On Course Workshops (Parent)

OVERVIEW

This workshop kept me on the edge of my seat for four consecutive days. It has really been an eye-opener for me as an instructor, and also helped me grow as a person. I can't thank you enough for your commitment to educators and students. --Robert Quinn, Faculty, Mathematics, Jamestown Community College, NY 

The On Course II Workshop is an advanced workshop (prerequisite: On Course I Workshop).  You'll not only add to your repertoire of student-empowerment strategies, you'll also learn to design and deliver learner-centered educational experiences that help students move from superficial to deep learning. The skills you will learn are drawn from best practices in academic curriculum design, brain research, learning styles, active-learning principles, corporate training methodology, and personal development strategies.

I enjoyed the OC II Workshop and will strongly recommend it to my other OC I trained colleagues!  The overall content was fantastic. The design team and outcomes presented will be templates for our work both for professional development and in the classroom. --Melissa Komadina, Counselor, Skyline College, CA

Absolutely wonderful and transformational workshop. Not only did the experience provide me with an opportunity to make a change/make a difference in the lives of students, but it also provided me the opportunity to grow and learn about myself as an educator and as a person. --Bill Johnson, Student Success Coordinator, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, NC

Earn Graduate Credits

You can earn 3.0 Graduate Credits for full participation in each On Course Workshop and completion of an online course after the workshop. These graduate credits are transferable to most master’s or doctoral programs. The online courses, TCHG 6530 (Strategies for Empowering Students to Become Active, Responsible Learners)  or TCHG 6530 (Designing and Facilitating Professional Development Events That Promote Student Success), include assignments designed to support your effective implementation of student success strategies at your college or university.  These courses are offered by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

For current tuition costs, click the "To Register" link at the top of each syllabus.

So many times I've attended workshops and left wondering how I could implement the theories presented. But this workshop answered the "What shall I do on Monday morning" in hundreds of different ways.-–Adrienne Peek, Faculty, English, Modesto Junior College, CA 

upcoming workshop dates and locations

• May 23-26, 2013 near Baltimore/Washington D.C. with Skip
• June 25-28, 2013 near San Francisco with Jonathan
  
• July 11-14, 2013 near Baltimore/Washington D.C. with Skip
• August 8-11, 2013 near Baltimore/Washington D.C. with Skip
• October 3-6, 2013 near Baltimore/Washington D.C. with Skip
• November 7-10, 2013 near San Francisco with Jonathan

• June 10-13, 2013 near Baltimore/Washington D.C. with Skip
• October 25-28, 2013 near San Francisco with Jonathan

This is the best workshop on teaching and learning I've ever attended. --Sarah Clemmons, Senior Vice-President of Instructional and Student Services, Chipola College, FL

meet the facilitators

SKIP DOWNING is an international consultant in the field of faculty development and student success strategies. His market-leading text, On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life (Wadsworth/Cengage Learning), is used in student success courses, FYE programs and college writing courses at more than 500 colleges and universities.

Dr. Downing has earned degrees from Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Santa Monica, and Carnegie Mellon University. He holds advanced degrees in both English and counseling psychology. He was Professor of English at Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) for 32 years.

In addition to his role as an academic instructor, Downing created and coordinated BCCC's Student Success and Learning Community Programs. These programs teach students how to apply proven strategies of success to achieve their full potential in college and in life. The College Success Program resulted in a significant increase in both student academic success and retention.  The American Community College Trustees has recognized Dr. Downing as its Northeast Region teacher of the year.  He is a recipient of the NISOD Community College Leadership Award for teaching excellence, and he was named in USA Today as one of the fifty best community college instructors in the United States and Canada. 

For more than 20 years, Dr. Downing has made presentations at national conferences and conducted faculty development workshops at colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and the Virgin Islands.  His teaching, writing, and consulting are all guided by his belief that the greatest mission of any educational institution is empowering its students to live rich, personally fulfilling lives.

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JONATHAN BRENNAN has facilitated student success workshops for faculty from colleges and universities across North America for the last decade.  Dr. Brennan is a researcher in best practices in student success, holds a BA and an MA in English, an MA in Counseling Psychology, a PhD in Ethnic Studies (UC Berkeley), an EdD in Educational Leadership and Change (Fielding Graduate University), and also consults as an Effectiveness and Leadership Coach.

Dr. Brennan is a faculty member (and former chair) of the English Department at Mission College in Santa Clara, California.  He designed and coordinated an On Course Program at Mission College that significantly improved the retention and academic success rate of students in developmental English, Mathematics, Reading, and ESL. He has chaired the Student Success Committee as well as the Accreditation Committee, served as Vice President of the Academic Senate, and teaches composition, African American and Native American literature, and life skills classes. He has served as director of an academic mentoring program for basic skills students, developed the first year seminar Learning Communities project, and directed research grants for the state of California’s Fund for Student Success and Fund for Instructional Improvement programs.

He was voted Faculty of the Year at Mission College in 1999-2000, and was awarded a NISOD Teaching Excellence Award. In April, 2005, he was awarded the Stanback-Stroud Diversity award from the California State Academic Senate, and in 2008 was awarded the California State Hayward Award for Excellence in Education. His publications include two books on Mixed Race and Black Indian Literature from Stanford Press and University of Illinois Press, and a student success textbook for high school students, Choosing a Good Road.

Before attending this workshop, I was excited to attend.  Now I want my colleagues to attend.  On a scale of 1 to 10, I score this workshop a 15. –-Lisa Flowers-Clements, Coordinator, Developmental Education, West Virginia University-Parkersburg, WV