First Day Handout

Click this: First Day Handout - information
This has drop & withdrawal dates along with other important information.

Student Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ): Facts

Student Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) FAQs

What are SOQs?

SOQs are Scantron-based Student Opinion Questionnaires that all faculty must have students complete every semester. At this time, all but online classes have paper SOQs. They are distributed to all faculty according to a designated schedule that is emailed to all faculty each semester. SOQs have 12 statements related to the instructor, the course syllabus, grading, and whether students would recommend the instructor.  Students indicate their evaluation for each statement (strongly agree – strongly disagree on a 5-1 scale). On the back are five open-ended questions.

NOTE: SOQs are not done for ENG 000 and a few other selected classes. Contactkathys@wccnet.edu if you have a question about SOQs for your class.

Are SOQs important?

At this time, SOQs are the primary instrument by which faculty are evaluated. The results will help you determine your teaching effectiveness; they are also used as an aid to future hiring of part-time instructors. Ask your students to take the SOQs seriously and to evaluate you as thoughtfully and carefully as you evaluate them. While some students might say, “Why do I have to complete these? No one ever reads them,” you can assure them they are read.

When are SOQs to be completed?

The SOQ schedule is emailed to all faculty before each semester and is attached to subsequent SOQ emails; it includes the SOQ period for each session length (5, 6, 7 ½, 10, 12, 15 weeks). The schedule is the same for face-to-face and online classes. For face-to-face students, you may want to schedule SOQ administration into your course handout and plan an activity to ensure student attendance on that day. Online instructors should likewise encourage students to complete the SOQs.

·     Face-to-face instructors will receive an email when their SOQs are available. Please pick these up as soon as you get the email (see “Where do I get my SOQ envelopes?” below). It’s a good idea to look at a form to familiarize yourself with it.

·     Online instructors and their students will receive an email when the SOQs are available, and a reminder email halfway through the evaluation period for that session.

Can I change the deadlines?

The scheduled deadlines are important! SOQs must be completed during the scheduled week(s) in order to enable their timely processing and get your results to you when the semester ends. In addition to the feedback the SOQs provide to instructors, the results of the SOQ may affect future hiring decisions and must be distributed quickly.

Where do I get my face-to-face SOQ envelopes? (No SOQs are mailed to students.)

ü     On-campus and MM (Mixed Mode) classes (see NOTE below): SOQs will be available the week before they are to be distributed in class. SOQ envelopes for full-time faculty are delivered to their campus mailboxes. Since there is no master list of part-time campus mailboxes, part-time instructors’ SOQ envelopes will be at the Office Professional’s desk in the buildings in which their classes are taught:

o     BE 200

o     GM 300

o     LA 178 (part-time faculty commons) for all classes held in the LA or SC building

o     ML Reception Desk

o     OE 102

o     TI 122

NOTE: If you are teaching an MM class and your students do not meet on campus during the scheduled SOQ week(s), please email kathys@wccnet.edu at the beginning of the semester to request those SOQs be put online. In the email, please include your name, course number/section/title/CRN and why your SOQs should be online. Traditional on-campus classes will not have online SOQs.

ü     Off-campus classes: SOQ envelopes will be delivered to your site coordinator to administer; they will follow the same schedule as on-campus classes.

ü     Online classes: SOQs will be available on the same schedule as on-campus classes. Instructors and students will receive an email when the SOQs are online, and a reminder to complete them a halfway through the evaluation period for that session. Please remind and encourage your students to complete the online SOQs.

What’s inside the SOQ envelopes?

1.     The number of forms equal to your class enrollment, downloaded a week or two before the envelope is prepared. The number does not include students who have withdrawn from your class at the time of the download.

2.     The class list for your class.

3.     Instruction sheet with faculty and student proctor instructions.

What’s the procedure for completing face-to-face SOQs?

During the evaluation week(s), take the SOQ envelope to your classroom. Take out a form and go over it with the class, especially emphasizing that students fill in bubbles solidly so responses are readable to the Scantron machine.

From the class list, select a student proctor who will distribute, collect and drop off the completed forms. Underline/circle that student’s name on the class list, and:

·     forward the class list to Kathy Stadtfeld in SC 265, or

·     ask your area secretary if s/he will forward it, or

·     drop it in any of the drop boxes listed on the student proctor instructions.

Please tell students:

·     Use a blue or black ink or a #2 pencil (no red or other color).

·     Fill in the bubbles SOLIDLY. No Xs. No check marks. No circles around the bubbles.

·     Write and fill in the CRN in the top box. (This is the 5-digit course reference number on the envelope label. Please write this number on the board so you will get your complete results for that CRN.)

·     Fill in only ONE bubble per question.

·     Write comments on the back of the form.

·     Instructors will not see the SOQ results until the semester had ended and grades have been submitted.

·     Students can take 10-15 minutes to complete the forms.

Give the envelope and instructions to the proctor and make sure s/he knows where to drop off the completed SOQs.  Ask him/her to let you when the SOQs have been completed and delivered to a drop box. Then leave the room; do not stay in the room while the SOQs are distributed and filled out.

When will I see my results?

SOQ results are compiled with all other instructors in your classification (full time or part time) after the semester has ended and the grading deadline has passed; there are no separate results for early sessions. A few days after the grading deadline, you can view your results online at MyWCC > Employee > Your SOQ Results.

If you have any questions, please ask your department chair or contact Kathy Stadtfeldkathys@wccnet.edu Thank you for your help in making this process easy, productive and valuable.

Directory

Click on the link below and then type in the name of the person you are looking for.

http://www.wccnet.edu/search/employee/

Academic Dates

Here is the link to academic dates

http://www.wccnet.edu/academics/dates/

General Department Procedures

HUMANITIES

DEPARTMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Developed and Approved by the Humanities Faculty

(Winter Semester 2012)

1)     General Department Procedures

a)     Role of the Department

The Humanities Department consists of the disciplines of ART, COMMUNICATION, HUMANITIES, and PHILOSOPHY. The Department offers courses college-wide, providing the foundation for every certificate and program at WCC; and the majority of its courses are transferable to most four-year colleges and universities. The Humanities also houses the Broadcast Arts and Film Studies Program, and additionally, the Humanities Department is dedicated to providing quality instruction and maintaining a civil and healthy working environment. 

b)     Department Meetings

Regular department meetings are scheduled the second Thursday of each month, in accordance with Washtenaw Community College policies. In addition to the required meetings, the Humanities Department meets during In-Service each semester. An agenda for every department meeting is prepared ahead of time and is distributed to the faculty, typically during the meetings; the agenda addresses concerns that the Humanities faculty may have, as well as issues that may be related to the college structure and/or other college issues. To assure cohesion and department-wide consensus, all full-time faculty are expected to be present at the department meetings; however, part-time and adjunct faculty may attend department meetings only by invitation. 

c)     Resources

i)     The Budget for the Humanities Department will be determined in accordance with College procedure. Request for equipment, supplies, and operating expenses are submitted to the Department Chair during the academic year. The Department Chair then determines the priority of the requests. However, final approval for funds is required by the Dean of the Humanities Division.

ii)     Rooms are assigned according to the needs of a class, although seniority also plays a role in the selection of classrooms, whenever the usage of the classroom in question is warranted by more than one person.

iii)     Other resources will be distributed according to demand and supply, after discussion with the entire Department.

d)     Conflict Resolution

i)     The Humanities Department is committed to civility and successful conflict resolution. Accordingly, each faculty member shall conduct her/himself in a manner that will create success in this way, by being courteous and respectful to others. All members of the Department are expected to make every effort to bridge differing viewpoints and to insure the fair treatment of each individual within the Department, regardless of seniority, age, gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. If no solution to a dispute can be found, internal WCC mediation will be sought and the recommendation of the mediation process will be considered in determining how to resolve the conflict. Ultimately, the decision of the Department Chair, which shall be made in light of departmental needs, and  shall take into account the recommendation of the mediation process, will be accepted as binding. 

ii)     If potential violation of the contract for a particular faculty member is demonstrated, a WCCEA representative will be contacted for further instruction regarding how to proceed.

iii)     In conflicts that do not involve the Department Chair, the Department Chair can serve as mediator. However, if the Department Chair is involved in the conflict or dispute, then outside/external peer mediation will be consulted in order to resolve the dispute.

Faculty Procedures

HUMANITIES

DEPARTMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Developed and Approved by the Humanities Faculty

(Winter Semester 2012)

2)     Faculty Procedures

a)     Scheduling

i)     The goal of scheduling is to provide each faculty member with a workable schedule, while taking into consideration the needs of the students, the success of the Humanities Department, and the WCCEA Contract.

ii)     The full-time faculty develops the structure of the schedule and proposes his/her ideal teaching schedule. Faculty with conflicts will attempt to resolve issues among themselves, but, if necessary, the Department Chair will be consulted to help facilitate conflict resolution. These conflicts may be resolved (at least in part) by taking into consideration the respective seniorities of the persons in conflict. However, if conflicts continuously affect one particular faculty member, a rotating system will be considered. 

iii)     After full-time faculty members have chosen courses, adjunct faculty will be assigned a course load as close to their preferred time and course preferences as possible. If the need arises (e.g., due to the shortage of instructors in certain areas or classrooms with technology), both adjunct and full-time faculty may be required to teach courses and sections not of their first choice, for the good of the Department. The final decision regarding this matter rests with the Department Chair. And, if two equally-qualified members of the Department (e.g., two full-time faculty members or two adjuncts) are competing for the same class or time slot, the Department Chair will arrange for a schedule that accommodates the right of each faculty member on a rotating basis. 

iv)     After full-time and adjunct faculty have finalized their schedules, the remaining sections will be assigned by the Department Chair to part-time faculty and to those full-time faculty from other departments who are teaching overload in the Humanities Department.

v)     Instructors teaching College on Demand courses/sections must have the approval/support of the discipline and the Department.

vi)     Ultimately, the responsibility of the schedule rests withthe Dean of the Humanities, Behavioral and Social Sciences Division and the Vice President of Instruction.

b)     Department Chair Election Process

i)     The Department Chair will be elected annually, as set forth in the Master Contractual Agreement between the WCC Board of Trustees and the WCCEA. The election will be conducted by the senior ranking member of the Humanities Department in April, during the full-time faculty department meeting.

ii)     The elected Department Chair will be decided by the greatest number of votes within the Department, and will serve the Department for a minimum of two years, unless unforeseen circumstances occur. The term of service will begin at the start of the fiscal year. The Department encourages rotation of the Chair position, and as such, a Department Chair term may not exceed seven years, unless the Department votes for an exception to this rule.

c)     Structure and Responsibilities of Department Members

i)     The Department Chair is the representative for the Humanities Department and thus he/she shall conduct his or her business in a manner befitting the Department. 

ii)     The Department Chair will attend instructional Department Chair meetings; in addition, the Chair will also interact with the administration, deans, and other Department Chairs on a regular basis in order to stay informed of developments that may impact the Department. 

iii)     Full-time faculty members are responsible (a) for the time-schedule structure, b) for part-time mentoring, (c) for problem solving, and (d) for volunteering for task forces and various committees, if needed. Members of the Humanities Department are committed to their teaching obligations as outlined in the contract, along with providing their time and commitment to other school-wide initiatives, particularly those that directly affect the Department. 

iv)     Adjunct/part-time faculty members play an important role in the success of the Humanities Department. 

◦ The Department seeks to hire qualified individuals with a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in the discipline in question. 

◦ To insure the success of part-time faculty, full department meetings will be held regularly. Furthermore, each discipline may decide to meet additionally, lead by full-time members from that discipline, in cooperation with the Department Chair.

◦ The full-time faculty members are also committed to mentoring these individuals through observation and meetings. 

◦ Should problems occur within the part-time structure, the Department Chair will determine an equitable resolution.

◦ Student Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) results and faculty observations are used to evaluate part-time faculty and adjuncts.

Courses and Curriculum Procedures

HUMANITIES

DEPARTMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Developed and Approved by the Humanities Faculty

(Winter Semester 2012)

3)     Courses and Curriculum Procedures

Curriculum is driven by student need and is developed in cooperation with the Dean of the Division and the Administration. The Humanities Department takes full ownership and responsibility for the curriculum offerings in its areas.

a)     Course Offerings, Syllabi, and Assessment

Course offerings and Master Syllabi will be updated in accordance with college policies. Faculty will also design, participate in, and evaluate assessment on a regular basis.

b)     Development of New Courses

New courses will be developed as needed by full-time Humanities faculty with expertise in their discipline. In addition, new course development is subject to departmental approval.

c)      Development of New College on Demand Courses

New course development of College on Demand as well as new sections of College on Demand Courses will originate within the Department and is subject to departmental approval. We are committed to offering quality courses and will maintain academic standards throughout all courses we teach, including COD and MM. 

·     The developer of the course is the lead faculty for the COD course and may choose to mentor new instructors for the course.  New instructors are required to take the instructional course(s) offered by the COD office, before being eligible to teach COD or MM. However, staffing and scheduling remains the responsibility of the Department Chair.

·     The integrity of the design and content of each course will be maintained throughout the life of the course.  Content or design changes will not be made by any instructor, unless first approved by the lead faculty member and the full-time faculty within the Humanities department.

d)     Textbooks

Textbook selection must be approved by full-time Humanities faculty. Full-time members of each discipline will review and select texts periodically and update them as deemed necessary: typically one to three texts will be recommended per course, and the part-time faculty must select from within these recommendations. Additionally, course-packs, particularly self-authored course packs, are subject to full-time faculty approval.