Center for Teaching Excellence

The 8-Week Course Conversion Workshop will provide faculty a “hands-on” experience in converting a course to an 8-week format with the assistance of Faculty Coaches and an Instructional Designer. The workshop will qualify for 3 FQAS hours. 

Note: There is a minimum of 4 participants and a maximum of 15 participants in this workshop. We will cancel a course that does not meet the minimum required participants 3 days before the start.

To enroll, please determine a course you will begin converting to the 8-week format because you will start this process during the workshop. Because the 8-week conversion is an MATC initiative, it is highly recommended you work with your Lead Faculty in the selection of a course to convert. This helps all of us select courses that make sense to convert, and helps Lead Faculty and Deans be informed of those courses that are in the process of being converted.

When you have a course identified, please email futterja@matc.edu to request a scheduled date and time as identified below, and include the course you will begin converting during the workshop. 

Eight-Week Planning
The eight-week conversion is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Not all courses or programs will fit into this model. It will be applied where it makes sense according to data determining courses that are eligible and appropriate for conversion. The following is a clarification on the definition of 60%.

The goal is that at least 60% of all sections offered are short-term (i.e., eight-week) sections. To make the goal best fit the needs of students (i.e., the desire for them to be able to complete course sequence in a single term), the following definitions apply:

1. All sections between four to eight weeks in length count as eight-week classes.
2. All sections between one to three weeks in length do not count, but do not count against the total either.
3. All sections between nine to 12 weeks in length do not count, but do not count against the total either.
4. All sections 13 weeks in length or longer, do not count as eight-week classes.

This definition has been developed in collaboration with the office of Institutional Effectiveness. For additional information on our way forward to our eight-week transformation, please contact Dr. Mohammad Dakwar and/or Barb Cannell.

From a message from the Vice President of Learning Dr. Mohammad Dakwar:

"Beginning this fall [2021], faculty will no longer withdraw students from classes. Withdrawals will be completed by the following:

1.  Administrative Withdrawal: Students will be withdrawn by Enrollment Services for non-attendance during the first two weeks of class following the start date.

2. Student Initiated withdrawal in Self Service: Students can withdraw via Self-Service. Students remaining in courses after the census date (administrative withdrawal period) but no longer attending will receive the grade they earned in the course if they do not withdraw themselves. The last day for a student to withdraw from a 12-, 15-, or 16-week course is two weeks prior to the end of the semester. The last day for a student to withdraw from a 8-week course is one week before the end of the course. Students who wish to withdraw within the last two weeks of the semester or last week of the course must obtain signatures of the Instructor of the course and the Pathway Dean."

Updated D0900 Course Withdrawals and Appeals Policy (5/25/2021) with additional information provided 12-2021 and DD1000 Attendance Reporting Requirement 

• Attendance Training for Faculty in Self-Service video (8-2020)

MATC requires attendance in one of two ways: absent/present or by "hours" for certain programs. When you go into Self-Service to enter your attendance you will not have an option to choose which way - that will be done for you by the Registration Department per policy for your particular type of course:

• Present/Absent Attendance
• Positive Attendance

Blackboard only talks back to Colleague, our student database, to report Mid-term and Final grades through the ILP tool.  Attendance does not move from Blackboard to Colleague.  Therefore, faculty must use Self-Service to track attendance.

Student Attendance Tracking

In an effort to reduce student debt and financial aid default, and increase repayment to MATC and retention of students, a cross-functional team developed an attendance requirement that will administratively drop students for non-attendance after two weeks from the beginning of the course. To see the attendance reporting requirements, click the link below.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE TRACKING

What is the process if a faculty member believes a student needs to be removed from a classroom? 

Faculty Ready References: Classroom Disturbances

Student Code of Conduct