Spring 2021
Submitted by John.Bowers@se… on Thu, 04/01/2021 - 11:10

Updated 6/18/21

Faculty pay first, fall schedule second

The update on the fall schedule has been pushed to next week. The team is still focused on ensuring faculty salary for summer is set up correctly to avoid the multiple delays that occurred in spring. You can blame the new ctcLink system which, due to an unexpected set-back, required a complete re-do of the contracts which had been ready to go.

Return to campus

You should have seen the email from the Chancellor announcing September 13 as the return-to-campus date. I'll have more information over the coming weeks as to what exactly this will mean. For now, the fall schedule will move ahead with no change in our mix of hybrid and 100% remote classes. 

We are also proceeding with developing and submitting a return-to-campus plan outlining how our fall classes and office space will operate within any existing safety guidelines. I feel confident that we can make reasonable plans that will ensure safety and quality instruction. This difference is that we now might also develop contingency plans that we would quickly submit for approval if guidelines are relaxed. I think class caps provide the easiest example, where we might set one cap for 6-foot social distancing and a second cap for 3-foot social distancing. 

A separate return to campus plan will also describe how we will work in the BTS offices. As I described in an earlier blog entry, this might include capacity limits in our lobby, plastic shielding and more. 

Any faculty who want to participate in the development of these safety protocols--for either the classroom or the office--should email John.

Students can ignore past-due notices

The colleges sent past-due notices to some students asking for them to pay our $25 tuition. Students can ignore these. We are waiving tuition for all students during remote operations. We haven't figured out how to apply these waivers in the new ctcLink system and, again, things like ensuring people get paid are taking priority. 

Turn in grades

Click here for a handy guide on how to turn in grades in ctcLink (opens in a new tab). Thanks to Carolyn Stern, who passed it along, and to Judi Johnson, who shared it with Carolyn. You can also watch this video illustrating how to turn in grades.

 

Updated 6/11/21

Fall schedule

The first draft of the fall schedule will be available by the middle of next week. Thanks to everyone who turned in preference forms. I think they more or less all came in on time! 

New Holly coordinator

Carolyn Stern has been voted as the faculty coordinator for New Holly. Thanks to all who voted. The role is pending the re-opening of New Holly, which we expect in September. 

Info on our English summer classes

As we did for fall and winter, I want to ask English faculty to share their days/times for synchronous learning in the summer. This is very helpful for students to know as they sign up for classes--which is happening now. Please put your summer information on a PowerPoint slide using the link below:

Summer schedule (opens in a new tab)

In the future, we hope to collect as much as this information as we can ahead of time, so we can tell our current students what to expect for the upcoming quarter. Thanks, Judi, for this suggestion! If we get info before the quarter ends, we'll try to share so you can pass it along to your students. 

English 1-3 faculty: How to make packets

As mentioned earlier, we are asking English 1-3 faculty to copy their own packets for summer quarter. Visiting campus to make and mail copies takes several steps and requires planning. Click here to visit the new "Making Student Packets" page (opens in a new tab) for step-by-step instructions. John will reach out to summer English1-3 faculty soon to set up a Zoom to review this process. It's not hard. It just requires specific planning.

CASAS is coming back

The SBCTC has advised us that the feds will require us to resume CASAS testing when the state re-opens. I don't see this happening for summer. I expect it to happen in fall. I believe the governor has announced a goal/intention to re-open the state by June 30. That would be too late for summer pre-testing so no point in doing post-testing--and all summer is remote anyway.

I could see the state re-opening early enough for fall testing. If it does, we'll only test if the campus re-opens and we'll follow all health and safety/COVID-19 protocols. Fall CASAS testing might prove exceedingly difficult for our 100% online classes, but we'll burn that bridge when we get to it. There are 100% online CASAS testing options, but I hear they aren't great. 

Summer enrollments due Monday

Don't forget to turn in summer enrollments for returning students on Monday, June 14. The sooner you turn those in, the sooner we can build accurate rosters for you. 

 

Updated 6/4/2021

Fall schedule and preference forms

The fall schedule is out and ready for part-time faculty to give us their preferences. See the links below and please have preference forms back to Teresa Yamada by close of business on Thursday, June 10.

There are still many, many questions about fall. Look at the bottom of this week's update for a Q&A that might help you decide which assignment you want. If you read everything but still have questions about in-person instruction, note that in the comments section of your preference form. 

New Holly faculty coordination vote

Thanks to everyone who gave input on coordination in 2021-22 and for those who nominated faculty to serve as the New Holly faculty coordinator. We have two nominees who said that they are interested and willing:

  • Judi Johnson
  • Carolyn Stern

Click here to vote (opens in a new window). Voting will remain open until close of business, Thursday June 10.

Summer enrollment and faculty contracts

Just a reminder to please enroll your returning students for summer quarter. The earlier they enroll, the sooner we can ensure faculty jobs and assignments. For those teaching this summer, faculty contracts should be coming your way by June 10. 

Questions about fall

There are still many questions about how instruction in fall will work as we anticipate phasing out of our current COVID-19 health and safety restrictions. We expect guidance to change over the summer, but here is some Q&A based on what we know now.

Q: Will we offer any in-person instruction for fall?

The schedule calls for eight sections of hybrid ESL classes: English level 1 through 3 and New Holly and English level 1 through a combined 5/6 on main campus. The plan is for these classes to meet two days a week for in-person instruction. Which two days? Which classrooms? Who would teach when? That will be decided once we have assigned faculty.

Q: How did we decide that?

We based this decision on the recent survey of students and faculty. 

Q: What vaccine requirements, social distancing or other measures will be required for fall?

The simple answer is, we don't know yet. We continue to hear that guidance for higher education will be coming from the state/governor, but that guidance may not come until August. We expect to hear, for example, whether vaccines will be mandated or encouraged/incentivized. We also expect to hear if social distancing and/or mask-wearing will stay in place or be modified. 

We are aware that UW, WSU and other Washington colleges have already made certain decisions for fall, along with some K-12 districts. These and other schools can make their own decisions as long as they meet or exceed state requirements. We have not made all of our decisions for fall.

Q: If we don't yet know the safety requirements, how would I plan in-person instruction?

Faculty who are interested in hybrid classes for fall will be invited to campus to walk through classrooms as a group with me and someone from facilities. Together we'll decide on class caps and other practices that are appropriate for each room based on the health and safety guidelines currently in place this spring. Class caps, for example, will be lower to allow for social distancing. We hope to have consistent guidelines across all ESL classes, so students have the same experience and so we can support each other in creating norms. 

Once we agree on our safety protocols as a division, we'll submit a "Return to Campus" plan to the district health and safety team, who will ensure our plan is compliant with current safety requirements. These plans are being submitted division-by-division, because the instructional needs in music, welding and our English classes, for example are all different.

As part of the "Return to Campus" discussion, we'll also talk about how the plans might change if restrictions are relaxed. We've been advised, for example, to be ready in case social distancing is reduced to three feet from the current six, in which case class caps might safely be increased. 

Q: Will the BTS office staff be on-site next fall?

We're starting to plan for that. The college is broadly thinking that student services (advising, financial aid, registration, cashier office) would be open perhaps two days per week, with conversation still taking place about masks, plastic barriers, limited capacity, by-appointment-only, or other protocols. The BTS team will have our conversations this summer and, like I described for faculty above, the BTS team will submit their own "Return to Campus" plan about how the front desk and other office services will work. If we are back two days a week, we'll try to overlap with the in-person instruction days for the hybrid classes. 

Many of us have been to the grocery store during the pandemic, and seen the masks, shields, dots on the floor, limited numbers, etc. This helps me imagine how our front desk might work. 

Q. If things take a turn for the worse, will we all go back to 100% remote learning for fall?

Yes.

Q. If things improve, will we add more in-person instruction for fall?

This is trickier. We know that some of our students are signing up for 100% remote learning because they like the flexibility it offers. We don't want to sign students up for online classes this spring, change the modality in the summer, and have students come in the fall ready to find that the online class that works for them has become a hybrid class that doesn't work.

I could imagine a fall where students start their 100% remote learning class online, decide as a class that they're interested in hybrid, and we see what's possible. It would have to work for faculty and students, and it would have to be something that the BTS team can do in the new ctcLink system. There is work being done to provide this flexibility. 

Q. Any chance we'd offer 100% in-person classes?

It's pretty hard to imagine that. While there was some student interest, there was only one faculty member who took the survey who stated a preference for 100% in-person in the fall. With that said, South offers workforce and apprenticeship programs that are currently 100% in-person, so I guess it's not impossible.

A lot would have to happen, though. We'd need willing faculty, a sufficiently-large willing class of students, and enough change in the safety guidelines. Right now, it seems enough to focus on safely offering hybrid. 

Q. What if I have students in my hybrid class who can't do/don't want the online part?

Some students may want only face-to-face and sign up for our hybrid classes so they can at least come twice a week. Consistent with our course outlines, we should encourage these students to try remote learning to meet our digital literacy outcomes. Consistent with honoring student choice, I don't think we should require it. Fall, in particular, might be a transition time for many, and I'll want us to support students' choices. 

Q. I see "as-arranged" on the schedule. What's that?

Zahra Alavi and Ila De Leon have expressed interest in setting their instructional times based on the needs of students, including possibly having a mix of daytime and evening synchronous time. This is an experiment to try to offer the most flexibility possible. If you're interested in trying something like this, email John.

Q: GED/High School 21+/College Prep is all 100% remote for fall. Why?

We have students who cannot come to campus and therefore will not graduate if High School 21+ moves all its classes to hybrid for fall. The team plans to help those students graduate and spend fall planning how they can juggle their schedule to accommodate all students in winter and beyond. 

 

Updated 5/21/21

Summer schedule

Click here (opens in a new tab) to see the current draft of assignments for summer. Assignments could change due to shifting enrollment. Please note that we did not have Ila DeLeon's summer priority listed correctly in the summer priority list provided earlier. That was corrected, impacting Ila and others. 

Update on the fall schedule

Based on student and faculty input, we will offer both hybrid and 100% online English classes next fall. I hope to have the draft schedule and preference form available next week. A few details:

  • Hybrid classes will meet 2 days per week with the remaining instruction provided remotely.
  • Hybrid will only be offered if conditions allow. If not, these classes will switch to 100% online.
  • 100% online classes will remain 100% online regardless of any changes in COVID-19 guidance.
  • There will be no 100% in-person classes.
  • Faculty interested in teaching hybrid should contact John, who will arrange and campus visit and other activities so faculty can collaboratively develop a safe return-to-work plan.
  • Hybrid classes will have a lower class cap than 100% online, to allow for social distancing. Class caps may be adjusted if COVID-19 guidance changes (following health and safety guidance and the college's practices).
  • We will try to have at least one hybrid option and one 100% online option at every level.
  • We will offer some mix of hybrid between day and night; main campus and New Holly.
  • To confirm, yes, the college intends to re-open the New Holly campus next fall.

Click here (opens in a new tab) if you wish to see the faculty survey results. 

New Holly faculty coordinator

Article 4.6.C in the AFT agreement states that faculty will have input in regarding the selection of faculty coordinators. In our division, this has typically been a three-part process: faculty providing input on the types of coordinators needed, nominations for coordination positions, and a vote. We also typically first assign coordination duties to full-time faculty, many of whom do this work as part of their contractual loads. 

For 2021-22, I am proposing the following:

  • ESL Assessment Coordinator: Kris Lysaker
  • ABE Assessment Coordinator: Jon Nachman
  • High School 21+ Coordinator: Jane Harness
  • New Holly Site Coordinator: nominations and vote

Full time faculty have also proposed that we consider:

  • Outcomes Coordinator: someone to lead an effort to revisit/revise course outcomes
  • Digital Support Coordinator: point person for student digital support needs
  • Transitions Coordinator: someone to help with college transitions

I propose that we wait until fall to make a decision on these positions, any others that get suggested, or for a return of the Computer Lab Coordinator position that we previous had. By fall we'll have a better idea about budget and whether we need a Computer Lab coordinator for our in-person instruction. 

As a reminder, the division has an exempt ESL Pathways Coordinator held by Teresa Romaneschi. While it's called a "coordinator," this is actually an exempt, grant-driven position and not faculty coordination subject to 4.6.C. It also a position that could work alongside the proposed Transitions Coordinator. 

Click here to give input on 2021-22 faculty coordination (opens in a new tab), including nominating someone (or yourself!) for the New Holly Site Coordinator vote. I have set the survey to allow anonymous voting. 

Last packets for ESL 1-3 and ESL 1-3 student evaluations

Faculty who are sending packets to their ESL 1-3 students should upload their final spring 2021 packet at the link below. You will also be contacted to see if you wish to have the office team mail course evaluations to your students (with a return envelope). If you are uploading a packet or you wish to have course evaluations mailed, please contact John to coordinate with the office team. 

Upload your packet here. (Opens in a new tab.)

 Registering students for summer

An email was sent to students reminding them to register for summer. It's likely this email went to our English and Adult Ed student as well. Remind your students that we'll register them at the end of spring quarter. A memo will be sent to faculty in early June with instructions for summer and fall registration. Summer tuition will continue to be waived for all students. 

 

Updated May 13, 2021

English (ESL) survey: Online, hybrid or face-to-face for fall?

Before I talk about fall, I want to thank you again for your incredible work in providing remote learning to our students. After surveying students, we found that:

  • 75% are either "very comfortable" with our digital tools or they lean that direction.
  • 60% say that have no tech or digital challenges with their online classes at all. 

And, our enrollment has climbed over the course of the pandemic, so students are sticking with us! Now we need to start planning for fall, and I want to gather ESL faculty input--specifically part-time faculty input since I have regular contact from the full-time crew. Please click the link below and share your thoughts about online, hybrid, and in-person instruction for fall. 

Click here to take the survey.  (Opens in a new tab.)

The survey includes some charts about student preferences. Those charts are pretty small in the survey, so I'm including them here to increase readability. 

This chart shows fall modality preferences for 49 English level 1-3 students who took the survey. 

English 1-3 modality

For the 35% of English level 1-3 students who wanted hybrid, this chart shows their preferred mix of on-line and in-person instruction.

English 1-3 hybrid

This chart shows fall modality preferences for 26 English level 4-6 students who took the survey.  

English 4-6

For the 61% of English level 4-6 students who wanted hybrid, this chart shows their preferred mix of on-line and in-person instruction.

English 4-6 hybrid

 

Updated May 11, 2021

Summer Priority List

Faculty have asked to see the summer priority list before submitting their preferences. I apologize that I did not include this earlier. Teresa sent it to me, but I missed it in her email. 

Click here to see the summer priority list. It will open in a new tab.

Checking your paycheck

Thanks to everyone who checked their paychecks, and I apologize on behalf of the college to those whose pay was delayed. I believe all these issues have been resolved on people's May 10 paycheck.

A few faculty expressed concern that they might have been overpaid when they compared their spring paycheck to the amount they received in winter. Please know three things:

  1. There are only five pay periods in spring, while there were six in winter and fall. So faculty with the same workload would see individual checks increase as their contract was divided over fewer pay periods. If you see a change like this, it's highly likely that you're fine. 
  2. Some people may have changed tax withholdings or other withholdings that impact their net pay--but not their gross pay. So if you changed your withholdings, your net pay should have changed.
  3. Stipend pay has been delayed due to the ctcLink conversion until very recently. So you may start seeing differences due to stipends.

 

Updated May 7, 2021

Summer schedule and preference forms

The draft of the summer schedule and teaching preference forms can be found at the links below. Please return your form to Teresa by Friday, May 14, close of business. As a reminder, priority for assignments changes during summer quarter. When I post the first draft of the summer schedule, I will also post the summer priority list, so everyone can check to see if their preference was correctly considered.

In-person classes this fall

The college has announced that several classes will return to hybrid instruction starting fall quarter--a mix of in-person and online instruction. No decision has been made for ESL classes. Before a decision is made, I will call for an option ESL faculty meeting to discuss the possibility of in-person instruction starting fall. 

Right now, we are surveying students (email Ila DeLeon for information about how to reach your students if you haven't yet done so). I am also consulting with full time faculty about the upcoming schedule, as I do every quarter.

In the meantime, if you are interested in getting a head start on planning for in-person classes, you can visit the Seattle Colleges Return to Work (RTW) Safety Plan web page. Every class that resumes in-person instruction will need to complete this plan which asks you to describe how you'll teach your class while complying with COVID-19 safety standards. 

Faculty across campus are asked to complete the form individually, recognizing that there are big differences between teaching ESL and welding (for example), and recognizing that faculty know their teaching and instructional techniques better than anyone.

The college is planning to offer training and support on the completion of Return to Work forms before the end of spring. So if the form looks intimidating or confusing, you'll have help. But consider this early notice that if we do decide to return to in-person instruction in the fall, this is the type of planning that will be involved. 

No decisions have been made yet!

Help the campus-wide assessment effort

South's Assessment Committee is hoping to engage faculty, campus-wide, in ongoing work around how students are doing in meeting course, program, and college wide outcomes. There are two areas they are focusing on currently: Outcome Surveys and Exploring Program Review.

Please take a few minutes to join the Assessment Canvas shell if you haven't (link below) and review the SLO and/or CLO surveys we're asking faculty to complete by the end of spring quarter. And, please, email any of the Assessment Committee members with questions, thoughts, or feedback-- ideally in Canvas.  We're also asking everyone to watch the Program Review introduction video in the "Program Review" module. Currently, only prof tech programs have a formal assessment process focused on program outcomes. We are just beginning to have conversations around what program review for all programs might look like in capturing a robust, assessment of program work. 

Below is a list of "spring quarter assessment asks" that was recently sent out -- the first will get you to both the Outcomes Survey and the Program Review intro video.   

  1. Join the college-wide Assessment Canvas shell for information and updates.  
  2. Submit Course Level and/or College Level outcome surveys by the end of the quarter (via the Assessment Canvas Site.) 
  3. Complete Data Dashboard Training in Canvas. (Part-time faculty are paid!) 

New videos to help students activate their Empl IDs

As a reminder, we recently learned that all new students must activate their Empl IDs in order to access Canvas, as their ctcLink Empl ID password is also their Canvas password. Thanks to the team at the TLC, we now have South-specific videos you can use in the classroom to show students how to do this. 

The first video is shorter for students with stronger digital literacy skills. 

The second video spends more time describing how to set up the "password recovery security questions," for students who need more detailed guidance. 

Auto-Translate Subtitles in YouTube

For the videos above or any YouTube videos you use in class, you may want to encourage your students to turn on subtitles, so they can listen while they read. Students can also auto-translate the subtitles, which might help with comprehension. I say "might" because I can't verify the accuracy or quality of the translation, but it's easy to imagine that the quality would be decent enough to help. 

Click here to download instructions on how to access auto-translate (opens in a new tab), or check out the animation below. 

captions

 

Updated April 26, 2021

Check your pay

Please let me know right away if you did not receive your April 25 pay, either fully or partially. The BTS team, the business office, and the payroll office prioritized ensuring correct pay in the new ctcLink system this spring, but even with all those efforts I'm hearing reports of people who did not receive their pay. 

Other ctcLink fire-fighting and tuition-due letters

A big congratulations and thank-you to the BTS team, who have now enrolled all spring students except those who attended the EI just last Friday. Now that rosters are complete, staff will shift to focusing entering tuition waviers and Chromebook requests. We need to ask faculty to now focus on checking their rosters and--for those using Canvas--to help new students activate their Empl IDs. See more on those topics, below.

Given where we are in the quarter, it's possible that some students will receive tuition-due letters--as we have only just today begun entering waivers into the system. With all the changes associated with ctcLink, we're not certain if/when those letters might get sent. If your students receive tuition-due letters, please assure them that we will waive their tuition. Tell them to look for a Talking Points text message from the office, and to simply respond by saying "yes" indicating that they would like for their tuition to be waived. 

Verifying your rosters and updating student info

Now that rosters are entered, please check them! Here's how:

Students can correct any inaccurate information using the Self-Service options. Faculty can also send updated information to the office team using these forms (which open in a separate tab):

Activating Empl IDs so new students can access Canvas

While returning students can still access Canvas using their old log-in and password, new students must first activate their Empl ID before accessing Canvas. Unfortunately, this can be very challenging for students with emerging digital literacy skills, and even more challenging when students are asked to set up their password recovery questions.

Sarka Faltinova, full-time ESL faculty at North, developed a series of videos that ESL faculty could use to guide their students through the process. They are customized to North, but they are close enough to the experience at South (our Website has the same links in the same places) that you can use them today. 

The first video is the "short version," that does not provide detail helping students answer the password recovery questions. This is is better for students with stronger digital literacy skills. 

The second video provides more detail on answering the password recovery questions. It's therefore a bit longer.

Eventually, both new and returning students will need to activate their new ctcLink IDs. To minimize disruption, the college is allowing returning students to use their old info, at least through spring quarter. 

Let me know what you think of these videos. If we need to, I can check with the TLC to see if we can get some customized to South. 

More COVID-19 relief funding for immigrants

On Wednesday, April 21, the Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund opened up for new applications for people in our communities to apply for a one-time grant of $1,000.

The Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund is a pool of funding created during the coronavirus pandemic to support people ineligible for federal stimulus money or unemployment benefits due to their immigration status. The relief fund will provide $65 million in federal CARES Act funding to distribute a one-time cash grant of $1,000 per person. This funding will be able to award 20,000 applicants a grant who applied previously, but were unable to receive a grant due to limited funding. It will also provide approximately 40,000 grants through an open application process. 

DSHS is partnering with immigrant-led community organizations in Washington to manage the fund. To see a full list of organizations that are partnering with DSHS during this round of the fund, please refer to www.immigrantreliefwa.org or DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance website. DSHS also partnered with Submittable, a company that offers application services for programs such as this.

To be eligible, individuals must demonstrate that they:

  • Are a Washington state resident.
  • Are at least 18 years of age.
  • Have been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Are ineligible for the federal stimulus payment or for unemployment insurance benefits due to their immigration status.
  • Have an income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.

Applications will be open until May 21, 2021. Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis, prioritizing those in greatest need. Funds will be distributed to approved applicants between June 1 and June 15, 2021. Checks and gift cards may take one to two weeks to arrive through the mail.

Eligible community members can apply by:

This is a big step in our efforts of transforming lives and reducing poverty, and our overarching goal for refugee and immigrant families and individuals to succeed and thrive in Washington state. If you have any questions, please contact Alejandra Palomino at alejandra.palomino@dshs.wa.gov.

ESL 1-3 student packets

ESL 1-3 faculty who are using packets can submit their second packet to the office by uploading files the Spring 2021 packet folder. Gina will follow up with you to coordinate. Please limit your packet size to 30 pages.

Please know that starting in summer, I will plan to ask ESL 1-3 faculty who use packets to make their own copies. The copy center on campus remains closed, and I need to give the BTS admin team more time to handle ctcLink challenges. Look for more information on this in the coming weeks. 

 

Updated April 5, 2021

Canvas and the Work-Around for Non-Enrolled Students

Due to the launch of ctcLink, some students may not be enrolled in your class at the start of the quarter. These students will not have access to Canvas until they are enrolled. While the office team works diligently to get all students enrolled, I want to share two temporary solutions. 

1) Make your Canvas shell public for the first two weeks

You can make your Canvas shell public by going into your class, clicking on the "Settings" button at the bottom of the left menu, and changing your "visibility" setting from "institution" to "public." See image below. 

Canvas public click

You then give your students access to the Canvas shell by sending them a link--the URL address on the course homepage in Canvas. (It would read something like "https://canvas.southseattle.edu/courses/860053") 

This approach is easy for faculty who already have a Canvas shell complete with videos, readings, and other course materials available and organized. In this approach, I recommend removing any assignments, quizzes, and chat rooms that have been built into Canvas, as students accessing a public class cannot do these activities. Links to tools outside of Canvas may provide an opportunity to complete these types of exercises, such as having students upload a writing sample to an Office 365 folder. 

2) Use your People Pages for the first two weeks

You can use your People Page, available at https://people.seattlecolleges.edu/, to post videos, readings, and other course materials, similar to what is described above. Again, you can use outside, non-Canvas tools such as Office 365 to collect student work. 

This approach may minimize students' confusion with Canvas, as their only experience with Canvas is through logging in with a user ID and password. They never access Canvas by simply clicking a link. 

3) Remember FERPA

Whether you use a public Canvas shell or your People Page, it is critical NOT to post any personally identifiable student information, such as Zoom recordings that show student names or faces. This information is protected by FERPA and should not be publicly available. While faculty are encouraged to make these resources available, they must be within a password-protected Canvas or other FERPA-compliant tool.

Check your roster

When will you know when all of your students are registered in ctcLink? Check your ctcLink roster!

The Excel roster that you received from the office has all the students in your class. Some, but not all, of the students on your roster will also be enrolled in ctcLink. Compare the two rosters to identify students who are on the Excel roster but not yet in ctcLink. The video below shows how.

Drop Your No-Shows on the 10th Day

Given the delays in enrollments, we're pushing back the day to drop your no-show students to the end of the second week, Friday April 16. Please send a list of your no-show students to the office by then. As always, you can keep students on the list who have made arrangements with you. 

 

Updated April 1, 2021

Spring Schedule

Click here to see the most recent version of the spring schedule.

Spring Division Meeting

Back by popular demand, we'll be holding an afternoon session of the spring division meeting for those who can't make the morning time. Look for an outlook invitation soon. You only need to attend one.

This will likely be a hard-working meeting with lots of housekeeping details about rosters, ctcLink, WABERS+ forms, and more. So while I apologize in advance that the topics might be kind of wonky, I promise the agenda will also focus on details that may prove critical for your teaching, such as how you might let students into your Canvas shell while the college is still processing registration forms. 

Faculty Contracts/When Faculty Will Get Paid

With the new system in place, the office team is paying extra attention to ensuring that everyone is paid and paid on time. Right now, we expect everyone will receive their first spring paycheck on April 25. (If you receive a check on April 10, it's technically for work you completed in winter quarter.)

The process South is using to set up assignments and pay is slightly different than what some of the other ctcLink schools are doing. Faculty teaching at another ctcLink school may discover that some schools provide an extra step to give you the option to decline your pay/assignment. To have greater certainty regarding pay, South will not give you that option. In the spirit of transparency:

  • Salaries for full-time faculty (other than moonlights) is handled by the district. Office staff play no role and we expect no problems. 
  • Salaries for part-time faculty (other than pro-rata) and full-timers receiving moonlights are entered into the system by office staff. Those have been completed and we expect no problems.
  • Salaries for pro-rata part-time faculty are entered by South's HR/payroll office. Those are still in process and we'll continue to watch them though we expect no problems. 

WABERS+ Forms

We need faculty help collecting WABERS+ forms for each student as we adjust to our new ctcLink intake processes. In the past, we collected WABERS+ information before the quarter began, and we expect to return to that practice soon. But for spring 2021, we need to ask that every faculty member have every student complete the WABERS+ form during the first week of class.

You can access the online WABERS+ form by clicking here. 

You can cut-and-paste the full link below to share with students in Zoom chat, by email, or other ways.

https://forms.office.com/r/21cGzrSY-V

Syllabus Requirements

As another reminder, all remote (and hybrid) classes must have a statement in the course syllabus that describes how attendance will be recorded. Per federal guidelines, you can choose one of two methods for tracking attendance through remote learning:

Teacher Verification: Assignments have a pre-determined number of hours stated in the syllabus that will be awarded to the extent that the teacher verifies that the student completed the work. 

Learner Mastery: Assignments have a pre-determined number of hours stated in the syllabus that will be awarded based on the students' mastery of the content. For example, 70% or higher mastery may result in full hours awarded.

Further guidance from the SBCTC can be found here. The SBCTC also recently provided this updated Q&A document. The approach you choose applies to all instruction that is not in-person, including Zoom or other online synchronous time. 

Help students find your class in spring

As we did in winter, please give the front desk your spring course details, such as Zoom links or preferred contact info, that we can pass along to confused students who call the front desk. You can provide the info by clicking on this link. This will open a PowerPoint presentation where you can edit a different page of the PowerPoint by providing:

winter 2021 PowerPoint slide