Professional Development

Employee Development Day | Friday, October 31, 2025

Theme: A Day of Connection & Reflection

Sessions have limited seating. To ensure availability, employees are encouraged to sign up using AlamoTALENT registration links.

HOW TO REGISTER:

• All sessions, including the opening and keynote, require registration through AlamoTALENT. Once you register, you should receive a confirmation email to add to your calendar
• Sessions have registration limits based on room availability and session activity so secure your spot soon
• When registering in AlamoTALENT: 

1. 1. Log-into ACES
   2. Click on AlamoTALENT
   3. In the search bar (on top right), type in NLC Employee Development Day
   4. Sessions should be listed by start time. Find the session you want to register for, select view details, then hit request
   5. You will receive an email confirmation from AlamoTALENT
   6. Or use the direct link to log into ACES and access the sessions

AGENDA:

7:45am - 8:30am: Breakfast tacos/coffee
8:30am: Dr Garcia welcome
8:40am - 9:45 am: Keynote speaker
10:00am - 10:50am: Breakout 1
11:00am - 11:50am : Breakout 2
11:50am - 1:30pm: Lunch. Teambuilding/engagement
1:30pm - 2:20pm: Breakout 3
2:30pm - 3:20pm: Breakout 4
3:30pm - 4:00pm: Closing Remarks, reflections, survey, giveaways

Welcome & Opening Keynote
Paluxy Hall, Bluebonnet Room
8:30 am – 9:45 am

Join Dr. Veronica Garcia and NLC leadership to kick-off 2025 Employee Development Day. Dr. Garcia will set the stage for the day’s activity and welcome our keynote presenters, Peter Felten & Leo Lambert. Their presentation title is “Connections are everything: How relationships drive student success"

Breakout Sessions I
10:00 am – 10:50 am

• Part Two of Active Learning Refresh
  Offers three more one-hour active learning workshops. In each session, faculty will think, laugh and collaborate their way through three classroom-tested active learning techniques based on learning science

• Elaboration and Spaced Retrieval Practice Part 1
  Retention improves when students are explicitly taught to space their studying and retrieve highly detailed content from memory. In this sweets-themed workshop, we'll flavor our teaching with four fun, easy strategies. 

• Financial Planning & Retirement for “Late Starters” – presented by Laura F. Redfern, CFP ®, CeFT
  If you are starting retirement planning later in life, you are facing unique challenges – and possibly opportunities! Do you know how to take stock of your current financial situation, set realistic goals, and maximize your retirement contributions? Are you confident in balancing risk and growth in your investment strategies? In this session, we will cover these questions and more. Don’t feel discouraged – get educated and walk away with confidence!

• AI Workshop 
  Participants get hands-on experience with 4-5 different AI programs and learn how to use them to be more efficient in their work and teaching.

• Soulful Sanctuary Meditation 
  Step into the calm of this Soulful Sanctuary, where ambient lighting and gentle guided meditation will elevate your spirit. Let every breath on our yoga mats become an invitation to serenity and rejuvenation.

• Game On: Connect, Compete & Unwind
  Challenge your critical thinking and spelling skills with a variety of engaging games, or take a break and enjoy some relaxing activities. This room will be open all day.

• The Quiet Cove
  Come relax and decompress in a peaceful setting with gentle calming music. Let your mind reset and slow down with soothing coloring, interesting books, and fidget toys. This sanctuary is available throughout the day to help recharge the mind, body, and soul to make the day a more productive experience.

• Crafty Hour
  Do you enjoy crafting with friends?  Would you like to try something new?  This is the activity for you.  We will have holiday-themed crafts available for you to try. You don't need any experience to join the fun.  Due to the types of crafts, we will have a group size limited to 8. Supplies provided.

• Fire Extinguisher Training
  This session will provide the basics for how to use a fire extinguisher.  Join the Live Oak Fire Dept for this hands-on training.

Breakout Sessions II
11:00 am – 11:50 am

• Active Learning Session: Elaboration and Spaced Retrieval Practice Part 2
  Elaboration and spaced retrieval practice are so important, we’ll explore three more strategies for retrieving highly detailed representations from memory across time, this time using the theme of personality

• Financial Planning & Retirement for “Early Career Starters”
  Building a career is an exciting time, and it often brings questions about benefits and planning for the future. Do you know how to figure out your current financial situation, balance savings and debt, and set realistic goals? Can you balance safety and opportunity in your investing strategy? In this session, we will give you insights and tips on how to get started on the right foot and leverage your time to best position yourself for retirement.

• Microsoft 365 workshop
  Participants dive into specific tools and new updates that would be most helpful for faculty and staff. 

• Stillness in Motion: Deep Stretch
  This Yin Yoga session offers space to slow down and settle in. Through extended holds and passive, floor-based stretches, we’ll gently target deep connective tissue to enhance flexibility and encourage calm. The class is appropriate for all activity levels; please wear comfortable attire that allows for easy movement.

• The Quiet Cove
  Come relax and decompress in a peaceful setting with gentle calming music. Let your mind reset and slow down with soothing coloring, interesting books, and fidget toys. This sanctuary is available throughout the day to help recharge the mind, body, and soul to make the day a more productive experience.

• Game On: Connect, Compete & Unwind
  Challenge your critical thinking and spelling skills with a variety of engaging games, or take a break and enjoy some relaxing activities. This room will be open all day.

• Fire Extinguisher Training
  This session will provide the basics for how to use a fire extinguisher.  Join the Live Oak Fire Dept for this hands-on training.

Lunch and Engagement
11:50 am – 1:30 pm

• Costume contest happening during lunch (various categories). Costumes should be appropriate for a business environment (no masks)
  
  
• Guess Who Matching Game?! Submit a younger Harvest or Halloween photo of you; electronically to nlc-public-relations@alamo.edu or hard copy photo to MARCOMM Office to have it digitized (deadline, Friday, October 24)

Breakout Sessions III
1:30 pm – 2:20 pm

• Active Learning Session: Interleaving
  When students repeatedly switch between concepts or question types, they encode more deeply. We will explore three movie-themed techniques for teaching students through interleaving.
• Money Myths That Hold You Back: Busting Misconceptions About Financial Planning – presented by Laura F. Redfern, CFP ®, CeFT®
  Think financial planning is only for the wealthy, or that taxes are always lower in retirement? Join Laura Redfern, CFP® and author of Peaceful Prosperity, as she busts the most common money myths and reveals real-world steps to gain clarity about your finances.

• Standing Up to Sitting: Rethinking Movement in Higher Education
  Prolonged sitting affects our physical health, mental well-being, and workplace effectiveness, yet it has become the default in higher education. This session highlights the risks of sedentary behavior, practical movement strategies, and what it takes to build a campus culture that supports healthier ways of working and learning

• The Quiet Cove
  Come relax and decompress in a peaceful setting with gentle calming music. Let your mind reset and slow down with soothing coloring, interesting books, and fidget toys. This sanctuary is available throughout the day to help recharge the mind, body, and soul to make the day a more productive experience.

• Game On: Connect, Compete & Unwind
  Challenge your critical thinking and spelling skills with a variety of engaging games, or take a break and enjoy some relaxing activities. This room will be open all day.

• Campus Safety 101
  This session will provide an overview of general campus safety, evacuation points and procedures and the basics

• AI workshop
  Participants get hands-on experience with 4-5 different AI programs and learn how to use them to be more efficient in their work and teaching.

Breakout Sessions IV
2:30 pm – 3:20 pm

• Investing Basics and Beyond: Making Your Money Work for You 
  Learn key investing concepts and practical strategies to grow and protect your wealth. This session explores how emotions and cognitive biases can influence investment decisions. Understanding these factors can help you make smarter, more focused financial choices.

• Microsoft 365 Workshop
  Participants dive into specific tools and new updates that would be most helpful for faculty and staff.

• The Quiet Cove
  Come relax and decompress in a peaceful setting with gentle calming music. Let your mind reset and slow down with soothing coloring, interesting books, and fidget toys. This sanctuary is available throughout the day to help recharge the mind, body, and soul to make the day a more productive experience.

• Game On: Connect, Compete & Unwind
  Challenge your critical thinking and spelling skills with a variety of engaging games, or take a break and enjoy some relaxing activities. This room will be open all day.

• Campus Safety 101

• Crafty Hour
  Do you enjoy crafting with friends? Would you like to try something new? This is the activity for you. We will have holiday-themed crafts available for you to try. You don't need any experience to join the fun. Due to the types of crafts, we will have a group size limited to 8. Supplies provided.

• Beginner Line Dancing | Llano Wellness, Gym
  Learn fun line dance moves and get ready to show off your skills at the upcoming NLC Blue Jean Benefit. No experience needed—just bring your energy and enthusiasm.

Closing Remarks & Reflections
Paluxy Hall, Bluebonnet Room
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Join us at the conclusion of Employee Development Day for reflection, survey feedback, and door prizes.