Professional Development
Calendar of Events
October 26
Rewiring Higher Education for Human Flourishing
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
What would higher education look like if human flourishing were at the center of institutional
decision-making, leadership, and learning? As colleges and universities respond to
uncertainty and institutional change, they have an opportunity to rethink how they
create environments where students, faculty, and staff can experience a sense of belonging,
purpose, hope, and resilience.
This free webinar will bring together higher education leaders to examine how institutions can move beyond responding to immediate challenges and more intentionally support the well-being and development of their communities. Drawing on their experiences in institutional leadership, teaching, and leadership development, panelists will explore how hope-centered leadership, institutional culture, and approaches to organizational change can help create conditions in which people and institutions flourish.
October 27
Understanding Loneliness and Building Social Connections
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
People can be alone and not feel lonely, or be surrounded by others and still experience
feelings of isolation. Explore the causes of loneliness, how it spreads through social
networks, and the impact of loneliness on our physical and mental health in this one-hour
seminar. Learn practical tips to strengthen current relationships and make new connections
with a licensed therapist.
Your Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Plan Fell Through—Now What? Strategies for a Successful
Pivot
1-2 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
What happens when your original ZTC plan falls through and the grant deadline is getting
closer? This practical webinar will explore ways colleges can pivot ZTC grant funds
toward meaningful, achievable work that still advances a ZTC pathway. We will share
last minute strategies and ideas for using remaining funds including various activities
that can strengthen other ZTC pathways or help find other possible pathways.
CalSTRS Presents: Part-time Educator: Learn and Discover
3:30-5 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
As a part-time educator, you have unique financial planning needs. Discover specific
resources such as the part-time educator webpage on CalSTRS.com and learn how to use
myCalSTRS and your annual Retirement Progress Report to determine which CalSTRS benefit
program you pay into. Also, learn about the forms you’ll need to elect a CalSTRS retirement
program, consolidate accounts or name a beneficiary.
You’ll use myCalSTRS during this webinar, so be sure you’re registered and that your account information is up to date.
October 28
Understanding Motivation and Procrastination
8-9 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Almost everyone procrastinates sometimes. But if you continue to put things off, then
regret it and feel bad about yourself afterward, it’s easy to get caught in a cycle
that can have a negative impact on your physical & mental health. Explore the reasons
why people procrastinate and learn techniques to get and stay motivated.
Understanding Seasonal Depression
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Do the winter months get you down more than you think they should? Discuss the signs
and symptoms of seasonal depression, when it’s time to see a doctor, and what treatment
options are available. Learn practical ways to manage symptoms & support others in
this one-hour seminar with a licensed therapist.
Custom-Designing Chatbots for Learning
Presented by the CCC Digital Center
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Educational chatbots are everywhere, from common classrooms to Khan Academy. The results:
mixed. To understand why, we’ll examine the lessons learned and the bots that were
built when dozens of college instructors collaboratively explored the frontiers of
AI-mediated learning of language and content via Playlab app development. Instructor-created
chatbots designed for learning through communication will be analyzed and shared,
and tips for building original chatbots will be provided.
The Hidden Link: How Financial Wellness Fuels Mental Health at Work
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
This insider session is a comprehensive discussion on financial wellness and workplace
mental health, featuring host Corinne from the Smart Dollar team, Dr. John Delony
(bestselling author and host of the Dr. John Delony Show), and Armando Lopez (Head
of HR at Ramsey Solutions with 30+ years experience). The conversation explores the
deep connection between financial stress and workplace performance, examining how
money anxiety triggers fight-or-flight responses that reduce emotional intelligence,
increase burnout, and create toxic workplace dynamics. The speakers discuss how financial
stress costs companies through lost productivity, increased turnover (averaging $10,000
per replacement), and damaged team culture, while emphasizing that nearly half of
US adults struggle to pay bills and 82% feel stressed about money. They present financial
wellness programs—featuring structured plans, coaching, debt elimination (not just
consolidation), and behavior change—as a solution that gives employees agency, reduces
anxiety, and creates workplace peace. The insider session concludes with practical
guidance for leaders on implementing financial wellness benefits, emphasizing that
leaders must go first by modeling healthy financial behaviors, normalizing money conversations,
and recognizing that when employees achieve financial freedom, they show up more focused,
collaborative, generous, and engaged because they get to work rather than have to
work.
CCC Security Center Cybersecurity Month: Fighting Sextortion with Operation Shamrock
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
For this difficult but important topic, we're joined by Erin West. Erin is the founder
of Operation Shamrock, a prosecutor of 26 years who now works directly on the front
lines exposing and disrupting online blackmail and romance-based financial scams around
the world. Erin doesn't just study these crimes from a distance, she goes into the
field, builds decoy profiles, traces scammers across borders, and has confronted perpetrators
face to face. Much of her work centers on a hard truth: these scams are increasingly
targeting teens and young adults, with devastating consequences. Erin will help attendees
recognize these kinds of online extortion and blackmail attempts, understand what
to do if it happens to you or someone you know, and leave equipped to share this information
with others who need it. This session is open to all users (students, faculty, and
staff) across the California Community Colleges.
LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown
Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams. The session provides a detailed
demonstration of both applications, including enhancements that make Respondus Monitor
even more effective and easy to use.
CCC/ Reimagining Assessments Series: Allied Health and Computer Studies Assessment Spotlight
2-3 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Following on the heels of the Futures Summit, this systemwide webinar series reframes
the “cheating crisis” as a design opportunity and introduces faculty AI agency as
an alternative to both techno-hype and detection panic. The Summit imagines futures;
this series asks who owns the future. The series begins with a kickoff session that
establishes a shared language for reimagining assessments and invites participants
to identify one assessment from their own course to redesign. Subsequent spotlight
sessions showcase discipline-specific examples and practical approaches from faculty
across the California Community Colleges.
Whether you attend a single session or the full series, you’ll leave with practical ideas, examples from colleagues, and new approaches for designing assessments that promote authentic learning in an AI-enabled world. Come curious. Come ready to build.
Navigating the Manosphere: Harmful Online Masculinity Content and Youth
2:30-4 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
What are boys and young men finding online when they search for advice about masculinity,
relationships, and fitness — or even just scroll through their “for you” feed? Algorithms
and persuasive influencers can quickly guide young men into the “manosphere” — a network
of online communities where healthy self-improvement tips often mix with rigid, exaggerated,
misogynistic, and harmful views on gender and relationships.
While the content of the manosphere varies and may sometimes appear harmless at first glance, prolonged exposure can shape young people’s real-world behavior, attitudes toward women, mental health, relationships, and even physical health.
CalSTRS Presents: My First Steps
3:30-5 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
The lifetime monthly retirement benefit you’ll receive from CalSTRS is an excellent
start, but you’ll likely need more to meet your retirement income goal. Join us to
better understand your CalSTRS retirement benefit, why it’s important to start saving
now and what resources are available to help you along the way. Plus, we’ll cover
some common misconceptions about Social Security and explain what steps you can take
now to secure a better financial future for yourself and your loved ones.
October 29
Advocating for Mental Health Policy: How Everyday Voices Help Shape Mental Health
Decisions at the Local, State, and National Level
8-9 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Mental health policies are shaped at multiple levels of government—from state legislatures
and governors to Congress and the President. These decisions influence funding, access
to care, insurance coverage, crisis response systems, and nationwide workforce capacity.
This presentation equips participants with practical tools to advocate for mental
health across state and federal systems, including how to communicate effectively
with legislators, governors’ offices, members of Congress, and executive agencies.
The course emphasizes respectful, nonpartisan engagement grounded in lived experience,
data, and shared values. Participants will leave with clear, realistic strategies
for influencing policy without needing political expertise.
AI in Action: A Recap of EDUCAUSE 2026 and Zoomtopia
Presented by Zoom
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Get the inside scoop on everything announced at EDUCAUSE 2026 and Zoomtopia — the
trends, tools, and AI innovations shaping the next era of education.
The New Rules of Career Readiness: Connecting Education and Employment
Presented by Cengage
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
The connection between education and employment is changing. Employers increasingly
expect entry-level candidates to arrive with practical experience, job-specific skills
and workplace readiness—expectations that can be difficult for new graduates to meet.
New Cengage research reveals a growing disconnect between education and employment:
- 53% of graduates have chosen not to apply for an entry-level job because they felt underqualified.
- 77% of graduates believe employers expect more experience than an entry-level candidate should reasonably have.
- 62% of educators say they’ve had to do more in recent years to prepare students for entry-level employment.
Beyond Compliance to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for Open Educational Resources
(OER)
Presented by the OER Initiative
12-1 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
How do we create OER that meet the needs of our diverse student body? UDL helps us
build resources that maximize student access, engagement, and learning. Focusing on
UDL also places accessibility guidelines in a context that aids us in achieving those
goals. From describing complex graphics to providing multiple modalities for content,
UDL offers a framework that supports us in creating resources which best serve our
students. Open Educational Pedagogy (OEP) can take us to the next level by empowering
students to participate in content creation that solidifies their learning and critical
thinking – and it also improves our OER for future students.
AI Syllabus Statements: Building Transparency, Trust, and Shared Responsibility
Presented by the Academic Senate for CCC
1-2 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
As generative AI becomes increasingly integrated into teaching and learning, clear
syllabus statements can help establish shared expectations while supporting academic
integrity, transparency, and student success. This webinar will explore approaches
to developing AI syllabus statements that communicate when and how AI tools may be
used, clarify both faculty and student responsibilities, and promote transparency
in the use of AI for teaching, learning, and assessment.
The session will examine examples of permissive, limited, and restricted AI use statements, discuss considerations related to academic freedom, accessibility, equity, and privacy, and highlight the role of local academic senates in developing guidance and supporting professional development.
Choosing National Priorities for Open Education: Listening Session
3-4 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Open education is a solution to many challenges facing education today, but too often
isn’t part of the conversation among leaders and policymakers. This fall, the OERI
is collaborating with the Open Education Association on a field-wide conversation
about how open education can have a larger impact for learners. The goal of the process
is to identify a set of national priorities for open education advocacy, and everyone
is invited to give input into the process.
CalSTRS Presents: Retire Now or Later
3:30-5 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Are you trying to decide when to retire? Understand your retirement options, access
CalSTRS’ online resources and calculate your own retirement estimates with the guidance
of a CalSTRS benefit specialist. Learn how to determine if you can retire now or later.
You’ll use myCalSTRS during this webinar, so be sure you’re registered and that your account information is up to date.
October 30
AHC Campus Safety Academy—Module 3 of 3
Presented by AHC Chief Dave Millard
9-11:30 a.m.
Location: G 106 A&B
All Students, Faculty & Staff Welcome!
What You’ll Learn:
- American Heart Association Hands-Only CPR (participants will receive a certificate)
- AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Training
- Narcan overdose recognition and Narcan administration Training
This isn’t just a presentation — it’s preparation. Build confidence. Strengthen awareness. Help protect our campus community.
Engaging Students Through Cultural Connection & Authentic Assessment Series: Session 3: The Power of Representation
Presented by the CCC Vision Resource Center
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
This five-part series explores culturally responsive teaching practices and equitable,
authentic assessment strategies faculty can apply directly in their courses.
Recorded Sessions
How to Respond in a Mental Health Emergency
AI Skills for Accessibility
ADA Title II: What CCC Leaders Need to Know
Silence to Support: Navigating Depression and Anxiety with Compassion
Designing Healthy Habits That Last
Well-Being: Youth Mental Health With the Washington Post
Emotional Intelligence and the Workplace
The Future of Workplace Mental Health: How Employers Can Tackle Lonliness and Burnout
Early Signs Matter: Strategies for Supporting Your Mental Health
The Human Component: Balancing Life
Culture Shaping
Turnitin's New Similarity Report and AI Detection