Classes & Workshops

Note: All listings on this page reflect Pacific Time. Unless noted otherwise, classes are held virtually via Zoom.

Class Spotlight: Upcoming classes

UCOP Creating Accessible Documents 1: MS Office online Feb 19, 1-2:30 pm
21 Practices for Happiness and Accomplishment @Work, online Feb 24, 9 am – 12 pm
Change Essentials: 3 session series: online March 5, 12, and 26, 10 am – 12 pm;

Cohort Learning Opportunities:

- UCOP People Management Integrated Learning Program (PM-ILP). Our highest rated cohort is open to current and aspiring managers. Complete the 2026 PM-ILP Program Application by Friday, Feb. 27.
- UC Peer Connections is a self-driven UC peer-to-peer networking program that aims to enhance employee connection and belonging within UCOP and across the system through meaningful relationships. then complete the UC Peer Connections application by Friday, Feb. 13.
Opportunities from other Campuses
- UC Berkeley People Management: Power Skills and Certificate cohort Free and open to managers at all levels, supervisors, and project leads. Take this as a series or just one class. Questions: grow@berkeley.edu.
- 2026 FSAP and UCSF 8-Week Mindfulness-Based Course Tuesdays, 3-4pm for 8 weeks (3/31- 5/19) Required Information Session: Tuesday, March 17, 2026; 12:00-1:00 p.m. – Webinar link (Passcode: 1234). Questions? FSAPmindfulness@ucsf.edu
- 2026 UCR Staff Conference | Staff Assembly All campuses welcome March 24–25, 2026 for the annual UCR Staff Conference, themed “Together, We Rise.” Register for virtual and free sessions.

STEP Deadlines & Resources for the 2025/20206 Performance year

STEP learning resources | Watch the short STEP overview video | Contact your STEP team | FAQs for quick answers

Final Check-in: Complete by March 27, 2026

Upcoming Classes and Workshops

Featured

UCOP Creating Accessible Documents 1: MS Office

online: Thursday, February 19, 1-2:30 pm

Digital accessibility is about ensuring users with disabilities can easily access and engage with any digital content. In this course, you will learn the principles of digital accessibility, how to generate accessible Microsoft Office Documents and how to export these to PDF. This is the first course in the series and a prerequisite for UCOP Creating Accessible Documents 2: PDFs.

ME@UCOP: Managing in the Modern Workplace Session 1 of 2 (Remote)

online: Thursday, February 19, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Managing in the Modern Workplace: In this session, we will discuss UCOP processes and strategies that support building inclusive and engaged teams. Topics include: -Managing remote and hybrid teams, People Development, and Fostering Community and Belonging as a Manager. This is a full day course offered either in-person or remote. We highly encourage managers to attend in-person. This is part of the Manager Essentials at UCOP (ME@UCOP). It is required for all people new to a management or supervisory positions at UCOP since 2020 (internal promotions and external hires). All experienced managers are welcome to attend.

You must attend both sessions. Second session is Friday, February 20, 9 AM- 12PM

There is an in person version available in April. Use same link to register.

21 Practices for Happiness and Accomplishment @Work

online: Tuesday, February 24, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Presented by People-OnTheGo, The “21 Practices for Happiness and Accomplishment @Work” workshop is designed to help participants develop and practice mindfulness, emotional intelligence, growth mindset, and productivity skills that are crucial in today’s workplace. Participants focus on behavioral changes and initiative-taking, while at the same time paying attention to self-care, stress reduction, fostering enjoyment, and self-fulfillment. The workshop consists of a blend of short presentations, brief individual and group interactive exercises, and exposure to a variety of mindfulness practices.

Key takeaways

A better understanding of mindfulness.
Insight into how emotional intelligence can help improve working relationships and collaboration with stakeholders at all levels.
Strategies, tools, and techniques for managing distractions and staying focused as well as effectively managing competing demands when they arise.
Guidance on paying attention to self-care.
An in-depth knowledge of The Perfect 15-Minute Day Method and how to use the accompanying Hello Mindful App and/or paper journal to implement all these techniques and strategies on a daily basis.

Connections in a Hybrid World

online: Wednesday, February 25, 1:00 pm- 2:30 pm

Today more than ever it is important to be strategic about connecting with others, building relationships, and expanding your network. Join us for this interactive workshop to explore the current realities of working in a hybrid environment and discuss tangible actions you can take to build authentic relationships in the workplace. The session will highlight the importance of emotional intelligence in building your social capital to leverage connections and accomplish more at work.

GROWing Your Check In Conversations for Managers

online: Thursday, February 26, 10 am - 12 pm

This workshop is the first session of a two-part series required for managers and supervisors. GROW is a popular conversation framework used around the world for problem solving, goal setting and performance improvement. This interactive session provides managers the opportunity to discuss and practice using GROW framework as a strategy and tool to support engaging employee-manager conversations.

FSAP's Lunchtime Mindful Moments Presents: Cultivating Mindful Self-Compassion with Loving-Kindness

online: Friday, February 27, 12 pm - 1 pm

Please join FSAP for their Mindful Moment Webinars, focusing on Cultivating your own Mindful Self-Compassion Practice. Self-compassion is a well-researched branch of Mindfulness Practice that helps us access the benefits of our own caregiving skills. Many of us are highly practiced in the art of providing care to others (at work and at home), including: trainee mentorship, child-rearing, patient care, parental support, and so much more. Whether you are new to mindfulness or an experienced practitioner, we welcome anyone looking for a free one-hour respite focused completely on caring for you.

This month’s one-hour lunchtime webinar is dedicated to helping you redirect your caregiving skills back towards yourself through a brief review of Mindful Self-Compassion research and an extended guided Loving Kindness (or Metta) Meditation.

People Leader Forum: STEP Tips and Support

online: Friday, February 27, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

The People Leader Forum is a monthly opportunity for people managers to connect with one another to develop leadership skills, build community, share best practices, swap strategies for navigating current challenges and learn to better support themselves and their teams. The 2026 PLF schedule is up.

2/27: STEP Tips and Support
3/20: Managing Representing Employees (Extended session 1-2:30 pm)
4/24: Talent Insight process – Uncovering potential, planning for the future!
5/29: Employee Relations 101

ME@UCOP: Compensation

online: Tuesday, March 3, 9 am - 12:30 pm

This is a live, virtual, instructor-led session where we will discuss UCOP Compensation policies and procedures. Topics include: – Promotion & Equity – Salary Range Offers, Hiring, and Bargaining Units – Career Tracks, Job Builder by JDX and Position Description This is part of the Manager Essentials at UCOP (ME@UCOP). This course is required for all people new to a management or supervisory positions at UCOP since 2020 (internal promotions and external hires). All experienced managers are welcome to attend.

Excel Intermediate/Advanced - Session 1 of 2

on line: Wednesday, March 4, 9:00 am - 12 pm

Microsoft Excel has hundreds of features and hundreds of functions. Getting the right feature, at the right time, used in the right way, in the right sequence is very often a problem. In this three-hour session you will become aware of a few core Excel features that you can use right away and that other capabilities do exist that you can build on later as your Excel knowledge increases. We start with these features, and if time permits, cover other interesting features.

SumIFs, AveregeIFs, CountIFs : Get what you need from your data with minimal effort
Tables (with structured referencing): Look good and be organized
Pivot Tables: The easiest, best method to get unexpected and expected answers from you giant, messy data set

You must attend both sessions. Second session is Wednesday, March 11, 9 AM- 12PM

Smartsheet Essentials: Project Planning Made Simple

online : Thursday, March 5, 10 am - 12pm

This foundational session is designed for new users and project managers seeking to understand how to leverage Smartsheet for project planning and execution. Through practical demonstrations and hands-on activities, participants will gain the knowledge to set up and manage projects confidently, using features such as Gantt charts, task assignments, and resource allocation. Key Takeaways:

Understand Smartsheet’s project management basics, including workspaces and sheet creation.
Build and manage Gantt charts with dependencies and critical paths.
Assign tasks and manage resources effectively.
Explore Smartsheet templates for efficient project planning.
Learn best practices for reporting project progress.

This is part of the | UCOP Project Management Collection

Change Essentials- Sessions 1 of 3

online: Thursday, March 5, 10 am- 12 pm

Change Essentials is based on the best-selling book, Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, by Dr. John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber. Dr. Kotter’s research revealed eight key steps and four critical leadership principles that, when applied effectively, help to ensure successful change. This three-part workshop will provide you with a foundational level of knowledge and skill to help you identify strategies to apply those steps and principles to a current or anticipated change within a department, or as part of a broader organizational change initiative. Attendance is required for all three sessions: March 5, 12, and 26, 10 am – 12 pm.

Difficult Conversations

online: Friday, March 6, 10 am - 12 pm

Ever had a disagreement with someone where the conversation didn’t go quite the way you wanted it to? As conflict is inevitable, join us in exploring strategies for navigating difficult conversations in both your personal and professional life. In this highly interactive course, you will learn Core Principles to successfully navigate disagreements and apply them through practice role-playing. By the end of the workshop, you’ll feel more confident in approaching difficult conversations with anyone in your life.

UCOP Wellbeing Monthly Lunch and Chat: From Snap Judgments to Self-Awareness: A Midday Conversation

Online: Friday, March 6, 12:10 - 12:55pm

Take a mindful pause in your day and join us for this virtual monthly series for individual and collective wellbeing. There will be space for reflection, discussion, and real-life application.

3/6/26: From Snap Judgments to Self-Awareness: A Midday Conversation : We all judge sometimes; it’s a very human thing to do. This lesson will help us understand why we judge and how it affects both ourselves and others. Our goal isn’t to stop judging completely, but to become more aware and compassionate. Through thoughtful reflection, open discussion, and hands-on exercises, we’ll gently change how we view judgment, helping us create a more understanding and kinder world for everyone.

GROW Plus: Accountability Conversations for Managers

online : Friday, March 13, 9:30 am - 12:00 pm

GROW Plus: Accountability Conversations for Managers is the second part in the required live training series on manager and employee performance conversations. The previous STEP trainings are all prerequisites to this training.

Delivery Skills

online: Tuesday, March 17, 9am- 12pm

For many, public speaking and giving formal and informal presentations can be uncomfortable and daunting. Luckily, delivery skills ca be practiced and improved on with each presentation. This session will focus on identifying anxieties about presenting and how to prepare for them, explore different presentation styles and techniques to engage with your audience, and tips and tricks to making your next presentation a success! This session will be interactive and participants are asked to bring a recent presentation, outline, or presentation idea to practice.

This course is part of the UCOP Communication series certificate.

Managing Up: Cultivating a Partnership with Your Manager

online: Wednesday, March 18, 10 am - 12:00 pm

The manager-employee dynamic can be powerfully productive or woefully fraught. The big question is: what’s within YOUR locus of control as an employee to get what you need from your manager? In this workshop we’ll focus on exploring ways to develop a mutually beneficial working relationship with your supervisor as an individual contributor. This workshop will explore how individual contributors can develop trust by exploring their manager’s perspective, advocating for self, and providing upward feedback. This highly interactive session will review best practices to document your performance, communicate clearly, and practice delivering upward feedback

UCOP Safety: Active Attacker Training

online: Thursday, March 19, 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Melissa Collins, Program Manager for Security, Risk and Resilience, will facilitate this live virtual class in which participants will learn skills and strategies to respond if exposed to active attacker situations. The course will review real-life incidents and discuss options in the event of potential similar encounters. Melissa joined UCOP after serving 20 years with the UC San Diego Police Department, retiring as a lieutenant, and is a safety exper

ME@UCOP: Budget & BRC

online: Tuesday, March 24, 10 am - 11 am

This is a live, virtual, instructor-led session where we will discuss the UCOP budget process and landscape and Bruin Resource Center (BRC). Topics will include: – Budget process and timeline – UCOP Integrated Financial Systems (PBS and FIS) – BRC teams and services – BRC trainings and resources This is part of the Manager Essentials at UCOP (ME@UCOP). It is required for all people new to a management or supervisory positions at UCOP since 2020 (internal promotions and external hires). All experienced managers are welcome to attend.

UCOP Creating Accessible Documents 2: PDFs

online: Monday, March 23, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Building off the Creating Accessible Documents 1: MS Office training, Accessible PDF Documents offers a deep dive into using Adobe Acrobat Pro to manipulate, tag, and test PDF documents for accessibility. We will cover tagging documents from scratch, what common accessibility errors are, tables, and building accessible PDF forms. In order to fully participate in this class, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed (not just Acrobat Reader). Prerequiste course: Creating Accessible Documents 1: MS Office training

Additional Classes

Using the UC Learning Center

Registration: Log in to the UC Learning Center using your UCOP login and password. In the Search box on the left, enter the name of the class you want. Select the session you want, then select the Register box and Submit.

Cancellation: You can cancel your registration through the UC Learning Center. We ask that you cancel 48 hours before the scheduled class time so that others may sign up, or contact the Learning & Development Team.

If you require any assistance or accommodation with finding, registering or attending a class please email the Learning & Development Team.