Weekly Newsletter: Tuesday Is News Day

Tuesday, November 24, 2025

The work week is almost over already! ACC closes at noon Wednesday (11/26) and reopens on Monday (Dec 1). Hopefully you find time to relax, visit with family and friends, or catch up--whatever you need from the break! 

Before you go, though, tell the Curriculum Committee what you think about 1301 and 1302 Curriculum Alignment.  Come on, just do it! The survey is short and is really important for the work our Curriculum Committee will do next semester.  For real ... do it now before you forget.  

Wondering who to contact with a CLS question?  Please use the CLS email for sub requests, staffing questions, and general departmental inquiries. ✨ cls-office@austincc.edu ✨

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Important Dates! 

November  26 (12pm) - November 30 

ACC Campuses are closed 🍂🦃

December 5 

CLS End-of-Semester Meeting, 11:00am - 12:30pm [virtual & in-person at RGC; links to come]

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CLS Announcements 

CLS Quick Links

CLS Evaluation Materials

2025-2026 Evaluation Deadlines Full Calendar

Academic Year 2025-2026 Collection Form

This form is created and maintained by the Assistant Department Chair for CLS's Evaluation Committee (Beth Frye).  Use this form to submit syllabi, Faculty Reflection Forms, and self-reported mandatory training for Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and Summer 2026. 

Submit Syllabi by the second week of classes (varies by session; Sept. 5, 2025 for 16 week)

Submit Faculty Reflection Forms (Jan 30, 2026; Jun 12, 2026; Sept 4, 2026)

Submit self-reported Mandatory training (Due Feb 28)

CLS K.I.S.S Spreadsheet

CLS K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Sweetheart) 

This spreadsheet allows CLS faculty to see and understand all required professional development tasks as well as several optional PD opportunities.  

CLS Faculty Handbook

CLS Faculty Handbook

The Faculty Handbook can answer many questions about CLS policy, staffing, evaluation, and more! Plus, you can find instructions for badge requests and grade changes.  The easiest way to navigate the CLS Faculty Handbook is the search field.  Look for the magnifying glass 🔍in the upper right corner of the homepage and type your keyword (badge request or change eligibility).

Conference Travel Request Form

LAHC Travel Expense Request 

File this Travel Expense Request with the LAHC Dean's office to request money for upcoming conference travel and attendance.  

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📣Shout Outs (and Swag)!📣

Shout out to all the amazing faculty sticking with CLS year after year! Thank you for all that you do for our students and faculty community!

Thank you Luanne Preston for your 45 years of service!

Thank you Sarah Wilson for your 30 years of service!

Thank you Barbara Lewis and Diane Whitley Grote for your 25 years of service!

Thank you Amanda Beard and Damon Caraway for your 20 years of service!

Thank you Kendall Dingee, Anne Fletcher, and Evan Willerton for your 15 years of service!

Thank you Carla Coleman, Brenda Duge, Sean Nighbert, Ruben Rodriguez, Amy Rostvold, and Rebekah Starnes for your 10 years of service!

Y'all get swag, too.  We'll have it at the CLS End-of-Semester meeting (Dec. 5) if you come in person.  If you can't make it, email Mads Fielder to arrange pick-up/mailing. 

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Mandatory Compliance Training, Due Feb 28

ACC's Mandatory Compliance Training is live as of November 17th.  All five courses are due by Saturday, February 28.

To enroll in the 5 training courses, 

1. 1. Log in to Workday

   2. Choose Learning from the menu

   3. Find FY26: ACC Compliance Program

   4. View Program/Enroll in the Program 

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Call for Agenda Items, December 5 Meeting

Got something to share at the CLS End-of-Semester meeting?  Email Wendy by Tuesday, December 2 to get on the agenda. 

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Update: Blackboard Accessibility Scores

ACC's Office of Distance Education (DE) is working hard to make sure faculty have the tools and know-how to make all BB courses accessible by April 24, 2026. 

If you received an email about the accessibility of your Blackboard course, please reach out to the Instructional Designer (ID) indicated in that same email.  The IDs are here to help get your documents reformated and accessible. 

You can also check out the resources below!   

• Instructional design support offers DE Accessibility Training 

• DE's Accessibility Resource page

• TLED's Accessibility information page. 

• Materials from Trent Griggs' ADA Blackboard Compliance Training at the 2025 CCCs:

Accessibility Quick Guide

Blackboard Accessibility Orientation

Common Errors

Examples of Reasonable Accommodations

How to use Blackboard Ally

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Changes to Academic Coaching, Spring 2026

From José Resendez, Executive Dean, ACCelerated Learning Support 

ACC will be sunsetting the standalone Academic Coaching program at the conclusion of the Fall 2025 semester. 

We are committed to maintaining continuity in critical coaching functions during this transition. To that end, I want to share our two-part strategy for the upcoming Spring 2026 semester. 

1. Preservation of Digital Support Resources: The full suite of Academic Coaching resources will be preserved and actively maintained. All students will continue to have access to the digital library of planners, study skills guides, time management handouts, and workshop recordings that they have found valuable. 

2. Spring 2026 Bridge Plan: We are working with our existing embedded support systems to bridge the service gap. For Spring 2026, Embedded Tutors will receive specialized training to serve as resource navigators during this transition period. 

While Embedded Academic Coaching will not be available, our Embedded Tutors will be trained to: 

• Identify student needs related to time management, organization, and study skills. 

• Proactively connect students with the specific digital resources in our library that address those needs. 

• Ensure this navigational support is integrated into their existing workflows. 

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PD Opportunity: Affiliate Academy at Texas A&M

Texas A&M's Affiliate Academy is seeking participants for the Spring 2026 First-Year Writing Community of Practice

Overview

The Affiliate Academy brings together experienced and emerging first-year writing instructors (ENGL 1301 and 1302) to build rapport, share best practices, and support one another through collaborative professional learning. This community of practice (CoP) connects faculty from Texas 2- and 4-year institutions through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Digital Design for Student Success (D2S2) initiative in partnership with Texas A&M University. 

The primary goal is building a supportive instructional community—not mandating curriculum. Participation is free, and all CoP meetings are virtual.

Time Commitment

Onboarding Meeting via Zoom (4 hours total):

• ENGL 1301 cohort: January 5, 2026 (10 AM–12 PM & 1–3 PM)

• ENGL 1302 cohort: January 6, 2026 (10 AM–12 PM & 1–3 PM)

Spring semester:

• Three one-hour virtual CoP sessions (dates TBD)

• Check-ins and facilitator access as needed

• End-of-semester reflection session

Curriculum course materials available: December 19, 2025

This is a great networking opportunity and will accrue 7 hours of professional development, but CLS cannot compensate participation.  If you are interested, please email Wendy by December 5.  Express your interest in 2-3 sentences.  Full details here. 

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Recap: CLS Curriculum Meeting

If you missed the CLS Curriculum Meeting, you can browse the slides or watch the video (passcode: nVqU9g+r) for a lively discussion! 

A key point of discussion was the alignment of ENGL-1301 and ENGL-1302.  In the coming months, the Curriculum Committee will be working to improve that alignment.  Right now, they need faculty to share their current experiences and thoughts on alignment in this short survey. 

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Boost Student Evaluation Response

Getting students to respond to Course Evaluations can be hard, but a variety of responses can really help during the Faculty Evaluation process! As those Course Evaluations go live in the next few weeks, consider scheduling a class visit from a student in the Office for Faculty Evaluation. 

Here's three options for scheduling a student visit or presentation: 

• Visit this link to schedule a Zoom presentation. Choose a time and share your class meeting link on the booking page.

• Visit this link to schedule an in-person presentation at Highland Campus on Wednesdays. Choose a time and share your class location on the booking page. 

• If no in-person or Zoom times work for your class, please fill out the Promotional Video Request Form. We'll send you a video that you can share with your students or play in your classroom.

As a token of appreciation, faculty members who participate will receive a swag item. Students who submit a course evaluation will be entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift card.

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Please Promote: Spring Honors Courses!

Do you have curious, highly motivated students you think would do well in an Honors CLS course? Please let them know about our available Spring '26 courses! Four of our courses are full, but two still have openings:

• English Composition II: Queer Writings: Stories by and about LGBTQIA+ People (ENGL 1302-702; LEAD and Service-learning designations), RGC, Louisa Spaventa 

• American Literature II: Post-Civil War African-American Writers: 1865 and Beyond (ENGL 2828-701), RRC, Carrza Dubose

We also offer Honors courses in 17 other disciplines. If you have potential Honors students this semester who might be intimidated by the prospect of taking Honors courses, please give them a little nudge in our direction and encourage them to fill out an application. Alternatively, consider sharing our TLED-produced student impact video with your classes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPMmfxvpOoA.   

Please contact athomas2@austincc.edu with questions.

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Please Promote: Extended Hours at NRG Learning Lab, Dec 6

Please share with your NRG and NRG-adjacent students. 

The NRG Learning Lab will be open Saturday, December 6 from 10am-2pm to support students getting ready for finals.  Computers, online tutoring, and study space will be available as well as one in-person English tutoring specialist!  The NRG is ordinarily closed on weekends, so spread the word so students can take advantage! 

Check out and share the flyer with your students: NRG Learning Lab Extended F25 hours

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Please Promote: Summer '26 Study Abroad in England

British Literature I & II, Study Abroad, England, Summer 2026

Walk the London city streets where Charles Dickens’ set Oliver Twist, witness a Shakespearean drama from the eyes of a 17th-century commoner at the reconstructed Globe Theatre, hike the wild moors outside Haworth where Charlotte and Emily Brontë played as young girls, stroll through Lexington Gardens where JM Barrie first entertained the family of young boys who inspired his Peter Pan, and even visit Canterbury Cathedral, the destination of Chaucer’s famous storytelling pilgrims! I’m excited to offer this up-close-and-personal experience of the cultural/historical context for so many powerful and influential staples of British literature. 

After laying the groundwork during in-person classes here in Austin, we will spend the second half of the 5-week summer session in London and several surrounding cities, touring cathedrals, museums, stately homes, and libraries, watching live performances, and visiting historically significant sites. During these two plus weeks in England, we will see literature in a new light through a deepened understanding of the life and times of great authors, including their original audiences, purposes, and cultural, religious, and political influences. Moreover, we will explore how these authors influenced and engaged with each other across centuries and how their lasting legacies continue to shape our stories and media today. Combining the theoretical and the practical, we will finish the course with collaborative on-the-ground projects that draw from our reading, research, and travel experiences, taking personal inspiration from literature, architecture, fashion, landscape, and more.   

-Ryan Lopez, CLS, ryan.lopez@austincc.edu

If you're interested, see details in this brochure and on the Study Abroad Programs webpage. Accepting applications now!