OCTOBER 11

In this issue:

CU Inauguration
New faculty calendar
Fall 2 open courses
Fall 1 grades
Faculty reflections
Midterm evaluations for 16-week courses
Fall 1 end-of-semester reminders
Fall 2 preparation

COLLEGE UNBOUND INAUGURATION

Any College Unbound event would be incomplete without students and faculty coming into CommUnity and celebrating together. We want to extend our warmest invitation to each and every faculty and their students to come into community for the inauguration of Dr. Adam Bush. This event is more than a recognition of CU’s second president, it is a milestone to reflect, celebrate, and struggle forward toward a shared vision of liberation.

We ask that you also share this opportunity with your students over the next few weeks in your announcements. Please RSVP and make sure students know to RSVP to attend so that organizers can ensure there is enough space and food for all.

Come out in your CU green, bring your loved ones, and share this meaningful experience with your CU community!

Date: Sunday, October 22, 2023

Time: Doors Open at 10:30am, Event Begins at 11:00am

Place: Waterfire Arts Center, 475 Valley Street, Providence, RI

Doors will open at 10:30 AM, with the ceremony commencing at 11 AM, featuring poetry and performances. Following the ceremony, there will be live music and catering provided by Sly Fox Den. After the ceremony, we invite you to stay for a public conversation period, guided by President Adam Bush and two of his mentors, on the learning, listening, and collective improvisation necessary to create a more equitable and just world.

See more information, including a schedule of events around Inauguration weekend here .

RSVP NOW

NEW FACULTY CALENDAR

We are introducing a new faculty specific calendar for the academic year. This calendar includes all of the dates from the academic calendar with the addition of important dates for faculty and alumni mentors. Here is the link to the faculty and academic calendar. This will also be posted on the CU website.

FALL SESSION 2 OPEN COURSES

If students are interested in enrolling in another course or making any changes to their schedule, several courses are open for Fall Session 2.

Students can enroll in Fall Session 2 courses until October 29 by registering through Campus Cafe.

See the available courses here

GRADES

Fall 1 Grades are due on October 20!

The end of fall session 1 is approaching and it is time to talk about grades. Grades are calculated in Moodle but faculty need to enter official grades in Campus Cafe. Please make sure that you are able to access Campus Cafe. If you have are having issues accessing Campus Cafe, now is the time to resolve them. Here is the link with detailed information about completing the narratives and entering grades in Campus Cafe. Please contact Karen Casper if you have any questions.

If a student contacts you to request an incomplete, here is the link to the Incomplete Form template . Please make a copy of the form saving it with the student’s name. Please review the valid reasons for an incomplete and reach out to Lance Eaton or Karen Casper if you have any questions about a particular student. Please note, this form must be completed and submitted to the Provost at provost@collegeunbound.edu before grades are due on October 20. If a student’s grade is Incomplete, the I must be entered into the Final Grade section in Campus Cafe in the same manner as other grades.

Grades must be entered in Campus Cafe by midnight on October 20.

All Faculty Please complete your Reflection on Practice by October 20, 2023.

TEACHING & INNOVATION

Lab Faculty, Learning From Experience, & Writing Workshop Faculty

Two important reminders as you reach the halfway point in the semester!

Be sure to encourage your students to complete the Midterm Course Evaluation form so they can provide you with important feedback. We’ll send that feedback to you (it will be anonymous) once we return from break.
Also make sure you provide your "Mid-Semester Feedback for Students” to all your students. This is located in Week 8. There is a written guidance & template language and this video (4:17 minutes) to walk you through how to do it.

Fall 1 Faculty

Wanna make sure you've got everything graded in the course? Check out the GradeMe feature in Moodle (2:26 minutes)! Note though that this doesn’t currently work for discussions.
Towards the end of this week and beginning of next week, don’t forget to nudge students to complete the course evaluations. The link is also in the final week of your course).
Don’t forget to post your end of semester narratives for students. We are now doing this in Moodle. Please r eview this video on how to post student narratives (4:17 minutes).

Fall 2 Faculty

Send us your syllabus (if you haven’t yet). Please include me and Karen Casper. This is the required template (and your syllabi must be a Google Doc): CU Fall 2 2023 Syllabus Template
This video (12:26 minutes) walks you through how to get Moodle up and ready. You can use this checklist for your moodle course.
Open your Moodle courses by the midday of Monday October 16, 2023). Here’s how to open up a Moodle course (1 minute).
When you open your course, Post a Welcome Announcement to Students in your Moodle course. Here’s how to post announcements (2:01 minutes). Please use the Announcement tool and NOT email. This way newly registered students can still see the message (also, when you post an announcement, it goes to students email too).
Use the Attendance: Engagement tool in your Moodle course every week to track attendance/engagement this semester. Watch this video (9:20 minutes) that explains how to use it.
Use this Faculty Weekly Checklist to help guide you through the semester.
Request a Zoom account from CU if you don’t have one.
Get in any last book and learning material orders that students are expected to buy. Use this form.