Category Archives: General Information

Adjunct Promotions to Lecturer I or II – Due Oct 5

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(Email: Sept 18)

Just a quick reminder that part time promotion applications (for Lecturer I or II) are due by Monday, October 5. You can find the forms here: Lecture I application , Lecture II application, This promotion applies to part-time faculty, as well as full-time faculty who moonlight.  You have to have been at BC for at least 9 quarters and taught at least 90 credits to be eligible for Lecture I. Those applying for Lecture II must have taught 9 quarters and 90 credits since their last promotion. (See Article 14 of the faculty contract for details.) If you have any questions or concerns about applying, please let me or your dean know.

Adjunct faculty: This promotion requires that you have a PT performance review completed to be eligible, but please remember that is on your Division to make sure that is done.  If you are due (or overdue) for a performance evaluation, your Dean and Chair will work to have that completed this quarter.  So don’t let that stop you from applying!

Full-time faculty: You need to write up an assessment of your moonlight student evaluations as part of your application. You should include all moonlight classes taught in the last 12 months and any additional moonlight sections since your last moonlight promotion to get to a total of at least 3 moonlight classes. [Note: last sentence corrected – the email had an error.]

In either case applications should be submitted to your Division Dean by October 5. It is a rather quick application process, and I encourage everyone that is eligible to apply!

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For those that want the details here is the section of the Faculty Contract that covers these promotions: 

14.2. Promotion

Part-time faculty may be promoted according to the eligibility provisions and criteria below. Applications for promotion must be submitted to the dean by the tenth (10th) instructional day of the Fall Quarter. Promotional decisions will be made by the dean and provided in writing to the part-time faculty member prior to the end of Fall Quarter. If awarded, promotions will take effect at the beginning of the quarter following promotion.

14.2.1. Lecturer I.

a. Eligibility for Promotion. Part-time faculty will be eligible to apply for promotion to Lecturer I following the completion of nine (9) cumulative quarters of employment with the College, and completion of ninety (90) or more credits of instruction (or equivalent for non-teaching faculty). In addition, all part-time faculty compensated at the Senior 1 Rate are eligible for promotion to Lecturer I.

b. Criteria for Promotion:

i. Demonstrated excellence in teaching as determined through a substantive review of the faculty member’s cumulative performance conducted by the program faculty and dean. In the event that an application for promotion is received, and part-time performance reviews have not been completed in accordance with Article 25, the dean shall ensure that a part-time performance review is completed within the same quarter as the application for promotion was received.

ii. Satisfactory completion of the professional development obligations as outlined on the promotion application.

c. Responsibilities. In addition to the responsibilities of all part-time faculty members, Lecturer I’s shall have the following responsibilities:

i. Participation in department and division meetings, events and activities.

ii. Forty-five (45) minutes per week per class of designated office hours. Such office hours may be satisfied by electronic means (telephone, on-line chat, etc.) provided the faculty member is available to interact with students at pre-scheduled times identified on the course syllabus.

14.2.2. Lecturer II.

a. Eligibility for Promotion. Lecturer I’s will be eligible to apply for promotion to Lecturer II following the completion of nine (9) cumulative quarters of employment with the College as a Lecturer I, and completion of ninety (90) or more credits of instruction as a Lecturer I (or equivalent for non-teaching faculty). In addition, all part-time faculty compensated at the Senior 2 Rate are eligible for promotion to Lecturer II.

b. Criteria for Promotion:

i. Demonstrated excellence in teaching as determined through a substantive review of the faculty member’s cumulative performance conducted by the program faculty and dean. In the event that an application for promotion is received, and part-time performance reviews have not been completed in accordance with Article 25, the dean shall ensure that a part-time performance review is completed within the same quarter as the application for promotion was received

ii. Satisfactory completion of the professional development obligations as outlined on the promotion application.

c. Responsibilities. In addition to the responsibilities of all part-time faculty members, Lecturer II’s shall have the following responsibilities:

i. Participation in department and division meetings, events and activities.

ii. Participation in appropriate College-wide governance activities and College events.

iii. One (1) hour per week per class of designated office hours. Such office hours may be satisfied by electronic means (telephone, on-line chat, etc.) provided the faculty member is available to interact with students at pre-scheduled times identified on the course syllabus.

d. Part-Time Faculty Reviews. Lecturer II’s may, at their option, perform part-time faculty reviews for faculty members eligible for their second or fifth quarter review. Lecturer II’s performing reviews will be compensated as provided in Section 18.4.6.

Staffing & Scheduling Best Practices

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(Email: Sept 10)
As we prepare for the new academic year, I’d like to share with you some new guidelines about class staffing and scheduling that I shared with the program chairs last month, so that everyone is aware of these new guidelines for the coming year.

Based on a framework of equity for all faculty, the AVP of Academic Affairs, the Provost and President all support the attached best practices for scheduling/staffing classes. These practices recognize that adjunct faculty play an important role in serving our students. In addition, we acknowledge that changing the current SBCTC system, which is heavily dependent on the inequities between full time and adjunct faculty, requires systematic and long-term changes at all levels.  At the college level, we feel that we can contribute to this by issuing guidance on class staffing that provides a more equitable, transparent, uniform and fair system of class assignments for the most vulnerable of our faculty colleagues.  Hence, you will see that a major focus of these guidelines honors the long-term contributions of all our adjunct faculty by more clearly considering how make class assignments, and how and when we communicate that information to all faculty. A major change from current practice is to schedule existing adjunct faculty for a full load (plus an additional class) before making full time moonlighting assignments. In conjunction with this we, as program chairs and as a college, need to nurture and provide feedback to adjunct faculty in their first few years (much like we do with tenured faculty) to support their success as effective instructors.   

This document also provides additional guidelines on communicating class assignments, moonlights, “per head” assignments, release time, cancelations, and bumping. 

With COVID and budget cuts, it was important to release these guidelines before staffing occurs for winter, hence during the summer.  However, input from Faculty Council, the Positive Policies for Adjuncts Committee, and faculty discussions with the President did inform these guidelines. We will have time to discuss them further in the coming year.  I also recognize that some programs and situations will require some flexibility, however, it is important that we have some standard expectations as a college, to assure that all faculty know what to expect when it comes to making course assignments. But I think it is important, especially in this time of so many unknowns, to provide more equity for adjunct faculty.

Please let me or your Deans know if you have questions, Chairs and Deans will be working with these guidelines as they work on any remaining Fall staffing, as well as moving forward with Winter scheduling/staffing and beyond. 

Info About the Start of Fall Quarter

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(Email: Sept 9)
A few notes about the start of Fall Quarter: 

  1. Calendar Reminders and Updates – Opening Day, Sept 17; Division Retreats, Sept 18; Classes Start, Sept 21; Sept 28 is a non-instructional day
  2. Canvas Week “0” – Canvas opens Sept 14 for published courses (classes still start Sept 21)
  3. Late Registration – Students can register for classes through the end of the third day (Sept 23). After that day, late registration requires faculty and/or dean approval.
  4. Early Alert – The Early Alert Program, which began in Spring, will continue and be expanded for Fall.
  5. Student Advice Video – Please consider sending a short video for our “advice for students” video. The deadline for submitting your video clips is extended to Monday, September 14.

Details below:

1 –Calendar Reminders and Updates – Classes start on Monday, September 21.  Note, however, that Monday, September 28 was changed to be a non-instructional day in observance of Yom Kippur.  In exchange, December 7 (formally a “student success day”) is the last day of instruction for Fall. Opening day and the Division retreats will occur on Sept 17 and 18. These are contract days for full time faculty, and adjunct faculty are eligible to receive stipends for attendance.

2 – Canvas Week “0” – We are continuing to make it possible for faculty to allow students access to their online courses starting September 14 – if the course is published.  There are no expectations of students or faculty before Sept 21 to be in class or working, but this allows students to start reviewing the site before the quarter starts.

3 – Late Registration – In order to accommodate the challenges of late enrollment in an online world, we will be keeping registration open for the first three days of the quarter.  This means students may still join your class (if it is not already full) through Wednesday, September 23.  We are making every effort to assure that anyone who registers by Wednesday is in Canvas by Thursday morning.

Instructor permission will be required throughout the week to “over enroll” a class or add a student from the waitlist, and will also be accepted on Thursday and Friday. Late enrollment after Week 1 will follow the usual process that requires dean approval.  The hope is that much of the shuffling can happen in the first three days, which will require fewer late registrations after that time.

4 – Early Alert – The early alert program will continue into Fall and has been expanded to include other ways you can flag students who need intervention by an advisor. More details on that will be coming soon.

5- Student Advice Video –See the Academic Affair Blog (post below) or the email from Sept 1 for details.  Note the extended deadline and please consider contributing your advice!

Welcome to Instructional Meanderings!

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As we began another year, I’ve set up this blog to help create additional ways to communicate and share information from the Office of Academic Affairs and the many facets of instruction (including Library Media Services, Instructional Divisions, RISE, etc.). While our messaging is focused on issues academics and instruction, anyone is welcome to read along and follow the blog.

The site will evolve over time but for now some things you might expect to find here:

  • Re-postings of informational email messages from the Academic Affairs
  • General updates on issues we are working on in Instruction
  • Sharing of interesting articles or books that influence our work
  • Reminders about upcoming deadlines, events or professional development opportunities
  • Shared best practices and guidelines

Blog posts will be open to comment – so please feel free to share your thoughts here as well.

Thanks and be well! – Rob