ENGL HUMN SPCH CONSORTIUM JUNE 24, 2014 Central GA Technical College, 10 am Minutes

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1 ENGL HUMN SPCH CONSORTIUM JUNE 24, 2014 Central GA Technical, 10 am Minutes Shelly Godwin called the meeting to order at 10:07a.m. Frederia Sampson motioned to accept the call of the meeting and Ashley Strong-Green seconded the motion. A list of attendees is attached. The meeting began with a review of the perquisites for HUMN and SPCH courses. The group discussed the prerequisites for HUMN, and some members felt it is necessary to have English 1101 as a prerequisite because of the writing component. After discussion, it was determined to leave the HUMN and SPCH prerequisites as they are in the curriculum database. The group was reminded that a college can always increase or add to the requirement but cannot take away from the requirement. Ms. Barbara Robinson from XanEdu Publishing discussed using customized books to assist in lowering the cost of textbooks. Some of the teachers are already using this company to customize books and gave their feedback as being very cost effective. Some instructors also noted that customizing textbooks does allow instructors to teach the required standards. The next item of discussion was the opening for a Vice Chair for the North Consortium. Penny Waddell (Gwinnett Technical ) volunteered, so Gail Bell made a motion (Sean McAuley seconded the motion) and Penny Waddell was elected. Dr. Benita Moore introduced diploma changes whereas programs will have the flexibility to allow the programs to include teaching the English and the math basic skills in their program classes and not have students take the dedicated ENGL, MATH, and COMP basic skills courses. Most of these programs that are being reviewed are allied health and industrial tech programs. Dr. Moore emphasized that we should make sure our general education deans have input in the decisions. Learning Support Redesign was discussed. Several members discussed that some of them are having IT challenges with the the Co-Requisite Model, but most of the members discussed success with the integration as a whole. English 2130 American Literature and ENGL 2110 World Lit were discussed. A lot of the students who are dual-enrolled need one or the other, but colleges have the option of offering one or both since they are state standard courses. Further discussion will be held on the topic of American Lit and/or World Lit in future meetings. A discussion on course loads was held. The concern was for student success and to be sure students were prepared in writing after completing these courses. After much discussion, the following information was provided as a guide or best practices. Recommended ENGL HUMN SPCH instructors teach no more than 100 students per semester Recommended class size for ENGL HUMN SPCH classes to be no more than 20 students for traditional classes; perhaps a few more in an online class but not a lot more. NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) recommends the following: three composition classes of 20 and learning support classes of 15. Another concern was being comparable or mimicking USG/Independent colleges/universities since our students often transfer to these colleges. It was also noted that students come to technical colleges

2 because of small class sizes, so our classes should reflect the personal support of a small class. It was also noted that many technical college instructors teach 6-7 classes, which can compromise learning since so much time is needed to grade writing assignments (and fewer writing assignments may be given because of the number of students being taught by one instructor). The discussion concluded with how Performance Based Funding might change the number/size of classes since student success and completion will be viewed more closely. Southwest Georgia Tech has developed a literary magazine funded by student government. The following topics and motions were made and discussed. ENGL the wording of the standards for English 0098 will be discussed at our next meeting. The suggestion is to delete the competency that pertains to integrating sources. Ashley Strong- Green moved to table the discussion until the next meeting. A motion to make sure all decisions made in the consortium meeting to stand for two years before being discussed. This motion was seconded and passed. Working Lunch During the working lunch round table discussions were held by course/teaching area. Instructors were asked to have lunch at the table that most closely matched the teaching area. The purpose was to allow for discussion about specific teaching areas. Speech Table Online speech classes -- things that work and do not work ***MyCommunicationLab and MediaShare-- works Numbers of speeches per semester (4) regular one is a group plus impromptu Video lectures Use of PowerPoints Voki - online character to create to use for video lecture instead of your own picture Good Textbook - Going from Stress to Success -- being used by some of the TCSG colleges -- MyCommunicationLab - only covers things that are noted in State Standards and covered during a Fundamentals of Speech Class -- uses technology to keep students interested -- offered as an e-book or hard-copy -- only $58.00 from Pearson to the book store, but the bookstore marks it up. The price includes use of MyCommunicationLab and MediaShare. Research -- outline include citations No papers required -- only outlines Library assisted class to teach research skills Persuasion speech requirements Engl required for most colleges for speech courses; Smaller colleges do not Most colleges have not added COMM 1101 yet Group believes our classes are rigorous Manage anxiety Build confidence Plan and present an effective speech

3 Understand extemporaneous speaking Comfortably present impromptu speeches Understand different types of speeches Analyze audience prior to planning the speech Improve delivery skills We all think speech should be a required course -- whether big or small college New technology trends-- Speech Writer Pro -- new app E-books I-pads for notes Online delivery of course Uploading videos for instructor and peer review and evaluations Use rubrics for grading-- all here do-- according to state standards Student learning outcomes Select appropriate sources and integrate research into their speeches Humanities Group Grading Rubrics /Level of Rigor: Rubrics are good for standardization. GTC uses rhetorical mode specific and holistic rubric. Uses as a method of training adjunct for standardization of grading rigor. What is working? Library Workshops that introduce students to Galileo, the research process, and documentation Standardization of course shells through the Master shell concept ensure better accountability and student support systems. Through a common shell, other areas such as the library, the Learning Success Center and other faculty will be better able to help individual students as there is some familiarity through standardization. Current Trends The flipped classroom is better suited for hybrid classes as time in the classroom is better utilized in applying what students learn at home. Also including adjunct faculty in the happenings of the school and the department is a trend we are trying at Gwinnett Tech to build camaraderie and to be part of the department s vision and goals. Two third of Gwinnett Tech s classes are taught by adjuncts. What is not working? Raising the pass retention rate in online classes is not working. At Gwinnett Tech, we started offering workshops for online students during the first week of classes three semesters ago. The students who come benefit a great deal, but our challenge is to get more of them to come in. Our biggest challenge is how to mandate this. Instructor loads are affecting student learning. Quantity affects quality; therefore, instructors need more time to meet face to face with individual students.

4 English Group 1. ENGL 098 as a co-requisite for ENGL 1101 Group discussed the limited number of 098 students that could possibly benefit or want to take the courses together. The group agreed that more correspondence was needed between program instructors/advisors and the registrar to properly register students. 2. American Literature: Theme vs. Genre Specific Before clarification was given, the group agreed that teaching the course based on particular genres is very limited and restricting. Using a theme to cover the course is more beneficial as an instructor is able to cover more ground. However, teaching the class based on a particular movement (Pre-colonial, Colonial, Revolutionary, Romanticism, Realism/Naturalism, Modernism and Contemporary) was at the discretion of the instructor. 3. Restructuring Learning Support Courses All agreed this appeared to be a great idea so far. Learning support students are more engaged and grasping/applying concepts in both content and writing. One concern was the development of reading comprehension skills, which could probably be addressed through partnerships with K-12 institutions or other educational resources. 4. Literary Analysis in 1101 It was discussed that literary analysis was used as a bridge or transition towards the end of the semester. Those in the groups mentioned they more so focused on the use of rhetorical devices and the discussion of some literary analysis is given based on a particular rhetorical mode. 5. Rubrics All in the group agreed they used a rubric to grade written assignments, but also mentioned they find themselves providing more detailed constructive criticism in order to narrow in on areas that students need to pay more attention to. 6. Current Trends All in the group agreed there is room to create activities to engage effective participation from students, but also noted time and sometimes resources are a major concern in developing these supplements. The meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm.

5 Roster for June 24, 2014 ENGL HUMN SPCH Consortium Meeting Jayson Akridge Augusta Gail Bell GA Northwestern Sylvia Bey North GA Linda Brown Albany Ronda Cox GA Northwestern Tiffany Daniel Oconee Fall Line Marilyn Edwards Athens Charles Ellis Wiregrass Georgia Paul Farr South Georgia Marla Fowler Albany Shelly Godwin South Georgia Joanna Grisham Central Georgia Delores Guillory Georgia Piedmont Southern Crescent Daniel Hartley Technical Sandra Havriluk Gwinnett Sammy Holton Southeastern Richard Hughes Central Georgia Brad Jester Southern Crescent Liz Jester Southern Crescent Laura Jones Atlanta Technical Niyatee Kher Central Georgia Georgia Northwestern Faith Lamb Technical Sean McAuley North Georgia McCoy- Sonya Wilson Atlanta Benita Moore TCSG Mel Mrochinski Savannah R. Pat Murphy Ogeechee David Norman Savannah Robert Norman Moultrie Gwinnett Technical Tiffany Parks Raven Payne` South 1189 Deepstep Rd Sandersville GA Lauren Poss Oconee Fall Line Mark Ristroph Augusta Technical

6 Michelle Ritter Athens Central Georgia Technical Dianne Rutherford Frederia Sampson Albany Brittany Sams Altamaha Technical Allyson Smith North Georgia Technical Jay Snodgrass Southwest Georgia Kelly Sorenson Central Georgia Jon Sravelakis Columbus Shawana Stanford Athens Ashley Strong-Green Augusta Studebaker- Maria Coppage Southwest Georgia Jason Tanner Chattahoochee Tammy Thomas Augusta Central Georgia Technical Samantha Uzzle Brittany Varga Southern Crescent Padma Vedula Gwinnett Tina Venus Southern Crescent Penny Waddell Gwinnett Technical Michael Walters Georgia Northwestern Alan Wheeler Athens Technical college Columbus Technical Stephen White Felicia Wiggins Augusta Kelli Wilkes Columbus Michael Williams Wiregrass Angie Willis Moultrie