Weekly Newsletter: Tuesday Is News Day

Call for Proposals: CLS Writing Summit, deadline October 18

The Department of Composition & Literary Studies at Austin Community College is hosting its third Writing Summit (previously called "The Grammar Summit") on Friday, November 15, 2024 from 1-4pm.

We are seeking proposals for 20-30 minute round table discussions and/or individual presentations related to the theme: “Rethinking the Role of Grammar in Effective Student Writing Across Disciplines." Presentations may consider, but are not limited to:

1. The Role of AI in Grammar Instruction: Opportunities and Challenges

2. Assigning and Assessing Student Writing Across Disciplines 

3. Strategies for Teaching Grammar from ESOL 

Submit proposals here: Writing Summit Proposals 2024 

Presenters will receive Professional Development hours for their work.

The summit will be held with a hybrid format with in-person attendance at ACC Rio Grande Campus and via Zoom.

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CLS Portfolios, Due November 15 

CLS Portfolios for the 23-24 Academic Year are due November 15. 

If you are a P1, P2, or P3, we need those Portfolios this semester.  You can check your Portfolio status here: CLS Due List.  P1, P2, P3 = portfolio due.  A1, A2 = Annual Review (no portfolio). 

Portfolio materials should be uploaded here:   CLS PORTFOLIO COLLECTION FORM (FALL 2024)

We apologize again for the earlier miscommunications about the Portfolio due dates. 

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Overview of NEW Faculty Evaluation Process (Spring 2025)

From Beth Frye

Dear Colleagues:

We have been receiving questions about the (New) ACC Faculty Evaluation Process.  To reduce your anxiety, I have created a short screencast video to provide an overview of the new process.  This year we are transitioning to the new evaluation calendar.  We are currently finishing up the 2023-24 evaluations (old process) and the evaluation of the materials we submit for the academic year 2024-25 will be next Fall (2025).  

Video: (NEW) ACC Faculty Evaluation Process: Overview 

In the Spring, I will be creating videos to help guide faculty through the portfolio creation process. I (Beth Frye) will be designated (P3) for 2024-25 which means I will be completing the full portfolio that is due by May 2025 inservice.  So, as I create my own portfolio, I will be sharing my approach with you.  My committee and I will also be hosting brown bag discussions on ZOOM to answer questions and give faculty an opportunity to share with one another.  

I hope this information is helpful for you, and you are off to a good start this semester.

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Please Promote: Encourage Students to Check Voting Status☑️🇺🇲

Monday, October 7th is the last day to register to vote in the November 5th election. Please encourage your students to check their voter status at My Voter Portal or with their County Clerk's office. 

If students need to register, they can find directions at VoteTexas.gov.  

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Apply: CLS Web Specialist

CLS is seeking a highly skilled and innovative Web Specialist & Technology Liaison.  You can check out the position responsibilities and qualifications here: https://austincc.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job/Rio-Grande-Campus/Specialist--Web-ll_R-6741 

Application closes November 6, 2024 (at 12:00 AM)

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Dual Credit Withdrawals

If you work with Dual Credit students and intend to withdraw a student for reasons outlined in your course syllabus, please read up on the best practices, brought to us by Lindsay Lawley Rerecich, CLS Dual Credit Faculty and Associate Dean of Dual Credit.

HIGHLIGHTS! (But, y'all go read the statement--I left a TON out of this summary!)

1. Notify the student of the possible or impending withdrawal via email 

2. Notify ACC's College and High School Relations (CHSR) Academic Success Coordinator for that student's school of the possible or Impending withdrawal via email; Copy the HS on-site contact if you have their information. (On-site staff can be helpful since they can use the student's ISD email or find them on campus.)

3. Provide a week for the student, Academic Success, or the high school to respond.

4. Withdraw according to syllabus policy if there is no response or positive resolution within that week.

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CLS Curriculum Conference-- CCCs! Spring 2025 Call for Contributors

Austin Community College's CCCs (CLS Curriculum Conference) will take place on Friday, March 7, 2025, from 12:00-4:00 PM at the Highland Campus (HLC) in Austin, Texas.

This is a call for contributors who are interested in sharing their knowledge in a presentation or panel format. We are soliciting contributions in one of two ways:

1) Presenters: We are currently soliciting presenters (individually or to join a panel) on one of the six topics listed below. 

2) Topic Proposals: The conference has space for three additional topics, and we will select from among the Topic Proposals submitted. Topics may be combined to create a cohesive panel.

*Note: Sessions will run 50 minutes, so providing a sense of the length of your presentation will help. We will group presentations and/or topic proposals as necessary to fill the time slot. 

Complete the Call Here: CCCs! Spring 2025 Call for Contributors

Call for Contributors will close on Friday, December 6, 2024.

Registration for attending the conference will open at the beginning of the Spring 2025 semester.

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CLS Profile 2024-2025--Faculty Contributions

Please send us contributions for our next CLS Profile (2024-25).  We'd love to see a picture of you and/or your students, including selfies with students, photos with colleagues at conferences--especially CLS activities! (Don't forget to get photo permission forms from students signed.)  Aside from photos, we are looking for contributions in as many categories as apply to you; you can also nominate a colleague's reading(s) or assignment(s)!  Keep details concrete and short. The first CLS Profie was a BIG SUCCESS! And, we'd love to hear from loads and loads of our faculty for next years'! (Also, we'll ask for contributions through the first part of the Spring Term. This form will stay open--and feel free to share things as they come up)

Share your AWESOMENESS Here: Faculty Contributions for 2025 CLS Profile

Holler at Wendy Elle, Luanne Preston, or Dania Dwyer if you have questions or thoughts!

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Please Promote: Student Submissions, deadline Oct 12

The University of Texas at Dallas and Texas Tech University are now accepting submissions of creative work and critical essays for the Sigma Tau Delta Southwestern Regional Conference.  Students (high school, undergrad, and graduate) as well as Sigma Tau Delta members and alums can submit work that connects to this year's theme: One of Ours. 

Submission Deadline: Sunday October 12 

• Visit Sigma Tau Delta's Regional Events page for submission guidelines and process. 

Conference info: 

• Date:  Saturday, October 26, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CST

• Location:  Virtual Event (Teams)

• Registration Cost: Free

• Purpose: The 2025 Sigma Tau Delta Convention theme is "One of Ours" and the convention (March 2025) ends our Centennial Celebration Year. Preparing for this convention, you are invited to join us for the Southwest Region Conference (virtual on MS Teams) on Saturday, October 26.

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Collect and Tag ENGL 1301 Research Papers

From Rebekah Starnes, CLS Assessment Committee

Dear CLS colleagues--

This is just your friendly reminder that, for the 2024-2025 school year, the CLS department is collecting FALL 2024 ENGL 1301 RESEARCH PAPERS. (To reiterate, we are ONLY collecting research papers from ENGL 1301 this year. If you are not teaching ENGL 1301, you don't have to tag/submit anything.) We will be collecting our samples via BLACKBOARD.

To make this process successful, however, we need your help! Please make sure you do the following by the last day of fall classes--that's Sunday, 15 December for most classes, or Sunday, 20 October if you are teaching an 8A class. 

• • • Have your students submit at least this ENGL 1301 paper through Blackboard, in a slot set up as an ASSIGNMENT.

    • Include your PROMPT with the assignment, either as part of the text or as a PDF attachment.

    • Appropriately TAG your assignment so we can include your section(s) in the sample.

To help you with this process, we have several resources. Attached to this email, you will find three PDF Guides:

1.    Adding an Assignment to Blackboard

2.    Tagging Student Work  (which explains which three tags you need to put on each assignment)

3.    Walking Students Through Submission

In addition, here is a short video talking folks through the process of creating an assignment and tagging it. 

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Blackboard Q & A, Fridays 3pm-4pm 

Need help setting up your Blackboard page?  Have a quick question about a Blackboard function?

Email Amber Clontz for the Zoom invite; she's hosting regularly on Fridays 3-4pm. 

• Can’t make the day/time? Send your availability to request an alternative :) 

Brought to you by the Textbooks & Technology Committee 📚🪱💻

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Please Promote: Online Writing Tutor

Becky Villarreal, ACC English instructor and LELA tutor, assists students with papers via email. They can email her directly at bvillarr@austincc.edu (with their papers in a DOC file and their instructor's directions) or click here to fill out a form. Email Becky if you have questions or check out her website. She is also hosting writing workshops on Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons this fall:

• Manic Monday Workshops 10 - 11 a.m. (Click here to sign in/up; Click here to join Zoom): 10/7 (Literary Analysis and Research); 10/21 (Grammar Part II ); 11/4 (MLA Part II); 11/18 (Scholarship Essays); 11/25 (Literary Analysis and Poetry); 12/9 (Resumes) 

• Wednesday Writing Workshops 4-5 p.m. (Click here to sign in/up; Click here to join Zoom): 12/4 (Literary and Academic Competitions)

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Meditating Professor, PD Opportunity

 The Meditating Professor with Lupe Mendoza has been specifically geared toward CLS faculty to give you what you need to help build resilience in your students and yourself while promoting creativity in your classroom and your life.

Click here to register. 

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English Major Degree Audits

If you'd like to help our majors graduate on time, please volunteer to run a degree audit on one or two students who are near completion. It takes about 10 minutes. 

Email Theo Yurevitch to get the student names; he will get you onto the spreadsheet you need to be on and will assign you a student or two.

Basically, you get a student's ID, look up their transcripts, fill out the English AA audit form, and email the student, their advisor, and Wendy Elle or Theo Yurevitch the completed form. We have a template for the email to the student/advisor. So, the lion's share of the work is you + the audit form. Then copy, paste, attach, and send!

English Degree Audit Process

English Degree Audit Form

How to Access Student Transcripts - YouTube Video

The English Degree Audit Form - YouTube Video