MIDLAND Midland College is preparing to welcome students back Jan. 16. However, for faculty and staff, the new semester started last week, featuring new programs for their professional and personal development and some hearty competition.
While in-service week is familiar to Midland College, the Teaching & Learning Center staff took a different approach to planning the week this semester.
On Monday morning, Jan. 8, faculty and staff gathered in Chaps Center to celebrate the start of the new year and plan for the coming semester.
On Tuesday, the TLC hosted simultaneous professional and personal development sessions. With more than 30 topics to choose from, including roundtable discussions, faculty and staff had a variety of options. These topics, led by peers, ranged from Artificial Intelligence and Active Learning Strategies to Video Creation. Conveniently, five sessions were offered each hour from 10 am to 3 pm, ensuring everyone had the opportunity to participate.
Kevin Andrews, director of the Teaching and Learning Center, highlighted that these sessions were part of a full week of activities aimed at educating and informing employees, motivating them for the semester ahead, and fostering camaraderie among them. He emphasized the college’s commitment to providing quality education and recognizing the importance of developing its faculty and staff, a news release said.
The week wrapped up with the first annual Chili Cookoff sponsored by the Faculty Senate. The event raised $3,353 for Midland College scholarships. The Chaparral Chili Chicks were crowned as the grand champion winners.
This past week left faculty and staff energized, inspired, and excited to get to work serving our community and our students this semester, the release said.
