Make check payable to EPCC (or include PO#) and mail to:
El Paso Community College
ATTN: Faculty Development Office
P.O. Box 20500
El Paso, TX 79998-0500
Fax: 915-831-2738
Email: anar@epcc.edu
Name of Participant:
Teaching Area:
Please Reserve Place(s) for (number of participants).
College:
College Address:
State: City:
Zip:
Telephone:
Email:
Fax:
Accommodations: [ ] Disabled access room
[ ] Pets: fee of $25 per night (please inform if you will be bringing more than one pet)
Roommate/Guest (if known):
Enclosed: (check as applicable)
$50 deposit for Seminar
$420 S.W. Seminar (shared room)
$530 S.W. Seminar with private room
Purchase Order #
Requests for early arrival/late departure:
Each additional night will be billed at $110 per night.
List date which you plan to arrive
List date which you plan to depart
The Inn at Loretto charges a fee of $10 per day per vehicle for parking.
This amount is not included in the registration fees.
The seminar will open with an orientation session and dinner on the evening of the 29th. On Friday, October 30th, breakfast will be provided followed by morning sessions and a luncheon at 12:15 p.m. Participants will have the afternoon off as free time to explore the Santa Fe area. At 7 p.m., we will reconvene to finalize the Saturday morning participant created sessions followed by dinner. On Saturday, October 31st, breakfast will be provided followed by morning sessions until noon.
In order to make the seminar accessible to all college teachers, we have endeavored to keep costs low. The total registration fee for the seminar is $420. This amount covers all registration fees, plus five delicious meals and two nights lodging at double occupancy. Private rooms are available for those who desire single occupancy and/or wish to bring a guest. A private room for the entire Seminar (two nights) is available for an additional $110. Participants who wish to arrive early or extend their stay should make a note on the registration form. Rates for each additional night will be $110 per night. Included in the room rates are all taxes, free Wi-Fi, and resort fees (use of exercise room, business center, pool, etc.). Requests for a disabled access room should be noted on the registration form. Please do not contact the hotel regarding lodging. We will add your name to the room block we have reserved for this Seminar.
Due to the unique nature of this Seminar, the total number of participants will be limited. Thus, colleges/individuals are encouraged to apply early, if at all possible. Individuals/colleges can reserve a place by including a $50 deposit with their registration form. To guarantee a place, we should receive your registration plus a $50 deposit or full payment by October 9, 2015. Unless prior arrangements have been made, all fees should be paid prior to the start of the Seminar. Refunds may be subject to a $10 handling fee. No refunds after October 10th.
However, with prior notice, we can transfer your registration to another participant. Space permitting, registration applications will be accepted until seven days prior to the start of the Seminar.
For more information on the Seminar, contact:
El Paso Community College
Attn: Faculty Development Office
P.O. Box 20500
El Paso, Texas 79998-0500
(915) 831-2201
Fax: (915) 831-2738
Email: anar@epcc.edu
Or visit us at our website at: www.epcc.edu/facultydevelopment
The El Paso County Community College District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
PAID El

This Southwest Seminar for Great Teaching is based on the premise that college faculty are a rich resource that needs to be tapped via a format which encourages learning from each other. The Southwest Seminar for Great Teaching takes a participant-centered focus that allows those in attendance to determine much of the content. Thus, unlike traditional conferences, there are few presenter lead sessions.
Instead, the participants are actively involved in each session in that they are asked to reflect upon their experiences and contribute their ideas to the topic at hand.
This year’s theme session will begin with Thursday evening “home” groups, wherein participants will get acquainted and in-line with our theme of exploring teaching challenges, develop a listing of those things one should and should not say on the first day of class. On Friday morning, the home groups will briefly reconvene and facilitators will explain the format for the expert and reporting back sessions which will follow. Next, participants will join with other seminar participants in the formation of expert groups. In these expert groups, participants will tap their own experiences/knowledge. Trained facilitators will guide the expert groups in the development of teaching tips, practical suggestions, and examples that address each group’s topic. Afterward, the participants will return to their original/home groups and report back on how their expert group addressed the topic at hand. Thus, all participants will eventually share in the knowledge generated by each expert group.
Below are abbreviated descriptions of the topics under consideration for the “expert groups:”
1. My Critical Thinking Techniques - Participants will share their techniques for promoting critical thinking via role playing projects, word problems, real life scenarios, writing assignments, questioning techniques, etc.
2. Getting My Students to Participate: Successes and Challenges - This group will explore successes and challenges in regard to getting students to participate in face to face classes.
3. Connecting the Classroom to the Real World - Participants will share examples of activities/assignments that they use to connect course material/classroom content to everyday life.
4. How I Reduce Student Anxiety - This group will involve a sharing of techniques for reducing anxiety in the following areas: test taking, class discussions, class presentations, meeting deadlines, writing papers, etc.
5. Intervention Techniques for the Stale Classroom - A stale classroom is one in which the students do not seem to be responding to the material and/or the teacher.
Participants will share their techniques for meeting this challenge.
6. My Awkward Classroom Scenario - Participants will share with the group examples of awkward scenarios and how they were handled.
In addition to the theme sessions, participants can choose from one of the following breakout sessions. These breakout groups are based on topics that have generated interest at previous seminars. Below are abbreviated descriptions of the topics to be explored:
1. Effective Use of Course Tools and Teaching Online Classes - Come prepared to share your strategies for teaching online classes. Participants will share their techniques for promoting critical thinking, testing techniques, structuring of discussion groups, teaching dual credit online, detecting cheating, providing feedback, etc.
2. My Best Practices for Early College High School/Dual Credit Students - Participants will share their techniques for introducing these students to the college level environment. Included in this discussion will be techniques for promoting student success skills, helping these students adjust to college level topics/discussions, etc.
3. How I Use Games and Role Playing in My Classes - This group will share examples of games/role playing exercises that one uses in their classes and their purpose.
Discussion will also focus on do’s and don’ts for these activities as well as examples of any notably successful activities.
4. My Best Practices with Key Student Success Skills - Come to this group prepared to share your best student success practices in the following areas: time management, textbook reading strategies, note taking, getting students to seek help from the instructor or tutoring labs.
5. Assessing the Effectiveness of the Community as a Classroom - Come prepared to share your techniques for assessing the selection and effectiveness of field trips, speakers, service learning projects, internships, etc.
6. Diffusing the Confrontational Student - Sometimes instructors encounter students who challenge the teacher’s knowledge, perspective, or classroom rules.
For example, the student may engage in continuous open disagreement with the instructor involving facts or continually present opposing viewpoints. Participants are asked to come with examples of confrontational students and share examples of how they dealt with the situation. The group will offer feedback on positive ways to handle these situations.
A second set of breakout sessions will be based on issues that arose during the opening theme session. Seminar facilitators will be listening for recurring themes/issues that arose during the theme session. These issues, plus any others suggested by the participants, will form the basis for the closing set of workshops.
These workshops are often on topics that are overlooked by traditional conferences.
We believe that a seminar should provide an environment that encourages collegiality and relaxation. Thus, we have arranged for the following informal/optional activities:
On Thursday evening, Mr. Jim Berry of Central New Mexico Community
College will lead an informal discussion of “makerspaces” which are community centers with tools. They combine manufacturing equipment, community, and education for the purposes of enabling community members to design, prototype and create manufactured works that wouldn’t be possible to create with the resources available to individuals working alone.
FREE TIME - Participants will have ample time on Friday afternoon to explore the Santa Fe area.
The seminar is sponsored by El Paso Community College (EPCC) and
Central New Mexico Community College (CNM). EPCC has received several national awards for its work in the area of faculty development and has recently been recognized by the Aspen Institute as one of the top ten Community Colleges in the nation. CNM is recognized as a leader in promoting faculty development activities among colleges in New Mexico. Trained facilitators will be present at all workshops/small group discussions. Facilitators for the seminar are drawn from
El Paso Community College and Central New Mexico Community College.
During the twenty-six year history of the seminar, over 2800 faculty from 108 colleges in 21 states have attended. Representation has come from both the academic and vocational/technical areas. This broad range of faculty participation serves to enhance the possibilities for learning from the experiences of others.
Feedback from previous participants indicates that the Seminar produces results on several levels. On a practical level, much information concerning teaching techniques, programs, etc. is shared among participants. As this is a regional seminar that often involves many colleges, networking is a major result.
The professional “esprit de corps” which commonly emerges causes participants to leave with a sense of renewed enthusiasm for their profession and the people who are part of it. The following comments from previous seminar participants provide an insight into the results one can expect:
“It was the best seminar/conference I’ve ever attended because of the mutual sharing of ideas and the loosely structured, non-threatening approach.”
“This is the only meeting of this kind where I go home so enthusiastic and refreshed.”
“A thought-provoking experience!”
“I will do a better job in the classroom due to my participation in this seminar.”
“I feel excited and renewed, this seminar made me realize how much I love this profession.”
“I’m excited over the new techniques I have learned and am anxious to tell my colleagues.”
“The collegial sharing was terrific…the seminar gets an ‘A’, thanks for a great experience.”
“Excellent forum for interfacing with colleagues.”
“It was succinct-it was seminal-it was problem-oriented-it was useful-it was fun-it was awesome.”
“The concept of experts, creates a focus on teaching/learning not always experienced elsewhere.”
“It was an invaluable experience that I wouldn’t have missed for anything.”
“A refreshing change from the typical presentation based-conference.”
“Excellent experience, everyone talked about specific issues and solutions.”
“Loved soaking up the passion of all for teaching.”
“I have attended on numerous occasions and have always been pleased with what I garnered from the involvement.”
“Much more valuable than lecture format seminars.”
“I always learn a lot when I come here. This is my favorite seminar.”
The Inn and Spa at Loretto is a four-star facility located adjacent to the Loretto Chapel and a one block walk to the
Old Santa Fe Plaza. The Inn is an architectural recreation of the famous Taos Pueblo. Inside the hotel one sees a blend of
Pueblo, Native American, and Spanish cultures. The Inn at
Loretto has been consistently rated among the top 5 hotels in the Southwest and among the top 30 in the U.S.A. by
Conde Nast Traveler, Trip Advisor, and Travel and Leisure.
The Spa at Loretto is ranked among the top 75 hotel spas in the U.S. This hotel offers updated rooms and all of the amenities one would expect from a first-class hotel. To learn more about the Inn and Spa at Loretto, visit their website at www.innnatloretto.com
.
Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the United States. It is situated at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountains which contain lush mountain forests and alpine scenery.
However, Santa Fe is most noted for its art, culture, and museums. In the old town area, one can stroll along streets lined with art galleries and fine dining. In addition, there are many museums, an array of performing arts, spas, and historic buildings. Nearby are numerous Native American pueblos. In addition, it is a short and scenic drive to Taos and the famous Rio Grande gorge.
Santa Fe is located approximately one hour north of
Albuquerque, New Mexico. The nearest major airport is in
Albuquerque. We can provide information and rates for the several shuttle services and the Rail Runner train running from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. The Inn at Loretto charges a fee of $10 per day per vehicle for parking. Thus, participants are encouraged to carpool or use the various shuttle services.
Once at the Inn participants can easily walk to the plaza, galleries, museums, etc.