April 16 Flex Day

Just got the call to assess the course SLOs? Don’t stress- we’re here to help! This final workshop in our three-part series will revisit assessment plans, providing an opportunity to give and receive feedback on your draft assessment plans, no matter how rough. It also will focus on what happens after you’ve collected assessment results. How can you organize results to support meaningful reflection and dialogue? What kinds of questions should you ask to uncover patterns and insights? What actions can you take to strengthen student learning? In short, this workshop helps you turn assessment into actional improvement- and builds a sustainable practice of using results to inform teaching. You need not have participated in the first two workshops to join this one-- but those who complete all three and submit a draft assessment plan by May 1 to Karen will earn a digital professional development badge recognizing their commitment to student-centered teaching and assessment.

This interactive session highlights findings from the Online Student Experience Survey and what they reveal about how we are providing feedback to our students. We’ll explore time‑saving, effective ways to monitor progress and provide substantive feedback in online courses. Come with an open mind, ready to discuss practical ways to improve our assessment strategies.

Educator-focused public safety workshop provides practical, EMS-led training on how to recognize and respond to common medical and safety emergencies in the school setting before professional responders arrive. Delivered by EMTs and Paramedics, the session emphasizes early recognition, immediate stabilization, effective communication with 911, and maintaining scene safety within classrooms and campus environments.

What inspires faculty to move toward Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) materials? Join us for a conversation with Skyline College faculty, who will share their motivations for choosing affordable course materials, the challenges and surprises they encounter, and the impact on learning experiences in their courses. This session is an opportunity to learn from one another about how open and zero-cost materials can support both pedagogical creativity and student access. All are welcome—whether you’re curious, cautious, or already on the journey.

Zumba Gold has all the fun music and dance moves of your typical Zumba class, but at a lower intensity designed for all fitness levels. This 45-minute low-impact aerobic workout will still get your heart pumping and everyone sweating and smiling --- and go easier on your joints. Bring your water, a towel, your dance shoes, and your office mates and get ready to dance like no one is watching!

In collaboration with FYE and The Birders’ Brigade: Step outside of the classroom and into the natural world for a restorative birding walk designed exclusively for our campus employees. The guided outing introduces participants to the calming, curiosity-sparking practice of birdwatching while highlighting its powerful connection to mental well-being. As we explore local birding habitats on campus, we’ll slow down, tune into the environment, and rediscover the sense of presence that nature so effortlessly provided. We will be journaling and turning our observations into watercolors. Whether you are a seasoned birder or simply curious about birds, this experience offers a refreshing pause from academic pressures and a chance to reconnect with nature, with your colleagues, and with yourself.

This interactive wellness session invites faculty, classified professionals, administrators, and students to participate in a community 5K event—offered as both a run and a walk—to promote physical health, stress reduction, and campus connection. Participants will engage in a guided warm-up, complete a 5K route at their chosen pace (run or walk), and reconvene for a brief cool-down and reflection on the role of physical activity in supporting workplace well-being and student success. Please bring workout clothes, running shoes, sunblock, and a hat or a cap

Black Skyline Connect invites Black faculty, staff, and administrators to gather in an intentional space focused on relationship building, collaboration, and mutual support. This inaugural convening provides an opportunity to connect across roles, share current work and initiatives, and explore ways to strengthen professional community on campus. By fostering connection and collective support, this gathering aims to build a foundation for ongoing engagement that enhances belonging and professional sustainability at Skyline.

In this interactive workshop, faculty participants in the RSI Mentorship program will share their strategies for supporting Regular and Substantive Interaction in their online classes, and reflect on how their students have responded. Ample time will be provided for discussion and Q&A.

Applying principles of Multi-Modal Communication Across Disciplines to enhance student engagement and course learning outcomes.

This hands-on session introduces participants to a small but mighty collection of primary sources in print and digital formats documenting the anti–Vietnam War movement (ca. 1969–1973) across SMCCD. The session will also showcase recent student-newspaper digitization projects completed by the College of San Mateo and Skyline College Libraries

Come and learn how you can incorporate some small and easy practices into your classroom that will support our students to develop great professional soft skills. Many of our students feel insecure and unsure about basic professional communication and skills, such as how to write a professional email, what constitutes professional etiquette, or how to work professionally on a team. Lets explore some simply and easy to implement practices into your classroom that will help students develop the skills and best practices that they need to be successful in their future.

Join us for a mid semester SoundWellness sound bath designed to offer faculty intentional space for pause and restoration. Guided by a community practitioner from Ujamaa Inc, this immersive experience invites participants to lie down, rest, and be enveloped in soothing sound. As the semester intensifies, this session creates room to acknowledge the labor we carry and to sustain ourselves with care and collective renewal. By modeling restorative practices that support long term sustainability and instructional presence, the session affirms that caring for ourselves is foundational to the work we do with students.

Are you hesitant to adopt Open Educational Resources (OER) because you miss the robust support materials provided by major publishers? Join us for a practical workshop that bridges the gap between free content and engaging learning materials, with apps available within Canvas and the district. We will demonstrate a powerful two-step workflow: first, using Google Gemini to instantly "remix" open content into accessible summaries, and ancillary materials; and second, deploying Nectir AI within Canvas to act as a tutor.  Takeaways: Learn to use Gemini to generate course ancillaries (test banks, slides). Discover how to set up Nectir AI in Canvas to provide on-demand coaching, quiz questions and more.

Student employees juggle classes, work, finances, and personal responsibilities, often without space to talk about the stress that comes with it. This interactive workshop centers student employee voices through small-group conversations while sharing practical self-care strategies and campus mental health resources. Student Employees will leave feeling seen, supported, and equipped with tools to better balance school, work, and well-being. *This session is only for students.

English faculty from all three SMCCD colleges are invited to join another "big messy" conversation. This time we'll focus on sharing activities and assignments that are working well in our classrooms. Come prepared to share a text, assignment, or in-class/online activity that you and your students are excited about. We'll also explore how English 105/C1000E is working across our three campuses. Since AI dominated the last flex conversation, it's off the table this time.

Empty Bowls is a worldwide artists' initiative that raises awareness and funds for food-related projects that care for and feed hungry communities. They inspire art groups to think globally and act locally. The Empty Bowls @ Skyline College project focuses on raising awareness of food insecurity and fostering a civic mindset and community engagement. This Flex Day workshop will help us reach our goal of creating 300 bowls for the event. Participants will experience the clay-making process while contributing to the Empty Bowls fundraising effort, with all proceeds going to the Skyline College SparkPoint Center. Attendees will also learn about ways to engage with the Spring 2027 Empty Bowls event. Limit to 20 participants, so please sign up in advance. Aprons and materials will be provided.

Please join us in highlighting the contributions our Learning Communities continue to make in high school student matriculation through their Dual Enrollment counseling courses. We will host a panel of staff and students who will share their first hand experiences within this transformative pipeline between our local feeder schools and Skyline College. With the help of this presentation, we hope you learn more about our program and re-imagine our positionality in growing our vibrant campus community.

The Student Equity Plan (SEP) is a three-year framework designed to identify, and close persistent equity gaps for underrepresented, and disproportionately impacted students. This session will inform on the process that created the SEP, and which programs, departments and/or services were included as advancing equity goals on campus. We will explore next steps, and how to review equity efforts, and evaluate your engagement in advancing the equity goals listed in the SEP.

Let's take a deep dive into how the EAC works with students and how you as campus partners can work with us through the referral process. We will also highlight some of the assistive technology tools most commonly used by our students.

As the semester winds down and finals and graduation approach, take 90 minutes to pause, recharge, and reset your nervous system. This experiential workshop introduces Reiki, a gentle, evidence-informed relaxation practice, to help faculty and staff reduce stress, release tension, and activate the parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) system. Participants will experience guided relaxation and leave with practical techniques to support calm and resilience during this busy time. No prior experience required.

Join us for afternoon snacks and community while learning how board games can positively affect our cognitive, emotional, and social well-being. We'll begin with a short presentation, followed by the opportunity to see if we can draw out the positive effects! A variety of board games across the strategy-social spectrum will be present, and attendees are encouraged to bring a favorite board game to teach and share.