Revamping Course Evaluations – Your Input Needed

(Email: 18 November 23)

Hope you are doing well! 

During the summer, a team got together to start the process of reexamining our student evaluations – with a focus on redesigning a system that works to eliminate known bias, inappropriate use of course evaluation data and adverse impacts on faculty. The Office of Academic Affairs fully supports this work and the creation of new system for gathering meaningful data.  

I’d like to ask that you help the team gather data for this work by taking a few minutes to read their message below and complete this survey with your feedback about student course evaluations by Wednesday, November 25

Class Evaluations Revision Survey 

My thanks to the team – including Ariane (Ann) Hayes, Caroline Leffall, Ellen Nichols, Jennie Mayer, Lindsay Haney, Tonya Estes, and Aron Segal – for their initiative on this project.  Please do not hesitate to contact them if you would like further information. 

Thanks for your help in this important endeavor! 

Rob 

Class Evaluation Revision Survey 

The American Sociological Association released a statement last fall that said class evaluation processes, as they are typically employed, are flawed.  They amplify student biases and are harmful to the retention and growth of faculty.  Receiving constructive feedback from students is important nonetheless.   

In concert with the College’s efforts to address anti-Blackness, a mixed group of faculty and an exempt employee began meeting over the summer to brainstorm how the institution might respond to the litany of issues that exist with our current evaluation process.  Concerns were raised regarding not only anti-Black, misogynistic, and other biases, but also other aspects of the evaluation process itself.  Concerns regarding how the evaluations are used, whether alternative mechanisms might be better used to gain certain types of information, and whether it is appropriate for faculty to be responsible for soliciting the feedback all arose.   

Recognizing that evaluations completed by students are but one part of the instructor evaluation structure that also includes peer evaluations and a self-evaluation, the team has been exploring alternative processes advocated by researchers and those that other institutions have begun using.  To guide us in the first phase of a process of reviewing current practices and developing suggestions for alternatives, we would appreciate your responses to the questions in the linked survey regarding student class evaluations. 

We know that the current system is critically flawed.  Please help us to build one that will better serve faculty, administrators, and our students by responding to this survey by Wednesday November 25th, 2020. 

Advice to Students from your Instructors

(Email: Sept 25)

Just a quick thank you all for your work in helping students off to a successful start of Fall quarter!  I know there were some bumps and room for improvement, but overall it went well, and I thank you all for all you have done under these difficult circumstances.

I’d also like to share this short video, which includes advice to BC students from instructors about succeeding during this time of remote learning.  Thanks to Jenna, Rachel, Li, Bob, and Donna for your contributions! We will post this on the website, but also please pass on the link to your students. (We may try a similar video of advice from students, too.)

Adjunct Promotions to Lecturer I or II – Due Oct 5

(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!

 —

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

(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

(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!

Advice for Students – Submit a Short Video

(Email: Sept. 1)
Remote learning is a challenge for many of us, and our students are also struggling with learning socializing and succeeding in this new COVID world. 

What would you like your students to know, or what advice would you give to your students about learning remotely?  

Record a video clip (up to about 30 seconds) with your advice, and upload it to the this SharePoint site by Thursday, September 10.  We will edit as many of these as possible together and make a short video to share with our new and returning students via Canvas and the BC web site.    Tips for making your video clip can be found on the attachment on video recordings. 

I know this sort of thing is not for everyone, but I hope that some of you are inspired to participate in this video project! 

Thanks,
Rob 

Training and PD Opportunities for Remote Learning

(Email: August 31)
While we have learned a lot in the last 6 months, I know that all of us are still learning new strategies and practices for teaching remotely.  I encourage you to continue to take advantage of professional development opportunities in this area and to share your own successes and lessons learned with your colleagues. 

To help let you know and share what opportunities are happening out there, we’ve compiled the list of PD activities (internal and external). Please feel free to share other opportunities in the comment box (via the link) and we regularly update this page with new opportunities.

The link I provided is a new Academic Affairs Blog – called Instructional Meanderings.  I’ll plan to archive any informational emails (such as this one), as well as other news and resources from Academic Affairs, on that site.  Please bookmark it and come back often. 

Fall Technology Needs Request Form

(Email: August 25)
Hope your summer break is going well! 

In an effort to assure that you have the basic technology needed to effectively teach online during COVID we put together a simple form for you to use for requesting technology – namely computer equipment or assistance with internet connectivity. 

Click here to make your basic equipment requests via this link

Megan Kimball, in Academic Affairs, will compile this list every Thursday and work with ITS to help meet your needs. There may be delays in obtaining some items, so the sooner we can get started the better.

For discipline-specific technology, or any regular office supplies that you need to complete your work such as paper, pens, etc., please contact your Division Dean or Division Operations Director. 

Preparing Faculty to Lead with Racial Equity Teaching Online During COVID-19

(Email: August 20)
I’d like to invite anyone who is interested to attend the SBCTC’s Fall Faculty Institute (Sept 9-10) which is focused on “Preparing Faculty to Lead with Racial Equity Teaching Online During  COVID-19” (see the agenda below). The meeting is entirely online and open to anyone from BC. Thanks to Jennie Mayer for promoting this opportunity earlier this week!
We have purchased an institutional license, so all you need to do to register is sign up at (https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/assessment-teaching-learning/fall-faculty-institute.aspx) and select Institutional Pricing $0 for the conference fee on the registration form. 
I hope you are able to take advantage of this opportunity while you enjoy the rest of the summer break!
Rob

2020 Fall Faculty InstitutePreparing Faculty to Lead with Racial Equity Teaching Online During  COVID-19
Wednesday, 9/9/20 to Thursday, 9/10/20
10:00 AM to 4:30 PM 


Short URL to this Document: https://bit.ly/31TP7aq

Link for A la Carte Registration: https://bit.ly/2Xpam19
Link to Institutional Pricing: https://bit.ly/30Dyejj
Follow-Up DEI Programming:
Follow-Up DEI Programming for faculty on instruction-specific topics is being developed and will be available by August 31st, 2020.

What is the Fall Faculty Institute?
The 2020 Fall Faculty Institute is designed to support faculty learning by providing sessions on:

Sessions will be informed by the SBCTC vision statement and antiracist criteria currently in development by a subcommittee of the DEI Instruction workgroup (one of the DEI in WA CTCs Initiatives).

Who Should Attend the Fall Faculty Institute?

Sessions will be useful for faculty in all 3 mission areas: Basic Education for Adults (BEdA)Academic-TransferWorkforce (Prof-Tech)Full-time faculty, faculty beginning or in the tenure process, and part-time  faculty are all welcome.

Agenda

Day 1
10:00 AM to 10:30 AMOpening Welcome
10:30 AM to 12:00 PMPlenary Session Part I: Leading with Racial EquityFacilitator: Dr. Debra Jenkins
12:00 PM to 1:00 PMLunch on your own
1:00 PM to 2:30 PMPlenary Session Part II: Leading with Racial EquityFacilitator: Dr. Debra Jenkins
2:30 to 3:00 PM Break
3:00 to 4:30 PMTeaching Online During COVID-19: Choose 1 of  3 Concurrent Sessions
(1) Moving from “Surviving” to “Striving” to “Thriving” Facilitators: Dr. Todd Waters and Whatcom Faculty Members, (2) Increasing Retention and Completion in Your Online Course Facilitator: Dr. Tish Lopez (3) Critical Pedagogy Online Facilitator: Laura Adele Soracco

Day 2
10:00 AM to 10:30 AMLand Acknowledgement
10:30 AM to 12:00 PMOpening Plenary: What is the Faculty Responsibility in Interrupting Systemic Racism? Facilitator: Dr. Xyan Neider, Whatcom Community College
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Lunch on your own
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM Antiracist Assessment Practices: Choose 1 of 3 Concurrent Sessions
(1) Antiracist Assignment Design Across Disciplines & Programs Facilitator: Dr. Xyan Neider, Whatcom Community College, (2) For Faculty Who Teach or Assess Writing: Antiracist Writing Assessment Ecologies and Labor Based Grading Contracts Facilitators: Asao B. Inoue (ASU) and Emily Beals (GRC), (3) For STEM Faculty: Contextualized Learning and Labor Based Grading in STEM Facilitators: Karina Vega-Villa and Bobbi Johnson, Wenatchee Valley College
2:30 to 3:00 PMBreak
3:00 to 4:30 PMClosing Plenary Session: Reflection and ActionFacilitators: Dr. Judy Loveless Morris, Tacoma; Amanda Rasmussen, Spokane; Peg Balachowski, EvCC

Welcome to Instructional Meanderings!

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