Lecturers in the News: Cynthia Headley

Cynthia Headley, lecturer in Literature & Writing Studies, was the subject of a features profile by former student Bryanna Martinez in the October 25 edition of The Cougar Chronicle.

My dad was a high school math teacher who taught at my high school.  I was 19, and my dad was teaching a summer program in math and needed some help. I essentially took over one group, so I was teaching math to underprivileged high school students. At that moment, I knew I wanted to teach something.

Learn more about Dr. Headley’s background, experiences, and interests outside the classroom at: https://csusmchronicle.com/17005/features/sports-shakespeare-and-science-fiction-story-of-a-ltwr-lecturer/

Don’t fear the reflective narrative!

For lecturers on one-semester contracts, the WPAF deadline is fast approaching! Hopefully by this point everyone who is being evaluated in the Fall is aware of the evaluation policies and timelines. Many of you probably are well underway in gathering the necessary materials and, if you are preparing your file electronically, uploading documents to your WPAF container on the community server.

(If not, review this recap of our introductory WPAF workshop and/or check out this list of resources. Drop-in assistance with technical questions is available at the Technology Resource Center, KEL 2414, during regular business hours, or you can email cchelp@csusm.edu to schedule an appointment.)

One portion of the evaluation that many of us put off until the very end is the reflective narrative. This 3-page document is required for lecturers in the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences (CHABSS) and optional for lecturers in other colleges. However, required or not, this is an important piece of evidence to include in your file and a valuable opportunity to tell reviewers about your teaching experiences.

Need help getting started or fine-tuning your reflective narrative? Fear not! The Faculty Center is hosting a Halloween workshop led by veteran WPAF submitter and evaluator Joanne Pedersen from First Year Programs. Join us Tuesday October 31 from 12-1 in MARK 106 for this informative session!

RSVP at http://www.csusm.edu/fc/news-events/events/event-rsvp.html

 

Interested in Participating in Faculty Governance?

 

If you have ever considered serving on Academic Senate or its various standing committees, you should check out the current Open Call for Faculty Service. There currently are a large number of vacancies, which means a large number of opportunities to get involved and serve if you have the time, availability, and inclination.

Although part-time lecturers are only eligible to run for the five Senate seats for part-time lecturers, lecturers with full-time appointments are full voting members of the Senate and considered “eligible faculty” for most committee positions according to Senate bylaws:

ARTICLE 3: Faculty Membership

Full voting members of the Faculty shall consist of tenured and tenure-track persons holding faculty rank, including Student Services Professional-Academic Related faculty (hereafter, SSP-AR); Lecturers holding full-time appointments of at least one year in academic departments; non-tenure-track SSP-ARs holding full-time appointments; and non-tenure-track library faculty holding full-time appointments. Full voting members of the Faculty shall be called eligible faculty. Lecturers holding part-time appointments in academic departments, part-time non-tenure-track library faculty, and part-time non-tenure-track SSP-AR’s may run for and vote in elections for part-time Lecturer representatives to the Senate and the Lecturer representative to the Faculty Affairs Committee. Persons holding MPP appointments are excluded.

Not everyone has the time or the desire to do service, particularly when service work is uncompensated. However, if getting involved in faculty governance is something that interests you, take a look at the list of current vacancies and see if any of the opportunities is right for you. Nominations are due at noon on Thursday, October 26 and you can self-nominate online. If you have any questions, please contact Adrienne Durso at the Senate Office.

You can find a list of all your current Senate representative at the Academic Senate web page and a list of lecturer representatives across campus in the the Lecturer Resources section of the Faculty Center website.

Lecturers in the News: Karen Eso

Dr. Karen Eso, Lecturer in Psychology, was featured in an opinion piece in The Cougar Chronicle about “CSUSM’s best and most inspiring professors.” The article appeared in the October 11 edition of the student newspaper.

Student journalist Micaela Johansson, who took Dr. Eso’s course on Human Sexuality, writes that:

Dr. Eso’s way of directing the class made me comfortable to participate, even though it took place in ARTS 240 (lecture hall). The homework, readings and lectures all made me see sexuality in a new light as well as view my own relationships differently.

Read more at: https://csusmchronicle.com/16805/opinion/shout-out-to-csusms-best-and-most-inspiring-professors/

Understanding Our Students

• CSUSM students take out more loans than other college students.
• Most of our students are only on campus two days a week.
• Nearly half of our students work 30 or more hours a week.

Did you think any of the above were true about CSUSM students? If so, consider joining the Faculty Center for an informative workshop aimed at providing faculty with a clear picture of CSUSM students in 2017. Adam Petersen and Cameron Stevenson will present data about current students, highlight efforts to identify where our students struggle, and provide an opportunity for discussion about trends in student demographics.

The “Who Are Our Students?: Revisiting What We Know” workshop will be Thursday, October 19 from 12-12:50 pm in KEL 2413. RSVP at: http://www.csusm.edu/fc/news-events/events/event-rsvp.html

Lecturer Profile: Sahar Mosleh

Sahar Mosleh is a lecturer in Computer Science and the 2016-2017 recipient of the President’s Outstanding Faculty Award for Outstanding Lecturer.

Sahar is a computer engineer who strongly believes that relating class to real-world applications is vital to student learning. She is using innovative curricula for teaching technically advanced and challenging topics. Her enthusiasm as a scholar and an educator won her the CSU Promising Award in Course Redesign with Technology for 2016-17.

I like to connect with students and be approachable. Building rapport with students is the first step towards students’ active involvement in the classroom.

Sahar has been instrumental in planning, organizing, and hosting CSUSM’s bi-annual Women’s Hackathons. The hackathons are designed to encourage young female students in Southern California to pursue computer science careers.

This post is the first in the series of periodic profiles of lecturers on campus. Have an idea of a lecturer you’d like to see featured in a future post? Email me your tips! Or watch for an upcoming questionnaire going out to all lecturers and submit your responses if you’d like to see your own lovely face in this space!

 

WPAF Workshop Recap

Our Fall WPAF workshop series kicked off on Friday with a full house of lecturers. Friday’s session covered the basics of the evaluation process, with presentations from Faculty Affairs, the California Faculty Association, and IITS.

Patricia Runzel opened the workshop with an overview of evaluation policies and procedures, including timelines and detailed information about the required contents of the WPAF. Her slides are embedded below:

If you were unable to attend on Friday, I highly recommend reviewing this presentation as a starting point. The slides direct you to the relevant university and college policies and highlight the deadlines for file submission, which vary according to appointment type. If you have a Fall, one-semester appointment, your WPAF is due Tuesday, November 7. Make sure you are clear on when your file is due! Patricia’s presentation also covers the specific content that is to be included in the WPAF and closes with a helpful list of resources.

Mayra Besosa from CFA talked about lecturer rights as outlined in our collective bargaining agreement. Article 15 of the contract covers the evaluation process. All lecturers should read and understand all of the provisions of this article, but Mayra highlighted the following important points:

• Per article 15.3, “evaluation criteria and procedures shall be made available to the faculty unit employee no later than 14 days after the first day of instruction of the academic term.” You should have received an email from your Dean’s Office at the beginning of the semester. If you haven’t already, you should find that message and read it carefully to understand what your college or department requires from you.
• Civility and collegiality are not evaluation criteria.
• Anonymous student feedback outside of the formal student evaluation process cannot be included in your file.
• Per article 15.14, if a classroom visit or observation is to be part of your evaluation, you should be given at least 5 days notice and you get input about when the observation will take place.
• Once you receive your evaluation, you have 10 days to submit a response or rebuttal. Mayra recommends that you contact CFA for advice before submitting a rebuttal.
• Your personnel action file is housed in your Dean’s Office. You have a right to review the contents of your file or request copies of any materials in your file.

If you have questions about contract provisions pertaining to the evaluation process, contact Mayra at mbesosa@csusm.edu.

Your WPAF can be submitted in hard copy or electronically. Barbara Taylor from IITS introduced participants to the electronic WPAF process. All lecturers should have (or will soon have!) a container on the community server. Go to http://community.csusm.edu/ and log in with your campus login and password. Look for a link that has your name and AY 2017-18. For example, mine looks like this:

(I have appointments in two departments, so there are two links for me.)

The electronic WPAF is a Moodle container that works exactly like Cougar Courses. Adding the required materials is simple, and the templates have been customized for you according to your appointment type. I recommend logging in and checking out the electronic WPAF system ASAP to familiarize yourself with how it works.

If you are interested in submitting your file electronically and have questions or want to learn more, our second workshop is for you! Barbara will be leading an electronic WPAF training session on Friday, October 20 from 1-3 pm in the Technology Resource Center, KEL 2414. This is a hands-on workshop in a computer lab, so you will have time to work on your file and ask questions. RSVP here if you are interested in participating.

Drop-in assistance is also available at the TRC during regular business hours or you can email cchelp@csusm.edu to ask questions or schedule an appointment.

Thanks to everyone who came out on Friday! If you have questions, feel free to contact me at afogle@csusm.edu and I will help connect you with the resources you need. I hope to see you at the remaining workshops in our series!

PASO Faculty Learning Community seeks members

Are you interested in helping to create a more culturally relevant curriculum? The Faculty Center’s Hispanic Serving Institution/PASO Faculty Learning Community is acccepting applications through the end of this week.

The FLC is part of the Pathways to Academic Success and Opportunities grant, a 5-year grant by the U.S. Department of Education to increase Latino and Latina retention and graduation rates. The main goal is for participants to enhance one or more courses to include more Chicano/Latino related content and assignments. Participants will also learn about pedagogical strategies that are proven to be successful for students of color, the 1.5 generation, and first-generation college students.

Anyone, regardless of rank, who regularly teaches a course at CSUSM and who is interested in enhancing their course(s) with content and pedagogy related to Latinas and Latinos. Organizers are aiming for a learning community of five faculty members from across the colleges and disciplines.

The FLC plans to meet as a group for two hours per month in the Fall based on group members’ availability. In the Spring, participants will work individually on objectives with the one-on-one support of the FLC facilitator.

Joining a Faculty Learning Community is a great way to get involved on campus, engage in important projects, and connect with colleagues!

Check out the full call for participation or contact FLC organizer Kimberly D’Anna-Hernandez for more information. Apply using the online application by October 6.

 

The Faculty Mentoring Program needs you!

The Faculty Mentoring Program pairs first generation and economically disadvantaged CSUSM students with faculty mentors to help enhance retention and graduation rates. The goal of the program is to create a supportive, professional environment where the faculty mentor provides guidance and encouragement, and the student receives support that helps them achieve their academic goals.

Are you able to volunteer for a year to help foster student success? Mentor responsibilities include meeting with your protégé at least once a  month, participating in Faculty Mentoring Program events, encouraging students to cultivate their academic goals and skills, and providing advice and guidance to help your protégé complete graduation requirements and prepare for a career or graduate studies.

As these student testimonials clearly indicate, the FMP makes a profound difference in students’ lives. And the evidence shows that the program gets results.

Are you ready to commit to being a mentor? All faculty who are available and interested are encouraged to apply by submitting a current CV and online application. Learn more about the program at the FMP website  or contact Michelle Ramos Pellicia, mramos@csusm.edu, with questions.