- Author: Jodi Azulai
For four years, UC Berkeley has been opening its doors for all UC staff to attend the Next Opportunity at Work Conference (NOW). NOW is an all-day conference designed to support UC staff with career and professional development through inspiring keynote speakers, workshops, networking connections with peers, and career planning resources. The June 2023 conference was held in person at the Oakland Marriott City Center. Three UC ANR staff members accepted reimbursements from Learning & Development to attend the conference.
Conference provides coaching, networking opportunities
“The NOW coaching and conference gave me clarity about my career path and a concrete plan for my next steps,” said Tracy Celio, Master Gardener Program coordinator for Amador and El Dorado counties.
“The NOW Conference was an opportunity to mingle with staff from other UC campuses and share experiences. My favorite part was the 1:1 talent acquisition coaching session included with the registration. I got great tips on updating my resume and a contact in UC recruiting,” said Katherine Uhde, Master Gardener Program coordinator for Santa Clara County
"By having this purpose, it allows for me to be a better resource for not only the potential employee or the onboarding employee, but for my department as well.”
Look for announcements for the NOW Conference during early spring 2024 via Learning & Development email announcements, the Employee News, and the calendar on the L&D landing page.
- Author: Shannon A Klisch
- Author: Karina Macias
- Author: Tammy J. McMurdo
- Author: Teresa Rios-Spicer
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To be successful, CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE (CFHL, UCCE) community education staff require a wide variety of skills and expertise in topics ranging from community nutrition, classroom management, and growing food, to conducting needs assessments and youth and community engagement. Onboarding new staff or supporting the professional development of experienced educators can be challenging since new staff may not be fully aware of the skills required, and experienced staff may not be fully aware of areas where growth and development are needed.
To address these issues, we convened a working group of CFHL, UC and CFHL, UCCE staff and academics from across the state to develop the Community Education Specialist Self-Assessment Tool (CESSAT). The CESSAT is a tool for supervisors to use in collaboration with community educators to self-evaluate current knowledge and skills and identify areas for professional development. This tool can be used with new hires and/or experienced educators to:
1) identify gaps in knowledge and skills and prioritize training accordingly
2) identify areas where growth or development is needed
3) inform the probationary and/or performance review process
4) identify opportunities for peer-to-peer support and informal mentoring
Over the course of 16 months, the workgroup met to review existing tools for community and nutrition educators, develop the skill and competency areas the tool should cover, draft self- assessment questions for each skill area, and divide skill areas between entry level and advanced. Once we had a complete working draft, we sent the CESSAT to subject matter experts in each of the skill areas for review and feedback. The current draft of the CESSAT reflects the input received from multiple partners and stakeholders.
We launched the CESSAT during a Feb. 24, 2022, webinar with CFHL, UCCE supervisors, managers and academics. We will collect feedback from this cohort of professionals as well as other program supervisors over the next six months. We plan to revise the CESSAT as needed to reflect the evolving nature of community education competencies and as additional skill areas are requested.
The CESSAT, if used broadly, can support the development of a highly skilled workforce, and help to identify training needs across the state. Our goal is that the CESSAT will support supervisors with access to a targeted self-assessment that they can use with new and experienced educators to support the training and development needs of every CalFresh Healthy Living program.
To access the CESSAT, click on this link: https://ucdavis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2tyQ5AeYoaLpbFk. You will be asked for your contact information so that we can follow-up with a short feedback survey.
- Author: Jodi Azulai
ANR Learning & Development Webpage
Past webinar recordings
EXTENSION DELIVERY
Hard Times, Hard Questions: Communicating science with difficult people
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Noon - 12:30 pm
With Peggy G. Lemaux, Ph.D.
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, UC Berkeley
Learn tools that will
- Engage the science-skeptic members of your audience
- Make you relatable to them
- Have your message resonate
Some simple suggestions
- Know your audience
- Listen to their concerns and stay calm
- Make it relevant
- Keep it simple; use analogies and avoid jargon
- Encourage questions; answer factually
Zoom access:
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09
Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428
Innovation Skill-Building Experience (Q2, Session 1)
April 20, 2021
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
For Extension Foundation Members Only.
Members can register here.
April 20, 2021
April 27, 2021
May 4, 2021
May 11, 2021
Do you have a project idea that needs incubation, innovation and ways to get to implementation and impact faster? Are you looking to learn about design thinking and lean experimentation combined with Cooperative Extension's best practices for solving important community issues? Are you interested in becoming an Innovation Facilitator/Coach for future Impact Collaborative events and to support your institution's teams and teams across the nation? Read more here.
Learning to Teach Online (LinkedIn Learning)
Staff author Oliver Schinkten draws the connections between high-quality instruction and online education. He provides a framework for creating a digital classroom and guidance to get students interacting with the course material, the instructor, and each other. Collaboration is the key to making the learning experience more dynamic. Course link.
For your free Linkedin Learning account, contact help@ucanr.edu.
Diversity - Equity - Inclusion
Various dates – see below.
Register for a session now! - Register early because each session is limited to 35 participants!
Bias, in its most simplistic definition, is having a preference for one thing over another. Also, biases come into play in our impressions and judgment of people, especially those whose identities and experiences are different from our own.
Workshop leaders are Mikael Villalobos, associate chief diversity officer in the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UC Davis, and Eric Sanchez, diversity and inclusion educator, UC Davis.
Who should attend: Those who have not participated in this type of learning are encouraged to register. Priority will be given to people who have not had previous access to this learning topic. There will be a waiting list for those who are interested but regularly engage with bias-related topics.
Objectives: We will explore how we make snap judgments about people by understanding our socialization that informs our biases.
Participants will be introduced to theory and language in understanding implicit and explicit bias.
Using personal reflection, experiential exercises and case studies, participants will gain greater awareness when they engage in bias and gain essential knowledge and skills (tools) in how they recognize and mitigate biases in both personal and professional domains.
By participating in one of these workshops, you have the opportunity to support the ANR Strategic Plan 2020-2025 goal to develop an inclusive and equitable workplace, and employ a workforce that reflects the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of California.
Choose one session
Each of the following two-hour workshops will be tailored to job roles as indicated below but you are welcome to sign up for the session that fits best with your schedule.
People who deliver programs to clientele - Including but not limited to academic coordinators, UCCE advisors, UCCE specialists, community educators, CE field workers, REC and staff research associates.
Wednesday, April 7, 9-11 a.m.
Tuesday, June 1, 9-11 a.m.
Monday, June 7, 10 a.m.-noon
People who work with volunteers - Including but not limited to volunteer coordinators and managers
Monday, May 10, 10 a.m.-noon
People who support to others in ANR - Including but not limited to administrative and support staff
Thursday, May 20, 10 a.m.-Noon
Cancellation: Participants must notify us of cancellations in writing to ANR Program Support at least one week prior to the session for which they're registered.
Registration & Logistics: ANR Program Support or call (530) 750-1361
May 2021 – Every Tuesday, 3-4 p.m.
May 4– The Asian Pacific Identity: Experiences and Stories
May 11 – Asian Pacific Farmers in California: Past and Present
May 18 – Violence in Asian Pacific Communities: Exclusion, Internment, and Hate Crimes
May 25 – Supporting Our Friends and Colleagues: Bystander Intervention Training
Thank you to the Planning Team
Sibani Bose, Surendra Dara, Charles Go, Pam Kan-Rice, Janice Kao, Dohee Kim, Vikram Koundinya
Elaine Lander, Tunyalee Martin, Yu Meng, Stephanie Parreira, Devii Rao, Marisa Tsai, Sua Vang
Racial Equity Capacity Building Workshops
Read more here.
The Wallace Center's Food Systems Leadership Network is excited to partner with the Interaction Institute for Social Change's Curtis Ogden and Aba Taylor to design and deliver two capacity building workshops and customized coaching for network members to operationalize racial equity and anti-racism in their organizations and their program work.
These trainings are part of the FSLN's CORE Project to embed racial equity into its framework for systems change; learn more on the CORE webpage here.The FFRJW Training is a four-part, virtual workshop for 12 food systems leaders who are actively engaged in facilitating discussions around racial equity that lead to impactful action. Applications are due April 12 and participants will be notified by April 16. Space is limited to 12 FSLN members. Click to read more.
Building support
Big Dig Day & Social Media: Strategies for success
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
10 - 10:45 a.m.
Join Emily Delk, director of annual giving, and Dora Garay, social media strategist, as they share how to make the most of UC ANR's Big Dig Day (June 4, 2021) giving campaign to raise money for your program. You will learn how to plan your campaign, including themes, tools and timelines. Together we will learn the ins and outs of using social media to promote your campaign—from the basics of each platform to more advanced strategies to expand your reach. Zoom access:
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09
Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428
Proposal Development and Proposal Process
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
3 – 4 p.m.
Learn about the steps involved in the proposal submissions process from developing your idea to submission.Vanity Campbell and Kendra Rose will go over identifying funding opportunities, developing the project concept, building collaborative teams, drafting the proposal, submitting to Office of Contracts and Grants for review, and submission to the sponsor. Zoom access:
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09
Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428
Office, team and personal management
Join Mark Bell and Jodi Azulai to discuss key takeaways from three short videos that feature giving and receiving feedback. The objective is to help lighten this sometimes difficult process. Come ready to change your mind and lighten the load! Join Zoom meeting:
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/94900422680?pwd=SzFGbGtwdUpXVHlMT3o5UHhIdllMQT09 | Meeting ID: 949 0042 2680 | Passcode: 2Lighten | One tap mobile+16699006833,,94900422680# US (San Jose) or +12532158782,,94900422680# US (Tacoma)
Collaborative Facilitation Advanced Workshop Series - Advanced
Apply here.
Dates: Tuesdays - April 27- May 11, 2021
2 hours/session (virtual)
Limited to 24 participants. Your application will be reviewed and you will be notified about your participation. Preference will be given to participants who have previous learning or experience in meeting facilitation.
This course is designed for people who have already learned basic meeting facilitation. It is open to all UC ANR academic and staff employees, including statewide program volunteers.
Collaborations and group processes are complex, dynamic and unpredictable. Successful processes are based on shared understanding and learning, and work towards common goals. However, we know that this doesn't always happen. Then what?
Collaborative facilitation and group process tools support success, allowing everyone to feel heard and to contribute. Whether you have a lead facilitator role or are a group participant, join us in learning appropriate and applicable facilitation tools to use before, during and after your meetings.
This course will cover the following topics:
Session I - review and include building teams to “compete” for the correct responses to challenges with meetings.
Session II - prevention and intervention tools.
Session III - dealing with difficult people, including ourselves.
Session IV - tools to manage conflicts combining all the tools you have learned and experienced.
Apply here.
Learn the six habits of the most successful people in history. Hal Elrod describes how they changed his life—and how they can change yours, too—in this course adapted from the podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job. Elrod is one of the highest rated keynote speakers in America, creator of one of the fastest growing and most engaged online communities in existence, and author of one of the bestselling books in the world, The Miracle Morning. For your free Linkedin Learning account, contact help@ucanr.edu
Critical Thinking Course Link (LinkedIn Learning)
By focusing on root-cause issues critical thinking helps you avoid future problems that can result from your actions. In this course, leadership trainer and expert Mike Figliuolo outlines a series of techniques to help you develop your critical thinking skills. He reveals how to define the problem you're trying to solve and then provides a number of critical thinking tools such as blowing up the business, asking the 5 whys and the 7 so whats. Read more here.
Career Management Toolkit (UC Davis)
Whether you are on a specific career path or considering new options, perhaps the UC Davis Career Management Toolkit will inspire you to develop your talents and engage them. The best person to manage your career is you!
Learning about yourself and understanding your interests, personality, skills and values are fundamental to engaging your work in meaningful ways.
Effective strategies for career exploration can help you identify a satisfying career and accelerate … Read more here.
Credits:
Everyone can learn something new
ANR Learning & Development
Office: 530.750.1239
jlazulai@ucanr.edu
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- Author: Pam Kan-Rice
Californians have been dealing with wildfires, the pandemic, power shutdowns, excessive heat and drought, sometimes all at the same time. In every county, UC Cooperative Extension is there to assist community members.
To better serve their clientele, nearly three-quarters of UC Cooperative Extension employees say they need professional development related to disaster response, according to a new study led by Vikram Koundinya, UC Cooperative Extension evaluation specialist in the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology.
Koundinya and coauthors Cristina Chiarella, UC Davis doctoral graduate student researcher; Susan Kocher, UC Cooperative Extension advisor for the Central Sierra; and Faith Kearns, California Institute for Water Resources academic coordinator, surveyed UC ANR personnel to identify existing disaster management programs and future needs. Their research was published in the October 2020 edition of Journal of Extension.
“It's becoming so common that our folks are being put in the role of responding to disasters, while not having much training or background to do so,” Kocher said.
“And, it's really cross-disciplinary,” she added. “Right now, our nutrition folks are doing so much with assisting their communities with food access during COVID. Others, like Faith Kearns, have been working hard to address drought and help clientele weather drought impacts. There are the individual events like the LNU Lightning Complex fires [wildfires caused by lightning strikes in Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Solano and Yolo counties that burned from Aug. 17 to Oct. 2, 2020], but really, so many of us are currently doing disaster work across our disciplines and that role will only continue to expand with climate change-induced disasters. Once you frame it as ‘disaster work' you can start to see how our system needs to be much more prepared and to learn from and collaborate with each other and with disaster organizations.”
The survey showed that about one-third of the 224 respondents had been involved in preparing for, responding to, or helping communities recover from disasters. Respondents also noted a variety of needs related to disaster preparedness, response and recovery systems, procedures, materials and equipment, and educational materials.
“UC ANR personnel reported a need for professional development related to understanding how we fit into broader disaster response systems (73%) in California, what Extension resources are available for disaster response (63%), how the landscape of disaster risks in California communities is changing (62%), how communities can mitigate or manage disaster risks (62%), how to develop pre-established networks within the organization for responding to disasters (52%) and coordination with local and state entities (48%),” Koundinya said.
The authors note in the journal article, “Even though UCCE has been playing a critical role in disaster response for decades, because of the size and geographic spread of the UCCE system, disaster management approaches and materials have tended to develop piecemeal on a program-by-program and often county-by-county and disaster-by-disaster basis.”
The article, “Disasters Happen: Identifying disaster management needs of Cooperative Extension System personnel” can be viewed at https://joe.org/joe/2020october/a2.php.
“We recommend that the findings be used for designing professional development on the topics and needs identified by the respondents,” said Koundinya.
Coming together, keeping together and working together during unprecedented times.
Although we live in challenging times, few organizations are managing those challenges as well as UC ANR. Throughout our community, at every level, staff and academics have innovated and found new ways to ensure that our local communities continue to be served by our programs, our research and our partnerships. You have all shown your ability to adapt and have demonstrated a high level of resilience in a continually changing and unprecedented environment these past months. Yet, even resilience requires renewal and revitalization.
Therefore, as we continue to adjust to ongoing change, I want to encourage all UC ANR people – supervisors and individual contributors alike – to tap more deeply into their collaborative and team building potential by completing the UC People Management Certificate Series within the next year.
ANR as a whole will benefit from our individual understanding of the basic tenets of employee engagement, team building, setting clear expectations, clear communication and collaboration. On an individual basis, you will gain a deeper understanding and tools to enhance your people skills, collaboration skills, prioritizing work, implicit bias awareness, being an effective team member, and preparing yourself for leadership roles.
There are 16 required and 4 elective modules which range from 15-25 minutes. Included in the required modules are topics such as “Giving and Receiving Feedback”, “Coaching for Performance and Development”, and “What is Implicit Bias?” In the elective course section, topics include “Building Collaborative Relationships,” “Move Forward with Change Planning” and “UC Responding to Conflict.” They are well worth your investment of time – both as professional development and personal growth.
Let's continue to champion the amazing work we all do by delving into people management.
Once you have completed the series, please contact learninganddevelopment@ucanr.edu for your digital certificate.
As always, many thanks for the great work you do!
Stay safe out there,
Glenda