11:00 - 11:30 AM
Meet & Greet with Dr. Nate Carter
Come by before lunch to meet & chat with our new Skyline College president, Dr. Nate
Carter, as well as catch up with colleagues.

Lunch with Music | Building 6 Fireside Dining | 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Lunch, Music and Tech Playground
Join us for a delicious buffet-style lunch while listening to music from our students!
Please be sure to register so we can anticipate numbers.
Come to the CTTL Tech Petting Zoo at lunch and try out some of the new technology
tools: Padlet, Playposit, AI in Canvas, DesignPLUS, and more!

Early Afternoon Breakout Sessions | Building 6 and Online | 12:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m.

Whiteboards & MathLink Cubes: A Love Story
David Hasson
Building 6, Room 6-205 | 12:30 p.m - 1:30 p.m | (Faculty)
Growing up, were you ever flashed a card? Or forced to work a sheet? Of course, the answer is yes. So let's travel to a parallel universe where none of that ever happened. Now to practice numeracy, we build and doodle within a group of new friends. Join us!

Introduction to Dual Enrollment
Darren McKay, Angelique Fuentes, Alfredo Olguin
Building 6, Room 6-202 | 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. | (Faculty, Classified, All)
Join us for an introductory workshop on Dual Enrollment at Skyline College. This session will provide faculty and staff with a foundational understanding of how Dual Enrollment works, its benefits for high school students, and Skyline's current programs and partnerships. Learn how dual enrollment supports equity, college readiness, and career exploration, and discover how you can get involved in supporting student success through this powerful educational pathway. Whether you're new to the concept or looking to deepen your understanding, this session will offer practical insights, current data, and space for discussion. Bring your questions and curiosity—let’s explore how we can better serve our community through early college access.

Cut the Costs, Keep the Quality: Leveraging OER and Library Resources for Equitable Courses
Laurie Buchholz, Pia Walawalkar
Online | 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. | (Faculty)
Looking to lower costs for your students without sacrificing quality? Explore the world of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses with the Skyline OER/ZTC team. Learn how to tap into already curated, powerful library resources, get acquainted with the friendly folx supporting low-cost initiatives at Skyline, and discover how you can cut costs for your students and still provide quality learning experiences. Whether you're new to OER/ZTC or would like a refresher, please join us!

Loyal to the Soil: Re-Harvesting our BIPOC/ Men of Color Narratives in Educational S.P.A.C.E.S
Albin Lee, Nate Nevado, Dionicio Garcia, Joseph Jaballa, Manuel Verdin
Building 6, Room 6-206 | 12:30 p.m - 1:30 p.m | (Faculty, Classified, All)
Men of color in higher education face unique challenges, including feelings of isolation, low self-efficacy, and a lack of mentorship, all contributing to equity gaps in retention and completion rates. At Skyline College, programs like Black and Brown Scholars are designed to intentionally address these challenges. Inspired by E-40’s quote, “loyal to the soil,” this session will share current strategies that center students’ roots and voices, how we promote community building, and support our students' personal and academic success. In addition, we want to amplify BBS presence, elicit ideas from Instructional faculty on how they envision supporting men of color, in general, and facilitate a cross-functional (instructional faculty, counseling faculty, admin, staff, students) dialogue using case study activities.

Canvas Accessibility Basics: Why and How
Kim Saccio
Building 6 Room 6-203 and Online | 12:30 p.m - 1:30 p.m | (Faculty, Classified, All)
By now everyone has probably heard of the new ADA Title II accessibility guidelines, which we covered in the January 2025 Flex Day (Universal Design and the New ADA)[possible to link to https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1abMcaQ8_LmP9t9LQuLxdEFWB1qQi3cNO/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=102682108585667924258&rtpof=true&sd=true?? It's not in the faculty repository yet). Now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get busy. In this hands-on workshop I will walk you through the basic requirements for accessibility in Canvas courses, explaining why meeting these requirements are necessary and how digital accessibility directly supports student learning. Please bring a laptop and come prepared to use what you've learned to improve accessibility in one of your own courses.

Beyond the Blank Page: Harnessing AI for Content Creation
Vincent Kang, Andrea Fuentes
Building 6, Room 6-203 | 1:45 p.m - 2:45 p.m | (Faculty, Classified, All)
In this hands on session, we'll explore some AI-powered tools to make building and updating course content easier.. be it lecture slides, captions, test banks, videos, imagery and more! There will be a special focus on creating and adapting OER (Open Educational Resources). We will share some simple prompt writing strategies and leave you with some ideas as to how AI can hep with OER and course content, with you still in control as the subject matter expert. Bring your laptops!

Best Practices in Mentoring Students
Rick Hough, Emilie Hein
Online | 1:45 p.m - 2:45 p.m | (Faculty, Classified, All)
Learn practical strategies to build effective, inclusive, and supportive mentoring relationships with students. This workshop explores key mentoring principles, common challenges, and best practices to enhance student growth, communication, and success. Drawing on the experiences of IMMERSE in STEM (NSF S-STEM) mentors.

"Get a Job!" Helping Students Build 21-st Century Skills
Jennifer Merrill
Building 6, Room 6-202 | 1:45 p.m - 2:45 p.m | (Faculty, Classified, All)
21st-century skills are a set of 12 abilities that contribute to success in school and the workplace. Higher education focuses on three of these skills: information literacy, technological literacy, and media literacy. However, that leaves out nine other skills employers find highly desirable. Often thought of as “soft skills,” these include communication and collaboration, social skills, and taking initiative. This workshop will explain each 21st-century skill, share examples of how they can be incorporated into the classroom, and provide the opportunity to brainstorm how to include them into your curriculum.
Late Afternoon Flex Sessions | Building 6 or Online | 2:50 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Sustainability Walk & Talk
Marisa Thigpen, Qimmah Tamu, Aria Frangos
Meet at Fireside prior to campus walk | 2:15 p.m - 3:45 p.m | (Faculty, Classified, All)
Attendees will have a chance to connect with other earth enthusiasts and learn about and visit the sustainability focused spaces on campus, how to join efforts to contribute resources and bring related content into courses, and add suggestions to a proposal for the creation of a campus center focused on this important work.

Enhancing Student Learning Through Assessment: Crafting SLOs
SLOAC Coach Michael Cross
Online | 3:00 p.m - 4:30 p.m | (Faculty)
Just got the call to assess the course SLOs? Don’t stress- we’re here to help! In this engaging online flex workshop series, you’ll take a step back to reflect on what really matters in your courses- and how you know students are truly learning it. This first of three workshops will guide you in identifying and articulating the core knowledge, skills, and attitudes your students should walk away with. You’ll work alongside colleagues to review and craft student learning outcomes (SLOs) that are meaningful, measurable, and aligned with your teaching priorities. Subsequent workshops will explore how to assess student work and how to turn results into action. Faculty are welcome to join any session individually—but those who complete all three and submit a draft assessment plan by December 1 will earn a professional development badge recognizing their commitment to student-centered teaching and assessment.

Updates to Cal-GETC/CCN/Local GE/ Policy Changes
Jacqueline Escobar, Rick Hough, Marianne Beck
Building 6, Room 6-202 | 3:00 p.m - 4:30 p.m | (Faculty, Staff, All)
Curriculum: A Year in Review and a Look Towards The Future Last year was a whirlwind in the curriculum sphere! From implementation of updated state-wide and local/district policy mandates, the year brought many changes that impact students, faculty, and our college. This workshop will provide a review of these changes along with implementation updates, successes, and challenges., including Cal-GETC and Common Course Numbering. Newly approved legislation, pending legislation, and local Curriculum Committee updates for the new academic year will also be presented.

Introduction To Career Services
Roniel Chand, Salvador Victoria, Kalia Chavez, Laura DeKailta, Walter Manuofetoa, Kenny Gonzalez
Building 6, Room 6-203 | 3:00 p.m - 4:30 p.m | (Faculty, Staff, All)
Come and learn about Career Services and how to utilize our services to better help students prepare for the their professional lives; be it workshops, industry professionals come into the classroom to speak to your students, or holding larger career related events.

Propose a Workshop for Flex Day
Have an idea or some experience to share? To support diverse programming that meets the needs of our campus community, the CTTL is requesting proposals for Flex Day sessions.
We look for tracks around Excellence in Teaching, Community Building, Technology and Innovation (including Online Teaching), Health/Safety/Wellness, and Equity/Access. Our two top priorities are Equity/Access and Thriving Work/Learning Environment.
Guidelines for Presenters
Prospective Presenters - The CTTL has adapted the Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills (AKS) framework by Connerley and Pedersen (2005) to develop our own framework of constructing and facilitating workshops/training.
The adaptation of AKS is as a way to identify if the workshop is building awareness (creating the foundational information about your topic such as definitions, historical timelines/context); relating knowledge (interpreting the research, policies, or other resources related to the topic); as well as implementing skills (applying best practices/strategies). Workshops should either focus on one or all of the adapted AKS framework to build upon the work currently being done within our college and across the district. Using this framework will also further inform the participants of the purpose and outcomes of the workshop.
Need support with developing a workshop proposal? Have questions or need additional information? ContactLucia Lachmayr, PD Coordinator.
Previous Flex Days
Access materials from earlier flex days in the CTTL Faculty Repository, Professional Development section.

Flex Day Archives
CTTL maintains copies of slide decks, handouts, and some video recordings from previous flex days. You can browse the CTTL Faculty Repository for this information. If you have any questions, please contact Terri Hannon in the CTTL.
PD and Flex Day Repository