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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📣Shout Outs! 📣

Congratulations Anne Palmer on your retirement from ACC after 38 years! We appreciate all that you've done for CLS, INRW, the Developmental Education department, and ACC students!  

Check out Arun John and Ted Hadzi-Antich talking about their Educating Character Initiative here at ACC in the Learning Well article "Colleges with Character."  Thanks to their hard work, ACC is at the forefront of bringing character-focused curriculum to community colleges! Find specific mentions and quotes in the Character In Action section of the article. 

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Report: Professional Development, Research, and Service

Here's the finalized version of the PDRS Committee Report, 2024-2025.  Thanks to Dania Dwyer (outgoing PDRS chair) and the whole PDRS committee for their work on this!

A quick overview from the report:

This report provides a summary and analysis of two key initiatives undertaken by the Professional

Development, Research, and Service (PDRS) Committee in the Department of Composition and

Literary Studies (CLS) during the 2024–2025 academic year:

1. Faculty Well-being Survey: A comprehensive survey designed to assess faculty

experiences, challenges, and opportunities for improvement within the department.

2. Dual Credit Grading Practices Survey: An intended survey to explore grading practices in

dual credit courses, which was not fully implemented due to complex inter-institutional

considerations.

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Exploring AI & Writing: Our Grant Showcase, June 13

In case you missed the AI & Writing Showcase, you can check out the recording and materials below!

• Watch the recording (Passcode: xvu#Kf3D)

• Explore the Showcase Folder, including the full event program and presentation PDFs

• Complete the AI & Writing Survey to share your thoughts, and let us know if you're interested in continuing the conversation.

Questions? Contact Susan Meigs.

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Mentoring: As Rewarding as Teaching, but without the Grading (and with Better Snacks)

Did you know only 13% of our faculty are signed up to mentor new colleagues? Are you really going to let that tiny group carry the load? We know you’ve got wisdom (and great ideas) to share, too! The best part? Mentoring has never been easier:

✅Blackboard support: done

✅A new welcome packet and orientation map with essential resources for new hires: no more scrambling to find link and documents

✅Comp I & II course shells: still available as Google Docs during migration to BB Ultra

Plus, mentoring counts as Peer Dialogue. So, you're not just helping a new colleague; you're checking off a Faculty Evaluation requirement. And yes, there’s a stipend too. So, what’s stopping you? Share what you’re great at. Sign up today!

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Trouble with Blackboard Ultra? You're not alone!

If you have questions about BB Ultra or need assistance, here are a few resources:

After hours call-in support via Anthology (Spring break 2025 through December 2025)

• • • • • 866-992-5190

In-house support 

• email blackboardultra@austincc.edu to request help

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Please Promote: Kelly Ramsey Reading from Wildfire Days

Kelly Ramsey, a former English & Journalism adjunct, just published Wildfire Days: A Woman, a Hot Shot Crew, and the Burning American West , a memoir of her time on a hotshot crew. 

Kelly taught at ACC around 2010 and will be returning to Austin during her book tour.  She'll be reading at First Light Books at 7 p.m. on Wednesday July 9th.  Here's the event page: https://www.firstlightaustin.com/events/kelly-ramsey-wildfire-days. 

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Incorporating Civic Engagement

Composition and Literary Studies is piloting a new program called Incorporating Civic Engagement (I.C.E), which offers students and faculty access to artifacts to address Personal and Social Responsibility in a myriad of ways. Artifact categories include: Civil Rights; Climate and Environment; Corporate and Government Contracts; Education; Policy; Food; Gun Rights; Human Health; Immigration; LGBTQIA+; Libraries and Freedom of Speech; Media and Technology; Refugees and War; Reproductive and Human Rights; and Voter Rights

Mission Statement and Purpose

To provide all ACC students with access to artifacts relevant to our civic education–including media, video clips,  images, forms, official documents, statements, etc. Students and faculty can critically reflect on these artifacts in their assignments, formal and informal group and class discussions, workshops, simulations, or other academic pursuits.

Use, review, discussion, and classwork engaging with these artifacts closely align with two of our General Education Competencies:

• Personal Responsibility: Identify and apply ethical principles and practices to decision-making by connecting choices, actions, and consequences.

• Social Responsibility (Civic and Cultural Awareness): Analyze differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.

Resources

Find out more about the program in Wendy's introduction to Incorporating Civic Engagement or Dean Toño Ramirez's video about the CLS Pilot for Incorporating Civic Engagement.

Understand the VALUE rubrics from the American Association of Colleges & Universities in Dean Toño Ramirez's video how to use the AAC&U VALUE rubrics to assess Civics Education

Learn to integrate the VALUE rubric into your BB page in this video: Blackboard-Integrated AAC&U's VALUE Rubric. 

How to get the Incorporating Civice Engagement Bb Ultra Zip File for Fall or Summer 2025

If you want to put a little I.C.E. in your courses for Fall or Summer, you can find the program here:

CLS Faculty Resources--I.C.E. Zip File

Please check out Dean Ramirez's introductory video on how to incorporate this into your course.

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New Administrative Rule: Instructional Use Standards for Blackboard Ultra

Effective May 19, 2025, all ACC instructors are required to meet the Learning Management System (LMS) Minimum Instructional Use Standards, which are copied below. Thank you to LMC, President of the Adjunct Faculty Association for sending out a timely reminder.  

As a point of reference, ACC's "approved Learning Management System" is currently Blackboard Ultra.  

From AR 5.0401.04:

Administrative Rule

The procedures included in this rule must be applied to all course sections offered by ACC. While these procedures provide a minimum standard for every course at ACC, courses taught online or within specific departments may be subject to additional requirements to meet minimum standards.

1. The instructional faculty of the College will include a Welcome Announcement in the college’s approved Learning Management System (LMS), providing students with introductory course information no later than the first day of the teaching session.

2. The instructional faculty of the College will include a ‘Start Here’ or similarly titled learning module in the college’s approved Learning Management System (LMS), including, at a minimum, the syllabus and information on tracking course performance and expected instructor communication.

3. In courses where students are assigned grades, the instructional faculty of the College will share course performance measures electronically with students in a FERPA-compliant manner per the guidelines and procedures. 

You can find more information in the Guidelines and Procedures for LMS Minimum Instructional Use Standards. 

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News from INRW 

Fall Co-req Registration

Fall 25 Coreq Registration begins Friday, May 16, 2025. If students reach out to you to enroll in your coreq courses, please send them to the INRW website to register. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis as long as there are no holds on the account preventing us from enrolling them. If you have questions, please reach out to Linda San Agustin or Ursula Parker. 

INRW Professional Development

If you are interested in INRW Professional Development, kindly and quickly complete this super-brief survey so we can get the party started: https://forms.gle/WWDhRD6bgWHndfve9

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Call for Co-req Partners, ENGL 1301 for Spring 2026

Hey there ENGL 1301 instructors! We're looking for those adjunct and full-timers who are interested in becoming the ENGL 1301 partner in a yet-to-be-created coreq with INRW. As a refresher, our co-reqs pair an ENGL 1301 course with an INRW course; about 16 students from the ENGL 1301 course are enrolled in an INRW that usually meets directly before or after the ENGL 1301.  Co-req faculty partners generally share syllabi and communicate throughout the semester.  

If you are already a co-req-er, thank you! This call is for new folks. Please Google Chat Ursula Parker or email Wendy Elle if you are interested. These classes likely would not start until Spring 2026.

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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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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