Welcome Guide for Teachers of First-Year Composition at the University of South Florida

First-Year Composition (FYC) Program Homepage:

• http://collegewriting.us

Program Staff

·        Joe Moxley, Interim Director of Composition, Dept. of English (813-974-9469) (CPR 358)

·          Dr. Kim Murray, Interim Associate Director of Composition, Dept. of English (813-974-9557) (CPR 358-D)

·      Dan Goosby, FYC Program Assistant  (813-974-9458) (CPR 358G)

·      Deedra Hickman, Office Manager (974-9463) (CPR 358G)

FYC Policy Committee, 2007-08

The FYC Policy Committee consists of a group of appointed faculty, staff, instructors, adjuncts, and TAs who meet monthly to discuss the program and advise the Director of Composition.  Current Policy Committee members are listed at:  http://www.collegewriting.us/staff.htm.

FYC Policies and Procedures:  To read about FYC Program requirements, see the Policies and Procedures page (this is given to all teachers along with their contract each semester).  

Employment and Hiring:  For Employment Information and Forms see Employment Information.

Helpful Information

Prior to and During the First Week of Classes

Visit this link for Parking Information: http://usfweb2.usf.edu/parking_services/facstaff.asp

Required Workshop for New Teachers

The pay period for Fall term starts at the end of the first week in August and runs through the third week in December. As a condition of employment, new teachers are required to attend a workshop that begins two weeks prior to the beginning of classes.  Attendance at other workshops throughout the term will be benefit you in multiple ways, as we discuss pedagogy and use you participation as criteria for assigning future classes. If you cannot attend the fall workshop, please notify Dr. Joe Moxley at least two weeks in advance. Feel free to view the schedule for the Fall Training Workshop. 

Required Workshop for Returning Teachers

As a condition of employment (which officially begins at the end of the first week in August, returning teachers are required to attend three days of training.  To view the dates and tentative workshop schedule for times and locations, click here.

Contact Information and Blackboard
 

1. We will periodically ask you for your primary email address. We prefer that you use your USF email account, but we will accept non-USF email (Note: Be aware that USF email is delayed when it is transferred to Yahoo, Hotmail, or other Internet mail accounts).  You will need a CAS account (from the College of Arts and Sciences  Computing Office) Whatever email you use, we need you to access this email on a regular basis.  We will also add your name to the FYC-Instructor listserv.
    
2. USF requires instructors to use USF email in conducting USF business. Using USF email provides you with a secure archive in cases of complaints about your teaching. USF also has virus protection against attachments. To use Blackboard, you must use your USF email and USF Net ID. 
    
3. Using your USF Net ID, which can be obtained by visiting the Academic Computing Net ID Sign Up Page, log in to Blackboard at https://my.usf.edu.  Under “Courses You Are Teaching,” you will see a Blackboard site automatically created for each of your classes.  USF populates the roster for your class and the grading tool is easy to use and appreciated by students. If you do not see your class once you log in, this may mean the course has not been associated to your name in Banner; see the FYC Program Assistant so that s/he can check Banner and resolve the problem for you. To help expedite this usage of Blackboard, we have placed one computer in each of your offices. If you have any problems with that computer, you need to fill out a Computer Work Request form available in the English Department office or call CAS Computing at 974-2418. The form will then go to CAS Computing, and someone will be sent to fix or replace the machine. This may take a week or so, so you need to find out if you have any computer problems as quickly as possible. If you need a second computer in your office, please let the FYC Program Assistant know and we will make arrangements as soon as possible. We cannot put three computers in most offices because each office only has two network connections. We can get you a third computer if necessary, but you will have to get your own router.
   
   Note: In 07-08 we will provide you with a Blackboard grade template that you can import into your Blackboard class; this Blackboard temlate will include a column to account for attendance as specified in our shared syllabus.   Hide the weighted grade column. Add a final grade column.

Classrooms

Check the Class Schedule at http://www.registrar.usf.edu/ssearch/search.php before your class starts. Room changes are often made as late as the day before your class starts. 

Nearly all ENC classes are held in hybrid rooms.  If your classroom is locked and you need to visit it to check on your equipment, contact Deedra if your class is in Cooper Hall or the Physical Plant if your classroom in other building (813-974-2845). 

Getting/sharing an office

Office location:  See Deedra for your office assignment.  Space is limited and all efforts will be made to give everyone a space. Sometimes instructors teach in other buildings, so do not assume that your office will be located in Cooper Hall or near your classes. 

Office key: You will not receive an office key in your department mailbox.  The key shop usually sends a postcard that arrives in your box announcing that your key is ready for pickup; however, in many cases, no post card will arrive.  If you do not receive your postcard after a week, call the key shop at 974-2845.  If you do not pick up your key within 30 days, the order will be cancelled; as a result, the Department Chair will need to sign a new order for your key.   

Office sharing:  The FYC Program depends on you to work out desk space and office sharing among yourselves.  We expect you to consult with your office mates concerning which desk should be yours and when to schedule office hours or conference times so that you can have space for meeting students.  Remember that your office is not your home, and we expect you to be professional and neat.  Clean up your own messes and limit your personal items will ensure that everyone is comfortable.

Using the phone:

• To dial a number within the Tampa campus, dial 4 + the four-number extension.  Most adjunct and TA offices do not have voice mail.  Please be sure to give your students an alternate way of contacting you. Students should only leave messages at the front desk in an emergency; otherwise they should contact you via phone or email.
• In case you do have voicemail, you can access it by calling: 4-1200 or 4-1300.

Office hours:  See Policies and Procedures. 

Reserving Library Instruction

To schedule a Library Orientation for your class(es), contact the reference desk: 813-974-2729 or fill out the online reservation form:  http://web.lib.usf.edu/forms/faculty-lecture-request.html

Electronic Evaluations

If you wish to see how you will be evaluated by your students, go to http://usfweb2.usf.edu/eval/composition/basicsurvey.htm (NOTE:  this is not the URL you will be giving to students).  The survey link the FYC Program uses each semester is on a different URL because it needs to be opened two weeks prior to the end of the semester and closed on the last day of finals week.  The URL will be posted on the front page of the FYC College Writing site: http://collegewriting.us).  All first-year composition course evaluations are online.  You will be given the web-address in an announcement that appears via the FYC-Instructors listserv. If you would like to see a copy of your students’ evaluations, then you can request them, as we only print out copies by request.   Please allow 24-48 hours for the request to be processed.  

Using the Computer in your Classroom

•  Most classrooms have a computer-podium for the instructor's use.  This set up is useful for showing sample papers, accessing the library databases, viewing information from the FYC website, giving Power Point presentations, etc.  Many classrooms also have an "ELMO," or document viewer, which is the computerized version of an opaque projector.  Instructions on how to use each is usually located on the instructor's desk. 

• Prior to the first day of class, it's important to make sure you know how to use the equipment. If no instructions are available and you need emergency help with using the computer podium in your room, please contact the AV Resources Helpline at 974-2382 or go to http://www.outreach.usf.edu/CTS/ for more information. (You may want to write down this number and put it near your lesson plans for the first week).   If you prefer to use your own laptop or travel drive, you may connect it to the USB extension provided in most hybrid classrooms.

During the First Week of Classes

No Course Overload Permits

The English Department does not give permits for closed-section 1101 and 1102 classes. Even with the faculty member's approval, the English Department is unable to give permits.

First Day Attendance Policy

According to USF's policy on the first day of class, you must take roll on the Registrar's form provided and circle the names of students who are not present. This will automatically drop them and open spaces for those waiting to join the class. Please do not send students to the English Department to register. They still must register with OASIS.

First Day Assessment

We also ask that you ask students to hand-write their assessment essay, check the essays to see if the student is writing appropriately for college level (if not, take the essay to Kim Murray).  Return the essays to the students the second class day so that they can revise and type the essay for the Office of Assessment.  Note that the Office of Assessment requests that teachers do not respond to the essays before they are submitted to the Assessment Office; students may peer review papers, but--for purposes of this assessment essay--instructors may not make suggestions for revision.  After the essays are submitted, instructors may respond or re-use the essay as necessary for the benefit of the students and/or the class.

Grading

• A significant number of major assignments must be graded before the last drop date and before mid-term.  We want to avoid students not receiving timely grades on their writing and a situation in which students’ writing abilities are not assessed until several weeks into the semester.

• Remember that a “C” paper is “average.” 

• At midterm and finals, you need to submit e-grades to the Registrar's Office. 

• USF’s Grade Grievance Policy is summarized in the Undergraduate Catalog at http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0304/arcsagp.htm

• USF’s Incomplete Policy is summarized in the Undergraduate Catalog at http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0304/gradetc.htm

Answers to MLA and Plagiarism Quizzes

For the password for answers to the Plagiarism and MLA Quizzes, use the FYC password.

Supplies - Erasers, markers, etc.

Please fill out a supply request form.  Dry erase markers are available to all teachers.  Do not leave them in the classroom, or they will be gone.  We have very few erasers.  You may borrow one for class if you need to, but please return it at the end of class.

Throughout the Semester

Blackboard is Required

Throughout the semester, you are required to use Blackboard's grade book and turn in a copy of your Blackboard grades to the FYC Program Assistant at mid-term and at the end of each semester.  A copy of your grades becomes especially important should a student file a grade dispute.  Make sure you add your name, section, and date for each printout. 

Responding to Each Project Three Times

Excluding the portfolio, you are required to respond to each project twice (for at least one of the writing projects, we ask that you use departmentally-approved evaluation criteria that are shared with students when the assignment is given).  In other words, you must read an early draft and a latter draft (which some might call a final draft), and then respond to drafts in the portfolio. CLAQWA, USF's evaluative tool, is highly recommended for responses to drafts. You may also want to use Word's track changes and comment features, or some combination of these tools. If you have questions about grading a particular paper, please see Kim Murray in Cooper Hall, 358-D. 

Holding Individual Conferences

Hold two individual conferences with students per term (one at mid-term and one before the final draft of the 2nd or 3rd project is due).  The purpose of these conferences is to help students improve their writing--specifically in terms of their projects.

If You Miss a Class

If you cannot meet one of more of your classes, you must make significant attempts to find a substitute (by posting a request on the FYC-Instructor listserv).  Regardless of whether you are an instructor, adjunct, or TA, you must notify the English Department (813-974-2421) when you will miss a class. The Department policy states TAs are allowed to miss 5 classes for each section you teach. 

Plagiarism

For cases of Plagiarism, you must follow the writing program's policies and procedures which are published at http://collegewriting.us/FrontPageDocuments/CompositionProgramPlagiarismPolicy.htm.

Please collect evidence you have for cheating or plagiarism and share it with the DOC before discussing the issue with the student. Simply suspecting that a work exceeds a student’s ability is not sufficient evidence of plagiarism.

Discipline

If you have any discipline problems in your classroom, please notify Jason Spratt, Associate Dean of Students at 974-8618.

Diversity Statement

USF’s DEO Policy: The University of South Florida is a diverse community that values and expects respect and fair treatment of all people. The University strives to provide a work and study environment for faculty, staff, and students that is free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, marital status, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran’s status, or age.  All faculty and those graduate students with instructional responsibilities are required to promptly report allegations, reports, or instances of alleged discrimination or harassment by or against a University student to the Diversity and Equal Opportunity Office (DEO).  Faculty, staff, and students who believe they have been subjected to discrimination and/or harassment may contact the Teaching Assistant or Professor of the class, the Department Chair, the Dean of the College, or DEO.

Using Your Office Computer, University Email Account, and Printing Documents

GRADUATE students are issued an email by the University. 
ADJUNCTS will need to see a staff member (Val or Deedra) for an access form.
EVERYONE will need to fill out an access form for a CAS logon to access your office computer and the department printer.  The printer should only be used for teaching course materials.

To use the CAS computer in your office, you must have a CAS ID. To get the CAS ID, you must see Deedra Hickman. She will complete the paperwork. Then, to receive the account, you must go to the CAS Help Desk, SCA 213.  NOTE:  Your CAS ID is not the same as your MyUSF ID. Instead, the CAS ID is the ID that you need to use the software that is licensed to CAS Computing and to log on to the Arts and Sciences Network. You cannot sign on to the USF network with a MyUSF ID.

1. To read your CAS mail, go to https://mailbox.cas.usf.edu/cas/.

2. When you reach the sign-in screen, you will have either of two choices: 

• For the screen with two blank spaces, you’ll need the CAS prefix and backslash (for instance, cas\kmurray). 

• If you have three blank spaces, type CAS in a separate line.

If you send documents to the English Department printer (listed as Eng 1 on your print menu) from the computers in your office, please remember that they must be course related and relatively short in length in order to conserve the Department’s paper resources. 

Copying Course Handouts

• To copy syllabus for your class, call Pro Copy (it’s free and delivered to the department mailbox for you, if you send it 2-3 days in advance): http://www.procopycoursematerial.com/, (813) 988-5900 or email:  procopy1@aol.com

• Anything from the web will not be copied by the Department. Chapters from books will not be copied by the Department. Paper examples should be scanned at library reserves. Quizzes, tests, and in-class writing assignments will be copied by the Department when requested. 
  Our goal is to have 100% of our instructors teaching from computer-intensive classrooms.  If you need help with using the computer podium in your room, please contact the AV Resources Helpline at 974-2382.

• Only faculty have codes for the copier.

• Please fill out a copy request form in the main office.  The Department copier cannot handle transparencies.  To ensure your copies are done in time, please give us 24-48 hours.

College Writing Website, http://collegewriting.us

As our FYC Program evolves from semester to semester, we update the website all the time.  If a FYC site problem exists, contact us immediately. One problem that people have had in the past is a password prompt.  You can select “Cancel” repeatedly and the website should open.  All of the curriculum pages do not require a password except for some pages that are underdevelopment.  If you are receiving a prompt for a password consistently, you may need to update your browser.  While Sharepoint works in most browsers, fewer problems occur in Internet Explorer.   

The small gray square  on some of the http://collegewriting.us pages is for website authoring.  If you wish to use College Writing as an authoring space, let Moxley know and he will activate your USF NetID.   

Using Blackboard - If you have any questions, call the Blackboard Trainers at 813-974-3286.

Go to http://my.usf.edu/.  Sign in using your USF NetID (not your CAS ID). 

To upload your syllabus

Put in the floppy, travel drive, or CD, open blackboard, go to control panel, click on “syllabus” then go to near the bottom of the screen and click “Attach Local File.”  Then “Browse.”  Keep pressing the arrow folder up till you find “My computer.”  Then look for the appropriate drive….or till you find the document you need.

To create a Discussion Forum (as an alternative to blogging):

1. Click on Courses.
2. Click on “Class Discussions.”
3. Click in “Add Forum.”
4. Type in blog topic with due dates.
5. Uncheck “anonymous post” box and check whatever else applies. (Allowing attachments can sometimes be a bother to open.)

To grade student posts go to “Control Panel,” and click on “Discussion Grader.”  You may need to add a value to the grade book.

To print your grades from Blackboard, go to the Blackboard Grade Book from the Control Panel.

1.       Click on “Download Grades.”

2.       Select “Delimiter,” then select “TAB.”

3.       Don’t click “Open.”  Instead, click “Save Target As” and label your document so that you can find it. (Otherwise it will save as a blackboard picture.)

4.       Open as an Excel file.

5.       You can delete extra columns (forums, complete, extra HW, etc.), but if you want to save everything, your document will print on two pages.  If you know how to copy a column, you can copy the “student name” column at the end.   

6.       Go to Set UP – click landscape (to change formatting to landscape).

7.       You can now save and print it. 

8.       Make sure you put your name, course section, year, etc. on the pages.

We ask that you turn in copies of your Blackboard grades to the Department. 

BULLitzer Prize Awards

Every semester, instructors may nominate students for a "Bullitzer Prize,” an annual award for best writing in the FYC program.  The award categories include Best 1101 project, Best 1102 project, and Best Blog (a collection of 3-5 of your best blog entries).  Last year, Grace McQueen, Manager of the USF Bookstore, provided bookstore gift certificates for first and second place winners.  See this site for last year’s Bullitzer Prize winning essays http://www.collegewriting.us/FrontPageDocuments/Bullitzer.aspx and for nomination forms. 
 

Ordering Books
 

All ENC classes use the same textbooks. There are desk copies available for all of the texts.

All desk copies must be signed out. Online classes also require texts. 
 

ENC 1101 - The Brief Thomson Handbook (spiral bound) and a course reader (TBA).  The Thomson Handbook includes an access code for ENGLISH 21, a comprehensive grammar and writing website that students may use for four years. 

ENC 1102

• The Brief Thomson Handbook with four-year access to ENGLISH 21.

• A choice of either Inventing Arguments, Dynamic Argument or Writing Arguments. Book choices must be made in adequate time for the subsequent semester.

During the Last Two Weeks of Classes
 

1. In the last three weeks of classes, all TAs, Instructors and Adjuncts must ask students to complete the FYC Writing Program Evaluation Form online.  The link will be activated approximately one week before the end of classes and posted on the FYC homepage. 
    
2. All teachers need to turn in their final grade sheets to the English department front desk.  Instructors who teach ENC 1102 will also turn in copies of their students' Exit Essays for the Office of Assessment (instructors need to make sure that students include their U#s on the exit assessments). 

Available Campus Resources for Students

The USF Writing Center:  http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/wcntr/index.html

The USF Counseling Center:  http://usfweb2.usf.edu/counsel/