CSM Flex Day Schedule

8:15-9:00

Continental Breakfast

Location: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10, Second Floor (map)

Join us for a light breakfast and chance to reconnect with colleagues.  Please be sure to register, so we can anticipate numbers.

8:15-9:00

RSI and DE Training Status Info Table

Location: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10, Second Floor (map)

For faculty wondering whether they have completed their Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) and Distance Education training recency requirement, the Distance Education Team will have a table set up during breakfast to answer questions about status.  Registration not required.

9:00-10:50

2 flex credit hours

Welcome and Keynote Speaker: Dr. Keali'i Kukahiko

Location: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10, Second Floor (map) and Webinar

Presenters: Manuel Alejandro Pérez, President; Keali'i Kukahiko, Institutional Analyst for the Office of Hawaiian Education and Professor in the Education Department of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

After a welcome and updates from President Pérez, we will hear from Dr. Keali'i Kukahiko, Institutional Analyst with the Office of Hawaiian Education and Professor in the Education Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.  Dr. Kukahiko will address what educational leadership looks like in an era of anti-wokeness, and particularly what it means for an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). What is our ethical imperative? What does that look like in each of our roles?

This session is open to all employees.

Video recording of Welcome and Keynote Presentation

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Dr. Keali‘i Kukahiko lives in Kea’au on the island of Hawai‘i, and enjoys spending time with his four sons (Kekoa, Makoa, Kaleimamo‘oka‘ala, Kaleiwaihonahalia), daughter (Kau‘ilaniowaipunalei) and wife (Kalehua). In addition to various topics in higher education, his research has examined the contemporary circumstances of Hawaiian education, the school to prison pipeline, the development of Indigenous ontological self-efficacy, and most recently, the potential of community readiness as a change process in Hawai’i. He received his BA, MA and PhD in Higher Education and Organizational Change (HEOC) at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), and is currently the lead researcher for the Office of Hawaiian Education (OHE) and a professor in the College of Education at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

11:00-12:30

1.5 flex credit hour

Workshop with Dr. Keali'i Kukahiko

Facilitator: Keali'i Kukahiko, Institutional Analyst for the Office of Hawaiian Education and Professor in the Education Department of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

Location: Building 10, Room 195 (map)

This session will provide workshop space for our AANAPISI/AANHPI Collective (and those interested in the work of the Collective) to to apply a framework to assess where we are in our work, explore our intersectionality, and find opportunities for coalition-building.  As this will be a working session, please bring your laptops!

This session is open to all employees. 

11:00-12:30

1.5 flex credit hours

Ensuring Regular & Substantive Interaction in Online Courses: A Self-Assessment Workshop

Facilitators: Marisol Quevedo, Instructional Technologist, Erica Reynolds, Instructional Technologist, Donna McCabe, Distance Education Coordinator, Jennifer Howze-Owens, Instructional Designer, Julieth Diaz Benitez, Instructional Designer

Location: Zoom

This interactive, 90-minute online workshop will guide faculty through a reflective review of one of their online courses—either synchronous or asynchronous—to assess its alignment with Title V regulations on Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI).

Substantive interaction requires that each course section includes at least two of the following:

• Direct instruction (only applicable in synchronous courses)
• Assessment and feedback on coursework
• Providing information or responding to questions about course content
• Facilitating group discussions

Regular interaction is defined as each course section including evidence that the instructor:

• Provides opportunities for substantive interaction on a regular and predictable basis
• Monitors student academic engagement and promptly and proactively engages in substantive interaction when needed based on that monitoring, or upon request from the student

Faculty will use the ACCJC Quality Continuum Rubric for Distance Education in structured breakout groups to self-assess their courses, identify areas for improvement, and develop actionable strategies to enhance compliance with RSI expectations while fostering student engagement and success.

This session is open to all employees.

Video recording coming soon!

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11:00-12:30

1.5 flex credit hours

Redesign for Equity & Accessibility Lab (REAL) Report-Out

Facilitator: Susan Khan, Professional Development Faculty Coordinator

Panelists:  Michelle Brown, Digital Media Faculty; Elinor Westfold, ESL Faculty; Alex Wong, Physics Faculty; Salem Admassu, English Faculty

Location:  Zoom

Hear from our most recent cohort of faculty to complete REAL, a faculty development program designed to promote culturally-responsive and accessibility-minded course design practices at CSM. The session will be interactive, with the opportunity to choose between break-out rooms focused on syllabus language, group work, or Course Outline of Record (COR). Bring your relevant course materials and your curiosity about how to incorporate evidence-based practices supportive of student learning, equity, and accessibility.

This session is open to all employees.

Video Recording of REAL Report-Out

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11:00-12:30

1.5 flex credit hours

Forest Therapy Guided Walk (Space is limited; advanced registration required.)

Facilitators: Tammy Wong, Academic Specialist

Location: Meet in front of the bookstore in Building 10.

Space is limited. Advanced registration required. This session is geared towards first-time participants of Forest Therapy. 

The practice of Forest Therapy invites participants to slow down, notice what's around us, and connect with the natural world. It's like a gallery walk in an art museum, with nature as our works of art. On this gentle 1.5-hour slow wander, we will move through a series of invitations to support you in finding your own authentic way of interacting with the natural environment while building community with your fellow participants. There's no right or wrong way to participate - just come and be yourself!

This walk is suitable for all fitness levels. I recommend wearing layered, comfortable clothing.

This session is open to all registered employees.

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12:30-1:20

Buffet Lunch

Location: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10, Second Floor (map)

Join us for a delicious buffet-style lunch! Please be sure to register so we can anticipate numbers.

12:30-2:30

Professional Photo-Taking Opportunity

Location:Bayview Dining Room, Building 10, Second Floor (map)

The Community Relations & Marketing Office will be taking photos for employees, on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Advanced registration not required.

1:20-2:20

1 flex credit hour

The "Pore" Over: Review the CSM Accreditation Story (ISER Standards 1, 3, & 4)

Facilitators: Manuel Alejandro Pérez, President; Daniel Keller, English Faculty; Fauzi Hamadeh, Classified Senate President; Kristi Ridgway, ESL Faculty; Gerardo Ramirez, VP of Administrative Services

Location: Building 18, Room 206 (map)

Join the ISER Team for coffee and light snacks in this feedback session on the college’s draft accreditation Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER). Have we told the CSM story? Have we hit the key points that come to your mind when you think about what makes us who we are?

This session will focus on Standards 1: Institutional Mission and Effectiveness, 3: Infrastructure and Resources, and 4: Governance and Decision-Making.

If you would like to pre-read the relevant standard response(s), see the ISER draft.

For those unable to attend in-person, hybrid options may be available through constituency feedback sessions. See the full schedule of ISER feedback.

This session is open to all employees.

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1:20-2:50

1.5 flex credit hours

Against Alienation and Cynicism: Finding Joy and Meaning for All in College Classrooms

Presenter: Susan D. Blum, Anthropologist and Author

Facilitator: Sarah Fama, English Faculty

Location: Building 10, Room 195 (map) and Zoom

Renowned anthropologist Susan D. Blum calls us to celebrate the amazing learners that human beings are, which includes college students and faculty. Blum, the editor of Ungrading and author of Schoolishness and My Word! Plagiarism and College Culture, draws on her experience as one of the foremost anthropologists examining the culture of higher education. Rejecting complaints and cynicism, she invokes both ideals and experience regarding the human motivation of curiosity, which includes our own curiosity about our students. She suggests ways that we might better understand the ways students are learning, or the barriers to their learning, so that in varying ways, all students can emerge slightly differently at the end of each course.

This session is open to all employees.

Video recording coming soon!

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1:20-2:50

1.5 flex credit hours

Conflict Resolution Inside Out: Understanding Today’s College Students from a Unique Lens

Facilitator: Kohya Lu, Ombuds

Location: Building 10, Room 194 (map)

The needs of college students are ever-changing and as practitioners it is important for us to be aware of the different issues that students are facing in today’s world. From a pandemic, world events, and a highly politicized landscape these are all things that heavily impact the student experience on top of critical issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion. This session will dive further into the needs of today’s college students through key themes from the Pixar films Inside Out and Inside Out 2, tying in how emotions impact student identity development while sharing best practices through the unique perspective of an Ombuds Office and how their work informs conflict resolution and understanding students through a DEI lens.

This session is open to all employees.

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1:20-2:50

1.5 flex credit hours

Math Bootcamp for your Math Class

Facilitators: Yvette Butterworth, Math Faculty; Michelle Beatty, Math Faculty

Location:Zoom

A hands-on workshop for Math Faculty to come together and gain hands on experience in the Math Bootcamp materials. The co-designers of the materials will share their insights into the use of the materials and the philosophy behind their design and use in Math Bootcamp. In addition, the co-designers will share their thoughts about the use of the materials in their classes without the benefit of the formal Math Bootcamp program. There will be question and answer time followed by time for faculty to login and begin exploration with the co-designers there to help guide any faculty in their journey. The session will wrap up with a share-out of faculty ideas of how they may use the materials for their classes in the future.

This session is open to all employees.

Video recording of Math Bootcamp for your Math Class session

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1:20-2:50

1.5 flex credit hours

Visual Thinking as a Teaching Tool

Presenters: Darryl Stanford, Astronomy Faculty; Justin Stevick, Astronomy Faculty; Mohsen Janatpour, Astronomy Faculty

Location: Planetarium, Building 36 (map)

This presentation showcases what you can observe in the night sky on April 17, 2025. Such as Venus, Mars, Jupiter,  Saturn, and several constellations. Then, you will be treated to a planetarium show, "Symvisio on The Dome," where images of artwork dance across the CSM Planetarium dome. Following this, there will be a presentation on teaching students how to think with images, which complements their verbal and symbolic thinking to enhance learning.

Thinking and learning via images are important steps toward reducing learning biases.

This session is open to all employees.

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12:30-2:30

Professional Photo-Taking Opportunity

Location: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10, Second Floor (map)

The Community Relations & Marketing Office will be taking photos for employees, on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Registration not required.

3:00-4:00

1 flex credit hour

The "Pore" Over: Review the CSM Accreditation Story (Standard 2)

Facilitators: Alex Guiriba, VP of Student Services; Teresa Morris, Library Faculty; Danni Redding Lapuz, VP of Instruction; Erica Reynolds, Instructional Technologist, Brittney Sneed, Umoja Coordinator; Todd Windisch, Academic Senate President

Location:Building 18, Room 206 (map)

Join the ISER Team for coffee and light snacks in this feedback session on the college’s draft accreditation Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER). Have we told the CSM story? Have we hit the key points that come to your mind when you think about what makes us who we are?

This session will focus on Standard 2: Student Success.

If you would like to pre-read the relevant standard response(s), see the ISER draft.

For those unable to attend in-person, hybrid options may be available through constituency feedback sessions. See the full schedule of ISER feedback.

This session is open to all employees.

Feedback

3:00-4:30

1.5 flex credit hours

Cancelled: Title IX and LGBTQIA2+ Issues: Current Trends and Impacts on Student Support

Facilitators: Kohya Lu, Ombuds; David Crafts, Title IX Coordinator and Dean of Enrollment Services

Location: Building 10, Room 195 (map) and Zoom

The current landscape for Title IX and LGBTQIA2+ issues is in turmoil due to the new U.S. Presidential Administration and the ushering in of a new age that is devoid of empathy and freedoms that have previously existed to help college students.  This session will look at providing information and updates related to these two critical areas as well as the actual and anticipated impacts to student support and how we can best serve our students through these challenging times.  

3:00-4:30

1.5 flex credit hours

No course fees and no course materials costs? Utilizing free course materials to engage your classroom community

Facilitators: Jennifer Howze-Owens, Instructional Designer

Location: Building 10, Room 194 (map) and Zoom

Are you looking to learn more about resources that are available to teach your courses at no cost to students? Open education resources and zero cost textbooks provide students with high quality course materials, vetted for accessibility, copyright, and more! For the past year, CSM faculty have successfully completed both self-paced and facilitated trainings, leading to deepened knowledge on how to apply topics and adopt materials. These trainings will be summarized and a panel of faculty with share their experiences. Finally, you will see a demonstration of LibreStudio, a free and easy-to-use tool for creating interactive exercises with existing resources that are openly licensed, and available for your use and customization. 

This session is open to all employees.

Video recording of No course fees and no course materials costs

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3:00-4:30

1.5 flex credit hours

The Journey Toward Equitable Grading: An Equitable Grading Lab Showcase

Facilitators: Julieth Diaz Benitez, Instructional Designer; Cheyanne Cortez, Art History Faculty; Laura Woltag, English Faculty; Colin Johnson, Business Faculty; Erica Yoon, Psychology Faculty

Location:Zoom

You may be familiar with the concepts of 'equitable grading' and 'Ungrading,' But, how can those concepts be applied across disciplines that have very different needs? How do such approaches support the promise of liberatory education and our collective mission of servingness?

Join participants of the CSM Equitable Grading Lab (EGL) in a showcase of equitable grading practices across disciplines, including business, statistics, psychology, and English. We'll take you on a journey through their process, including triumphs, challenges, lessons learned, and next steps.

You can expect a session rooted in scholarship, transparency, and reflective practice. You won't want to miss it.

This session is open to all employees.

Video recording of The Journey Toward Equitable Grading

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 3:30-4:30

1 flex credit hour

Bargaining Updates & Know your Rights for AFT Faculty Members

Facilitators: Tamara Perkins, Jessica Silver-Sharp, Camille Kaslan, Rika Yonemura Fabian, AFT Representatives

Location: Zoom

This session will provide updates on AFT union contract negotiations currently in progress for the 2025-2028 contract as well as a Know Your Rights session on a range of faculty rights.

This session is open to all AFT members.

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Asynchronous

1-2 flex credit hours

Complete an SMCCCD Microcourse

Have you ever wanted to learn more about a specific topic related to teaching and learning but have limited time to commit? Are you looking for opportunities to learn in small doses on your own time?

We invite you to take advantage of the SMCCCD microcourses. These are self-paced, asynchronous learning experiences that focus on specific topics of interest. Each microcourse takes 1-2 hours to complete, and you can self-enroll at any time. Upon completion, you will receive constructive feedback and a digital badge. Microcourses may be counted toward Flex credits. Complete one during Flex Day for automatic flex credit.

Current microcourses available: 

• Accessibility Basics with PopeTech (2 flex credit hours)
• Reimagining the syllabus (2 flex credit hours)
• The Easy Button: Recordings with Zoom and Panopto (1.5 flex credit hours)
• Ungrading: Part I (2 flex credit hours)
• Instructor Feedback (1.5 flex credit hours)
• Copyright in Education (2 flex credit hours)
• Revamping Your Course Introduction Video (2 flex credit hours)

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4:00-4:30

.5 flex credit hours

Final Flex Day Reflections with Executive Cabinet

Facilitators: Manuel Alejandro Pérez, President; Danni Redding Lapuz, Interim Vice President of Instruction; Alex Guiriba, Vice President of Student Services; Eddie Flores, Acting Director of Community Relations & Marketing; Andrea Vizenor, Executive Director of Strategic Intiatives & Economic Development (SIED); Monique Nakagawa, Acting Dean of Planning, Research, & Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE); David Galvez, Director of Equity

Location: Building 10, Room 468 (College Heights) (map) and Zoom

Join the executive leadership team for campus updates, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and reflect on the day.  Coffee, tea, and light refreshments will be served.

This session is open to all employees.

Video recording of Final Flex Day Reflections

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2:15-3:30

Fundraising 102 for Faculty and Staff

Facilitator: Megan Barber Allende, Executive Director, SMCCD Foundation

Location: Skyline Building 6, Room 205, or on Zoom.

Fundraising 102 will focus on the basic components of designing and executing a successful fundraising campaign. Topics will include peer-to-peer fundraising, grant research tools, corporate sponsorships, and the pluses/minuses of events.

Feel free to reach out with any questions to Megan Barber Allende, Executive Director, allendem@smccd.edu.

This session is open to all employees.

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