The Chemistry Club is hosting a Bake Sale today, Friday, Dec. 9, in A. Lincoln Commons from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Accepting cash or checks payable to “LLCC.” Money raised is used to cover the costs of future club activities, field trips, and events. Stop by and pick-up some delicious treats for the holidays!
LLCC ELF
Our elf Rosie Cotton Bell has been causing mischief again. Follow what she’s up to on the LLCC Facebook page.
Our sympathy to Lori Smith and Kevin Kirsch
Norman Joseph Kirsch, 88, of McLeansboro, father of Lori Smith, scholarship program coordinator, and Kevin Kirsch, professor, auto-CAD, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 6. Visitation will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, Harre Funeral Home, McLeansboro. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at St. Clement’s Catholic Church, McLeansboro.
Veterans Club Coffee Sale
LLCC Veterans Club is selling coffee Dec. 13 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons. Stop by for a cup of java to fuel your day!
2017-2018 LLCC Foundation scholarship application now available!
The LLCC Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2017-2018 academic year. Students considering or planning to attend LLCC beginning in fall 2017 are encouraged to apply. Deadline to apply is March 1.
LLCC Foundation scholarships are available for first-time and continuing students who will be enrolled full- or part-time at LLCC. Students submitting a complete application are considered for all available scholarships for which they are eligible.
The application is available online by going to www.llccfoundation.org/scholarships. For more information, contact Lori Smith, scholarship program coordinator, at 217.786.4502 or lori.smith@llcc.edu.
KUDOS Announcement coming soon!
An announcement of KUDOS awards is coming soon! If you would like to honor a colleague for going above and beyond, please submit a KUDOS form by Monday, Dec. 12 to tell us about them!
The KUDOS award is an informal way to recognize the small and large ways our faculty and staff contribute to the positive environment that is LLCC. Brighten someone’s day and say “thank you, great job!” with a KUDOS.
Grades due December 19!
Fall semester, Mod II and Short semester grades due: Monday, Dec. 19 at noon. Please contact Shanda Byer (6-2290) or Susan Mendenhall (6-2424) with any questions or grade changes.
In the News
Marnie Record, workforce specialist, wrote “The path to better health starts now” for this week’s Epicuriosity 101 column in the State Journal-Register.
Julie Rourke, director, workforce development; Lyn Buerkett, director, adult education and literacy; and Lynn Whalen, executive director, public relations and marketing, were interviewed for an upcoming story in the Springfield Business Journal. They answered questions about the HIRE education program and high school equivalency preparation offered at LLCC.
LLCC employees win city-wide On My Own Time (OMOT) awards
Congratulations to LLCC employees honored with awards Dec. 6 in the city-wide On My Own Time (OMOT) art exhibit! This year, 116 OMOT artists submitted 253 entries at 11 in-house exhibits in the Springfield area. LLCC employees had 10 of the 59 first place pieces of art that are part of the city-wide exhibit on display at the Springfield Art Association, 700 N. 4th St. through Dec. 22. Be sure to stop by, view the art, and vote for the People’s Choice award! LLCC winners are:
Painting First Place – Greg Walbert, “Free To Be Cool”
Drawing First Place – Greg Walbert, “A.L. 1864”
Other (Paper) First Place: Pam Daniel, “Lincoln’s Perspective”
Mixed Media Third Place – Sue Rush, “Bird on a Wire”;
Photography Second Place: Michelle Burger, “Vivaciousness”; Third Place: Tricia Kujawa, “Dusk at the Badlands”; Honorable Mentions: Michelle Burger, “Release”; Tricia Kujawa, “Eyes of Lincoln”; Esteban Cruz, “Fabulous”
Participation Award Brenda Protz, “Gateway”
The Springfield Area Arts Council (SAAC) sponsors OMOT. The purpose is to help local businesses, agencies, educational and medical institutions identify and celebrate the artistic talents of people they employ. In-house exhibits in all locations were held in October 2016. A panel of local artists conducted judging. All entrants were awarded ribbons for participation in the exhibit. First, second, third and honorable mention were awarded in 12 categories. First-place award winning artwork qualified for the city-wide exhibit. The city-side exhibit entries are judged and awarded first, second, third and honorable mention in each of the twelve categories. In addition, the “Best of Show–Peg Lonson Award” is given to the overall outstanding art entry in the city-wide exhibit. (Peg Lonson was President of the SAAC Board of Directors [1984-1986] and later deputy director of the Arts Council. OMOT was one of the programs she developed in Springfield.) OMOT is supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the city of Springfield.
Thank you to all that assisted with our in-house exhibit. And congratulations to all of the talented LLCC colleagues participating in this year’s exhibit!
Update from the Office of Academic Effectiveness
Fall 2016 Happenings
- The pilot program of the new assessment process is underway and progressing nicely. Six programs are participating: biology, computer science, English, radiography, sociology and surgical technology. Much has been learned about the process (and the rollout) that will allow us to make needed modifications.
- The Assessment Proficiency Program participants are also progressing and have so far completed many assessment related activities including curriculum mapping and beginning the course assessment process.
- The new assessment process includes a feedback process that is also being piloted. Deans and department assessment coordinators (DACs) will be providing programs with feedback on their mission statement, assessment plan, curriculum map and/or PASRs. A peer review team will provide feedback on CASRs. Any faculty who completed and submitted assessment items to the LLCC Office of Academic Effectiveness will receive feedback so stay tuned! We appreciate your patience as we implement our new processes.
- An assessment training site has been created in Blackboard and is being utilized alongside the pilot program. Once fully developed, this site will house training materials and resources that can be accessed by all individuals engaged in assessment activities.
- The Office of Academic Effectiveness has developed a mission statement: The mission of the Office of Academic Effectiveness is to lead, support and communicate sustainable processes integral to the continuous improvement of teaching and learning by being the resource for faculty and staff to investigate and complete curriculum development, assessment and program review processes.
Spring 2017 Happenings
- A rollout schedule will be developed to determine how the new processes can be implemented in a sustainable way. This rollout will also allow faculty to easily see when their program will enter the new assessment process.
- Course and program outcomes will be transferred from CurricUNET to Blackboard to allow for faculty to utilize Blackboard as an assessment tool. To ensure outcomes are correct in CurricUNET, an audit of the program and course outcomes will be conducted during the spring 2017 semester. Programs will receive an email during the month of January that will contain a spreadsheet with the currently-approved outcomes. Faculty will be asked to verify if the outcomes listed are correct. If changes need to be made, a contact person should be identified so the changes can be made and approved through CurricUNET. Open labs will be scheduled to help program department review teams accomplish this.
- The Office of Academic Effectiveness will be working through an operational plan during the spring semester and summer session. Strategies have been identified to build a strong foundation for the office so it can accomplish its goal to support faculty.