Important information about working and teaching at Empire College

We are glad you are joining the faculty at Empire College! This sheet provides some of the basic information about working as an instructor. Your best source of information is the head of your department as departments may have specific procedures. The department heads are listed below: Cindy Hanna Business AdministrationCarol Reinke AccountingRyan Donham Information TechnologyMonica Lehre Paralegal/Legal OfficeSheri Eachus Travel/HospitalityShannon Tinsley MedicalMelissa Vineyard Medical

 

Your fellow instructors are also available to help. We have an environment where the sharing of expertise and materials is encouraged. This benefits the students by giving consistent information.

You will receive a schedule that shows your scheduled class hours for each module.

Every instructor spends time outside of class grading student work and preparing for new classes (approx. 5 hours/week)

Lunch for the day faculty is 30 minutes, at 10:50 or 11:50 a.m. Because of the limited time, we suggest you bring a lunch.

Evening faculty will have a 20 minute break between the early and late classes (7:45 pm and 8:05 pm)

You are encouraged to e-mail vacation/personal day requests to your department head as soon as possible, so they can plan for your absence and report the time to payroll

If you are sick, call your department head and/or Mary Ellen Pastorino before 8:00 am. (home: 573-0404; Cell 495-5177) If unavailable, leave a message with Nora Songster (ext. 263)

E-mail instructions/lesson plans for your classes, including room numbers, if possible.

Paychecks are distributed the 1st and the 15th of each month (or the last work day before the 1st and 15th)

Paychecks are distributed the morning of payday If you do not personally receive your check, you

can pick it up from the front desk staff. Night instructors can pick up checks at the front

desk or request that it be mailed. If you have someone else pick up your check,

please provide a signed note giving permission.

Any staff member can give you a tour. A facility map is here: Facility Map.pdf

Staff restrooms are available on the first floor across the hall from the bookstore

The staff/faculty lounge is located on the first floor in the southeast corner of the building. A refrigerator, coffee machine, microwave ovens, toaster, sink, and dishes are available for you to use. Staff are responsible for washing and storing any dishes used themselves.

High speed multi-function copier/printers are available on the second floor in the faculty resource room and on the first floor in the copy/mail room. A department specific access code is required and will be given to you by the department head. Any staff member can show you basic printing capabilities from PCs.

• Empire College offers an alternative to the traditional two- or four year college program. Our programs are directed toward practical knowledge and career training designed to get our graduates on the job in as short a time as possible.

• Our degree programs develop critical thinking, communications, management and decision-making, and human relations (soft skills) to compliment technical (hard skills).

• We have a strong training emphasis on computer skills in all of our courses.

• Hands-on training, coupled with a curriculum designed for practical application, has produced outstanding successes for our many graduates.

Empire College’s mission is to place students in a positive, supportive

educational environment that fosters self-esteem and provides them the opportunity to succeed. The focused, practical curricula and college environment are centered on

students’ employability, thereby addressing our added mission to supply employers with

qualified graduates whose job skills and work ethic meet industry requirements.

• The average age is 32.• Many are the first in their family to go to

college but some have bachelor degrees and a few have their masters

• Most students have a high school diploma or GED, but a few were admitted by passing an additional entrance exam (ATB – Ability to Benefit)

• Empire College also provides retraining for workers in the community

Empire College School of Business is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to award certificates, diplomas, and Associate’s degrees. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools is listed as a nationally recognized accrediting agency by the United States Department of Education. Its accreditation of degree-granting institutions also is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Empire College also has approval to operate in the State of California based on provisions of the California Private Postsecondary Education Act (CPPEA) of 2009. The Act is administered by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, under the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Since 2005, Empire College has offered the “Thought Patterns for Success” program from The Pacific Institute as part of every new student’s Career Transitions class.

This program shows each student the skills that successful people use such as:

Goal settingBeing in control of your own lifeThinking positively and expecting positive resultsCreating affirmations that work towards personal goals

This program has supported our goal to have a positive culture in which to learn and work!

All prospective students and newly hired staff and faculty are given the DiSC®, an assessment that provides students with a description of their personality preferences.

This tool helps each of us understand ourselves, identify our strengths, and work better together.

Information about using the DiSC to better commuicate with your students is here: DiSC Profiles.doc

The Empire College catalog includes: A list of administration and faculty A description of the admissions process Students Services that are available Policies and Regulations for students Satisfactory progress description for students A complete list of programs and course descriptions

Find the complete catalog here:

2013-2014 Empire College School of Business Catalog.pdf

Graduation is a celebration of success for our students and all faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.

Graduation is twice a year (January and July) and held at the Wells Fargo Center.

Every graduation includes a speaker from the community, a faculty speaker and a student speaker.

There are several opportunities for Empire faculty and staff to volunteer to help make the evening special for the graduates.

The Empire College Faculty members are an important part of each student’s success.

The link below lists specific instructor duties and responsibilities

Faculty Duties and Responsibilities.doc

Instructors sometimes need to advise students to help them be successful. Students are better prepared for the workplace when instructors model and encourage professional behavior. Instructors and the department of education can both advise students who: Behave inappropriately Swear Wear unprofessional attire Cheat

More information on this link: Student Advising.doc

A New Student Review is held on the Friday of week 2 for every day mod. This meeting is attended by the department of education, admissions, and financial aid. This meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. and usually ends at 9:45 a.m.

Following this meeting, there is an all-staff meeting that includes an operations update, individual department updates and quarterly awards. Evening faculty members are encouraged to attend when they can.

The Evening Dean schedules quarterly meetings for the evening school faculty.

Empire College’s day school classes run Monday- Thursday for six weeks.

Empire College’s evening school classes run Monday-Thursday for six weeks.

Click on the link for more information:

Class Hours.doc

Best practices for adult learning include having instructors do the following:

1) Create a comfortable learning atmosphere2) Tap into what students already know3) Keep students engaged4) Allow learning to happen

The next four slides provide more information on each of these best practices.

To create a comfortable learning atmosphere: Bring humor into the classroom! Avoid making students feel like beginners Encourage students to be respectful to you and to

each other Be clear about your expectations Give students guidelines but allow them to be

creative Allow time for questions and feedback

Tap into what students already know: Cross reference material to what students are

familiar and to other classes’ material Use examples that are relevant to their day-to-

day experiences Allow discussions where students can learn

from each other Give assignments where students can do

research and then share their knowledge with the class

Keep students engaged: Include visuals Include motor skills by having students

illustrate main ideas Allow questions and discussions during lectures Ask students for their examples of the main

points Have students work in small groups or teams Give students examples of how the material will

be relevant in their lives and future careers

Allow learning to happen: Students need time to process what they are

learning, time to find the meaning, and time to make associations. Instructors can really help this process by giving assignments that ask students to reflect on what they learned and think about how to apply it in their lives.

Assignments that involve recall, feelings, decisions, and judgments tend to lead to the deepest understanding of the material

Attendance an important part of each student’s education and instructors have a key role in maintaining accurate attendance records.

At Empire, student attendance is used for: financial aid agency funding student progress externships career placement

Attendance is taken every class, every day Instructors are responsible for taking roll in

Diamond D, the school’s management software

For specific instructions, click here:Taking Attendance in Diamond D

Although Empire College’s curriculum focuses on helping students learn new skills, grades are an important way of giving each student feedback on their effort and learning. Some best practices for assessing learning include the following:

1)Determine the best way to assess what is learned. Refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy for an appropriate level of assessment - Bloom's Taxonomy of Cognitive Levels.doc Remember that having students look at an idea and apply it their lives is more meaningful than simply recalling a fact or giving the definition of a term.2) Test questions can be found within most texts, or on an instructor website for the text. 3)Both your department head or other instructors who have taught a course can help you with assessments that already exist for a class.4)Be clear the first day of class about your expectations for students regarding tests. If you will allow make-up tests for students who are out, let them know if there will be a penalty, and how they can take the test in a way that seems fair.

Grades for each module are to be input into the Diamond D database by the Tuesday following the last day of the module.

In Diamond D, select Grade Book from the registrar’s menu.

Enter the class code and then select the earned grade for each student from the drop-down list.

Be careful to not change grades that have already been submitted for a student (such as a withdraw).

Here is a sample sheet to track grades for your students: Grading Formula Example.xls

Empire College continually surveys community employers to ensure our curriculum matches their need for skills employees use on the job.

Empire’s department heads guide the content of the classes for their program, updating curriculum when needed.

Curriculum is then matched with the learning objectives for each course.

Every course at Empire has a syllabi that tells the students the Course title, required textbook(s), learning objectives, and expectations. An example of a syllabus: ENN100B Ninth Edition

Student receive a syllabus on the first day of every class, either as a paper copy, or with instructions to download a pdf version from the school website.

Course syllabi are the same for each class and are only changed with the approval of the department head.

Students can request to test-out of certain classes by demonstrating they have the knowledge covered in the class.

If a test-out option is available, it will be explained on the class syllabus.

Contact the department head for specific test-out requirements and tests.

If a student passes the test-out requirement, they receive an A grade for the class and do not need to attend remaining class sessions.

Textbooks are selected for each class based on instructor recommendations and department approval

In selecting a textbook, the departments consider class content, availability, cost to students, current trends, and available instructor resources

Students can purchase new and used textbooks in Empire College’s bookstore or on their own.

Empire works with several textbook publishers through both national contracts and local account representatives

Many publishers also offer custom publishing, where books are printed with selected content (for example, only certain chapters from a textbook)

To get an instructor’s edition of a text you will be using for a class, contact the publisher directly. Here is the list of current publishing representatives: Textbook Publisher Contact Information.docx

You can also ask your department head for an available copy of a book, or borrow a student version from the bookstore.

Empire College instructors are encouraged to continually develop as both teachers and experts in their field. Certification or CEU units may be required in a professional field and instructors attend conferences.

In addition, Empire College provides faculty training a few times a year.

Each instructor is responsible for meeting with the director of education to create an annual individual faculty development plan.

All instructors complete an ACICS Faculty Data Sheet annually.

Blank Data Sheets are available from the Department of Education.

Completed data sheets, with signature, are kept in each instructor’s professional file.

A sample Faculty Data Sheet is here: Sample Data Sheet.doc

Faculty members are evaluated approximately once a year.

Students are asked to complete an Instructor Evaluation which is processed by Wonderlic. A sample evaluation form is here: Empire College Evaluation Form.pdf

In addition, the Director or Assistant Director of Education, observes a class and provides feedback. A sample observation form is here: Instructor Observation form.doc

Both students and instructors have access to Empire’s e-library though web-access.

The electronic library (“e-library”) is provided by Proquest and offers access to over 15,000 professional and vocational publications.

Students and faculty have access to ProQuest through our computer labs, or through any computer with an internet connection. To access the e-library, type in the following address:

http://search.proquest.com Campus Access: 04PCNVFDKC Password: WELCOME Information on using the Proquest Database can be found here:

http://www.proquest.com/ Click on the link to “Support and Training.”

Instructors are encouraged to bring real-life experiences to students by having guest speakers come into class at least once per quarter.

Field trips can also be part of the curriculum. Paralegals, for example, visit the county courthouse and students in the hospitality program visit wineries and local tourist attractions.

Any guest speakers or field trips should be documented on the Guest Speaker/Field Trip form which is can be found here: Guest Speaker-Field Trip Sign-In Sheet.doc

Empire College takes measures to create a safe environment for both students and staff

A security guard is onsite 7 pm to 11 pm, Monday through Thursday

Under each instructor desk are two buttons. In case of emergency, pressing both buttons at once will activate a call to the police

Classroom doors can be locked from the inside with the instructor’s room key

Empire’s Emergency plan: Emergency Preparedness Plan.pdf Employee Illness and Injury Prevention Plan:

Injury and Illness Prevention.pdf

Student Laptops: Student Laptops.pdf Student Externships: Student Externships.doc Student Organizations:

Student Chapters of Professional Organizations.doc Empire Classrooms: Empire College Rooms.doc Use of material – Copyright info: Copyright and Fair

Use Guidelines for Teachers.pdf Instructor Resources: Instructor Resources.doc

The following resources can also be found on this USB drive:

An Organizational Chart - EmpireCollegeOrgChart.pdf; OrgChart-Academic Departments.pdf

A Facility Map - Facility Map.pdf Faculty/Staff List - Faculty and Staff List.pdf Faculty by department with photos: Empire Faculty List_pics.doc School Calendar for Day and Evening schools –2013 Calendar.pdf Employee Handbook (with benefit info): Employee Handbook.pdf An expense report form - Expense Report.doc

Tutoring Center: Tutoring Center.pdf 2-1-1 Community Helpline - 2-1-1 Sonoma

Cty info.pdf Family Connection Resource Guide -

Resource Guide - May 2009.pdf Student email - Student Email

Instructions.pdf

Please verify that you have read the information on this USB drive by completing and printing the following documents:

Test your knowledge.doc

Faculty Data Sheet.doc

This presentation was created for new Empire College instructors by

Mary Ellen PastorinoDirector of Education

If you have any questions, feel free to contact her at mpastorino@empirecollege.com

Last updated April 2013