Subject: Instruction Notes 3/07/05
From: Claire Biancalana
Organization: Cabrillo College, Office of Instruction
Instruction
Notes
3/07/05
175 Day Calendar
I want to remind all of you that we are on a 175 day calendar. That
means we are funded for conducting instruction on 175 days per academic year,
and we do provide classes to our students on each one of the 175 days. STRS
calculates your retirement based on the 175 days you work for the college. That
means every contract faculty member must work 175 days per academic year. In
addition to the days on which you have scheduled classes, working means planning
for classes, grading student work, meeting with students during office hours,
participating in division, department, and other shared governance activities,
etc.
Expanded Tutoring in Writing
The Writing Center and Watsonville Integrated Learning Center are pleased to
announce EXPANDED TUTORING IN WRITING this semester! The stars have aligned
(with the help of one-time funds and salary savings) so that drop-in service
is available for more students more of the time (beginning Feb. 28th). The following
students are now eligible for free drop-in tutoring and access to computers
to work on writing assignments in any discipline:
PLEASE DO NOT recommend the service to your entire class and DO send your writing
assignment along with the referral form.
Writing Center hours (located behind the library and in front of the 600 building):
Mon-Thurs 8 AM to 9 PM
Fri 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Watsonville Integrated Learning Center hours (room 4410):
Mon-Thurs 9 AM to 8 PM
Fri 9 AM to 4 PM
Sat 9 AM to 4 PM
ILC Writing Referral Form.doc
Writing Center Referral Form.doc
Cinema for Celebrating Diversity
Presents: Joy Luck Club
Date: Mon.,
March 7, 2005
Time: 1 p.m. and
5 p.m.
Place: Cabrillo College
Erica Schilling Forum, Room 450
Fee: Free,
open to the public
Info: (831)
479-5744
The 1993 film adaptation of Amy Tan's bestselling novel is an anthology of stories
wrapped in one Chinese-American woman's journey to understand her roots. Wayne
Wang directs a large, outstanding cast spread over eight different tales of
the lives of Chinese women, most of them set in the past. This event is part
of the ongoing Cinema for Celebrating Diversity series, sponsored by CCFT, SEIU,
Faculty Senate, Student Senate, and other campus organizations. Upcoming events
will include films honoring Women’s History Month in March, Asian-American
and Pacific Islander Month in April, and Mexican-American Month in May.
Children's
Center Fund Raiser
The Children's Center would like to invite all of us to join them for dinner
at Fresh Choice March 10 for a night of delicious food and fun.... Show the
attached flyer and the Children's Center will receive 20% of the proceeds. Whoops!
The Flyer is too big. It will be in the next email.
VTEA
STUF Surveys
By now, many of you have received in your mailbox your STUF (Student Update
Form) survey packets for your classrooms. These surveys serve as reporting requirements
for the VTEA (Vocational Technical Education Act) grant that the college receives
in the amount of over $300,000. The amount of funding the college receives is
directly related to the receipt of completed STUF classroom surveys.A big thank
you goes out to Gregg Compton, the first instructor to return the completed
classroom surveys for his students! Last year, we received a 94% survey return
rate, thanks to all the faculty participation. We are asking that you please
return the surveys and any unused materials to the large, white cardboard box
clearly labeled “VTEA STUF Surveys” in the mailroom by Tuesday, March
8th. If you can't make this date, Call Evie. Please remember to survey your
students (students need only complete one survey if they are in multiple classes)
and they must provide a social security number on the survey. All surveys will
be kept confidential and will be destroyed later. If you need additional survey
materials for your classes, or did not receive a survey but think you should
have, please contact Evie Alloy at x6481 or evalloy_at_cabrillo.edu.
Sylvia
Panetta
Meet with Sylvia Panetta - Thursday, March 24, 3 - 4:30 p.m., Room 833- Unique
Opportunity for Students to Earn & Learn. The Leon & Sylvia Panetta
Institute is sponsoring the nation's first undergraduate academic VISTA project
in collaboration with CSUMB. The purpose of this pilot project, the AmeriCorps
VISTA Scholar, is to offer undergraduate level students the opportunity to learn
about community service through Service Institute courses offered at CSUMB as
part of a BA program, and at the same time earn $840/month as VISTA volunteers
serving Monterey County Reads. VISTA Scholars also receive a $4,750 education
award or $1,200 cash stipend award after completing a one-year term of service!!
Specific classes include:
Service and Social Justice
Education for Leadership & Public Policy
Service Learning Pedagogy
Faculty and students are invited to this presentation. Please let your students
know. Students can also call 582-4200 for info.
Instruction
Notes SLO Corner
During the feedback sessions at the Food and Thought: Chewing on Learning
Outcomes flex workshop, many good questions were raised. The SLO Corner
will answer a few of them in each issue of Instruction Notes. Today’s questions
and answers are:
What is our responsibility?
The new accreditation standards require that we assess student learning outcomes
in our courses, programs and for each degree and certificate. In addition, they
ask that each portion of the college, from Student Services to the Library,
from Payroll to Admissions and Records, look at how they contribute to student
learning, including our four core competencies. Each segment of the college
is now required to create a plan to assess student learning outcomes and to
begin to implement it. Faculty will contribute to this effort when their departments
undergo Instructional Planning. During that time, non occupational programs
will begin assessing Cabrillo’s Core 4, define SLOs for each course the
department offers and begin to assess them. Occupational programs will define
SLOs for each degree and certificate they offer, develop a plan to assess them
and begin to implement it. Every faculty member is responsible for participating
in the process as are classified staff and administrative managers. The new
accreditation standards recognize the contribution every person on campus makes
to student learning. The new attitude is “It takes a village to raise a
degree or certificate. We are all in this together.”
Why do we have to do this?
The assessment of SLOs is one of the standards mandated by our Accrediting agency,
WASC and the federal ACCJC. In order to be accredited, we must meet all of the
WASC standards. Being accredited is important to the college. It is the only
way we can grant students credit for transfer and the Associates degree or provide
students with Financial Aid. There are two pieces of good news attached to this
charge. First, we have the ability to design our own process, and we have. We
will not wait for one to be imposed upon us. Second, SLO assessment actually
helps students! The approach Cabrillo has chosen results in better communication
with students and between all sectors of the campus, so that overall teaching
and learning improves.
MORE NOTES!
Fall
2005 Flex Week Proposals
The Staff Development Committee is calling for proposals for Fall 2005 Flex
Week. Special consideration will be given to activities focusing on student
learning outcomes, teaching online, and how college services support student
success.
The calendar will include several traditional activities for flex week including, faculty orientations, Instructional Planning, Watsonville Orientation, CCFT activities and the Faculty Senate meeting. Time for other flex activities will be limited.
Fall Flex Week is Monday, August 22 – Friday, August 26
Division/Department Day is Thursday, August 25, and All College Day is Friday, August 26.
To submit a Fall 2005 Flex Week workshop proposal fill out the online form at http://www.cabrillo.edu/services/tlc/staffdevforms/flexworkshop_fa05.htm
The deadline for Fall 2005 Flex Week proposals is Friday, April 8.