GET SEMESTER READY – OCTOBER NEWS!

For back issues of the news, go to http://www.mtc.edu/semesters/news

Calendar Committee (Jim Lavery, Chair)

December 1, 2010 is the target date for final approval of the 2011-2012 Academic Calendar. A draft of the 2012 – 2013 calendar has been put together and will be distributed for review once the 2011/2012 calendar has been approved.

Information Technology (IT) Committee (Bob Haas, Joy Moore, Co-Chairs)

This committee continues to work on the MAPS system (now called AVISO), a friendly interface for students to map out their future coursework at MTC. In addition, the records office is beginning the process of entering semester curriculum into the PowerCampus TEST system and testing transcripts and credit hour conversions.

Communication Committee (Nikki Workman, Chair)

If you get questions that you can’t answer, take down the students name and number and have them contact me and I’ll find the answer for them.  They can also email me or go to our website’s FAQ’s to see if the answer is there. They can also submit their question online which is a great way to use the site. As we get questions and find the answers, we will add them to this section of the site to strengthen our pool of information!  Faculty are certainly able to submit their questions to us as well through here! There is a link on the homepage of the web site for the general public to view and we will continue to post information on our Social Networking sites too as a reminder that this is happening.

Curriculum Committee (Jay McCreary, Chair)

The committee met to develop a recommendation to the task force for program summaries for 2011-2013 and to begin work on policy revisions.  The recommendation presented was that each academic department would develop a hybrid program summary for each degree, with the first year in quarters and the second year in semesters.  This summary would be used for promotional purposes and should be submitted to Krista by December 1, 2010.  Programs entered into PowerCampus would be based upon the quarter sequence with each course listed with its semester course equivalent or approved substitute. Academic policies were divided into three categories and assignments were discussed.

Advising & Transfer (Mike Stuckey, Chair)

MAPS (My Advising Plan for Semesters) continues its development. Currently, the “Alerts” components of MAPS is being tested by a pilot group of advisors.  The pilot group consists of all first year advisors, the faculty advisors on the subcommittee, and several other interested parties.  If you would like to be a part of the pilot group, please let me know.  Next to be tested will be the program’s dashboard.  The dashboard consists of several screens that organizes a student’s profile information, alerts, communications, courses completed, and the course planning tools.  These different components will be tested over the months to come – the course planning tool to be the last to be tested.  MAPS software will be rolled out to all advisors in phases, starting in early/mid winter quarter.  Training will be provided in department meetings, and if needed, additional training sessions to be scheduled.  A pilot group of students will also test the software. Tentatively, rollout for students will begin late winter quarter.  Our hopes are that MAPS will be fully operational by mid spring quarter.
 
The MAPS software package was (will be) featured at the Semester Conversion Summit.

Critical Processes (Alita Phillips & Joel Liles, Co-Chairs)

MTC is changing its Critical Institutional Processes (CIPs) to implement the mandated conversion from Quarters to Semesters. Some of the changes will transform the ways we do business and enhance the services we provide.

• Every department must participate in the conversion process by addressing departmental operational processes. Departments are urged to begin mapping their strategy for Semester Conversion success.  The following tips will help with that process:
• Include a Quarter to Semester item on each department meeting agendas. Add your department’s matriculation items to the 2011-12 Matriculation Calendar.  (The 2011-12 calendar is under review and should be approved in December.   A first draft of the 2012-13 calendar has been developed.) Analyze your department’s current processes, workflows, and calendars for required or desired changes.  Identify opportunities for transformation. Document a conversion plan for each new or changed process using the online CIP Planning Template.  (Printed forms are also available.)
• Save the completed planning documents with descriptive names in folder W:\Semester Conversion\Conv Comm, Critical Institutional Processes - Alita Phillips, Joel Liles\CIP Department Plans.

Policies & Procedures (Teresa Parker)

Please continue to fine tune policies as you see fit. Budget & Financials (Doug Boyer) Reminder: as you see costs that may be endured through the transition, let Dennis know about them so we can evaluate the need and cost and plan accordingly.