COVID-19 Resources
In these unprecedented times, the ECU Sector wants to ensure that you have the latest educational and employment resources to facilitate on-line learning. We'll add resources as they are made available - check back often.
April 7
- ASHRAE has updated their guidance on airborne transmission of COVID. Read the article.
Earlier Posts
- The ACHR NEWS has a great article on how trade schools across the country are training HVAC technicians during the restrictions of the pandemic, including a contribution from Bruce Noble, the ECU Regional Director for Los Angeles. Read the article.
- The Lighting Controls Association has a couple of new resources available for Community Colleges: Integrating Lighting Control and Building Systems course (available through license to CA CCs at LCA Education Express; and a free webinar, Tunable-White Lighting.
- The Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York invites community college faculty to participate in its 2021 Workforce Development for Teachers & Scientists (WDTS) Champions program to learn more about the lab (www.bnl.gov), experience what it's like to conduct research at a world-class research facility, and explore ways to collaborate. There is no cost. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WDTS has been re-designed into two parts: Part 1 - a virtual meeting on November 17th and Part 2 - an onsite visit sponsorship to the Office of Educational Programs (OEP) at BNL, to tour the research facilities and meet face-to-face with the Lab leadership. Under normal years, OEP would host this event on site for two days. A final agenda and the meeting link will be sent closer to the program date to registered participants. Register at https://surveys.external.bnl.gov/TakeSurveyPage.aspx?s=c6e425a36b4a45af887eaf1d4909d7b1&tsid=23664d6927004240a9ef383853236e6f&c=en-US; Registration Access Code: Wcp$19@4503
- The Health Workforce Initiative is hosting a webinar "Burnout to Breakout – Building Resilience to Refuel, Recharge and Reclaim What Matters" on October 9 at 2pm. The World Health Organization declared burnout as a global occupational hazard with specific symptoms and warnings. Enter COVID 19 and an upside-down world. Burnout has become even stronger and insidious. Remote workforces, physical distancing, and dependency on virtual communication provide their own potential for burnout. Learn more and register here.
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- Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration News released this article on how trade schools are handling the return to classes in a COVID environment around the country, interviewing Bruce Noble, the RD for Los Angeles. Read the article here.
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- CAL/OSHA has released guidelines for COVID-19 prevention best practices in the Construction workspace. Read more.
- The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) notes another side effect of the COVID-19 virus: Higher energy usage and costs, which amplifies the burden on 36 million unemployed Americans. Read this article to learn about potential mitigation strategies.
- The BACCC is hosting a presentation/discussion by the Association of College & University Educators (ACUE). In this meeting, Xavier Nazario and representatives from ACUE will present on the value of career education faculty completing their year-long, cohort-based, credentialed course to become a better community college instructor. We will also discuss the opportunities on how we can develop regional cohorts by leveraging Strong Workforce funds. Learn more and register.
- Faculty from around the state met online to discuss "Construction - Communities of Practice / Challenges & Solutions" - a virtual Community of Practice. Meeting notes and recording are available here.
- The ESCO Institute continues to offer free instructor resources for online training: Visit the ESCO Learning Network to take advantage.
- Western Lighting & Energy Controls is offering a series of free manufacturer's webinars on lighting, lighting controls, Title 24, and related subjects. Visit Lightflix Education on Demand for a complete library.
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Use Code "PGEwebs"
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- The California Energy Commission held a webinar this week, "Weathering the COVID Crisis: Reflections & Resources for the Cleantech Community" - recording is available here.
- Faculty in the North-Far North have found games from SimCoachGames.com to be helpful, in particular Electric Protector, Harness Hero, Site Coach: Fall Hazards, and Construction Crane Signals.
- Energize Colleges is offering a series of virtual trainings for faculty on April 22, 29, and May 1. Topics are Secondary Education Energy & Climate Training and Community Choice Energy Training. Learn more and register.
- The ESCO Institute is offering remote EPA Section 608 Exam administration & proctoring solutions for reduced & waived fees. Go to ESCOGroup.org to learn more.
- On April 3, Interplay Learning hosted a webinar on Helping Students Complete Energy Labs Through Online & VR Learning. InterPlay is making its latest online resources, including its 2D and 3D VR platform, Skill Mill, available to California Community Colleges at no cost through the end of the school year. This includes access to HVAC, Electrical and Solar online content. Faculty who have experience with the platform were to answer questions.
- On March 27 at 10am, the ICT-Digital Media Sector is hosting a webinar on Humanizing Remote Instruction to help instructors deal with the challenges of digital course delivery and improve online learning. Click here to register.
- Governor Newsom's Essential Worker Executive Order listed key occupations in the ECU Sector that would continue. Click here to view a summary and list of the occupations.
- Internet service providers are making special offers during the crisis - here are some of the deals we're aware of:
Comcast
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Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, Comcast is offering two months of free to Internet service through the Internet Essentials program (Links to an external site). This offer is available to new and existing customers. Additionally, Xfinity WiFi hotspots (Links to an external site) are now available free of charge to the public.
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AT&T
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AT&T is providing free access to its WiFI hot spots (Links to an external site) throughout the country.
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Charter
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Charter is offering free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access (Links to an external site) for 60 days to households college students and educators who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription and at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. Additionally, all WiFi hotspots are now free of charge.
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T-Mobile
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T-Mobile is providing unlimited data to all current customers who have plans with data for the next 60 days. It will also provide additional data to mobile hotspot users.
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Verizon
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Verizon is waiving late fees and suspending service termination (Links to an external site) for customers negatively impacted by the global crisis.
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California Connects
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California Community Colleges students are eligible for this mobile hotspot service (Links to an external site), powered by Sprint, which offers nationwide 4G LTE connectivity and allows users to connect up to 10 WiFi enabled devices for up to 10 hours on a single charge for only $19.99 a month.
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- The Lighting Controls Association is offering free educational resources to students - visit the LCA Education Express.
- The ESCO Institute and its partners are providing free educational resources for HVACR Instructors for a limited time. Go to ESCOGroup.org and click the Content for Educators button.
- The ESCO Institute is offering free webinars on HVACR core competencies - go to ESCOGroup.org and click the ESCO Webinars button.
- The Chancellor's Office has published a Coronavirus resource page for the Community College system.
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