Celebrating the New Year in the Community Learning Department

Be sure to check the blog next Monday!!!

We will be celebrating the blog's one year anniversary and posting a media release about the blog that has national significance.

Community Learning and Holiday Fun

The department staff decided to have a special dress-up day. Everyone wore their holiday sweater. Some even went so far as to wore festive head gear.

The office will be closed December 22 to December 29 so that we can spend time with family and friends.

Have a great holdiay!!!

Winter Weather and Its Impact on Class

'Tis the winter season and severe weather conditions may prevail. Glenda Lantis, department program manager, offers the following.

“COCC rarely has to cancel classes due to weather conditions. Closure for snow may be inconsistent due to distances between locations. If your class is held in a local school and the school is closed, your class will be cancelled for that day or evening.

The same holds true for other community facilities such as the local Senior Centers. If weather and/or road conditions deteriorate during a class session, the instructor should exercise individual judgment.

Community Learning program staff make every effort to contact instructors and students during times of emergency or weather related closures, however, occasionally, staff have difficulty accessing contact information to do so.

Listen to the local radio for announcements, check our website www.cocc.edu or call 383-7700for a recorded message in regard to COCC Campus closures.”

Five Tips for Homework Assignments

Teaching a class that involves homework?

Suggestions for helping the students with the assignments are found in a recent Inside the School Update that contained an article titled “Posting Homework Online” by Diane Trim. The following points are particularly relevant to community learning students.

1. Post assignments on the Internet. This can be accomplished using social media such as a blog.*


2. Assignments are easily retrieved when on the Internet. If a student misses a meeting, they can obtain the homework themselves and not fall behind.


3. Posting the assignments also serves as a reminder. Our adult students lead busy lives and often appreciate being reminded.


4. When writing the assignments, use a common/generic word processing program. Not everyone has the latest version of all programs.


5. Keep the assignments brief. This results in a small file size, allowing for a quick download. Those with a dial-up modem will appreciate it.

*More information on social media and blogs will be forth coming.

Carol Moorehead and Paul Stennett Give Presentations

Carol Moorehead, Dean of Continuing Education and Paul Stennett, Program Manager of Community Learning, gave presentations at the annual conference of the National Association of Continuing Education in Dallas, Texas on November 5-8, 2008.

The annual conference attracted educators from across the country, featuring a broad range of topics. Carol spoke on marketing and Paul discussed the teaching adults class for new instructors along with the department instructor blog.