THE SEARCH FOR A USABLE PAST


Preciso and Sandoz

Fall, 1997-1998

FACULTY STATEMENT OF MUTUAL EXPECTATIONS

We agree to:


Share equally the work and responsability for the success of The Search for a Usable Past

Afford each other the dignity and professional courtesy inherent in the assumption of equal competence and expertise.

Joli is looking forward to learning from Susan about encouraging and evaluating student writing, and about the literature and literary context of the 1850s, 1890s and 1950s. Susan is looking forward to learning from Joli about 1990s planning and research skills, and the roles of sport and religion in the culture of our target decades. We both are glad to be teaching with another person who can help with the planning, implementation and evaluation of a challenging year-long task.

Remain open to each other--talk directly to each other and with honesty about problems and tensions. As part of our commitment on this point, we will not talk to students about the other faculty, and students who surface an issue with the other faculty will be advised to speak to her directly. (We agree to advise the student that s/he may request to meet with both of us together, and to attend such a meeting.)

Give each other honest feedback on teaching matters, when one of us specifically requests it.

Meet regularly (minimum of an hour a week) to discuss program content, planning, and how things are going, and an additional hour weekly to seminar on readings.

Meet during Week 10 or eval week each quarter to assess how things are going according to this list.

Maintain a mutual understanding that this is a 20-25 hour a week job, and that we each have additional projects and lives away from the college. We will evaluate curriculum-related ideas in this light.

Susan Preciso has agreed to be Program Coordinator, with the understanding that Joli Sandoz will share equally in program administration tasks. These tasks as we expect them now include:

Budget, Student Records, Liaison with Deans, Business Meeting Agenda, Faculty Seminar Agenda, Advising of Students, Approval of Seminar Group Switches, Enrollment of New Students, Equipment and Supplies, Book Orders, Changes in Planned Curriculum; Liaison with Computer Center, Academic Advising, Writing Center; Space and Scheduling, Supervision of Student Aides, Visiting Speakers, Field Trip Arrangements, Communications to Students, Keeper of Program History

PROGRAM COVENANT

Each student and faculty member shares equally in the communal responsibility for how well this program works as a learning environment.

DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS OF 'SEARCH' PARTICIPANTS


FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Excellent class attendance starting on time, lasting the entire class period

2. Thorough preparation for class and seminar

3. Class and seminar facilitation

4. Return written assignments promptly, usually within a week of receipt. Comment on assignments at student request.

5. Maintain reappointment portfolio which includes among other items copies of materials developed for class sessions, student evaluations of faculty, faculty evaluations of students, and student self evaluations.

6. Take active responsibility for our actions.

7. Reflect on the learning environment and process, and on student and faculty learning.

8. Available by appointment for student conferences; check phone and e-mail twice a week for messages.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Excellent class attendance starting on time, lasting the entire class period. Rare circumstances may mean you miss an occasional meeting, but your attendance is otherwise required. More than one unexcused absence may affect the number of credits you receive for the quarter. Consistent lateness, including late return from breaks, and regularly leaving class early will be construed as lack of commitment to the program and assessed accordingly.

2. Thoughtful completion of readings, assignments, and preparation notes and papers prior to the class at which they will be discussed.

3. Active participation in discussions and class activities, to the level of one's comfort. Respect for diversity of opinions and individuals. Attention to process issues, such as the dignity of other students and faculty and the involvement of all participants in discussion. Demonstrated acceptance of the fact that discussions, seminars and other group activities are not spectator sports, but thrive on mutual support.

4. Complete and submit all written work and assignments on or before the due date. Late work will be accepted only in unusual circumstances, and not at all without prior arrangement after class ends Wednesday of Week 10 of any quarter. Note: Keep a copy of all work you hand in.

5. Your portfolio, due to faculty the last day of class each quarter, should contain at a minimum all of your written assignments for the quarter. You may pick up your portfolio outside of your seminar faculty's office door beginning Monday of the week after evaluation week. Please make alternative arrangements with faculty if you need it returned to you by another method.

6. Take active responsibility for your learning. At Evergreen, faculty are facilitators and co-learners, not the sources and gatekeepers of knowledge.

a. Ask questions.

b. Prepare for class discussions and seminars; read the material and think about it.

c. Take the initiative to seek help from faculty and the various academic support services offered at Evergreen, as needed.

d. When the opportunity is offered, tailor assignments to your interests and goals.

e. Write your own notes and papers.

f. Provide honest, thoughtful feedback to faculty/other program participants when asked.

7. Take active responsibility for your actions.

a. Be aware of how your actions affect the learning environment of others.

b. Listen, respond courteously if others disagree/voice conflict with your opinions/actions.

c. Work to sustain an atmosphere of civility, goodwill, and mutual respect.

d. Acquaint yourself with and abide by the principles of the Evergreen Social Contract and the Sexual Harassment Policy.

8. Reflect on the learning environment and process, and on your learning

a. To receive any credit for 'Search', you must complete a self evaluation each quarter. A fairly complete draft will be due to faculty as part of your portfolio.

b. Faculty will occasionally expect you to complete feedback forms or questionnaires. This is one of your opportunities to affect the quality of education at Evergreen.

c. To receive credit for The Search for a Usable Past, you must complete an evaluation of your seminar faculty and submit it during class Wednesday of Week 10 each quarter, as part of your portfolio.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES


CREDIT POLICIES
Full and partial credit
Students who successfully complete all class requirements (including but not limited to attendance and participation, learning documentation such as papers and assignments, and required formal evaluations) will be granted full credit (8 credits) for each quarter of the program. Faculty may grant less than full credit for successful partial completion of class requirements. In keeping with Evergreen's policies, faculty determine the amount of credit awarded. If you are unhappy with their action, you may appeal first to the program faculty and then to Susan Fiksdal, Academic Dean. There may be a time limit within which you can appeal.

Please note that the award of full credit does not automatically result in a positive evaluation. You earn credit by fulfilling minimum requirements and standards. The evaluation concerns the actual quality of your work; it's possible, in other words, for a student to receive both full credit and an evaluation describing poor quality work. Because attendance is only one of several program requirements, it's also possible to attend regularly but receive no or reduced credit because of unsatisfactory or missing work.

"No incompletes"
Incompletes cannot be granted in part-time programs. Because faculty for part-time classes are hired on a program-by-program basis, there is no guarantee your faculty members will be working at Evergreen when you finish a project or other classwork, if that happens after the program has ended. In unusual circumstances only, faculty can grant less than the full amount of credit for class requirements partially (and successfully) completed.

WORKLOAD
'Search' operates on the assumption that an 8 credit program at Evergreen will require 20 hours of activity per week in class preparation and attendance, and out-of-class assignments. Faculty also assume that you take your work here seriously, and will invest time and energy to produce significant results. Students are expected to seek help from faculty when serious difficulty exists with the pace or content of the program. One helpful tool faculty may ask you for in the event of workload difficulties will be a weekly log of time spent on program-related activities.

LATE ASSIGNED WORK
Assigned work must be completed and submitted on time, except in unusual circumstances. Written work will not be recorded as completed until it meets the program's minimum guidelines; you have the option to redo any written assignments for reevaluation by faculty, provided the revised assignments and your first attempt are handed in by Wednesday of Week 10. Work cannot be accepted after the end of class on Wednesday of Week 10.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES
Two evaluation documents will be produced for each student each quarter (one by your faculty, the "faculty evaluation of student"; and one by you, the "student self-evaluation"). In addition, you are required to write a "student evaluation of faculty" every quarter for your seminar faculty.

Your evals of your work and of your seminar faculty must be turned in as part of your portfolio each quarter. (We do not read students' "eval of faculty" until we have written each "eval of student". You can give us your evaluation of faculty in a sealed envelope if you wish, but please put your name on the outside so we can give you credit for turning it in when we check you off on our lists.)

Your Evergreen transcript will include a faculty evaluation of your work in a program for which you receive credit. The faculty evaluation of student becomes "official"--that is, it becomes a physical part of your transcript--when you exit the program. If you take 'Search' for three quarters, faculty will write interim evals at the end of fall and winter, and a final eval which incorporates the interim evals and includes the final quarter at the end of spring. The latter is what goes in your transcript.

Your self-evaluation will become part of your official transcript only if you choose to put it there. You must type it on the official form, sign it, and give it to faculty for submission to the Registrar if you want it in your transcript. Informal self-evals are required each quarter; formal self-evals are usually written only at the end of the quarter after you leave the program.

Your evaluations of faculty members become part of their portfolio, which is considered in personnel decisions. The Part-Time Studies dean checks to be sure every student in each program completes an evaluation of faculty because they provide data for re-hiring decisions.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES (cont.)
All evaluations must be typed and signed; the student self-evaluation must be put on the official form if you want it to go in your transcript. Computerized formats for all evals are available in the Computer Center. Hard-copy forms can be obtained from Student Advising, Library 1401.

OPERATING PROCEDURES
Faculty will work to foster a learning environment free from sexual harassment (see Evergreen's Sexual Harassment Policy) and from discrimination. In keeping with Evergreen's policies, we will not tolerate sexual harassment nor discrimination with respect to race, sex, age, handicap/disability, sexual orientation, religious or political belief, or national origin, in ourselves or other members of the program. Offenders will be asked to leave the program. Program participants who feel seriously offended by others are urged to raise the issue with that person first when possible. (See below.)

A student may be asked to leave the program if her or his behavior is consistently disruptive to the learning environment of others and/or to the progress of the program. A student asked to leave who wishes to appeal may do so by arranging to meet with the faculty. College grievance procedures (see below) are also open to students.


GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
Civility, goodwill and collaboration are key to Evergreen. In an academic environment, each individual must be free at all times to voice personal opinions and judgements. But freedom is never easy; it requires acceptance of responsibility and recognition of others' rights as well as one's own. The idea that conflict should first be dealt with face-to-face grows from these understandings.

Faculty may be consulted as part of a resolution process for student-to-student disagreements. Faculty may provide advice, support and mediation in disputes, but will encourage interaction between the disputants. Faculty should also be consulted if possible in attempts to resolve student-faculty conflicts within the program. In such case, of course, students may also contact the Part-Time Studies dean, Susan Fiksdal, 866-6000, ext. 6329.

A college-wide grievance procedure exists to address unresolved grievances. Consult the campus grievance officer, Helena Meyer-Knapp, 866-6000, ext. 6549. Evergreen also has confidential mediation services available to students and faculty, 866-6000, ext. 6656

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Please do not wear perfume, aftershave or other artificial fragrances to class. Evergreen has a policy recognizing that many people are sensitive to them. In addition, tobacco and wood smoke can cause breathing problems. Please follow Washington State's suggested regulations for public buildings and do not smoke within 25 feet of doors, air intakes and windows. And if possible, don't wear tobacco or wood smoke-saturated clothes to class. Thanks for your consideration to other program members.

ACCEPTANCE OF AGREEMENT
Program faculty assume by your continued registration in 'Search' that you have read, understood, and agreed to this covenant and any attached sheets, and to jointly-developed groundrules.


THE SEARCH FOR A USABLE PAST 1997-1998



[HOME]