2024 WLPD Year in Review

YEAR IN REVIEW 2024 WORKPLACE LEARNING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

A MESSAGE FROM THE TEAM

The Workplace Learning & Professional Development (WLPD) team exists to help Georgia Tech faculty and staff model the core values and competencies required for individual and organizational success. This statement underscores our motivation to develop and facilitate meaningful, relevant, and innovative learning experiences for the campus community. The team is dedicated to advancing Georgia Tech's mission and our community members' career potential through engaging and applicable learning that can be immediately integrated into your day-to-day activities. The foundation of our learning and development opportunities are centered around the Institute’s mission, vision, values, and leadership competencies. As our team reflects on what made 2024 a special year, we wanted to take the opportunity to share some of our most memorable moments. We are proud of our work this year and equally excited about the opportunities and projects ahead in 2025. We hope to see many new and familiar faces in our next session!

Sincerely, The Workplace Learning & Professional Development Team LaTrese Ferguson, Rachel Watts, Bryan Harber, Tim Edmonds-King and Lauren Novak

1

ABOUT WLPD

MISSION STATEMENT To partner with Institute entities to enable performance through transferable learning focused on organizational goals. VISION STATEMENT Trusted to develop a highly skilled, knowledgeable, and engaged workforce.

106

We facilitated instructor-led open enrollment professional development sessions.

2,557

participants attended open enrollment instructor-led sessions.

36

850

Over

participants attended

intact team and special sessions.

35

We have partnered with over departments across Georgia Tech and units of the University System of Georgia to consult, develop, and deliver learning experiences.

2,900

We have helped over e-learning opportunities be completed, including the Newly Hired & Newly Promoted People Leaders Learning Paths, & LinkedIn Learning courses & paths.

2

3

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

This past year, the WLPD team was recognized for the caliber of our work and partnership in the field of learning and development. GEORGIA TECH STAFF AWARDS

At this year’s Staff Awards, Rachel Watts was recognized and received the One Small Step Award . This award celebrates staff who are perpetual problem solvers, who constantly are working

towards ways to make processes, systems, or situations better at Georgia Tech. The One Small Step Award shall identify an individual or team who exhibits the behaviors below on an individual or departmental level.

STUDENT ASSISTANTS

This past year, we had three student assistants helping us achieve innovation in our projects and daily work. We want to recognize them for the excellent support and success they brought to the team!

Kristin Hsu

Gary Sheppard

Yash Singhal

Year: 2025 Major: LMC - Instructional & Graphic Design Projects: Learning Assets, Multi-Rater Program

Year: 2027 Major: CS Projects: Videographer & producer, VR, Immersive 360 leadership development

Year: 2024 Major: CS

Projects: Videographer, Editor, Producer, ASPIRE, coaching

4

DEVELOPING ASPIRING & CURRENT LEADERS

One of our signature programs, ASPIRE was offered during the fall semester. We received over 132 applications and accepted 54 participants.

ASPIRE began in 2018, and the learning experience creates the conditions for aspiring leaders to emerge with an increased awareness of themselves professionally and an understanding of how they can lead from their current role. This year, three cohorts completed six in-person and six online sessions over four months. We also hosted a networking session with ASPIRE alum participants. This year, with a Survivor-based theme, the participants were challenged. The cohorts were charged with finding a problem affecting a large campus sector and providing a viable solution to the problem identified.

9

The cohorts were able to present their solutions to several leaders, including the Associate Director of the Wellness Empowerment Center, the Chief Human Resources Officer, the Chair of the Staff Council, the Associate Director of the Center of Student Engagement, and the Associate Vice President of Campus News & Events.

“One of the standout aspects of the program was the emphasis on personal growth and self awareness. Through various assessments and reflective exercises, I gained valuable insights into my leadership style and areas for improvement.”

“Through ASPIRE, I learned how vital communication is in every aspect of my professional and personal life. Effective communication fosters trust, understanding, and alignment. The program reinforced the importance of being clear, intentional, and receptive in my interactions, helping me become a better leader and a more thoughtful individual.”

NEWLY HIRED & PROMOTED PEOPLE LEADERS This year, the Newly Hired & Newly Promoted People Leaders learning pathways were aligned with the Institute Leadership competencies for People Leaders. This lets participants directly correlate their learning opportunities with their goals and development plans.

DEMONSTRATES INCLUSIVITY

EXHIBITS SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE Possess the ability to understand, manage, and get along well with others.

Show awareness of their own biases & actively seeks different perspectives and opportunities to connect and collaborate in ways that foster psychological safety and belonging.

DEVELOPS SELF AND OTHERS Invest resources into professional development opportunities, creates a culture of feedback & manages team dynamics.

ACTS STRATEGICALLY Align work to Institute Strategic Plan, set priorities, make data-informed decisions, and take action to deliver results.

10

ONBOARDING & DEVELOPING NEW TALENT

As one of our core learning programs, the New Employee Experience (NEE) helps prepare employees for a successful career at Georgia Tech. The sessions, delivered both in-person and virtually are designed to accelerate productivity by instilling a sense of community and personal connection to the Institute. The experience spans the employee’s first six months. It includes the following sessions: Welcome to Tech , Managing Your Performance the Georgia Tech Way , Leaders Panel , and Seizing Your Career the Georgia Tech Way, with 452 in-person and 40 virtual participants in Welcome to Tech alone! Upon completing the four sessions, participants are awarded a limited edition Georgia Tech Campanile pin.

98 completed the New Employee Experience

5

ONBOARDING & DEVELOPING NEW TALENT

“I have been able to navigate my beginning moments by understanding the culture and passion shared by those who work at Tech. I also felt like I had another support system (other than those I am working directly with). It is nice to be surrounded by others who are in the same defining moments as you. I am excited about my career at Tech! ”

“I found great value in the courses offered in the New Employee Experience. I came from Caltech where they did not offer these courses for professional development. It is so helpful to be given tools & encouragement to be your best professional self. The opportunity to engage with other employees was wonderful as well. Having similar tools & verbiage to your colleagues is helpful also. Thank you for offering these! ”

“I've used the information in my everyday work responsibilities to assist me with getting to know the ins and outs of Georgia Tech. I also used the information attained to help me with building my confidence in my work assignments. With the knowledge I gained from the sessions, I can actively participate and be more productive in my work duties. ​“

6

PROMOTING LEARNING & FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS THE INSTITUTE

INTACT SESSIONS

One of WLPD’s foundational strengths is our strategic partnerships with departments and groups to equip the campus community better to meet their performance-based learning needs. This past year, we partnered with over 30 departments across the Institute to deliver content specifically for their departmental needs. These requests range from providing customized course content to facilitating brainstorming sessions, leading activities, and more.

COACHING In May of 2023, WLPD launched a coaching practice available to Georgia Tech employees to support similar Institute-wide initiatives. This effort was intentionally kept small, with four members of the WLPD team serving as available coaches. Intake and evaluation processes were also developed to aid the team in determining the best professional development solution for those expressing interest in coaching, including coaching, mentoring, training, or other potential options. As a result of this effort: 19 employees submitted interest in coaching 1 was referred to training resources 2 were referred to mentoring (and both signed up to be mentored) 15 were referred to coaching 9 coaching referrals engaged in the coaching process

7

MENTORTECH

MentorTech allows campus staff and faculty the opportunity to connect with a professional partner to complete a year-long mentoring partnership. Connecting participants from all over campus, this program has 176 employees currently participating with 581 contact hours reported. In partnership with the Enterprise Innovation Institute, a program was created specifically for this community. This brought 12 mentoring partnerships for EI2 staff to continue building their skills and network.

“The mentoring program reaffirms the value of building relationships within the Georgia Tech community. I have genuinely enjoyed getting to know my mentoring partner and learn from them. It has been an enriching experience.”

This year, the program increased and enhanced its communication efforts with monthly email campaigns, including topics and resources to discuss. As well as implemented strategic events where partnerships come together and connect.

EMPLOYEE LEARNING WEEK

Each year, during the first week of December, theAssociation for Talent Development celebrates workplace learning through its annual campaign, Employee Learning Week.

Employee Learning Week 2024 Workforce Development Is Everyone’s Business Decembe r 2 - 6

This year's theme was “Workforce Development is Everyone’s Business”. We partnered with several areas across campus to highlight over 100 resources available to faculty and staff to continue their development. We also shared stories of people on campus and what they learned during the year in a video series. Including things such as gaining mental health first aid certificates, Master’s

degrees, CliftonStrengths Certification, and more. Click here to see those videos!

8

LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

INTERRUPTIONS PODCAST

Welcome to our podcast series, Interruptions. We view interruptions as the space between a stimulus and your response to said stimulus, where if you have the appropriate skills and tools to respond positively, magic can happen. With two complete seasons and 26 episodes, we can’t wait to see what is next! This calendar year, we had over 890 plays. Our episodes on striving for excellence, onboarding, seasoned employees, professional development circles, and mentoring relationships have been our top five tracks for the year.

VALUES BASED ASSESSMENT We have successfully incorporated the Values-Based Assessment into the Leading Congruently workshop to help participants write better, more relevant values based goals. In 2024, 138 people leaders and 129 individual contributors took the self-assessment and attended the Leading Congruently workshop to learn more about their assessment.

VIRTUAL REALITY Working with various campus partners, we used immersive 360-degree recording technology to produce a VR movie for participants to view through VR headsets. This immersive experience was designed to help leaders develop more empathic, inclusive, and self-awareness abilities to be seen as more trustworthy and effective. Still in the production phase, we hope to start enrolling participants to experience this innovative learning event in 2025.

11

TOP LEARNING & LOOKING AHEAD

TOP OPEN ENROLLMENT COURSES

Navigating Conflict & Challenging Conversations 1. Giving and Receiving Feedback 2. Leading Congruently: Psychological Safety 3. Conflict Management 4. Do I want to lead? An Introduction to People Leadership 5.

WHAT’S TO COME IN 2025

We’re excited to continue advancing organizational and individual successes at Georgia Tech. Here are just a few programs and initiatives we are working to roll out in 2025: Multi-Rater Tool Assessment aligned with organizational values Virtual Reality based learning experiences Learning that supports building a Customer Service oriented campus culture Expanded coaching resources As most of you may know, we have been in the process of an organizational change to elevate learning & development to the Georgia Tech community. We begin this year in a building phase and can’t wait to bring more resources, learning opportunities, and special sessions very soon.

We look forward to learning alongside you this year!

12