Teaching & Learning Center (TLC)

The New Employee Experience (NEE) will orient and equip new Midland College employees with the relationships, tools, resources, and knowledge necessary to be successful employees at Midland College. This program is designed to help new employees understand and integrate into the Midland College culture.

New full-time faculty and staff are expected to participate in this program; part-time employees can participate at the discretion of their supervisor. 

The NEE  program consists of several components:

NEE-Welcome: A personal welcome visit from TLC staff/facilitators
NEE-Start: Monthly lunches for new employees to network and check-in
NEE-Strive: Half-day session with all the basic knowledge needed to get started
NEE-Succeed: Online modules that dive deeper into the need-to-know
NEE-Sustain: Follow-up visit(s) and mentorship from TLC staff/facilitators

New employees will be contacted by the TLC to be invited to participate.

The Teaching & Learning Academy (TLA) is a semester-long, cohort-based program designed to empower faculty to enhance student success through exploration and implementation of an active learning framework. Throughout this academy, participants will have the opportunity to practice, observe, reflect, discuss, and redesign for a truly immersive and transformative experience.

The TLA is offered in Fall semesters.

The purpose of the Faculty Learning Community (FLC) is to connect faculty at Midland College to explore and discuss a variety of teaching and learning topics.

Faculty from across the college will engage with one another on a variety of cross-disciplinary teaching and learning topics. These FLCs are loosely structured but allow the faculty to explore topics and ideas that are of interest to them, all while sharing ideas and getting feedback from their faculty colleagues.

Dates: Four Fridays, Starting April 5
Time: 9 - 11 am
Location: Microsoft Teams

Register Now

Professional Learning Communities (PLC) allow employees at Midland College to come together and discuss important topics relevant to their roles as higher education professionals. Each PLC will be centered on a specific topic and participants will engage in meaningful conversations and activities to further explore that topic. 

The TLC is hosting multiple PLCs in the Spring 2024 semester:

Understanding the Language of Behavior: DISC Behavioral Styles

DISC provides a common language to better understand both ourselves and those we interact with to reduce conflict and improve working relationships. Gain knowledge of how you respond to conflict, what motivates you or stresses you out, and how you solve problems. Enhance communication and understanding between team members and turn conflict into a positive, productive exercise.

Dates: Two Fridays, Starting April 12
Time: 1:30 - 3:30 pm 
Location: Learning Resource Center

Register Now

Professional Skills Development

Human skills (some call them soft skills, but there is nothing soft about them) are critical for success in the modern workplace. Join us as we look at some of the most in-demand workplace professional skills and practice them in a hands-on manner. This is a flipped classroom with lecture videos to be watched outside of class time and workshop during class.

Dates: Four Tuesdays, Starting April 9
Time: 11:45 - 1:15 pm
Location: Learning Resource Center

Register Now

Resiliency and Change: Navigating Transformative Challenges

Develop the capacity to thrive amidst profound changes. Delves into the psychological, emotional, and practical aspects of building resilience in the face of organizational change. Gain insights into adaptive coping strategies, change management techniques, and the cultivation of a growth mindset, and be better equipped them to embrace change as an opportunity for growth and innovation.

This program has already been held.

Workplace Communication: Listen, Engage, Influence, Inspire

Develop your skills in active listening, written and verbal interpersonal communication, public speaking, and social media. Communication is a core component of everyone's job - and all of us have room for improvement!

This program has already been held.

Mini-Courses vary in length and format, but typically last 3-4 weeks and include some sort of deliverable by the participant. Topics can range from using a specific technology tool to improving communication with students. 

The TLC is hosting at least one Mini-Courses in the Spring 2024 semester:

Artificial Intelligence Mini-Course

Artificial Intelligence is having a profound impact on education. Get equipped with strategies to effectively leverage AI for innovative teaching practices, foster student engagement, and ensure academic integrity. Through insightful discussions, practical exercises, and ethical considerations, explore the potential of AI as a transformative tool in higher education, gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to create a safe and conducive learning environment while shaping the future of education.

Offered twice:

Faculty Version

Dates: Three Tuesdays, Starting March 26
Time: 12:30 - 2:30 pm
Location: Microsoft Teams

Register Now

Staff Version

Dates: Three Thursdays, Starting April 18
Time: 12:30 - 2:30 pm
Location: Microsoft Teams

Register Mow

The Midland College Leadership Academy provides current and aspiring leaders at Midland College with the knowledge, skills, and practice to enhance their leadership style, behaviors, and efficacy.

Leadership Academy is currently on hiatus, but many components of this program can be found in the PLCs offered during the Spring 2024 semester.

The MC Reading Collaborative is an educational book club designed to engage employees in critical thinking and discussion around a text that can be applied to their role at the college. Interested participants will read a common text then meet a few times to discuss how the content impacts their professional practices.

If your department or division would like to participate in a custom Reading Collaborative on a different text, complete the TLC Request Form.

15-Minute weekly digital meetups for all Midland College employees. Stay in the know of what is going on in and around Midland College in about the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. Different topics every week. No registration required.

Link to Teams Meeting sent to all employees via email.

The Teaching & Learning Center coordinates two in-service week schedules, one at the start of each fall and spring term. Events include Employee Convocation, Concurrent Sessions, Division Meetings, and other great events and activities.

The in-service schedule is posted on the In-Service Page on the MC website and is updated each semester.

In-Service Page

Professional Development Day is held after the midpoint of each semester and features Concurrent Sessions on relevant topics of interest.

Most Recent PD Day: Friday, March 22 | 8:30 - 11:30 am

More information on Fall 2024 event coming soon.

The End-of-Semester event will be held the week before final exams and will be a celebration of academic scholarship in its various forms: discovery, teaching & learning, integration, and application.

Upcoming Date: Friday, May 5

More information on Spring 2024 event coming soon.

The Dr. Stan Jacobs Teaching Excellence Award recognizes individuals' outstanding job in the classroom, as evidenced by the vote of their peers and colleagues. They represent the best of what Midland College is all about - quality instruction.

2024 TEA Finalists (coming soon)

2023 TEA Winners and Finalists

National Distance Learning Week 2024: tbd

National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) was designed to recognize, highlight, and celebrate the efforts of online teachers, students, and administrators. The goal of the week is for institutions, agencies, and other organizations to engage in discussions to further grow and develop their knowledge and experience with a variety of distance learning topics. Here at Midland College, we celebrate the week by offering opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to engage with one another on how we might be able to enhance the learning experiences in distance learning courses.

Regular get-togethers of supervisors to discuss topics of interest and learn best practices for employee engagement.

Held specific Mondays at lunchtime in the Rotary Room.

Email invitation sent to all MC supervisors.

Regular get-togethers of support staff for networking, training, and peer recognition.

Held specific Mondays at lunchtime in the Rotary Room.

Email invitation sent to all MC support staff.