Department Chairs
We’ve compiled useful resources available at Austin Community College (ACC) to support department chairs. If you would like to suggest additional resources please email tledwebsite@austincc.edu.
Department Chair Academy
The Teaching & Learning Excellence Division (TLED) developed the Department Chair Academy in response to an overwhelming demand from department chairs for additional support. The DC Academy is a 60-hour program designed to support department chairs throughout their first year in the role as they lead the department in achieving student success. The Academy supports new chairs by assisting them in locating and using the tools and resources necessary to complete department chair tasks and offering development opportunities to enhance leadership skills and key competencies.
Working with a cohort model, the DC Academy offers support in many forms, including reading materials, videos, lib guides, guest speakers, and the chance to meet once a week with other new chairs. College-wide DC Gatherings with all department chairs are designed around continued professional development and guest speakers. In addition, DC Boot Camps offer new department chairs timely exposure to ACC’s software and systems necessary to complete the job. Upon completion, department chairs receive recognition from the College and a $1200 stipend.
Key Dates:
- DC Academy Collegewide Kickoff: Friday, May 31, 2024, 9 am to 12:15 pm
- Boot Camp I for New Department Chairs: Friday, May 31, 2024, 1 pm to 3:30 pm
- Collegewide DC Extended Meeting: Friday, September 27, 2024, 8:30 am – 2:00 pm
- Collegewide DC Gathering: Friday, October 18th, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Collegewide DC Gathering: Friday, February 28, 9:00 am – Noon (date subject to change based on college events)
- Boot Camp II for New Department Chairs: April 11th, 9:00 am – Noon
*Current DCs are welcome to attend Boot Camp trainings on an ‘as-needed’ basis.
For any questions, please contact Catherine Solaas (csolaas@uastincc.edu) and Gale Spear (gales@austincc.edu).
TLED Department Chair Retreat & Work Session
Thank you to all Department Chairs who attended the Teaching & Learning Excellence Division (TLED) Department Chair Retreat and Work Session on Friday, June 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Please contact tledcomms@austincc.edu with any questions.
The following were topics covered during the Retreat:
-
- Articulation and University Relations
- Credit for Prior Learning / Prior Learning Assessment
- Experiential Learning
- Academic Technology for Students and Faculty
- Faculty Communication Channels and Options
- Faculty Development and Evaluation
-
- Curriculum Management and Support – Schedule Development, LMI, Badging, Curriculum Services, and Course Materials (Inclusive Access, Textbooks, OER, materials)
- Library Services – Academic Support and Resources
Recordings
Coming Soon!
Schedule a Meeting
Department Chairs can schedule a meeting with Dr. Susan Warner-Sanchez by sending an email to Miguel DeLeon at mdeleon@austincc.edu.
Faculty Values
ACC Faculty Values play a significant role in the professional development and programming of faculty development and more at ACC.
Request a Faculty Development Workshop
Department chairs can request a faculty development workshop for their departments. To request a workshop to be presented to your department:
-
- Review the list of workshops below.
- Submit the Faculty Development Workshop Request Form.
Please email the Office of Faculty Development with any questions.
Faculty Workshops by Topic
-
- Creating Alternative Assessments
- Long Live the Exam
- Think Like a Game Designer
Interested in any of the above workshops? Please submit the Faculty Development Workshop Request Form.
-
- ACC Culture of Care
- Building Community in the Online Learning Environment
- Turning Work Into Play
- Using VoiceThread to Build Community Asynchronously
Interested in any of the above workshops? Please submit the Faculty Development Workshop Request Form.
-
- Classroom Management: Preventative Strategies and Practical Solutions
- Creating a Syllabus for ALL Students
- Dealing with Difficult Students
Interested in any of the above workshops? Please submit the Faculty Development Workshop Request Form.
-
- Classroom Management: Preventative Strategies and Practical Solutions
- Creating Alternative Assessments
- Creating a Syllabus for ALL Students
- Dealing with Difficult Students
- Designing For Digital Equity
- Supporting ALL Students: Veteran Classroom Communication Needs
- When Mindfulness Meets the Classroom
Interested in any of the above workshops? Please submit the Faculty Development Workshop Request Form.
-
- Building Community in the Online Learning Environment
- Creating Alternative Assessments
- H“app”y Hour
- Powerful Classrooms: It All Begins with the Hook
- Powerful Presentations
- Speak Like a TED Presenter: Turn Your Lecture into A TED Talk
- Student Engagement Techniques
- Supporting ALL Students: Veteran Classroom Communication Needs
- Think Like a Game Designer
- Turning Work Into Play
- Using “The Five Languages of Appreciation” to Strengthen Student Engagement
- Using VoiceThread to Build Community Asynchronously
Interested in any of the above workshops? Please submit the Faculty Development Workshop Request Form.
-
- Designing For Digital Equity
- H“app”y Hour
- Miro.com – Using Whiteboards and Escaping PowerPoints
- Using VoiceThread to Build Community Asynchronously
- Zoom Best Practices
Interested in any of the above workshops? Please submit the Faculty Development Workshop Request Form.
TLED Website Tours Available
The Office of Faculty Communications is available to give virtual tours of the Teaching & Learning Excellence Division (TLED) website at department meetings.
This robust resource is tailored to give faculty all the resources they need to be successful in a one-stop-shop.
Department Chair Events
For the latest events and training, please visit the TLED Calendar and choose the “DeptChair” tag to view a list of available offerings.
Departmental Snapshots
On May 6th, 2021, the Vice President of Institutional Research and Analytics, Dr. Jenna Cullinane-Hege, and AVPs Dr. Gaye Lynn Scott and Dr. Gretchen Riehl, presented an update on the Department Snapshots. If you missed it, you can watch the recording.
Instructional Leadership Data Workshop
For those who were unable to attend, these are resources and forms shared during the Instructional Leadership Data Workshop. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Susan Thomason (sthomaso@austincc.edu).
Labor Market Information Training
Department Chairs can request a meeting with Daniel Chupe-O’hanlon to receive training on Labor Market Information data.
Required: You must be logged into your ACC Gmail Account for access.
Note: The LMI meeting request is a calendar. Please click to a future week to find an open slot. If choices do not meet your schedule, please email dohanlon@austincc.edu to request a different date/time.
Resources
-
- Equity-Minded Leadership (.ppt) – Dr. Luis Ponjuan
- Department Snapshot (.ppt) – Soon Merz Flynn
- Data and Leadership Decisions (.ppt) – Dr. Tuesday Stanley
- Labor Market Information (LMI) Resource Page – This site is where you will be able to find and access ongoing LMI materials from reports, trainings, research, and more.
Curriculum and Programs
Program Review
Austin Community College’s Program Review process for instructional units provides a framework to guide the reflective evaluation of the content, quality, and effectiveness of program curriculum, an essential part of academic stewardship. Program review enhances and ensures the quality of teaching we provide and learning we expect from our students.
Course Schedule
Use the public course schedule to browse upcoming course sections by academic discipline, campus, instructor, and other categories.
ACC Catalog
To send updates for the latest ACC Catalog content, please submit this form. For any questions, please email acc-catalogdev-group@austincc.edu.
Updating Program Maps
Visit the Program Maps Process pages to:
- Submit updates to a program map
- Create a program map for a new program
For questions about the program maps process, please contact:
Georgia Branch, Specialist
Email: gbranch@austincc.edu
Phone: (512) 223-7091
Instructional Materials
Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources (OER) are low-cost or free resources in the public domain that are used for teaching, learning and research. They include a variety of content and formats under Creative Commons or open use licensing, from textbooks to simulations to assessment tools. OER are an option for faculty to teach their courses. OER offers reduced or zero cost to students when it comes to course books and other materials.
ACC Copyright & Fair Use
The Copyright & Fair Use site provides information to understand and comply with the United States Copyright Laws.
Contact
Courtney Mlinar (ACC Copyright Officer)
Elgin Campus Library
Email: courtney.mlinar@austincc.edu
Phone: 512-223-9433
Master Syllabi Repository
The Master Syllabi Repository maintains a listing of all master syllabi for ACC courses listed by department. Also, includes information on developing your syllabi and templates for syllabus creation.
Textbook
The Adoption & Insight Portal (AIP) is Barnes and Noble’s textbook selection software (B&N manages ACC’s brick and mortar bookstores). It offers a more streamlined integration between ACC’s textbook selection process and B&N’s order management system. Using AIP will also help students view the correct information (textbook and associated costs) when they click on the ‘Textbooks’ links provided in ACC’s online Course Schedule and ensure that B&N has the correct books/materials available for students.
Access the Adoption and Insight Portal
Need help? Contact the Office of Academic Technology by submitting this request form.
All staffed sections are required to have materials/textbooks ordered by the first day of registration for each semester.
For specific instructions on ordering textbooks, please contact your department.
Get Help with Your Departmental Website
Do you need to update your departmental website? Or a new one? The Instructional Web Projects team develops websites that provide current ACC students a seamless web experience as they navigate instructional programs online to access the information and resources needed for their continued success.
Request Services/Support
Complete an Instructional Web Service Request form to request an intake meeting for your project.
Faculty Evaluation
The Office of Faculty Evaluation establishes timelines, and procedures to help ACC complete evaluations for faculty counselors, full-time/adjunct faculty, and faculty librarians. Faculty evaluation is conducted annually.
Course Evaluation
The course evaluation process is lead and supported by the Office of Faculty Evaluation. Course evaluations are conducted every semester and required for each course. A Course Evaluation FAQ page is also available.
Updating Course Evaluation Info
To request changes to the course evaluation course/instructor information, please use the form below.
Transfer
Access ACC’s page with university-specific information, including transfer and equivalency guides with links to help students with planning transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. A complete list of all the articulation agreements between ACC and university partners can also be found on this page.
Contact
Please email aur@austincc.edu.
ACAPS
Austin Community College District is committed to meeting the needs of business and industry by preparing students to be competent and employable upon completion of an ACC Associate Degree or Certificate program.
ACC uses a process called the Austin Competency Analysis Profile (ACAP) to systematically determine the skills and competencies required for entry into a field of study. These competencies form the basis for curriculum in several programs.
The Austin Competency Analysis Profile (ACAP) is a process for conducting an analysis for a targeted area of study. Eight to ten Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) work with a team of trained facilitators to determine the competencies needed to become proficient in the field of study. The product of the ACAP process is a report detailing the competencies or outcomes required in the field.
The ACAP Report can be used in several ways. The main purpose of the report is to provide a basis for developing, validating and revising the curriculum for programs to meet current needs in a field of study. Because the ACAP Report defines Units, Competencies, and Competency Builders, it provides a clear transition into course/program curricula.
Courses can be aligned quickly and easily using the competencies identified in an ACAP Report for program areas. ACC instructional designers have worked with several programs to make this alignment. The process takes only a couple of hours. If you have an ACAP Report for your program area and would like to make this alignment, or if you would like to request an ACAP for your program, please email tledcomms@austincc.edu.
ACC Human Resources
ACC Human Resources serves ACC employees in a variety of ways and offers a wide range of institutional programs.