Breakout Sessions Schedule
Check out our breakout sessions by clicking the yellow + signs below.
| Title and Description | Location/link |
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Feeling Threatened vs Being Threatened: How Our Minds Interpret Risk Presenter: Brian Van Brunt, EdD, Director of Behavior and Threat Management, DPREP This training helps faculty and staff develop confidence in responding to challenging and concerning student behaviors with clarity, care, and professionalism. Participants will explore the difference between feeling threatened and being threatened, learn how stress and perception influence reactions, and practice de-escalation approaches that prioritize safety, respect, and student well-being—while honoring privacy and information-sharing boundaries. Tags: Student experience, Equity, Good for all employee groups. |
Room: HSS 104 On campus only. This session was not recorded. |
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Title II Applies to You: New 2026 Accessibility Requirements for Your Courses, Websites, and Digital Content Presenters: Denise Henninger, Paul Trautwein, Dan Rojas, Christine Miller, Juan Ramos, and Matt Larcin By April 24, 2026, colleges must ensure their digital content meets updated ADA Title II accessibility standards. These requirements apply across the entire institution and must be implemented in advance — not only when an accommodation is requested. All digital materials must be accessible by default, including course content, websites, documents, images, multimedia, social media, and third party programs. Institutions are required to ensure digital content meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. This includes accessibility features such as document structure, meaningful image descriptions (alt text), sufficient color contrast, keyboard navigation, captioning for videos, and transcripts for audio-only materials. This workshop will translate the requirements into practical guidance for faculty and staff and outline steps you can take now to prepare. Beyond compliance, these principles reflect universal design — creating digital learning environments that are clearer, more flexible, and inclusive for everyone. Tags: SMC Updates, Equity, Good for all employee groups |
Hyflex. Room: Success and Engagement Center, first floor of SSC. Watch "Title II applies to You" Zoom Recording Click the blue button above to watch the recording! |
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Burnout to Breakthrough: A Wellbeing & Resilience Workshop Presenter: Susan Finley, Associate Professor Counseling Teaching, advising, committee work, and student support can be deeply rewarding and deeply exhausting. Join your colleagues for this practical, evidence-informed workshop designed to help you move beyond burnout and toward sustainable wellbeing and resilience. Tags: Wellbeing, Good for all employee groups |
Hyflex. Room HSS 151. Watch "Burnout to Breakthrough" Zoom Recording This session was recorded. Click the blue button above to watch the recording! In addition, view the: |
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Assessing Servingness 2.0 in Practice at HSIs Presenter: Dr. Gina Garcia Tags: Equity, Good for all employee groups |
HSS 254. On campus only. This session was not recorded. Dr. Gina Ann Garcia is a leading scholar of higher education and organizational change
and a professor in the Berkeley School of Education.
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Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) 101 Workshop and Q&A Presenters: Maria Muñoz, CPL Faculty Lead & Gohar Srapyan, CPL Counselor This workshop will offer a friendly space to: Tags: Faculty |
On Zoom only. Join "Credit for Prior Learning: 101 Workshop" on Zoom This session was recorded. Check back in the weeks following Professional Development Day for the recording! |
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“The First 250: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” Presenters: Richard Tahvildaran, Eric Oifer, Christina Gabler, Paul Klumpe, Rebecca Romo, Aaron Crawford, and Amber Urrutia In anticipation of the 250th anniversary of democracy in America, we reflect on large trends (the good, bad, and ugly) in democratic life from the perspective of political science, sociology, economics, and philosophy. Tags: Good for all employee groups |
On Campus only. Room HSS 165. This session was not recorded.
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Academic Freedom and the Freedom to Teach: An AAUP Primer Presenter: Michael DeCesare, Senior Program Officer, Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure, and Governance, American Association of University Professors This session will provide a general overview of academic freedom by presenting the most significant aspects of the joint AAUP-AAC&U 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure. It will also review AAUP policy standards derived from the 1940 Statement that bear specifically on the freedom to teach. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation. Tags: Faculty |
Zoom only. This session was not recorded. Michael DeCesare is being brought in thanks to the Academic Senate's Professional Ethics & Responsibilities Committee. |
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Generative AI in the California Community Colleges: Achieving Community College Transformation,
Student Equity & Human Skills in an Autonomous World
Presenter: Don Daves-Rougeaux, Senior Advisor to the Chancellor, Workforce, Strategic Partnerships and GenAI Future
of Learning
Description TBD.
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Hyflex, On campus, HSS 251. This session was recorded. Click the blue button above to watch the recording! |
| Title and Description | Location/link |
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Working with Neurodivergent Students: Trauma-Informed, Inclusive Approaches to Behavior and Learning Presenter: Brian Van Brunt, EdD, Director of Behavior and Threat Management, DPREP This training addresses the intersection of mental health, trauma, and neurodivergence in higher education settings. Faculty and staff will develop a deeper understanding of how stress, sensory processing differences, and past trauma can influence behavior, communication, and self-regulation. Participants will learn inclusive, trauma-informed strategies for managing challenging behaviors, supporting student self-regulation, and creating learning environments that reduce unnecessary barriers and lower the risk of escalation—while maintaining academic expectations, professional boundaries, and institutional responsibilities. Tags: Student experience, Equity, Good for all employee groups. |
Room: HSS 104 On campus only. This session was not recorded. |
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AI App Security Usage Presenter: Dan Rojas Overview of AI app usage in education and administration and the importance of understanding security risks. Tags: Technology, Good for all employee groups |
On Campus Only. Room HSS 103. This session was not recorded.
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Have fun & de-stress with Salsa dancing! Presenter: Laura Canellias Shake off the workday and add some rhythm to your week with a beginner‑friendly Salsa dance class. It’s a fun, energizing way to unwind, connect with coworkers, and boost your mood. No experience needed—just bring your curiosity and get ready to move. Tags: Wellness, Good for all employee groups |
On Campus Only. Room CPC 310. This session was not recorded. |
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Pathways with Purpose: Centering Equity in Student Success Presenters: Kristin Lui-Martinez, Jessie Garcia, Llanet Martin The EPI Division and Guided Pathways Leads will provide an update on the implementation of the Student Equity Plan and reimagining for the Guided Pathways efforts. Tags: Equity, Good for all employee groups |
On Campus Only. Room HSS 263. This session was not recorded.
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CSEA - Know Your Rights! Presenters: Derek Eckstein, CSEA Labor Relations Representative and Cindy Ordaz, Chapter 36 President As classified employees, we are afforded many basic rights by law or through collective bargaining. Learn about your rights on the job and what you can do to protect yourself if your rights are violated. The emphasis of CSEA’s Know Your Rights training workshop is to assist members in detecting violations of the law and their collective bargaining agreements. Tags: Classified |
On Campus Only. HSS 165. This session was not recorded. |
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Decolonizing SMC Presenters: Shannon Herbert, English Professor and Faculty Lead for the Gender Equity Center; student leaders from Indigenous Scholars and Oaxacans at SMC Students from the Indigenous Scholars and Oaxacans at SMC will discuss their experiences at SMC and their clubs’ goals. Members of the Decolonizing the Academy Committee will talk about pedagogical practices that decolonize curriculum and knowledge sharing. Tags: Good for all employee groups |
On Campus Only. Room HSS 254. This session was not recorded. |
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Curious, Cautious, or Overwhelmed? Meet the AI Coaches Presenters: The SOAR Academy (Strategies for Optimal AI Resilience) is a joint faculty-centered initiative from Santa Monica College and Glendale Community College designed to support thoughtful, ethical, and practical engagement with artificial intelligence in teaching and learning.
This session will provide an overview of the Academy, with a particular focus on the AI Coaching component. Meet several of SMC’s AI Coaches and hear how they are working with colleagues to explore AI-related questions, challenges, and opportunities in course design, assessment, student engagement, and everyday workflow. Whether you are experimenting with AI tools, cautiously observing from the sidelines, or actively rethinking assignments and policies, AI Coaching offers a peer-to-peer space for conversation, experimentation, and support. The session will conclude with an open Q&A where attendees can bring questions, scenarios, or concerns related to AI in their teaching or professional practice.
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Hyflex. Room HSS 251. Watch "Curious, Cautious, or Overwhelmed? Meet the AI Coaches" Zoom Recording View slides for "Curious, Cautious, or Overwhelmed? Meet the AI Coaches" Click the blue buttons above to see the Zoom recording or view the session's slide deck. |
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You don’t need to be a Scientist to “Climatize your Curriculum” Presenters: Ferris Kawar, Lisa Collins This workshop will focus on relating your classes to climate change and sustainability, so that ALL students, no matter the discipline, understand the impacts their choices have on the environment and the pathways to hope for a sustainable future. This reframing of our coursework will enable our students to enter the workforce armed with the knowledge to make more informed choices for climate sustainability. We will be brainstorming ideas tailor-made to your classes, so you walk away with something to create or change one of your modules or lessons. |
On campus. Room HSS 151. This session was not recorded. |
Our new bite-sized video series delivers high-impact strategies designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Each episode dives into one actionable tool or technique you can learn over coffee and implement in your next lecture/online module or other work. We will be regularly adding to this series and the videos will be placed on the EpiCenter website. If you have a topic that you believe would make a great PD Touchpoint video, please reach out to the PDC chair: hald_lea@smc.edu. At the moment, the videos are largely intended for faculty, but the scope of the topics will become broader with more videos for faculty but also more videos for each employee group.
| Title and Description | Link |
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Title: Instructional Framework for Peer Observation. Presenter: Jessica Krug Description: This short video introduces the instructional framework sponsored by the Academic Senate, gives some context for its creation, and suggests next steps for interested faculty. Updates to Title V, the California code of regulations for education, in 2023 drove the creation of the framework. |
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Title: Building Connections to drive Academic Success. Presenter: Lea Hald Description: When students feel they belong in a class, they are more likely to engage with the material and persevere through challenges. This is true no matter the modality of the class. This video highlights one simple ritual, with detailed examples that you can add to your online or on-ground classes that will increase belongingness. This is an example of how you could implement the Inclusive, Student-Centered Learning Environment, Classroom Climate section in the Instructional Framework. |
Building connections - Professional Development Touchpoint |
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| Title and Description | Link |
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Title: Level Up Your Canvas Shell: A Faculty Panel Shares Secrets to an Engaging Canvas Learning Experience. Presenters:
Ciarán Brewster (Earth Science), Sarah Leinen (English) and Wenise Wong (Physical Science) Description:
Please view this panel discussion where faculty with excellent examples of Canvas
shells will share highlights of those Canvas shells with an emphasis on course design
and pedagogy.
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View Faculty Forum - A Faculty Panel Shares Secrets to an Engaging Canvas Learning Experience |
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Title: OER/ZTC: Burden-Free Access to Instructional Materials. Presenters:
M. Roxana Cruz, Reference & Instruction Librarian Description:
A new regulation has been added to Title 5 requiring that all faculty provide access
to required course materials on the first day of class. By January 2026, all California
Community Colleges must update their policies to reflect this mandate.
View this workshop to explore practical strategies for meeting this requirement, removing
financial barriers, and increasing student success. You’ll walk away with actionable
steps to ensure your course is compliant—and your students are set up to thrive from
day one.
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View Faculty Forum - OER/ZTC Burden-Free Access to Instructional Materials |
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Title: Academic Senate Town Hall & You Presenters: Senate President, Dr. Vicenta Arrizon
Description: Curious about the Academic Senate? Join us for a Faculty Senate Town
Hall where we’ll talk about what the Senate does, how you can get involved, and why
it matters for faculty and students. We’ll also open the floor for you to share the
issues and ideas you’d like the Senate to explore this year.
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View Faculty Forum - Academic Senate Town Hall & You |