Orientation 2009

Wednesday, August 12

9:00-10:15AM, A&S 329

Office/Resources orientation for all NEW MFA students

10:30-11:30AM, A&S 315

New student orientation continues

11:45-12:45PM, A&S 363

New students, returning students on assistantship meet for provided lunch

1:00-3:00PM, Hall House

Human Resources orientation for new and returning students on assistantship. Hall House is on Montgomery Street, across from the library and next to parking lot.

7:00PM

MFA Mixer at Nathan Tucker’s house (directions/more info coming later)

Thursday, August 13

9:00-9:30AM, Lanier 209

New and returning Writing Center Consultants and Teaching Fellows

New and returning Writing Center Consultants train with Pete Carriere (Lanier 209, 9:30-12:00PM)

New and returning Teaching Fellows meet with Alex Blazer (A&S 3-15, 9:30-12:00PM)

9:30-10:15AM, A&S 315

Syllabi

New and returning Teaching Fellows meet with Alex Blazer

Note: Bookmark the Teaching Fellows website, http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~ablazer/TeachingFellows/, which contains meeting times, orientation and syllabi information, and other resources.
  1. Start of Semester
    • Before the start of classes, find your classroom, determine how to work the classroom technology, and locate your textbooks in the bookstore.
    • Directly before your first class, download your class roster.
      • MyCATS > Faculty tab > PAWS Links: Faculty Main Menu
        • Week at a Glance: Click on your class, then click on Roster: Classlist
        • Summary Class List
        • GCSU Quick Course Roster by CRN (Instructors only): Use this option to view your roster with photos.
    • On the first day of class, take attendance and go over the syllabus.
      • Some instructors use a get-to-know-you activity.
      • You can either print out or project your syllabus. If you project your syllabus, make sure that your students receive your syllabus electronically on a faculty website or GeorgiaVIEW. Emailing your students the syllabus is not a good practice because the email could get lost in the server or by the student.
    • If a student fails to attend the first full week of class, 17-21 August, fill out the No Show Notification.
      • MyCATS > Faculty tab > PAWS Links: Faculty Main Menu > No Show Notification.
  2. Syllabi Requirements
    1. Academic Affairs Handbook
      1. Name of the instructor
      2. Title and number of the course.
      3. Name or titles of all textbooks and materials to be purchased or obtained by the student as requirements for the course.
      4. List of all other materials or reading lists required for the course.
      5. An outline of the subject as the instructor plans to cover it in the course.
        • Schedule readings from both the reader of essays and the rhetoric of the writing process, include a library visit, and assign due dates of major papers, the first of which must be be due at least two weeks prior to the midterm grade deadline.—Chair and Teaching Fellows Coordinator, August 2009
      6. An explanation and description of the grading system used in the course that covers all matters and methods of grading to be used in the course, i.e., tests, papers, participation, etc.
        • Fellows must assign four formal papers, at least two of which have the opportunity for drafting and revision (note which ones on the syllabus) and one of which incorporates library research. The first paper is typically a personal narrative and the final essay is usually a research paper. Other possible kinds of essays include, but are not limited to evaluative summaries, interrogative critiques, comparison/contrast papers, persuasive essays, and cause/effect papers. Besides formal papers, you may also want to assign informal writing that prepares for and builds to the formal papers. The requirements of informal writing, peer response, formal writing, drafting, and revision should equal about 12,000 words.—Aim & Scope, Chair, and Coordinator, August 2008
        • In order to develop grading skills as well as curb grade inflation, Fellows will be paired up to create, assign, and grade a major paper in common (but not the final essay) between two of their class sections.—Coordinator, August 2009
        • Fellows are encouraged to assign a major paper related to the Convocation Book, Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero.
      7. A statement of the class or lab attendance policy or rules in the course and the effect that attendance has on grades.
        • Fellows must use a mandatory attendance policy, typically three absences before grade penalty.—Chair, August 2008
      8. A brief statement of the major objective of the course.
      9. Instructor's office number, office phone number, and the hours of normal availability.
        • Fellows must hold at least 2 office hours per week.—Chair and Coordinator, August 2008
      10. The actual meeting days, times, and place for the class or lab. Laboratories may be incorporated into the course outline or issued a separate outline at the instructor's option.
      11. Prior to mid-semester, you will receive feedback on your academic performance in this course.
        • Again, the first major paper must be due at least two weeks prior to the midterm grade deadline, and students must receive feedback on that paper before midterms.—Coordinator, August 2009
    2. Departmental Addenda
      1. Include a policy on how late assignments will be treated.—Coordinator, August 2008
      2. Include a policy on how plagiarism will be dealt with: According to the Honor Code and the Academic Affairs Handbook, GCSU does not tolerate plagiarism. Fellows should fail willfully and substantially plagiarized assignments─and fail the students in the course as well. Here is the procedure for dealing with suspected plagiarism.—Coordinator, August 2009.
      3. Include a statement of equal opportunity, i.e. Disability Services.—Coordinator, August 2008
      4. Include information about the Writing Center.—Coordinator, August 2008
      5. Include information about the Regents' Test, 30 October - 2 November. (Also include a day on your syllabus in which you help students prepare for the test. However, because only a fraction of your class will be taking the class, you should plan two different assignments that day.)—Chair, August 2008
      6. If teaching in the Arts & Sciences Building, include a fire drill notice.—GCSU Coordinator of Environmental Health and Occupational Safety, August 2008
    3. Miscellaneous
      1. Library visitation: Teaching Fellows should plan a library visit into their syllabus, or be flexible to allow a visit to happen.—Chair, August 2008
        • For all ENGL 1101 & 1102 sections, prior to a library classroom session and visit, Teaching Fellows must have students take the online tutorial and quiz: Access! English 1101.
        • For scheduling library classroom sessions, fill out the appropriate form via the Library home page.
        • For classroom sessions that occur from mid August to mid September, before possible research topics have been assigned, Teaching Fellows should clarify with research librarians about what sample topic might be best used. Teaching fellows who bring their classes to the library for the classroom session after mid September should, if possible, have specific sample topics so that the research librarians can tailor their demonstrations to better serve each class/research assignment.
        • It’s a good idea to create a library (and perhaps MLA style) assignment to work in conjunction with the visit.
        • Teaching fellows will meet with Gary Austin or one of the other research librarians during the common meeting time, 12:30pm, on Monday, August 17th, in the Library Room 241 (near the Reference Desk) to learn the new procedures fo the quiz.
      2. Conferencing: Teaching Fellows are strongly recommended to hold individual conferences at some point in the term, for instance before a key paper.—Chair and Coordinator, August 2008
      3. Midterm Break: Don't forget to include the new midterm break on your syllabi.—Chair, August 2009
      4. Final Exams: Although final examinations on course content in comp courses are neither mandated nor recommended, final projects or papers must be due at the scheduled time of the final examination and we encourage instructors to use the final exam time for presentations, reflective writing, or reflective discussions on course themes and the writing process.—Chair, August 2008
      5. Submit your syllabi to Melinda Martin in A&S 303 (hard copy or electronic) and Alex Blazer (electronic only) by the first day of classes.—Coordinator, August 2009
      6. Announce to your students this message from the Chair: "The Department of English & Rhetoric will offer ENGL 1101 in the Fall, Maymester, and Summer I terms in AY 2009-2010. Please be advised that students who withdraw from ENGL 1101 or earn the final grade of D or F will be able to repeat the course at GCSU in Maymester or Summer I. ENGL 1101 will not be offered in Spring 2010."—Chair, August 2009
      7. Syllabi Workshop

10:30-11:15AM, A&S 315

Grading
  1. Grading
    • Gradebooks and Attendance: Teaching Fellows must take attendance and keep a gradebook. Aside: According to Georgia state law, instructors are not allowed to send grades through email.
    • Feedback: While informal writing like journals may be graded with simple checks, you must provide feedback on formal papers. We recommend a combination of writing in the margins and composing an endnote. Do not simply assign points or a letter grade; explain to your students what they've done right and well, and what is ineffective and/or unsuccessful. It’s a good idea to put what you’re looking for in your assignment prompt, and develop your grading rubric from there. If you peer review, which we encourage (see below), you can adapt the peer review questionnaire for your grading rubric. Besides providing discursive feedback, you may also conference.
    • Drafting and Revision: English 1101/2 should teach writing as a process, not simply the finished product. Walk your students through the stages of the writing process─from the invention stage of freewriting and brainstorming, to constructing a working thesis, to organizing ideas into an outline, to developing an outline into complete sentences and paragraphs, to sharing a draft with peers and instructor, to incorporating feedback from others as well as their own self-criticisms in the second draft or even third draft─and have them practice those phases in informal writing assignments and drafted and revised formal papers. Because drafting and revision are core outcomes of the course, at least two of the four formal papers must be revised, which means that two papers may be graded in the "standard" one-draft way. Because midterm grades are mandatory, you cannot use the pure portfolio method in which instructors provide feedback only (sans grades) until the final draft. However, you can devise a midterm and final portfolio system. Another possibility is using two drafts, both of which are graded; you could average the two grades, have the second replace the first, or have the higher grade stand. We recommend that peer review also be incorporated in the process so students can see receive feedback from multiple perspectives as well as practice evaluating others' writing. Discussion question: How do experienced Teaching Fellows design mandatory revision strategies that compel students to put forth their best effort on the first draft?
    • Grammar and Usage: Although grammar should be taken into account, it should not be the main focus of your grading. For example, if I mark more than grammar errors on a first draft, I penalize the paper 1/3 of a letter grade, points which can be earned back in the second draft. I often refer to page or section numbers in the writing handbook for students to learn how to correct their mistakes; I usually don't correct it myself, but simply circle or highlight it. How do experienced Teaching Fellows deal with grammar?
    • Plagiarism Procedures: Follow this handout when dealing with a case of plagiarism.
    • Grading Strategies: Do not tolerate grade campaigning. Develop your rubric and stand by it. Regarding grade distribution, we recommend a bell curve: An A should stand for excellence, therefore give them sparingly, say four or five per course. Because of the drafting and revision process, B’s will probably comprise most grades. Because everyone does not have the same above average competence, you need to assign some C’s and perhaps even a D. As with the grading feedback above, you should contemplate (and share with your students) the characteristics of effective writing, and adapt those characteristics to the letter grade scale. One way to get more revision effort out of your students, even the ones who come into the class with exceptional writing skills, is to grade more harshly on the first draft. Do not conflate revisionary effort with an A.
    • Suggestions for better grade distribution
      • grade weighting: if you grade easy on an assignment like informal writing, make it less of a percentage of final course grade. For example, in my classes with no revisions, I give one or two assignments that are easy A's and worth 5-10% of the final grade,
      • grade with a spreadsheet: so you know your running average as you are grading
      • read papers twice: What I do, for example, is make comments and assign the paper a grade range (like B- to B+, which I enter into a spreadsheet) on the first reading. On the second reading, I finalize grades by looking at spreadsheet. Carrie Anne Tocci implemented a set number of A's per assignment, 8. Create your own system. The important thing is that you do not give out 50, 60, or 70% A's.
      • Discussion question: how do experienced Teaching Fellows distribute grades aptly?
    • This year, there are two new policies to help you to think about your grade distribution and rubric:
      • Assignment in Common / Grading Partners: Fellows will be paired up to create, assign, and grade a major paper in common (but not the final essay) between two of their class sections.
      • Sample Graded Papers: during our observation debriefing, we'll also discuss a sampling of graded papers from your current course.
  2. Assignment for Friday: Grading Workshop
    • Grade the three sample papers handed out to you: Assess and provide feedback on punctuation and grammar, theses, organization, analysis, and so forth; then assign a grade. Be ready to discuss your grades and how you determined them.
    • Design an assignment grade weight system for your syllabus.
    • Develop a grading rhetoric for your students and a grading rubric for yourself that rewards revision without giving it an automatic A.

11:15AM-12:00PM, A&S 316

Policies and Plans
  1. Peer Group: Evan, Ashley, Rachel, and Josh meet every 2-3 weeks first semester to talk about first-year teaching at GCSU issues; could also invite an experienced Teaching Fellow; email Alex short note telling what you discussed and ask questions that may have arisen
  2. Textbook Adoption Committee: elect 1 first year Teaching Fellow and 1 second year Teaching Fellow
  3. Classroom Visits
    • Every Teaching Fellow's class will be officially observed at least once in the year by the Teaching Fellows Coordinator. For the observation, select a day that will showcase teaching and provide Alex with a few graded papers a couple of days before the visit. I'll expect to see written lesson plans on the day of class. After the period, we'll discuss the class and the graded papers, and I'll write an observation report. I'm also available to write letters of recommendation for those on the market. The Chair, Dr. Whitaker, is glad to observe your class, particularly for those job seekers desiring a letter of recommendation.
    • Every Fellow’s class will be unofficially observed at least once in the fall semester by one of the other Teaching Fellows. While the expectations for this peer visit are the same as an official visit (select a day that emphasizes teaching, provide the observer with a syllabus, have the lesson plan prepared, debrief with the visitor after the class), the peer observation letter is meant for and will only be seen by the instructor of the class. It is recommended that peer observation take place before the official Coordinator observation if possible.
  4. Lesson Plans: Come to each and every class prepared with a goal, a purpose. A typical class will consist of 1) conducting business (taking attendance, collecting or handing back assignments), 2) answering questions about the previous class, 3) presenting a hook or introduction into the topic of the day, and 4) using whatever classroom management strategies (see next section) necessary to convey to your students the key idea and issue of the day. It's better to be overprepared than underprepared. We strongly recommend that you write out your lessons. Don't wing it!
  5. Classroom Management Strategies: While most of class periods will be taught by the lecture and discussion format, to engage as many students and learning styles as possible, you should also utilize audiovisual materials, hold in-class debates, bring online discussions into the face-to-face classroom, have in-class individual writing, and break students into small groups to do work. Moreover, you should create a balance of reading and writing assignments. For instance, you don’t want to plan a lot of reading on the due date of a major paper─and you don’t want to assign a major paper to be due on the day of Regents' Test (30 October - 2 November)! After a particularly heavy week of reading and writing, you may want to schedule a short film (course related, of course). Discussion question: How do experienced Teaching Fellows manage the classroom?
  6. Anything Else?
  7. Due Friday
    • working syllabus
    • graded papers
    • grade distribution system, grading rubric, and revision design

Friday, August 14

9:00-10:00AM, A&S 315

Grading

New and returning Writing Center Consultants train with Pete Carriere (Lanier 209, 9-12:00PM)

New and returning Teaching Fellows meet with Alex Blazer (A&S 315, 9:00PM)

  1. Grading Workshop
    • graded papers
    • grade distribution system
    • grading rubric
    • revision design

10:00-10:45AM, A&S 315

Syllabi
  1. Syllabi Workshop
  2. Reminders
    • Teaching Fellows meet Monday, August 17, 12:30PM in Library Room 241.
    • Syllabi are due to Alex (electronically) and Melinda Martin in A&S 303 (in print or electronically).
  3. Teaching Fellow peer groups.

11:00-12:00PM, A&S 366

Convocation Book
  1. Conversation with Nawal El Saadawi, Woman at Point Zero
  2. Convocation Book Discussion Questions

12:00-1:00PM

Lunch on your own

1:00-2:30PM

New and returning students assigned to MFA/Arts & Letters office (A&S 3-29)

Monday, August 17

12:30-1:45PPM, Library Room 241

Access!: English 1101

Library! Access! English! 1101!

 

© Alex E. Blazer 2024