Faculty Meeting VI15 – 07/17/2015

  September 30, 2015

Faculty Meeting – VI15   7/15/2015

Announcements: Dr. Scott Stevens

Dr. Stevens reviewed the announcements, with specific emphasis on the continuing search for two full-time continuing track faculty positions.  He mentioned that we are also searching on numerous sites (as recommended by Human Resources (HR)) in addition to the posting on the UDEL HR Employment site.

Agenda Items (Full-time and Adjunct Instructors present): Dr. Scott Steven

  1. Stevens covered the Agenda Items, with emphasis on:
    1. How well are office hours working? Instructors had mixed reviews; so, f you have strategies that work, please share.
    2. Mid-session progress meetings, mid-session level meetings, and enrollment updates. These have particular importance because this is a 7-week session.
    3. Enrollment should rise for Session I Approximately 200 graduating and 150 returning from Session VI15.  Anticipate a 40% increase in CAP.
    4. Fall enrollment anticipated to be approximately 700. Sessions I15 and I15 will be large, so there will be afternoon classes again.
  2. We are looking into expanding to the lower level of 108 East Main Street (the old IHOP and the Dance Studio).
  3. Our student population is expanding to cover the Ivory Coast, more South American, and Indonesian students. Future ventures may include Cuba, Peru, and Panama.
  4. The April 2015 Revisions to the Listening Curriculum (all Levels) were reviewed and discussed. Further refinements continue, based on feedback from instructors and students end-of-course surveys.
  5. The topics of Agenda Item E (Resolution on Final Essay for Graduate Level ESL) were discussed.
    1. This Resolution was introduced at this meeting; therefore, a vote could not be taken but will be taken at the next meeting or by electronic voting.
    2. We are not touching the Undergraduate curricula at this time; we don’t want to have “barely qualified” students matriculating to college/grad level.
    3. Level 6 classes’ (Grad VI) response-based essays will need a new rubric/grading criteria.

NOTE: The Resolutions were approved by an electronic vote by the Continuing Faculty: 12-0 as reported by Nigel Caplan, who administered the resolution vote.

Committees’ Goals for 2015-16 (Full-time Instructors only present): Joe Matterer

Curriculum Committee

All 6 goals were voted as YES.

  1. Goal 3 (Complete review of the implementation of the 2014 speaking/pronunciation curriculum revisions) is complete.
  2. Goal 4 (Begin review of the 2015 listening curriculum revisions) will begin in January 2016.
  3. Goal 6 (Initiate a survey of ELI Alumni to determine whether the curriculum meets students’ divers needs) will be developed in 2015 and implemented in 2016.

Textbook Committee

All 7 goals were voted as YES.

  1. Goal 5 (Create and maintain a library of examination copies of books that are available for teachers to review …) – it was recommended that this Goal needs to be coordinated with the Library Committee.
  2. Goal 7 (Continue to arrange periodic textbook fairs and demonstrations of new textbook-related products) – it was suggested that Opening Day might be an appropriate time to have these events.
  3. Piloting of textbooks: It was also discussed that if a textbook is a revision of a current one, then piloting is generally adopted without discussion. If a textbook is new, piloting will be reviewed and adopted on a case-by-case basis.

Testing Committee

6 goals were voted as YES; 1 goal was voted as NO.

  1. It was recommended that Goal 1 (Create a new final listening assessment. (currently in-progress)) and Goal 3 (Look at the placement battery and make suggestions for change, if needed) be conducted in tandem, so that they match.
  2. Goal 7 (That we adjust our goals, if needed, to suit recommendations by CEA visitors.) was voted as NO.
  3. Retreat note (Review and update writing prompts): discussed and it was noted that the prompts are different for each Level.

 

Technology Committee

All 4 goals were voted as YES; some question as to whether Goal 1 and 3 should be voted as NO, or wording changed to reflect the discussion (if wording is changed, would it require a new vote?).

  1. Goal 1 (Continue to provide instructor support through the Tech Buddies program.). This Goal was initially voted as YES (with 1 NO vote), but after much discussion, the consensus was that an Education Tech/IT Person was needed on a Full Time basis, because the Tech Buddies might not be available (due to their own teaching/office-hour schedules) and tech issues would go unresolved.
  2. Goal 3(Aid in updating of out-of-date equipment both in the classrooms and offices.). This Goal was voted as YES but further discussion suggested that this Goal should be supported by an IT person (for reasons discussed in Goal 1).
  3. Goal 4 (Continue to offer workshops and emails, handouts to facilitate the ease of using technology in the classroom) – it we recommended that this goal be coordinated with the Professional Development Committee.
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