Return to Faculty Meeting Notes from December 5, 2014
Presented December 5, 2014
Curriculum Committee Progress Report
Textbook Committee Progress Report
Library Committee Progress Report
EAP Task Force Ad-hoc Committee (ad-hoc) Progress Report
Curriculum Committee Progress Report
Committee Members: Nigel Caplan (Chair), Ken Cranker, Jo Gielow, Mike Fields, Karen Asenavage (ex officio)
| 1. Continue regular review process with the listening curriculum | In progress. Will bring recommended revisions to the faculty in the new year. |
| 2. Review new course proposals | None received. |
| 3. Review pilot courses: American Voices, American History, American Culture, EAP Prep VI, English through Newspapers | Thanks to the teachers who have submitted materials for review. Will being recommendations to the faculty very soon. |
| 4. Complete review of the implementation of the 2013 writing curriculum revisions | No problems reported. |
| 5. Begin review of the 2014 speaking/pronunciation curriculum revisions | To do in the Spring. |
| 6. Work with level coordinators to identify syllabus learning outcomes that students and/or teachers consistently believe that are not meeting | Ongoing. Level coordinators are encouraged to ask teachers periodically to discuss this and share findings with the committee. |
Additional activities:
- We are working on a template for syllabi in levels IV+ to standardize the wording of policies and visual impact. Minor revisions to the I-III syllabi will also be recommended.
- We are also working on the coordination of grammar objectives between levels I and II
- As part of the CEA self-study review, we have identified numerous learning outcomes that could be revised and improved. We will be working with level coordinators and course mentors next session.
Textbook Committee Progress Report
Committee Members: Mikie Sarmiento (chair), Nonie Bell, Nigel Caplan, Jo Gielow, Joe Matterer, Tom Panter, Grant Wolf, Kathy Vodvarka
Progress on Goals for 2014-2015:
1. Continue the process of reviewing textbooks currently being used at ELI.
- The committee sent a survey to gather feedback on pronunciation books. The survey results will be reviewed and textbook changes will be suggested if necessary.
2. Each session update the list of texts currently in use and post the list to the faculty website.
- Joe Matterer has been doing this each session.
3. Ensure that each session there are enough books at every level for each new teacher.
- We still need to contact publishing companies to clarify their policies on giving desk copies of books so that we will know what the publishers consider to be a reasonable request for free books.
- Keeping ancillary materials in 108 has helped prevent the loss of materials. Teachers may contact Jeanne if they wish to begin storing materials there rather than in their offices.
- The committee asks that level coordinators keep an accurate count each session of ancillary materials and notify Joe if/when more materials need to be ordered. Coordinators are reminded to ask teachers to return materials they are not using on opening day. Teachers may keep one copy of the student book in case they teach the class again, but all ancillary materials should be returned.
4. Make final decisions on the adoption of texts being piloted and continue to assist in the textbook piloting/adoption process as needs arise.
- Adopted:
- § RW IV has adopted a combined book including chapters from Making Connections, Grammar and Beyond, and Writers at Work. This book will be used in even sessions with Azar Interactive. In odd sessions Azar (text) and Q will be used.
- § Pronunciation Pairs in L/S I
- Rejected after piloting:
- § Impact Listening 2 in L/S II
- § Q4 in L/S IV
- Needs a decision on adoption:
- § Academic Listening Strategies in Grad VI LS
- § New Directions in EAP V RW
- Currently being piloted:
- § English Central website in ALCS (pronunciation, listening, vocabulary)
- § Ken Cranker’s 60 Words or Phrases Commonly Misused by ESL/EFL Students Preparing for Universities in EAP VI and Grad VI
- § Oxford Picture Dictionary in Basic 1 & 2 and L/S 1. OPD software in listening lab for Basic 1, Basic 2, L/S 1.
- Pilots to start in session III:
- § OPD in L/S 2 and OPD software in level 2 listening lab
- § several others pending approval
5. Create and maintain a list/catalog of examination copies of books that are available for teachers to review. Periodically e-mail this list to teachers.
- Books are currently on the back shelf in the 108 lounge. We have more books to add and still need to organize and list them so that teachers know what is available. Feel free to look at the books, but please do not remove them from the lounge area.
6. Continue to aid teachers in finding new texts to suit specific needs.
- We continue to recommend texts to teachers as we learn about teachers’ needs and as we become familiar with new texts through our meetings with publishers.
7. Continue to arrange periodic textbook fairs and demonstrations of new textbook- related products.
- Recently held a Cambridge textbook fair.
Other business:
- Committee members would like to request that textbooks for new courses be submitted to the Textbook Committee for review prior to course approval.
Library Committee Progress Report
(not reported)
The mission of the Library Committee is to make instructional and research materials available to ELI teachers. Therefore, the “ ELI Library” is not just one collection housed in one location.
The ELI Library Committee now oversees the following collections:
1) The collection housed at 108 East Main
2) The Lower level Library housed at 318 S. College
3) The West Park Collection (recently moved to 318 S. College, and moved again to the basement of 189 W. Main)
4) The Audio/visual collection housed in Room 303 at 189 West Main St.
5) The donated and miscellaneous book collection housed in the basement of 189 W. Main St.
6) New: Coordinator’s loan– Coordinators can now order enough volumes of a book or video to meet the needs of all the teachers under their supervision through the Library Committee. These materials are cataloged like other materials, but they will not be added to the general collection. These materials should not be loaned to students. When the coordinator is on vacation, he or she should remind the chair of the library committee that another person will be responsible for the materials
“Librarians” have been assigned to each collection. Librarians oversee the collections. These Committee members are our librarians.
Monica Farling is the librarian for the 108 East Main St. collection. Monica has done a fine job and updates me on various issues that arise at 108 East Main.
Jo Gielow is the librarian for the lower level collection at 318 S. College. Jo has made good recommendations for new acquisitions to the collection.
Kate Copeland is the librarian for the West Park Collection recently moved to 318 S. College. Kate moved the collection to 318 S. College because of space problems at West Park.
Walt Babich is the librarian for the Audio- visual collection at 189 West Main, and is in charge or processing requests for additions to the collections.
Goals for 2014-15
1) That we update the electronic catalog and make it available to the faculty.
(Committee—Starting V/14 to V/15) In progress
2) That the miscellaneous collection in the basement of 189 West Main become a source of up-to-date reproducible material for use on site. Temporarily on hold to accommodate the West Park collection
( Faculty requests, Chair orders—Throughout the year starting V/14)
3) That we continue to expand the collection by honoring, whenever possible, requests for additions from teachers. Continuing part of our mission
We are taking requests and supplying coordinators with materials regularly used by the teachers at their levels. We continue to honor requests made by individual teachers.
4) That we continue to maintain and organize all of our collections in all our locations.
Ongoing. We plan to expand all the collections
EAP Task Force Ad-hoc Committee (ad-hoc) Progress Report
Task Force Members are Scott Stevens, Scott Duarte, Karen Asenavage, Ken Cranker, Kendra Bradecich, Nigel Caplan
The EAP Task Force is an ad-hoc committee, so I’ll provide an ad-hoc update. We are continuing to refine the draft program model we shared with you at the spring retreat. We are also developing syllabi, timelines, and materials for the proposed EAP I and II courses, which we look forward to sharing with you soon. Scott and I met yesterday with the chair of English and the director of the writing program to discuss the role of E110 in the new EAP, and we seem to be largely on the same page, so we look forward to a very positive collaboration with them as we work towards launching the new EAP in Fall 2015. We will be bringing more details, policies, and course syllabi to the faculty for your review in the new year.