Farmers market returns to Quad

Summer has turned to fall, which means the East Quad Farmers Market is coming back — next Wednesday, Sept. 29, to be precise, and every Wednesday thereafter through Nov. 17. Market hours are 10 to 2:30 p.m.

The East Quad Farmers Market is open during fall and spring quarters for the convenience of all the busy people in the UC Davis community — students, staff and faculty who otherwise might not have the opportunity to acquire the fresh produce that health experts say we all need in our diets.

A 2009 survey indicated that more than 60 percent of UC Davis students ate two or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables a day, whereas the federal government recommends seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Organizers said the fall market will feature a great variety of local produce, including vegetables, grapes, apples, tomatoes, melons, peaches, nectarines, nuts and even flowers.

The East Quad Farmers Market is a collaboration of Student Health Services and Health Education and Promotion, the ASUCD Coffee House, ASUCD Environmental Policy and Planning Commission, Campus Recreation, Campus Unions, Davis Farmers Market Foundation, Davis Food Co-op and University Dining Services.

More information is available online. Once you get to the website, you will have the option of signing up for weekly e-mail reminders about the market.

Career transition and management

Staff Development and Professional Services is offering Career Transition Workshops specifically for layoff candidates, as well as career management programs.

Career Transition Workshop — Looking for a new position can take its toll — and this workshop will explore ways to keep yourself energized. “It will help you uncover the hidden job market, customize your resume, explore networking and prepare for interviews,” the workshop description states.

Organizers said the workshop leaders, experienced career counselors who work regularly with UC Davis employees, will help participants identify their strengths and transferable skills, as a means of maximizing employment options. Also, significant time will be set aside for questions.

Two workshops on the SDPS calendar:

• 1-4:30 p.m. Sept. 28, Hamilton Room, Heitman Staff learning Center (between Bainer Hall and South Silo)

• 8:30 a.m.-noon Oct. 29, 136 Hoagland Hall

Career Management Academy — Described as an opportunity to explore the career assessment process. “It’s natural to want a career that brings a high level of satisfaction, enrichment and opportunity for professional development,” organizers said. “The Career Management Academy offers comprehensive career assessment that facilitates self-knowledge, job satisfaction and the development of professional goals.”

Organizers said participants will inventory their work values, personality, interests and skills — all of which are integral steps in developing career goals.

“Participants will emerge with a renewed sense of direction, more confident and prepared to make informed work-life choices.”

Organizers said the course will use these assessment tools: Career Values Card Sort, SkillScan, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory.

The instructors, Constance Stevens and Andrea Weiss, are nationally certified career counselors.

Interested people have their choice of three academy sessions this academic year: Oct. 22, Jan. 28 and May 20, each from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Hamilton Room at the Heitman Staff Learning Center (between Bainer Hall and South Silo).

Online registration: lms.ucdavis.edu (click on the Career Management in the catalog). If you have questions or need enrollment assistance, contact Staff Development and Professional Services, (530) 752-1766 or sdps@ucdavis.edu.

New channel names in MyUCDavis

The MyUCDavis course channels, known as My Classes to students and My Course Webpages to faculty, have new names — and new connections to SmartSite.

The changes reflect the retirement of the MyUCDavis course-management tools, which SmartSite has now fully replaced.

The My Classes channel at the MyUCDavis Web portal is now called Classes I’m Taking, while the My Course Webpages channel is called Classes I’m Teaching. Each links directly to the registrar’s new course-search software application, which is integrated with SmartSite and provides direct links to SmartSite course sites for authenticated users.

In other words, students and faculty can use the channels to view information about all of their courses, as well as other classes taught at UC Davis. Previously, the channels did not link to SmartSite course sites.

If you do not see the new features, clear your Web browser's cache to remove older pages that your browser might be storing.

Tens of thousands of UC Davis faculty, students and staff have used SmartSite to manage classwork and collaborate on projects online. SmartSite offers more features than the MyUCDavis course tools offered, and is better equipped to keep up with the campus's increasing use of educational technology.

The MyUCDavis Web portal itself is still active; only the course tools have been retired.

With the changes this fall, “We’re bringing over the final elements of the MyUCDavis course-related functionality into SmartSite," said Kirk Alexander, SmartSite program manager in Information and Educational Technology.

SmartSite improvements continue — having been upgraded in August with new features. The changes incorporate a major upgrade to Gradebook, including an improved export-import process for grades, and the addition of graphical statistics — a built-in chart that faculty who want to put their grades on a curve should find useful.

Other improvements include fixes to the assignment tool, and clarifications to the messages sent to guest access users.

More information about MyUCDavis course-management changes is available online. Or call IT Express, (530) 754-HELP (4357).

— Bill Buchanan,
Information and Educational Technology