Assessment Reminders for Faculty Teaching General Studies Courses in the Spring

General Studies courses offered in the spring (listed below) must be assessed using TaskStream.

Reminders:

1. If you will be teaching a GS course listed above, please include on your syllabus the requirement to purchase a TaskStream license. 
   
   SAMPLE SYLLABUS STATEMENT:
   All students in this course must purchase a license for TaskStream, an online e-portfolio. Your GS assessment assignment will be submitted using TaskStream and will count in your semester grade. TaskStream will be required in other General Studies courses as well. A license is available online at www.taskstream.com. Further info about the TaskStream requirement can be found at:  http://www.unk.edu/academicaffairs/generalstudies.aspx?id=54899 
    
2. On TaskStream, there are links for FACULTY and STUDENTS containing info about GS assessment such as instruments, rubrics, user guide, and self-enrollment codes for students. Log on to taskstream.com and follow the link "TaskStream for UNK faculty" or “TaskStream for UNK students.”  
    
3. To maintain validity of the assessments, they should NOT be given to students prior to week 14 of the semester.  You will receive reminder emails as the time gets nearer.
    
4. ALL faculty teaching a GS course must take a one-time, online orientation. If you have already taken it, you do not have to do so again. Otherwise, please view the orientation and email the GS office so that your participation can be documented. (Alternately, if you took an in-person orientation workshop, you have completed this requirement.)
    
5. Faculty will receive a one-time assessment stipend of $500 if they meet the criteria below.
   * 90+ percent of students in their GS course submit their assessment on TaskStream;
   * The instructor evaluates that work on TaskStream by the set deadline;
   * The instructor takes the online orientation (or workshop) and reports participation to the GS office.
    
6. Timeline for spring 2013 (mark your calendar!):
   Access to GS courses on TaskStream opens                                        Monday 4/8/13
   Students submit their GS assessment on TaskStream                           Monday 4/8/13 through Thursday 5/2/13
   Instructors submit evaluations of students’ work on TaskStream by         5:00pm Friday 5/10/13 

If there are any questions, please contact the General Studies Office. 

- Daren Snider, Director of General Studies

ADP Announces New Course Development Mini-Grant Opportunity!

The American Democracy Project is pleased to announce a mini-grant opportunity for faculty willing to develop a new general studies portal, capstone, or democracy in perspective course that addresses ONE of the following five ongoing initiatives of the American Democracy Project: eCitizenship; Global Engagement (Seven Revolutions Project); America’s Future: Protecting the Fiscal Health of our Democracy; Political Engagement Project; Deliberative Polling.  The size of the mini-grant will be $750 to be paid when course development is completed. The course must be approved by the General Studies Council. The course will need to be taught at least once in the 2013-2014 academic year.  Cross-department proposals are especially encouraged.  Proposals that integrate the New York Times into the curriculum are encouraged. A formal announcement, with the application form, is forthcoming. Questions should be directed to ADP Coordinator, Dennis Potthoff (potthoffd@unk.edu). 

- Dennis Potthoff, Coordinator of the American Democracy Project at UNK

Library Updates

Library Hours During December/January Holidays 

Written by Michael Sutherland, Web Services Librarian
sutherlandmj@unk.edu  

While 24/7 chat reference service and digital resources (such as e-books, many government documents, and our entire vast collection of subscription databases) will be available from our web site even when the library doors are locked, with the end of Fall semester just around the corner, we want to remind you that the physical library will observe the following schedule/hours:

For 2013, the library will start with the following hours:

We hope that your holidays are safe and happy!

Recognition

2012-2013 Department Chairs and Program Directors

- Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Items to Note for Faculty and Faculty Committees

• Academic Affairs Committee
  The link to the CAP ("Course Approval Process") information is located on the Academic Affairs Committee page. CAP is the electronic approval system that allows department chairs to initiate course proposals (create, alter, inactivate, or discontinue). Worksheets for both the creation of new courses and the alteration of existing courses are available on the CAP web site for faculty members to use as they gather the information department chairs will need to submit requests.
  
  **NOTE REGARDING CHANGES TO COURSE DESCRIPTIONS**
  The form to alter a Catalog Course Description has been revised. Please note, in instances where a change in content is being requested through the CAP system, course description changes should be added to that request, and this form should not be completed.
  
  Department chairs initiate program proposals (create, alter, or discontinue) using a paper form, which is available on the Academic Affairs Committee page, along with instructions.
  
  The schedule of Academic Affairs deadlines for the 2012-2013 academic year is available on the Academic Affairs Committee page. The page also contains a committee roster and a link to the approved Academic Affairs minutes. Department or program chairs needing to make curricular changes should be aware of these deadlines and instructions.
   
• Faculty Handbook
  The online Faculty Handbook contains the most current policy information. The purpose of the handbook is to gather the documents and policies that inform and guide critical decisions, including the Collective Bargaining Agreement (2011-2013).
   
• Faculty Senate
  To keep faculty informed and in the spirit of shared governance, the Faculty Senate website contains links to the senate roster, meeting agendas and packets, meeting minutes of both the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate committees, and the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws.
   
• General Studies
  The General Studies web site contains a description of the new General Studies Program effective for students entering UNK in the Fall of 2010. The site contains a list of the approved General Studies courses effective for the 2012-2013 academic year, a list of all of the approved Portal and Capstone topics, as well as lists of the Portals and Capstones offerings for the current semester.
   
• Graduate Council
  The Graduate Council webpage contains information regarding changes to graduate courses or programs, as well as a list of the 2012 Graduate Program Committees.
  
  **NOTE REGARDING CHANGES TO COURSE DESCRIPTIONS**
  The form to alter a Catalog Course Description has been revised. Please note, in instances where a change in content is being requested through the CAP system, course description changes should be added to that request, and this form should not be completed.
   
• WI/CD Committee
  The WI/CD Committee has posted a schedule of deadlines for the fall semester on the WI/CD Committee page. The page also contains instructions for applying for WI or CD designation, as well as a committee roster, agendas, and minutes. These resources are provided for those wishing to offer courses as WI or CD.

Deadlines Approach for Various Opportunities

Calendar of Events within the Academic and Student Affairs Division

Edited by Kim Elliott, Coordinator of Academic Publications  

A Publication of the
Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
University of Nebraska at Kearney
905 West 25th Street
Kearney, NE 68849
Phone: (308)865-8209  

For questions or submissions,
contact the Coordinator of Academic Publications at 8935 or academicpublications@unk.edu.