PREPARING FOR A CLASS

You should be familiar with the  CCOGs (Course Content and Outcome Guides) for the sequence you will be teaching. All instructors are contractually required to follow the CCOGs (Sample Level 6 Reading CCOG and Level 2 CCOG ).  The Department Chair can provide you with copies of all ESOL CCOGs.  Refer to Using the Textbooks and CCOGS for more information.

You need to hand out a course description (all levels) and a syllabus (Levels 4 – 8) on the first day of class (example course descriptions: Level 8 Academic Writing, Level 3, example syllabus: Level 8 Academic Writing). Be sure to include the statement that students with learning disabilities need to visit the Office for Students with Disabilities and tell you what accommodation(s) they need. (Students must self-declare a learning disability: we are legally prohibited from “labeling” a student based on our assessment, as we are not trained, licensed specialists in learning disabilities.)

The Division Administrative Assistant will assign you a desk, phone extension, and a mailbox (located at the back of the office, near the fax machine and laser copier). He/she will also give you a copy machine access code. The Division Administrative Assistants also handle the paperwork for payroll, and they are the source of answers to many of your questions, for example how to get voicemail and e-mail.

Any absences because of illness or for other emergency reasons must be reported at least two hours in advance of your class (when possible) to the Division Administrative Assistant, 977-4266. At night or if you cannot reach anyone, call the information desk at 977-4329 or security at 977-4902 and ask them to post a sign on the classroom door explaining your absence, and also leave a voicemail message for the Division Administrative Assistant explaining the situation. For part-timers, the first two sick days per term are paid leave. Normally, your class will be cancelled. However, time permitting, you may choose to arrange for an unpaid substitute by exchanging hours with another teacher.

The PCC faculty agreement does not provide paid personal leave for part-time faculty. For any planned, non-sick leave absences, the Division Dean is reluctant to approve paid substitutes. Instead, you are encouraged to “exchange” an equal number of teaching hours with another instructor at a later date. Notify the Division Administrative Assistant, the Division Dean, and also the Department Chair of any planned absences and teaching trade arrangements.

Copy machines are available on the upper level of the CT building. These machines also make excellent overhead transparencies. Color transparencies can be made in the instructor copy room in the Library. Copy machines are for limited numbers of copies, usually under 15. For classroom sets of materials, you should use the Print Center. Print Center forms (sample) are in the Division office. Your requests should be left in the tray outside the Division Dean’s office; the finished job will be returned to your mailbox, usually in twenty-four to forty-eight hours. It is advisable that you take your requests to the Print Center in CC 115 and pick up your copies from them in person if you want a quick turnaround time.

There is a computer at your desk. Additional computers are available in the small teachers’ lounge in CT 216. Office supplies (overheads, overhead pens, paper, computer disks, etc.) are available in the cabinet near the front desk, or in the closet near the mailboxes. CD/tape players, video cameras, maps, supplementary class texts for Level 5 and other resources for classroom use are available in the ESOL Department Chair’s office, room CT 205. Supplementary class texts for Levels 1-4 are in CT 206.

The course description that you provide to your students must include, in addition to your office hours and location, phone extension and email address, your specific requirements for the class, your grading and audit (for credit courses) requirements, attendance requirements, and a syllabus or plan (Levels 4 – 8), for the term.  It must state that any PCC students requesting accommodations notify the instructor at the beginning of the term and provide documentation of disability and work with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) at 977-4341. The course description can also mention the college´s Academic Integrity policy and include the URL:

http://www.pcc.edu/edserv/academic/integrity.htm

Do not give students your home phone number; this is kept confidential for your protection and peace of mind.  Sample course descriptions: Level 8 Academic Writing, Level 3, Sample syllabus: Level 8 Academic Writing. others are on file in the division office for you to consult. Make sure you put a copy of your course description and syllabus (Levels 4 – 8) in the appropriate basket in the division office.

A copy of your schedule, which indicates classes and office hours, must be posted by your desk. A form is available in the cabinet to the left of the mailboxes and a sample is included; the white copy goes to the Division Administrative Assistant, the yellow copy is to be posted by your desk, and the pink copy is for your records.

Textbooks are prescribed for Levels 1 – 5. Textbooks for Levels 6 – 8 need to be approved before you order them. There is a department list of textbooks that have been used for each class in the recent past. There is also a list of SAC-approved textbooks. If you wish to order a book that is not on one of these lists, please consult with the Department Chair and other instructors. An instructor textbook library with examples of most textbooks in use for Levels 4 - 8 is in the cupboard in CT 216, behind cubicle 38. The textbook library and supplementary class sets for Levels 1 – 4 are in CT 206. You should order desk copies of each of your texts directly from the publisher. The Department Chair will assist in finding phone numbers or e-mail addresses of publishers.

We try to make our part-time faculty more knowledgeable about and comfortable with our program by offering the following:

1. Mentoring. We assign a full-time instructor or experienced part-time instructor as a personal mentor who will help familiarize you with the curriculum and materials for the classes you will be teaching and answer any related questions you may have regarding our program.

2. Classroom observations. You are welcome to schedule a visit your mentor’s class as well as classes of other teachers in the program. All new instructors will undergo an official observation process during their first term; this will include a classroom observation by the Department Chair and a student evaluation.

3. Department inservices. We hold an ESOL Sylvania department inservice every quarter during the regular school year. The inservice will cover department business, but also includes some professional development presentations and workshops.

4. SAC Inservice Days. PCC day classes are cancelled for the Subject Area Committee (SAC) Inservices in Fall and Spring quarters. These meetings address a variety of department matters, but focus on curricular issues. Part-time faculty are encouraged to attend these inservices and participate. Part-timers are paid a stipend of $50 for a full day’s attendance and $25.00 for a half-day’s attendance.

5. Professional Development. We encourage you to participate actively in the annual Oregon Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ORTESOL) conferences, which are usually held within driving distance of Portland. Also, instructors may take advantage of some professional development grants at P.C.C.

If you have a problem and are not sure how to handle it, please feel free to consult an experienced part-time or full-time colleague, the Department Chair, or the Division Dean.

The regular ESOL classrooms in the CT building are: CT 128, CT 220, and CT 221. Other classrooms in CT and other buildings are also often used. Rooms should be equipped with overhead projectors and TV/ VCRs. Some will also have DVD players. These are not to be removed. If you need additional equipment (a slide projector, or a computer with digital projector, for example), you should order it from AV, ext. 4403 or 4443, twenty-four hours in advance, or use the order form on their web site:

http://www.pcc.edu/resources/media-services/

AV delivers the equipment to your classroom and picks it up after class. Tours of AV to acquaint instructors with available equipment and materials and AV ordering procedures can also be arranged. If you need a bulb replaced in an overhead projector, contact AV at 4403 or 4443.

Privacy, Safety, and Student Behavior Issues:

The college is bound by the student privacy act. Student grades and student progress are confidential. No information may be given over the phone or in writing to anyone but the student, not even to a student’s parent, spouse, or boss, without the student’s signed written approval. This also means that instructors cannot post grades by name or social security number and that papers should not be left on a desk for students to pick up.

There are occasional security problems at PCC, especially at night. Do not leave any valuables on your desk or in an unlocked drawer. If you have an emergency, call Public Safety at ext. 4444. For non-emergencies, or if you would like an escort to your car, call Public Safety at ext. 4902.

If you see someone “hanging around” an instructor’s desk and going through their possessions, or wanting to enter the office after hours, feel free to ask them what they need and to indicate the instructor’s mailbox and/or office hours (posted in a book on the front desk) and to ask them to return when the instructor is present. If their activity seems overly suspicious, call Public Safety’s emergency number at ext. 4444.

Finally, make sure you have a copy of the PCC Faculty/Staff Handbook (available under the Resources menu in the Faculty tab of MyPCC) for the current academic year as well as a current copy of your faculty contract, the Faculty and Academic Professional Agreement between the PCC District and the PCC Faculty Federation (obtained from the Union office in ST 1 or the Department Chair). New faculty are encouraged to join the Faculty Federation. Membership forms are available through your Federation Representative.