|
Instructional Support Committee |
|
Attending: Cecilia Knight, Mark Schneider, Kara Lycke, Margarita Pillado, Christopher McKee, Jon Chenette, John Kalkbrenner, Justin Abramson (SGA), Terri Phipps Minutes of last meeting approved. Three proposals were approved via the fast track process: one Art (off-campus workshop, $199); one Office of Interdisciplinary Studies (teleconference, $395, video to be stored and cataloged at Burling); one teaching colloquium (writing workshop, $100). Strategic Plan update: The following text has been added to Strategy 2D (technology infrastructure): "Conduct follow-up visits and formative assessments to ensure that we are training users of new technology adequately and making effective use of these tools." This suggestion was borne out of lessons learned from the TDC and discussion at the last ISC meeting centering around responding to and getting feedback on campus technological needs. The Cultural Education Center will hold an open house on Friday, November 4, at 4:15. Terri will put a notice in the Faculty News Digest. Discussion of the Faculty News Digest spawned an informal discussion of the Campus Memo. It is unclear how much the Memo is used now that it is online. It was suggested that OCE explore this issue and consider revamping the Memo if necessary. Library Director Search update: Six candidates have been placed on the short list. Based on results of the reference check, preliminary interviews will begin in mid-November. On-campus interviews will be held by the end of the semester. Scheduling will begin as soon as possible. ISC will be involved in the interview process. Terri will email the job description to the Committee. The Librarians are playing a lead role in the interview process, developing standard and candidate-specific questions. ISC members should send suggestions for interview questions to the listserv: isc@lyris.grinnell.edu. Mark will circulate a portion of the Burling Planning document to help frame some questions. Suggested areas include the candidate's future vision of what a library should be, the role of a library in a liberal arts institution, the role of technology in a library, as well as problem-solving and scholarship goals of the Director. Institutional (web) Repository of Grinnell authored works: The repository would include scholarly works by students, MAPs, and faculty, as well as college records. This initiative is being developed by the Library, coordinated by Rebecca Stuhr. Librarians are attending two upcoming conferences pertaining to this topic. It is becoming common practice for libraries to share an outside storage source that allows a variety of sharing controls. ISC will play a role in determining and advocating for adequate staff if changes are necessary. Online advising and registration: Files used by faculty to advise students are currently available through PioneerWeb. Some faculty have questioned the value or user-friendliness of this method of delivery. The Curriculum Committee and Tutorial/Advising Committees are looking into the issue of online registration and advising as well. One example of a user-friendly site is http://www.hamilton.edu/college/registrar/ There are three
options in answer to faculty who still want to get paper copies of final
grades. Can academic support assistants be granted permission to print out the files for their faculty? One problem with online advising files is that they are unavailable to the faculty when the student graduates, making it very difficult to retrieve information for letters of recommendation. Another issue with the current online system is that it is too buried within the system for easy access and some of the questions are irrelevant; mid-semester grades, for example. One positive aspect of online files is the ability to access student information when off-campus. This is extremely useful during breaks, sabbaticals and other leaves. ISC discussed continuation of current policy - to provide paper copies of grade reports only upon special request by faculty members and only if they go to the Registrar's Office to retrieve them. ISC believes the online advising tools should be promoted more intentionally and made more visible for faculty members and students within the Blackboard interface or on the Registrar's Web page. Spam filter: There are currently about 600 people on campus using the Spam filter, which stops between 20,000 and 22,000 messages per day. About 2/3 are blocked. Approximately 2% contain viruses.
|