Mark your calendars for GradFest 2024, happening on March 27 and 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons on the main campus and all LLCC Outreach Centers. Students may purchase caps, gowns and tassels from the LLCC Bookstore beginning March 27. You can find LLCC Commencement information online.
CCSSE Survey needs more student response
LLCC is participating in the online Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) during the spring 2024 semester. CCSSE is a national survey focused on teaching, learning and retention in community colleges. To learn more about CCSSE, visit www.ccsse.org.
The survey invitation has been distributed to students via an email, with a supporting Canvas announcement to increase awareness and accessibility. The survey will remain open during most of March. If you interact with students, please encourage them to complete the CCSSE.
Contact us at AskIRE@llcc.edu with questions.
LLTLC Call for Proposals and Registration
On May 20-21, the conference formerly known as FSI (or the Faculty Summer Institute) will be held, with a new name: the Lincoln Legacy Teaching and Learning Community. The LLTLC Steering Committee invites you to submit a proposal to address any important issues and concerns in contemporary education, especially related to these three themes:
- Generative AI That Supports Student Learning
- Online Learning’s New Challenges
- What’s So Funny About Playful, Reflective, Slow Learning
For more information, please review the Call for Proposals.
LLTLC registration is also now open.
Springfield Southeast Students learn about DMS
Leigh Giles-Brown, program director for diagnostic medical sonography at LLCC, presented to approximately 70 juniors and seniors at Springfield Southeast High School on Wednesday. Students learned about admission requirements, what the DMS program entails and different specialty areas within sonography. Students also learned about the free summer 2024 HELPrS program at LLCC which is an opportunity to learn about multiple health care programs including job shadowing days at local health care facilities.
LLCC Transfer Night Partnership
Wednesday night, LLCC partnered with the University of Illinois System and District 186 for a transfer exploration night. There were 25 attendees at the event. Thank you to Dr. Amanda Turner, director of student success, for participating in the panel discussion moderated by Mackenzie Bryant, recruitment specialist. Special thanks to Jeff Martin, workforce recruitment coordinator, and LLCC Facilities for their assistance with the event. Lisa Clanton, student success coach, also came to lend her support.
Sunsetting SoftChalk, save content before Aug. 15
LLCC will not be renewing the college’s SoftChalk license after the current contract expires. The deadline to export and save any content currently stored in your SoftChalk Cloud accounts is Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Content that is not exported by the end of the license expiration will be lost.
Keep in mind:
- The deadline of Aug. 15 is for exporting and saving Softchalk Cloud content.
- The export files created are html/index files and can be loaded directly into Canvas and will function the same as they do in Softchalk Cloud. The exception to this is SoftChalk lessons that are connected to the Canvas Gradebook. These connections will be lost when the html/index files are uploaded directly into Canvas.
- AIeL has developed both written directions and video tutorials on how to download SoftChalk lessons from the cloud and upload them in Canvas.
H5P
LLCC has now licensed new content authoring software called H5P, which offers more design flexibility and a richer feature set than SoftChalk. H5P can be used to create a wider variety of interactive content types, including quizzes, games, and simulations. H5P content is designed to be accessible to all users, which is especially important for students with disabilities. H5P is also mobile-friendly, so students can access H5P on almost any type of device. H5P is also open source and has a large and active community of users who contribute to its development and who share different kinds of content with one another.
Please note:
- Transitioning content from SoftChalk to H5P is not required. As described above, exported SoftChalk Cloud files (html/index files) can be loaded into Canvas courses and will look and function the same as they do when stored in SoftChalk Cloud with the exception for those lessons tied directly to the gradebook.
- AIeL began training and support for H5P during the fall 23 semester with the intent to provide a full academic year for those who wish to transition from SoftChalk to H5P.
- Workshops on H5P are still being offered through the spring 24 semester and can be found on the AIeL Workshop Schedule. Questions about the use of H5P can also be answered at AIeL open labs or by appointment with a member of the AIeL Team.
If you have any additional questions, contact Becky Parton, dean of LLCC Academic Innovation and eLearning, at 217-786-2351.
Commencement student speaker and outstanding graduate nominations sought
Commencement Student Speaker
The vice president of student services is currently seeking nominations for student speakers for LLCC Commencement 2024.
Please take some time to consider students you would be comfortable recommending as a potential commencement speaker for the class of 2024.
If you would like to nominate a student, instructions, application and graduate listing are attached here for your convenience. All nominations should be returned to Gailyn Draper, Menard Hall 1255, no later than noon on Friday, March 29. Nominees must have completed graduation requirements at the end of the summer 2023 term, fall 2023 semester or be candidates for graduation at the end of the spring 2024 semester or summer 2024 term. All nominated students need to have their speech ready to audition on April 9 in Menard Hall, Room 2206 beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Outstanding Graduate
The office of the vice president of student services is also currently seeking nominations for Outstanding Graduate for LLCC Commencement 2024.
Each year, you have the opportunity to nominate candidates for consideration for this recognition. If you would like to nominate a student, instructions, application and graduate listing of students with 3.0 GPA or higher are attached below for your convenience. All nominations should be returned to Gailyn Draper at gailyn.draper@llcc.edu by noon on Friday, March 29. Nominees must have completed graduation requirements at the end of the summer 2023 term, fall 2023 semester or be candidates for graduation at the end of the spring 2024 semester or summer 2024 term.
LLCC Athletics invites you to their open house March 28
Join LLCC Athletics, March 28 from noon to 2 p.m. You will learn about the six sports that we offer at LLCC and the great successes that we have had. We will have hot dogs and popcorn available for those who attend. The open house will be held in Cass Gym. Please stop by and join us!
Friday is the Deadline for the Paul Simon Essay Contest
LLCC students have an opportunity to win a $500 scholarship by participating in the Paul Simon Essay Contest. Please encourage students to enter by writing a 500-word essay on the topic “How My Community College Changed My Life.”
Deadline: 3 p.m., Friday, March 22
Entries will be judged on style, clarity and relevance with special emphasis on grammar and punctuation. Submissions must include the student’s name, address, phone number and email address. Students are encouraged to schedule appointments in the LLCC Writing Center to review essays before submission. Submissions must be emailed to the Writing Center by the deadline, writing.center@llcc.edu.
LLCC prizes:
- First place: $75 gas card and prizes from the LLCC Bookstore. The winning essay will be entered into the statewide competition for the chance to win $500 toward educational expenses for the fall 2024 and an invitation to attend the Illinois Community College Association’s awards banquet in June.
- Second place: $25 gas card and prizes from the LLCC Bookstore.
- Third place: prizes from the LLCC Bookstore.
For more information contact the Writing Center at 217-786-2341 or writing.center@llcc.edu.
Friday’s AIeL Workshop: Beyond Diversity: A Guided Discussion
For those who have viewed the webinar, “Beyond Diversity: How to Build a Truly Antiracist Organization,” join local leaders from the Springfield Coalition on Dismantling Racism for a deeper dive into the topics explored in this Crossroads webinar. The workshop will include a discussion on how faculty and staff at LLCC might implement anti-racist principles and practices into their daily work and advocate for institutional transformation. This workshop is co-sponsored by the LLCC Workforce Equity Initiative. Faculty participants will receive 3 points toward their Training and Innovation professional development total for successful completion of this workshop.
Friday, March 22 from 1-4 p.m. in the Robert H. Stephens Room.
Register for Beyond Diversity: A Guided Discussion.