VCFA Professional Development Program

This newly-revised mini-course sets you up for success in Spanish 1 with a slow introduction to the fundamentals of Spanish with proven strategies for learning a new language.

This beginning-level language class (A1.1) explores the cultural richness of the Spanish-speaking world while helping you master the basics of Spanish with a proven communicative approach that emphasizes speaking competency while also building skills in listening, reading and writing. This practical course will quickly have you talking about life, family, work and travel.

We have made this practical high-beginner's course (A1.2) better with a new curriculum. Explore the cultural richness of the Spanish-speaking world while taking your skills to the next level. Improve your ability to converse about a wider range of common topics in the present tense, take your first steps in conversing with past tenses, and grow your comprehension, reading and writing skills, all in the context of real-life situations.

We have made this practical low-intermediate course (A2.1) even better with a new curriculum designed for adult language learners. Explore the cultural richness of the Spanish-speaking world through the voices and experiences of speakers from over 10 different countries.

This class will help build foundational knowledge of Scrum and equip you with skills to effectively manage, lead or be a member of a Scrum team. You will learn what kinds of projects call for an Agile Scrum approach.

Advance your project management skills by diving deep into some of the critical components of managing a project. Going beyond the basics of project management creates a culture of learning, accountability, transparency, high performance and successful delivery.

Gain an understanding of the mechanics of managing a meeting well. Learn to develop an agenda, manage meeting dynamics, deal with disruptive behavior, keep the meeting on track, track assignments and record the decisions and actions of the group. The session includes templates and models.

Gain foundational knowledge and explore best practices in project management to build the personal knowledge, skill and confidence you need to effectively lead projects. Whether you're leading your first project or looking for strategies to ensure project success, you will benefit from this class.

This class is designed for human resources managers, staff supervisors/managers and others who work with employees experiencing various losses. It shares information, strategies, tools and resources to best support employees to heal and grow in the midst of these losses.

Explore leadership characteristics and ways to strengthen your organization and support others' work. Learn about different leadership styles, public perceptions of leadership by sector and servant-leadership basics. Develop a personal leadership philosophy that contributes to your mission.

We're seeing more organizations with employees who work from home, live in other states and often live in other countries. "Lead from a distance" by understanding the challenges and best practices. Build trust, navigate conflict, make decisions and conduct engaging meetings with virtual staff.

This class will use the DiSC® assessment instrument to build self-awareness and explore the many facets that shape the way we see our world and function at work. By incorporating neuroscience and the DiSC® framework, we will learn to better understand our perspectives, identify and adapt to the perspectives of others, and to capture insightful synergies. We will discuss how to use tools and strategies to make this process easier so we can discover more options and solutions in our teams and projects.

Project management protocols don't often account for the changes in attitude and behavior that people will need to make to ensure the successful adoption of change. This workshop will focus on the integration of change management and project management processes and tools.

Through neuroscience-backed techniques, this skills-focused workshop helps leaders create a psychologically safe culture, increase employee engagement and productivity and improve mental and physical well-being. Participants will learn and practice techniques for cooling down their Lower Brain, our fear-based survival center, and activating the Higher Brain, the center for creativity, critical thinking and interpersonal connections. The results are a fulfilling and successful workplace, personal growth, and a high-functioning community. The program will be a mix of self-directed learning in Canvas and live online Zoom sessions. The self-directed learning exercises will be available one week before each live session and should be completed before the associated live session.

Master the skills necessary to communicate effectively with internal and external audiences in today's professional environment. Learn techniques of document structure, grammar and style proven to enhance credibility and influence. Learn credibility-damaging errors and tips for avoiding them.

Project Management for Everyone is designed to offer a gradual and effective introduction to core project management principles. Establish an understanding of foundational knowledge, concepts and tools related to project management. This course is ideal for individuals with little to no prior experience in project management or those seeking additional reinforcement before progressing to "Fundamentals of Project Management."

Strategic planning provides both a process and a set of outcomes that help you find answers to core questions about organizational identity and direction. Discover how to construct your organization's strategic plan, involve other stakeholders in its development and ensure successful implementation.

There are many myths about what managers can and should do to support employee work performance, satisfaction and engagement. Learn what decades of real-world management experience reveal about best practices and tools, plus gain insights into today's diverse and fast-moving environments.

Gain a basic overview of the knowledge and skills you need to teach in the online environment. Key topics include online course models, characteristics of online learners, understanding your role as an online instructor, how to plan content and learning activities and strategies to manage courses.

Learn to teach communication, teamwork, critical thinking and self-motivated learning – four transferable skills strongly linked to student success. College educators and administrators gain a strong foundation in the theory, research and practical applications of these crucial skills.

Through intentional and strategic mentoring and sponsorship, organizations can be transformed towards greater belonging and employee engagement. This course is designed to empower mentors — and potential mentors — to create greater possibilities for those whose talents are often under-represented in formal leadership roles. Through exposure to basic research findings, storytelling and the community built within the virtual learning space, participants will learn about the fundamentals of being good mentors, receiving mentoring, and creating a culture of mentoring that supports equity and belonging.

Studies are revealing that a large percentage of adults nationwide suffer from abusive childhoods, PTSD, grief from loss and/or other traumatizing events. This class will focus on what individual managers can do to recognize and respond to members of their team who are struggling. We will navigate through how to be compassionate without running afoul of employment laws or abandoning work standards and job descriptions. Participants will learn how to deal with worker trauma in ways that go beyond simple expressions of empathy while protecting confidentiality.