Program Policies

The goal of the National IT Innovation Center’s (NITIC) Working Connections professional development is to equip IT faculty at two-year institutions of higher education with the expertise needed to teach their track content in a subsequent semester. This ensures that the most current information reaches their classrooms, either as a stand-alone course or as supplemental material to an existing course. 

Cost:  

• Tuition is FREE; there is no fee to attend. 
• A travel stipend will be provided for in-person workshops. See Travel Information for details.

Eligibility:  

• Working Connections is for faculty and administrators currently teaching IT credit courses (full-time or adjunct) at a regionally accredited U.S. two-year community college or technical college.   
• To ensure equitable access to new learning opportunities, participants may not enroll in the same track more than once. Tracks that repeat previously offered content will be clearly noted, and individuals who have already completed the course are not eligible to retake it. 
• Attendees are expected to use what they learn in their track to teach or supervise a class in the next 12 months. 
• High school teachers may only attend if they also teach as a community college adjunct. 
• Seats will be limited to 2 per institution. Additional faculty will be placed on a waitlist and will receive a seat if space becomes available after registration closes. 

Registration:  

• Completing the registration form requests your seat. Your seat is not confirmed until you receive a registration confirmation email from NITIC.  
• Participants may only attend ONE in-person session for Summer 2026 Working Connections. 
• Each individual may only submit one application for registration. Only the first submission will be considered, and any subsequent registrations will be disregarded without further notice.  
• IT Innovation Network (ITIN) member institutions will have a priority window to register and will be notified of the dates via the NITIC mailing list.  

Attendance Requirements: 

• This is an in-person workshop.
• Instructors have been instructed to track attendance and participation. Participants are expected to attend and actively engage in all scheduled sessions. Attendance means contributing to discussions, completing in-class activities, and being present for live instructions – not just logging in. 
• Missing more than 25% of the total class time will disqualify you from earning the Credly badge. Participants must attend at least 75% of the total instructional time to adhere to the standards of the program. 
• If you anticipate any absence, notify your instructor and NITIC in advance. If your absence is unexpected, please notify your instructor and NITIC as soon as you are able.  
• Instructors are not required to provide make-up work or spend time outside of scheduled sessions helping participants catch up if time is missed. Any make-up work is at the instructor’s discretion, and completion of the work does not override the 25% limit. 

Cancellation/Track Changes: 

• If you must cancel your registration or request a track change, please notify Mark Dempsey at mdempsey@collin.edu immediately before the deadline. 
• To be good stewards of our NSF ATE grant funding, we must fill all available seats. Attendees who register but then fail to show up without providing advance notice may be ineligible for future Working Connections workshops. Please inform us right away if you’re not able to attend. 

Tracks:  

• Tracks run for the entire duration of Working Connections session; attendees may only select one track.  
• Some tracks have specific pre-requisites or requirements. Be sure to read the track details before requesting to register.  
• Tracks may be repeated throughout the year. See the track details to ensure you’re not registering for a track you’ve already completed.  
• Seating capacity varies by lab, track, and instructor, but typically capped at 20 attendees. 
• Tracks are held in a computer lab. Laptops are not required, but participants often bring them to utilize during breaks and in the evening.

Meals: 

• Lunch and all-day coffee service will be provided for in-person workshops.
• Vegetarian entrees are available for those who request on the registration form; otherwise no special diet or food substitutions are possible.

Completion Credential:  

• NITIC has teamed up with Credly to provide digital badges to showcase verified Working Connection credentials.  
• Only those who attend 75% or more of the course AND pass the required track assessment with a grade of 80% or better will receive their badge.  
• Badges will be issued within 30 days of completion and can be showcased on LinkedIn, email signatures, or printed as a certificate. Hard copies can be printed from Credly’s website and will reflect CEUs earned. 

Survey:  

• All attendees will complete a survey before the end of the event. 
• Longitudinal surveys will continue to be sent after the event to measure lasting impact.  

AI Productivity with Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Google Gen AI Multimodal Tools : A HandsOn Applied Skills Workshop (INTRO)

July 13-17 from 8:30am-5pm CT 

 

Description

This immersive interactive workshop will equip participants with the skills to use Microsoft Copilot across Microsoft 365 applications to enhance productivity, creativity, and decision making. Through effective prompt techniques, real world scenarios, and hands on labs, learners will explore how Copilot transforms workflows in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and OneNote. Participants will practice prompt engineering, automation, data analysis, content creation, and collaboration techniques that unlock the full potential of AI powered work. By the end of the workshop, learners will be able to integrate Copilot into daily tasks, streamline complex processes, and apply responsible AI practices personally and within their organizations. Also, participants will move from text-only interactions with Gen AI tools to sophisticated, multimodal AI workflows. Participants will learn to use Google’s Nano Banana for studio-quality visuals, Veo for cinematic video production and NotebookLM for audio overviews. Participants can bring their own class syllabus, notes, etc. and use Gen AI tools learned in this workshop to enhance it. 

Note: To fully participate, attendees will need existing access to a paid Copilot account through their own institution.  Access will not be provided by Working Connections. 

Participants who do not have a Copilot license are welcome to attend and may follow along using the free version of Copilot, though some advanced features demonstrated during the session may not be available. 

Objectives

• Explain how Microsoft Copilot works within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and the role of the Microsoft Graph. 
• Understand Copilot Foundation and integration with Microsoft 365 applications 
• Design and apply effective prompt engineering techniques for Copilot 
• Integrate Copilot into daily productivity workflows to improve efficiency and decision-making 
• Cleanse and analyze datasets with Copilot in Excel 
• Use Google’s Multimodal Gen AI tools to create images, visuals, video and audio overviews. 

Pre-requisites

Basic Excel knowledge will be helpful.

Required Textbook

Handouts/Links will be provided.

Suggested/optional Textbook  

None.

Class Location 

Technical Campus in Allen.

Please note that content is subject to change or modification based on the unique needs of the track participants in attendance.  

Agenda

July 13: 

• CoPilot Ecosystem and the role of Microsoft Graph. Prompt Engineering Techniques for improving productivity of daily tasks. Hands-on Activities. 

July 14: 

• Copilot with Word, Excel, Data Analytics datasets.  Hands-On Activities 

July 15: 

• Copilot with PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, One Note.  Hands-On Activities 

July 16: 

• Google’s Multimodal Gen Ai Tools – Nano Banana, Veo, NotebookLM: Hands-On Activities 

July 17: 

• Ethical AI usage, Resources for datasets. Participants content creation project 

Instructor

Dr. Rajiv Malkan is a Professor in the Computer and Information Technology Department of Lone Star College – Montgomery in Houston, TX, where he teaches a variety of courses including Business Computer Applications, Programming Languages and Business and Management.

Dr. Malkan has over 30 years of leadership contributions in higher education within multiple settings. He has engaged in leadership roles including Founding Dean, Division Chair in transforming education. His involvement in driving key initiatives spans education delivery, thought leadership, grant writing, global partnerships and engagements on emerging trends. He has proven expertise in college accreditation & state compliance, including Dual Credit/Pathways initiatives for academic & workforce programs.

Dr. Malkan’s academic credentials include two master’s degrees, a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership, and he was the recipient of the prestigious Kellogg Fellowship in Leadership Development. He is active in various professional organizations and is continuing his ambitions in cyber security and incorporating data driven decision-making in higher education organizations. He presents at various conferences on data analytics and while executes on awarded grants, serving in community colleges and corporate education.

AWS Cloud and AI Foundations (INTRO)

July 13-17 from 8:30am-5pm CT 

 

Description

This course will prepare students for both the AWS Cloud Practitioner and AWS AI Practitioner certification exams, by exposing them to AWS cloud and AI foundations, as well as AWS services pertaining to these fields, via labs and activities.

Objectives

• Understand an overview of cloud concepts, pricing, and support features.
• Apply knowledge through practice exams and assessments on AWS services in Cloud and AI
• Create AWS environments through virtual labs.

Pre-requisites

None.

Required Textbook

None. 

Suggested/optional Textbook

None.

Class Location 

Technical Campus in Allen.

Please note that content is subject to change or modification based on the unique needs of the track participants in attendance.  

Agenda

July 13: Cloud Foundations Day 1 

• Module 1 – Cloud Concepts 
• Module 2 – Cloud Economics and Billing 
• Module 3 – AWS Global Infrastructure Overview

July 14: Cloud Foundations Day 2

• Module 4 – AWS Cloud Security 
• Module 5 – Networking and Content Delivery 
• Module 6 – Compute 
• Module 7 – Storage

July 15: Cloud Foundations Day 3 

• Module 8 – Databases 
• Module 9 – Cloud Architecture 
• Module 10 – Auto Scaling and Monitoring 

July 16: AI Foundations Day 1 

• Module 1 – Welcome to Gen AI  
• Module 2 – Introducing AI 
• Module 3 – Introducing Gen AI 
• Module 4 – Using Prompts and Prompt Engineering 
• Module 5 – Working with Foundation Models  

July 17: AI Foundations Day 2 

• Module 6 – Practicing Gen AI Responsibly 
• Module 7 – Considering Security, Goverance, and Compliance for Gen AI 
• Module 8 – Implementing Gen AI Apps 
• Module 9 – Bridging to Certification 

Instructor

Mr. Asad Ahmad Khan, MSIT is a Full Time Lecturer of Information Technology at Georgia Gwinnett College, part of the University System of Georgia. He has taught the senior level ITEC 4000 – Cloud Computing Technologies course, aimed at preparing students for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification exam, as well as Digital Media and Introductory IT courses.

He is the former Program Director of the Networking Specialist program and Dean Liaison in the Computer Sciences Division at Gwinnett Technical College, where he served for almost 3 years in these roles, until July 2024. He had built and taught four different AWS courses for Gwinnett Tech, as an AWS Accredited Educator.  He had taught AWS certification prep courses to students from across Georgia’s technical college system, state employees across Georgia’s state agencies, and instructors in the CCN for five years.  He managed the AWS, CompTIA, and Microsoft Learn Academies for the college as well. He currently possesses 35 certificates in IT, including 16 in Cloud Computing (Azure, Google Cloud, CompTIA, and Oracle Cloud), as well as the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified AI Practitioner, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, and the AWS Certified Developer Associate.

 

The BILT Model – Strengthen Employer Engagement and Align Curriculum to Industry Needs 

July 13-17 from 8:30am-5pm CT 

 

Description

The Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model has repeatedly proven to significantly energize the relationship between educators and employers by adding an emphasis on business co-leadership of programs and building deep industry relationships instead of the traditional advisory council approach.  Through more frequent meetings and annual entry-level job skill prioritizations with feedback, employers are given a more active co-leadership role in a technical program.  This shift creates a stronger connection between employers and a program’s faculty and students, which leads to additional collaboration opportunities.  Attendees will take a deep dive into all facets of the BILT model and learn essential strategies to successfully recruit employers, host effective BILT meetings, and convert BILT feedback into curriculum adjustments.  Attendees will also develop customized implementation “action plans” to use as a guide when they return home.  Note: for the next 12 months, track attendees will be invited to attend BILT “office hours” to address challenges and ask questions. 

To help with implementation, attendees are encouraged to invite their administrators to attend the first two days of the workshop with them if at all possible. 

Objectives

• Apply best practices to successfully recruit employer SMEs to join and actively participate in a BILT. 
• Plan and host effective BILT meetings to collect employer feedback on workforce needs.
• Guide faculty in analyzing BILT feedback to develop curriculum adjustments that better align classroom content to workforce needs. 

Pre-requisites

A willingness to commit in the next 12 months to implementing a BILT at your program.  Before July 2027, NITIC will help attendees host a job skills prioritization BILT meeting. 

Required Textbook

None. Attendees should bring their laptops.

Suggested/optional Textbook  

None.

Class Location 

Technical Campus in Allen.

Please note that content is subject to change or modification based on the unique needs of the track participants in attendance.  

Agenda

Mon, July 13: 

• BILT overview 
• Strategies for recruiting effective employers 
• Elevator pitches and recruiting letters 
• Orientation for employers 
• Action plan – how will you recruit and orient the BILT members to the change 

Tues, July 14: 

• Planning and hosting BILT meetings 
• The job skills pro forma lists 
• The annual prioritization meeting 
• The faculty cross-reference meeting 
• Feedback Meeting 
• Trends Meetings  
• Year Two and Beyond – Planning for the BILT’s Future 
• Action plan – how will you plan your BILT meeting? 

Wed, July 15: 

• Workshop – elevator pitches 
• Workshop – job skills pro forma list 
• Workshop – prioritization meeting 

Thurs, July 16:

• Workshop – faculty cross-reference 
• Workshop – Feedback meeting 
• Workshop – Trends meeting 

Fri, July 17:

• How to sustain the work 
• Share and discuss action plans 
• Final quiz game 

Instructor

Dr. Ann Beheler strategically leads the Business Industry Leadership Team (BILT) for NITIC to build high employer engagement and to align skills for technical programs.  For over 20 years, Dr. Beheler has led major NSF national grants including the previous NSF IT Center entitled the National Convergence Technology Center that preceded the NITIC grant. All grants led by Dr. Beheler have been co-led by a broad range of employers, to align hundreds of college and university projects and programs with employers’ future needs, while deepening overall employer relationships.  Over the past several years, she has dedicated herself to helping educators to better align undergraduate education in technical fields to the future knowledge, skill, and ability needs of business and industry through the BILT process she originated. This work has resulted in a much wider pipeline of well-qualified job candidates and increasing business engagement with higher education programs overall. She has trained dozens in how to effectively implement the BILT model to accomplish this alignment because it benefits employers, faculty, and most importantly the students who are the workers of the future. 

Schedule

Monday, July 13

Time	Activity	Location
8:00am - 8:30am Central	Registration check-in	TBD
8:30am-12noon Central (10:30am Central break)	Class	TBD
12noon-1:00pm Central	Networking lunch	KONE Conference Center
1:00pm-5:00pm Central (3:00pm Central break)	Class	TBD
5:15pm CT	Optional Social	TBD

Tuesday, July 14

Time	Activity	Location
8:30am-12noon Central (10:30am Central break)	Class	TBD
12noon-1:00pm Central	Networking lunch	KONE Conference Center
1:00pm-5:00pm Central (3:00pm Central break)	Class	TBD

Wednesday, July 15

Time	Activity	Location
8:30am-12noon Central (10:30am Central break)	Class	TBD
12noon-1:00pm Central	Networking lunch	KONE Conference Center
1:00pm-5:00pm Central (3:00pm Central break)	Class	TBD

Thursday, July 16

Time	Activity	Location
8:30am-12noon Central (10:30am Central break)	Class	TBD
12noon-1:00pm Central	Networking lunch	KONE Conference Center
1:00pm-5:00pm Central (3:00pm Central break)	Class	TBD

Friday, July 17

Time	Activity	Location
8:30am-12noon Central (10:30am Central break)	Class	TBD

Resources

Travel Information

Stipend Policy – 2026

NOTICE: We have updated the policies. Read carefully before you begin booking. Do NOT book your travel arrangements until your Working Connections seat is confirmed, and you’ve completed the Travel Stipend Policy Agreement.  

Eligibility 

• You must attend all days of Working Connections to request a stipend. 
• These stipends are intended to reduce barriers to participation. Participants may not receive a stipend if they have another funding source for training travel. 
• Participants who live less than 60 miles from the workshop location are not eligible for the stipend unless they receive prior approval. Contact us about campus parking. 
• Employees of the host college are not eligible to receive a stipend for attending Working Connections.  
• The stipend will be issued to you personally. Payment cannot be made to an institution. 
• We are unable to arrange travel for you and cannot work with your institution to arrange your travel. 
• The payment is considered income; you will receive a 1099.  

Forms 

• Travel Stipend Agreement: After your seat is confirmed, we will send you a form to acknowledge this policy. For situations not addressed in the details below, you much contact us at nitic@cscc.edu for prior written approval. 
• Supplier Form: A CSCC supplier form must be completed prior to attending. Once your registration is confirmed, a link for this form will be emailed to you. If you attended a previous in-person Working Connections, and your contact information has not changed, you will not need to fill this out again. 
• Travel Stipend Claim Form 
  • This will be emailed to attendees on the last day of Working Connections. Take note of the completion deadline provided in the email. The window for completing this form will run for approximately one week. No stipends can be issued after the deadline. 
  • The stipend will be issued as a check mailed to the address on the supplier form AFTER travel. Please allow 30 days for processing. 
  • You will use the following to calculate your stipend amount (see details below):  
    • AirFare Total or Mileage (Receipt or Google Map) __
    • Hotel Total Cost (Receipt) __
    • Incidentals (No receipts) $750
      • Total = __

Travel Guidelines: 

Airfare: 

• Book the flight for yourself directly. You will need to provide a copy of your receipt when you submit your travel stipend form. 
• We cannot reimburse unused tickets. Travelers are encouraged to book refundable fares or fares that provide airline flight credit. 
• If you check a bag, provide receipt and include it in your airfare total cost. 
• Conserve funds where possible: 
  • Book early; at least 4-6 weeks in advance 
  • No first class/business class seats 
  • No pre-paid seat (unless needed for an accommodation), priority boarding, or in-flight entertainment costs. If you wish to cover these yourself, please deduct from the amount you submit. 
  • You may select the time and stops that work best for you; no need to get the cheapest possible on that day. 
  • If the anticipated airfare exceeds $600, please contact NITIC before booking. 

Mileage: 

• Mileage reimbursement is available at the current GSA rate of 72.5 cents per mile when driving to the training is the most cost-effective option. 
• Driving is considered cost-effective when the total mileage cost does not exceed the cost of a comparable round-trip airline ticket for the same travel.  
• Travel exceeding 700 miles round-trip will generally require prior approval, and a cap may be applied.  
• Mileage must be calculated using Google maps, and is based on the round-trip distance from your home address (as listed on your CSCC supplier form) to the workshop location.   
• If you are making the daily commute to the workshop from over 60 miles away, you may be reimbursed for daily mileage. 

Hotel: 

• Book your hotel directly. You may find your own or use one where we have a courtesy block. You will need to provide your hotel receipt when you submit your travel form. 
• NITIC will only reimburse for the workshop timeframe. If travel on the same day is not possible due to the start/end times, you may travel the day before or after. Additional nights will be at your own expense. 
• The max nightly rate must not be more than our highest courtesy block rate. If you choose to stay somewhere more expensive, you must cover the difference. 
• Hotel Parking Costs (if applicable): Include the cost of hotel parking with your hotel receipt, or attach an additional receipt if separate. Travelers should use self-parking whenever available.  
• Additional room charges such as room service or on-site restaurant charges must be deducted from the hotel total cost when submitting. Meals are part of your incidentals.  

Incidentals: 

• A blanket stipend amount of $750 will be provided for the following: 
  • Ground transportation (Uber/Lyft, Shuttle) 
  • Airport parking 
  • Travel to/from airport 
  • Meals not provided by the conference 
  • Tax offset
  • Rideshare is the recommended method of ground transportation. If you wish to rent a car, the cost will likely exceed the incidental amount and be at your own expense.
  • No receipts are necessary for these costs. 

Travel Details

Working Connections Location 

Collin College – Technical Campus, 2550 Bending Branch Way, Allen, TX 75013

Collin College Parking 

• Free

Airport 

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) 

• 2400 Aviation Dr., Dallas, TX 75261
• Distance to Allen: 29 miles (32 min ride)

Dallas Love Field (DAL) 

• 8008 Herb Kelleher Way, Dallas, TX 75235
• Distance to Allen: 28 miles (35 min ride)

Ground Transportation 

Rideshares, such as Uber or Lyft, are readily available and the most economical option  

Hotels – Courtesy Blocks 

Holiday Inn Express & Suites McKinney/Frisco TX

• 6601 Henneman Way, Mckinney TX 75070
• Phone 214-495-0029
• Booking Link

Travel Planning Notice

Please plan your travel carefully for the final day of the Working Connections program.