Weekly Newsletter: Tuesday Is News Day

CLS Quick Links

Collection Forms for Evaluation Materials

Academic Year 2024-25 Collection

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 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025. 

Submit Syllabi by the second week of classes (varies by session)

Submit Faculty Reflection Forms (Jan 31, Jun 13)

Submit self-reported Mandatory training (May 30)

SUBMIT HERE Supplemental Evaluation Materials due May 30, 2025

This form is created and maintained by the Assistant Department Chair for CLS's Evaluation Committee (Beth Frye).  Use this form to submit Supplemental Evaluation Materials from the 2024-2025 year. (Assessments and Assignments, Peer Dialogue, Values Framework, and Purposeful Change documents)

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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CLS Dos de Mayo End of Semester Meeting

On Friday, May 2 CLS held the End-of-Semester meeting.  If you missed it or want to review information, you can check out the recording below. 

Recording:  https://austincc.zoom.us/rec/share/rY7k5i1ZyujAhARAvU-VXly6-9zO4BxeepIO9Gfgg8M8jsKpcD4w2qVxanqgPkvw.BxVhOkGErXdm8vsv

Passcode: C3jJ$=XU

The Slideshow, Minutes, and Attendance: All are located In the  CLS Spring Shared Drive

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📣Shout Outs!!📣

Amy Ashton Cunningham was accepted to Mount Vernon's Summer Residential Program: The Worlds of Martha Washington and the Women of the 18th Century.  Congratulations Amy! We're excited to hear about your adventures at George Washington's house when you get back.  

ACC Honors Student and CLS family member Presley Shanafelt had a poem "The Black Sheep" accepted into UT's  Hothouse Literary Journal, the official literary journal of The Department of English at The University of Texas at Austin. You'll have to wait 'til Fall to read it there, but I can tell you what Presley shared with us: "that the poem is about a human and a black cat becoming friends...Every person has felt ostracized for disturbing the flow or normality at some point, and yet this opens up new doors for connections. You’ll find a different kind of cruelty and a special kind of friendship that wouldn't otherwise be found as the black sheep." Congrats, Presley! And, say hi to your dad!

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Celebration of Life: Queen Samantha Ackers and Christie Carr, May 9

Celebrate the lives and contributions of Queen Samantha Ackers and Christie Carr with ACC colleagues.

When: May 9, 5:30pm-7:30pm

Where: Brewtorium 6015 Dillard Circle A., Austin TX (meet up along the back wall of the main beer hall) 

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Texas State Legislature Info 

SB 37 Hearing, May 6 

The Texas House is set to vote on SB37 today! If passed, this bill could bring major changes to CLS by creating a "Curriculum Review Committee" to make sure curriculum is not too "ideological," allowing college presidents to appoint members of the Faculty Senate, and setting up an office to investigate complaints of noncompliance.  

Read more about the changes and email your thoughts to your representatives here.  

HB 3326 passed in the Texas House

This bill is on its way to the Texas Senate, and it would make adjunct faculty eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.  Find your Texas Senator here and email your thoughts on HB 3326!

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Vertical Alignment Symposium 2025, June 6

Join us for fun and food!  The Vertical Alignment Team is hosting the third annual Symposium on Friday, June 6, from 9am -12pm at Rio Grande campus. Presentations will include strategies to develop critical reading and thinking, tips to holistically approach student reliance on AI, ideas about academic rigor and more!

Registration will be open until 5/29. 

Questions? Ask Kari Conness or Brian Fonken.

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Field of Study for English: Texas Transfer Advisory

The proposed Field of Study for English was approved by the Texas Transfer Advisory Committee (TTAC) and has been posted to the Texas Register for a 30-day comment period. You can access the posting here: https://texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com/rules-and-meetings?interface=VIEW_TEXAS_REGISTER_SUMMARY&recordId=449984

Comments can be submitted to ahacomments@highered.texas.gov.

What's all this about? Beginning in March 2021, the Coordinating Board adopted revised transfer rules that establish a new framework for transfer curricula and a new governance committee, the Texas Transfer Advisory Committee (TTAC). "If a student completes all the courses in an FOSC and transfers to another Texas public institution of higher education, the FOSC courses transfer as a block and are applied to the student’s selected major. If a student completes the FOSC, the Texas Core Curriculum, and any college or university courses required of all students regardless of major, the student is finished with all the lower-division courses."

When we look at the approved courses, we can see that two of ours are not on the list--Mexican American Lit and World Lit 2. Other than that, I am pretty happy about what they have there.  And, hopefully, It will help Texas students make it across the finish line with their degrees.

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INRW Institute: Express Your Interest!

Are you an English professor who's interested in expanding your course eligibility to include INRW 0340?  This course pairs with ENGL 1301 in the much-discussed and in-demand Co-Req courses!  This summer, CLS will kick off the second INRW Institute, which allows English faculty to dig into integrated reading and writing pedagogy.  If you are interested, complete the form below to receive additional information. 

INRW Institute Interest Form

Questions? Comments? Email Kendall Dingee, kdudley@austincc.edu

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All Things CLS Faculty Evaluation

New Faculty Evaluation Process

The faculty evaluation process has changed for the entire college, and the CLS Faculty Evaluation Committee has been working hard to make sure that CLS is prepared.  The video Annual Evaluation Materials for the Faculty Evaluation Cycle offers an overview of the new college-wide evaluation process and how to use this document New Faculty Evaluation: Submission by Year.  

Faculty Evaluation, Spring 2025 To-do List 

These five tasks are required components for the Faculty Evaluation process. 

• Submit your Syllabi for Spring 2025 to the Academic Year 2024-25 Collection by week two of your class session.   

• Check the CLS Due List to see if you need to complete supplemental evaluation materials for Spring 25. Then submit to Supplemental Evaluation Materials . Materials due May 30 2025.  

• Finish your ACC Mandatory Training and self-report on the Academic Year 2024-25 Collection by May 30, 2025.

• Complete your Administrative Duties (Syllabi and Office hours on Lighthouse!) by week two of your class session. 

• Submit your Faculty Reflection Form for Spring 2025 classes to the Academic Year 2024-25 Collection form by June 13, 2025

Evaluation Committee 1-hour Info Sessions 

Syllabus Workshop - April 4

Slides: Syllabus Workshop Slides

Recording: https://austincc.zoom.us/rec/share/4_EfrYTH3MnRuyClFs6eAsurA5IxfSJiUWeMLoXQCd_L2MeQTjq8jaPO7GTUvpY2.u5ojtJlxq-9Rj_Pd

Passcode: kBn=4B*4 

Faculty Reflection Forms - April 18 

Recording: https://austincc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=45f3d76d-b8a9-4e72-9677-b2c5015d37cc 

Dual Credit Faculty Evaluation Info Session - April 22

Slides: Let's Talk About the CLS Faculty Evaluation

Clarification: Mandatory Training in Workday

Many people received auto-generated emails from Workday about mandatory training.  The bottom line: You are compliant with the CLS Department if you have

1) completed all of your mandatory trainings between Nov 1, 2024 and May 30, 2025

AND 

2) RECORDED the completion dates on the Academic Year 2024-25 Collection Form

If you've done that, ignore the emails from the college.  If you have not done that, please get your trainings done by May 30 and then self-report on the  ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-25 COLLECTION FORM

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Please Promote: Curiositas Launch Party, May 6, 5pm

Come celebrate the latest issue of Curiositas! There will be a short recognition ceremony for published students as well as light refreshments.  And, of course, you can pick up your very own print copy of Curiositas!

When: Tuesday May 6, 5pm-7pm

Where: HLC, ACC Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center (Bldg 4000, 2252)

RSVP: Curiositas Launch Party

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Please Promote: Fall '25 Honors CLS classes

Do you have curious, highly motivated students you think would do well in an Honors CLS course? Please let them know about our available Fall '25 courses! Below are the course titles, and you can take a look at the course profile page for more in-depth descriptions. 

• English Composition I: Pop Culture (ENGL 1301, 700), HLC, MW 1:30-2:50 pm, Brinda Roy

• English Composition II: Texas Writers (ENGL 1302, 701), Joe O’Connell

• British Literature 18th c. to the Present: Gothic Literature (ENGL 2323, 700), RGC, MW 10:30-11:50 am, Melissa Holton 

• American Literature Civil War to Present: Sunrise in the Americas: Contemporary Indigenous Arts & Activism  (ENGL 2328, 701), Hyflex, CYP TTh 10:30-11:50 am, Heidi Juel 

• American Literature Civil War to Present: American Apocalypse: Wrecking and Rebuilding (ENGL 2328, 700), HLC, MW 1:30-2:50 pm, Anne-Marie Thomas

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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Get Involved: College-wide Committee Work!

Are you interested in getting involved in college-wide initiatives and discussions?  

You can find a list of Councils and Committees in the right toolbar of this Shared Governance webpage.  

You can find a list of Senate Committees for the current year (AY25) on the ACC Full-Time Faculty Senate webpage.  

Senate President-Elect, Alberto Quiñonez will be chairing the Senate's Committee on Faculty Participation to appoint FT faculty to all of these councils and committees.

The process for AY26 appointments should begin in the coming weeks and culminate during the summer.  

Keep your eyes open for an email from the Faculty Senate with details--and If you happen to be a CLS 🦖(15 or more years at ACC) or 🐢 (5-15 years at ACC), please consider service. 🐟 (0-5 years at ACC,) you're welcome, too, but I won't nag you about It!

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Job Opportunity: OnRamps with UT, Apply by July 1

Check out position details or apply: OnRamps Rhetoric Position

Email jaime.babcock@austin.utexas.edu for more information about the position. 

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Please Promote: Volunteer with Harry Ransom Center, Apply by June 20

The Harry Ransom Center is seeking volunteers to engage the public with an internationally renowned humanities archive, museum, and research library.  Student, staff, and community members are encouraged to apply.  Check out volunteer opportunities or apply at https://www.hrc.utexas.edu/volunteer/.  

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Accessibility in Blackboard Courses

Moving forward, ACC and CLS want faculty to aim for a BB Accessibility score of 80% or higher. 

Resources for checking and fixing BB Accessibility in your courses:

Please check your BB accessibility score at the beginning of the spring 2025 semester and as you add new items to your courses throughout the semester.  Dean Toño Ramirez made this brief, helpful video to demo Accessibility Reports. If you need help fixing the accessibility of your Blackboard courses, you have resources!   

• Instructional design support is currently offering Workshop Sessions on Enhancing Accessibility. You can learn more or register here: DE Accessibility Training.  

• TLED has great resources on its Accessibility information page. 

• Within CLS, we are fortunate to have Amber Clontz helping folks get their Bb documents ADA reader-friendly at her Blackboard Q & A Office Hour on Fridays--see the Information further down the newsletter for how those office hours work!

• Trent Griggs shared the following materials related to the ADA Blackboard Compliance Training during a presentation at the CCCs:

Distance and Alternative Learning Website 

Accessibility Quick Guide

Blackboard Accessibility Orientation

Common Errors

Examples of Reasonable Accommodations

How to use Blackboard Ally

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A not-so-gentle nudge: Blackboard Ultra for Summer 25

Blackboard Ultra Conversion is here for the Summer 25 semester! Remember that the changes to Blackboard are fairly substantial and will probably require you to rethink your Blackboard course set-up.  If you haven't had a chance to get to a training, consider signing up for one of the virtual sessions at the end of May. This may be your best option to receive last-minute, hands-on assistance during the intersession.   

(1) Current training options (each session offers four PD hours):

• Using Blackboard Ultra (Face-to-Face): [Sign up here]

• Using Blackboard Ultra (Virtual): [Sign up here]  (several seats left for session May 24 9am-noon and May 30 1pm-4pm)

• Using Blackboard Ultra (Hyflex): [Sign up here]

(2) BB Ultra Call-in Support Line via Anthology 

• Call 866-992-5190 with general BB Ultra questions (anything ACC-specific should be directed to an ACC Instructional Designer)

• Available April 2025 - December 2025 

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Blackboard Q & A, Fridays 3 PM-4 PM

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 3-4 PM. 

• 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

From Becky Villarreal

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.

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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 and photos with colleagues at conferences--especially CLS activities (Don't forget to get signed photo permission forms from students)! 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 Profile was a BIG SUCCESS! And we'd love to hear from loads and loads of our faculty for next years' profile! (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!