Weekly Newsletter: Tuesday Is News Day

CLS Fall 2024 Institutional Program Review SWOT Survey, Due Sept 30

It's time for our SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) Survey!

Overview

Every three years, all ACC Departments are asked to conduct an instructional program review; Spring 2025 is the Composition and Literary Studies (CLS) Department’s year for this! We must gather feedback from people who have an interest in the CLS Department to help identify the positives and negatives inside our department (the “S” and “W”) as well as outside of it, in the external environment (the “O” and the “T”). Gathering this information can help us with both strategic planning and decision-making. 

Take the Survey before September 30th

CLS Fall 2024 Institutional Program Review SWOT Survey

Questions?

Contact Carla Coleman

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Important Correction: CLS Portfolios

Last week, we gave incorrect information about changes to the Portfolio process.  We mistakenly said that no CLS Portfolios would be due by  November 15. If you are a P1, P2, or P3, we actually do need those Portfolios this semester. SORRY! SORRY! SORRY!  

You can check your portfolio due status here: CLS Due List.  P1, P2, P3 = portfolio due.  A1, A2 = no portfolio. 

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

We know that these changes can be confusing, but the Evaluation Committee is working hard to guide CLS through the larger changes at ACC.  In the coming weeks, we'll share a brief video with more specific details about the new process.  

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Cybersecurity Training: What's the Deal?

We appreciate the many of you are trying hard to be on top of your mandatory professional development training, and we are aware that the required Cybersecurity Training is currently inactive In Workday. The college will let us know when It becomes active again, and then, my guess is that they will give us a new deadline to complete It.

Here's how you should proceed: Do the rest of the training. Note your completion date and expiration date. Share it on the CLS AY 24-25 Collection Form . 

For the Cybersecurity bit, wait to hear from us.  We'll send up the (river) bat signal when the training is available. 

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VOTE by Sept 17: CLS Faculty Evaluation Rubric

As discussed at the CLS Faculty Meeting (Fall 2024),  ACC has tasked all departments with adopting a new Faculty Evaluation Rubric.  On Aug. 21, 2024, CLS shared a rubric with the department and invited comments on it. On Sept. 3, 2024, the Faculty Evaluation Committee reviewed the comments and incorporated changes.  Now it is time to vote.  

Please review the CLS Rubric for Faculty Evaluation.  ACC does require minimum percentages for each category, and those percentages are noted in the leftmost column.  

Voting will be open between September 10 and September 17.  Cast your vote here: VOTE: CLS Faculty Evaluation Rubric

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CLS Adjunct Staffing Problem-Solving Session, Sept. 18, 5:30pm

Hi Adjunct Faculty,

The Spring staffing--to be honest the Fall staffing--had some hiccups and some hurdles that we'd like to iron out. At the very least, we would like to improve.

So, we're going to have a  meeting for adjuncts on Wednesday, Sept. 18th, from 5:30-6:30 (so our Dual Credit colleagues can join us). We need to find a better way to handle the ebb and flow of classes (the August rush), the demand for face to face classes that we struggle to meet because many people are only accepting DIL, whether people feel like the pathways to teaching on ACC campuses is working, etc. This is a practical meeting--Sue and I will share what's got us stumped and listen to some possible solutions. I wish I could do more about pay rates and class sizes--I can say what little I know about all that--but the real focus here is how to make it better for all in our staffing and scheduling world.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://austincc.zoom.us/j/89997883148?pwd=pESVXSpIbL7EAbb5cP2711uWZJsgd0.1

You can get paid to attend this meeting; we will also record it. It is NOT mandatory, though. But, we'd love to hear from you.

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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 Creative Writing Group, Sept. 23, 11am-12:30pm 

from Rob Crowl and Jordan Easley

Our mission is to create a space CLS administrators, faculty, and staff can explore, grow, and mature as creative writers. We will support writers at all levels seeking accountability, training, mentorship, or just solidarity in their creative writing endeavors and personal projects.   Meetings count towards professional development and will be a mixture of writing, creative writing workshops, and shop talk. At the end of each meeting, we’ll offer optional sharing time.

Our first virtual meeting is Monday Sept. 23, 11-12:30

Review the full details of our mission, our approach, and our schedule

Sign up for our email blasts HERE

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Textbook Requests, Due Sept 20 (FDA) or Sept 29

Please send your textbook requests to Sue Bloodsworth by September 29 (or September 20 if you would use First Day Access).  You can respond to Sue's email "LAHC CLS: S25 Textbook Orders," sent Sept 12. 

Include: 

• Course

• Section #

• textbook title OR ZTC/OER (indicate First Day Access)

You can review CLS Textbook List for information about available texts and editions. 

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Learning Labs Faculty Folders: ZTC/OER Submission Form

From Amanda King, tutor specialist and CLS professor:

In an effort to foster greater collaboration between instructors and writing tutors, the Learning Labs invite instructors to send us your digital Zero Textbook Cost/Open Educational Resources (ZTC/OERs), such as articles and stories that students will engage with. Tutors can best help students when they can preview such texts, and having these materials at the ready saves precious time. For information on how tutors will access texts and how to submit, please see our Google form: https://forms.gle/as4MGFFnT8gB8mbC8

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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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CLS Fall Book Club

From Chris Gardner

Were you looking for some kind of "Fall Into Books!" opener? Wrong place, friendo. But we are excited to choose a nonfiction text to read in our CLS Book Club this autumn.  We've thus far chosen memoirs or essay collections, but any non-fiction text available in paperback will do. 

As usual, we will gather at Easy Tiger by the Highland Campus to discuss at a date to be determined. 

Voting for both the text and the meeting date will begin Wednesday 9/18. You are encouraged to sign up for our non-binding interest list to keep receiving emails, propose a text if/when you feel the urge, or consult our CLS Book Club site to peruse previous selections. 

Two Reminders: 

1. We are an open group. The invites go out to CLS, but you can always bring a +1 or forward this to interested parties. 

2. Book Club is paired with a book swap. Bring a book or books you are willing to part with, and let's spread some stories around. 

Happy reading, readers. Hope to see you there!

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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: 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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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 evenings this fall:

• Manic Monday Workshops 10 - 11 a.m. (Click here to sign in/up; Click here to join Zoom): 9/23 (Admissions Essays); 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); 12/2 (Imaginative Writing & Art); 12/9 (Resumes) 

• Wednesday Writing Workshops 7-8 p.m. (Click here to sign in/up; Click here to join Zoom): 9/25 (Scholarship Essays); 10/9 (Haiku); 10/23 (Imaginative Writing -- Dialogue); 11/20 (Memoir); 12/4 (Literary and Academic Competitions)

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Please Promote: Join the Club! 

Please share this announcement with your students to help them get involved at ACC:

Do you wish you knew more ACC students? Interested in connecting with others with similar interests? 

Join the Club!  Come learn WHY and HOW to GET INVOLVED at ACC!

Join us for a feature documentary on the life of a social scientist, Robert Putnam, and his work on the loss of American community life over the last half-century. 

The film screening will be followed by opportunities to join a discussion on the film or to learn how to get involved through student organizations, volunteer opportunities, and voting. 

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Film Screening
Highland Campus (HLC), Building 2000, Room 2.1550 (Presentation Hall)
Followed by a discussion and information tables on ways to get involved until 1:00 PM
Highland Campus (HLC), Building 2000, Room 2.1550 and Room C1401 (outside the Presentation Hall)

RSVP HERE

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Mental Health, PD Opportunities

We are so pleased to bring you two awesome professional development opportunities this fall! 

1) 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. 2) Students come to us with some heavy stuff. We are not trained to deal with it. Emily is. Let her help you navigate choppy waters by attending Faculty Consultation sessions with Emily Olson. 

Click here to register for one or both opportunities now. 

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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