New non-credit course provides tips on how to construct a well-designed birdhouse

The scarcity of natural tree cavities prevents many birds from nesting.

But if properly constructed and installed, man-made nest boxes and other nest structures can serve as good substitutes and help increase the population of more than 25 East Tennessee bird species.

Join instructor Marcia Davis for a new non-credit course called All About Birdhouses (Saturday, February 27, from 9 a.m. to noon).

The course fee is $39; online registration is available.

She will discuss habitat requirements, nest box specifications, features of a well-designed nest box, and maintenance, monitoring, and predator protection.

Davis, who has a master’s degree in biology, is author of the “Birdlife” column in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

Smoky Mountain Field School offers workshops, hikes, and other mountain adventures

It won’t be long until spring arrives. When it does, we’re all set to open the Smoky Mountain Field School for its 32nd season.

“Expand your interest in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and really get to know it through the variety of courses offered this year,” says Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. “For generations, the unspoiled mountains, forests, and streams have been a haven for wild life and an inspiration for mountaineers, backpackers, and casual visitors.”

A variety of workshops, hikes, and other mountain adventures begin in March and continue through October.

Five courses are offered in March: Mt. Sterling Firetower Backpack Hike (March 6-7), Winter in the Woods: Buds, Branches, and Bark (March 13), Animal Tracking & Nature Observation (March 21), A Day of Emerging Plants, Shrubs, and Trees (March 27), and Polliwogs, Eggs, and Singing Frogs (a family program on March 27).

View the entire course schedule.

“Join the Smoky Mountain Field School for a learning adventure,” Ditmansan says. “It will be an enriching experience you will always treasure.”

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

Social media courses? We’ve got ‘em.

It’s no secret that people are finding new ways to integrate social media sites into their personal and professional lives.

But what is the best way to use these sites? And what legal liabilities may be involved with their use?

We’re offering two non-credit courses this winter on this hot topic.

Social Networking (Feb. 23; $109) introduces the basic ideas behind social networking and takes a look at sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. It will be taught by Janice Hampton.

Creating Legally Sound Social Media, Internet Usage, E-mail, and Search Policies (March 19; $109) covers the legal liabilities associated with the use of social media sites, texting while driving, blogging, and how a good sound policy can prevent potential disasters for your organization. It will be taught by Suzanne K. Roten.

Social media will also be a main topic when we host the 11th annual Administrative Professional’s Day seminar and luncheon (April 20; $59) at Calhoun’s on the River in downtown Knoxville.

Cynthia Moxley, voted East Tennessee’s best blogger in the News Sentinel’s 2009 readers poll, will share tips on using Twitter and blogs. Visit her blog about life in Knoxville: The Blue Streak.

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

Save money! Learn how to make your real estate holdings more energy efficient

UT Professional & Personal Development is offering a new non-credit course designed to help you adopt energy efficient standards in your real estate holdings.

“Energy Efficient Real Estate” involves a comprehensive discussion of heating and air systems, water heaters, lighting, appliances, doors, and windows. Other topics also will be discussed, including flooring, walls, roofs, and insulation.

You can learn to save money by adopting energy efficient methods, practices, and products.

The course will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on February 9 at UT Morgan Hall (room 212B). The course fee is $49; online registration is available.

Instructor Larry Wright is a licensed general contractor and is trained and certified through the Tennessee Weatherization Assistance Program sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

Participants praise wedding seminar in Sevierville

The staff of UT Professional & Personal Development stepped off the UT campus last weekend to present a successful ”How to Direct A Wedding” seminar in Sevierville, Tenn.

The seminar drew participants from the local Smoky Mountain Wedding Association and others who work in the bustling wedding industry in the Smoky Mountain resort towns of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg.

Participants praised the instruction of leading wedding consultant Lana Needham.

“Lana takes you through the ABCs of being a wedding director,” said Ron Crivellone of Sevierville. “You can leave her class with confidence knowing you have what it takes to direct a wedding successfully.”

Tammy Hawkins of Kodak, Tenn., enjoyed the seminar so much that she followed up by enrolling in Needham’s 10-week non-credit Wedding Coordinating certificate course ($495), which begins Thursday evening (Jan. 28) at Farragut Middle School.

“Lana kept the (seminar) interesting and fun,” Hawkins said. “(She) left me wanting more!”

You can earn the UT Wedding Coordinator certificate (read our brochure for details) by completing the “Wedding Coordinating” and “How to Direct A Wedding” courses. If you missed Lana’s seminar in Sevierville, we are offering it in Knoxville beginning Feb. 16 as a three-week course ($99).

We’re also offering a new wedding course, “Survival of the Fittest: Wedding Coordinators, That Is!” (beginning Feb. 10; $99) with instructor Peggy Love.

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

Do you have the ability to “stand and deliver?”

Learn to communicate more effectively by improving your written and oral communication skills in both your personal and professional life.

UT Professional & Personal Development is offering “Stand & Deliver: Effective Communication Skills” on January 27.

Instructor Ellen Kern will lead the six-hour, interactive course from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville. The course fee is $149; online registration is available.

You’ll learn to prepare and deliver a clear speech outline and then practice it in front of a small and friendly class environment of peers. Kern will help you become more confident in your speaking presence as well as in content and delivery.

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

Bike maintenance: learn to do it on your own

Bicycling has long been a popular recreational activity in scenic East Tennessee.

Most bicycles are a significant investment these days, but you can make your investment last for many years by learning simple maintenance techniques.

Bike Maintenance 101 is a new non-credit course offered by UT Professional & Personal Development. The two-session course meets Feb. 11 & Feb. 18 (6:30-8:30 each evening) at the UT Plant Biotechnology Building (room 160).

The course fee is $59. Online registration is available.

You’ll learn about flat tire repair, chain/gear cleaning and lubrication, road/trail-side repairs, shifting adjustments, brake adjustments, cleaning, and tool kits needed for home and on the road.

Instructor Gary Chambers has been cycling for regularly for 20 years and has worked as a bicycle mechanic for 14 years.

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

Certificate program leads the way to successful handling of project teams and complex projects

While checking winter enrollment numbers this week, I noticed that our non-credit Project Management Certificate is gaining attention from company leaders who want their supervisors to gain the skill necessary to become productive project managers.

We still have room for additional students in the winter program, which is scheduled for Feb. 11 to March 18 at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville. The fee is $795; online registration is available.

Instructor Tony Mayfield will introduce and guide students through the knowledge areas needed to master the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam.

The knowledge areas include project scope and time management, project cost and quality management, HR management and communication, and executing and controlling a project.

Following our winter program, we’re offering a 12-hour Project Management Exam Intense Review (April 8-22) to help prepare students for the PMP exam. (Learn more about the exam by reading the Project Management Institute’s PMP Credential Handbook.)

For more details about the UT program, e-mail program coordinator Carla Arbogast.

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

New course explores basics of screenwriting

UT Professional & Personal Development is offering a new non-credit course for beginning screenwriters and movie buffs who want to gain a better understanding of how films go from concept to the big screen.

“Introduction to Screenwriting Basics” (Feb. 4 – March 11) teaches the elements of visual storytelling through plot, scenes, and transitions; how to format a script; and the keys to creating believable characters and dialogue.

The course fee is $139; online registration is available.

You’ll learn to write a scene (the basic element of a screenplay) in industry-standard format and develop a strong understanding of the importance of story, conflict, and character in a script.

You’ll also have the opportunity to have your writing read and critiqued by instructor Jayne Morgan and your classmates. Morgan has more than 25 years of experience as a professional actress, writer, director, and casting director.

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit

 

Smoky Mountain Field School instructor Joe Kelley shares stories from his career as a Park Ranger

Retired Park Ranger Joe Kelley shared stories about his 30-year career with the U.S. National Park Service recently during the annual Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Kelley said he entered college with plans to be a minister.

“I thought that was what I was supposed to do,” he said. “My pulpit was the National Park Service. I was led to it, and it turned out that the work we did was so much like a ministry and a community it compared so much.”

Read reporter Gail Crutchfield’s entire article about Kelley in The Mountain Press (Sevierville, Tenn.).

Even in retirement, Kelley continues to be a frequent instructor in the Smoky Mountain Field School, an educational partnership between the University of Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Online registration for the Field School’s 2010 season is already available.

Darrin Devault, UT Professional & Personal Development

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/utnoncredit