The Center for Professional Excellence, a facility made with the idea of professional learning in mind, is now open on the second floor of Vaughn Library. The Tutoring Center has been moved to the first floor.
“Professional development in the past has not had a designated space at TJC where faculty and staff have a place to learn just like students do,” Director of Professional Development, Katie Moses said. “So, the leadership here at TJC decided that it would be good to have a dedicated space for learning.”
The facility is intended to help faculty and staff achieve personal and professional growth and is available for any individual employed at TJC.
“We offer training in five different categories,” Moses said.
These include, college systems and processes, personal and professional development, teaching and learning, technology and leadership.
Workshops are available on a variety of subjects, including computer-based classes to help faculty learn programs like Microsoft Word as well as book studies. A room has also been set up for recording, so faculty and staff may record videos for Canvas courses or put them on the TJC website.
“We hope that faculty and staff use the center to improve themselves, which carries onto improved customer service for the students [and] improved classroom experiences for our students,” Moses said. “It all directly impacts the students we serve at TJC.”
Not only is there a direct benefit for students, but faculty also have an opportunity to make their time at TJC easier and more accessible for an evolving learning landscape in terms of technological advancement.
“It sounds like it’s going to be a pretty excellent thing,” Professor of Physics, Douglas Parsons said. “It’s always good to learn new tricks and be able to work with new pieces of equipment. Whether it’s 3D printers, or CAD software, or graphics [and] design elements, teachers should be able to keep up with their students.”
Sessions started in September, but due to construction, the official opening was set to be on Oct. 5.
New Center for Professional Excellence opens in Vaughn Library
