Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Full-time faculty are essential in carrying out the college's mission, vision, core values, and institutional goals. Under the direction of the respective Department Chairperson/Program Director/Director, faculty ensure the quality and integrity of the academic programs and maintain oversight of the curriculum and instruction. The essential duties include providing a high-quality learning environment, delivering effective instruction, assessing student learning, promoting continual improvement in teaching and learning, encouraging student engagement, providing advisement, and pursuing professional development. Faculty must participate in department, discipline-specific, college, community service activities, and shared governance. Faculty must adhere to all LC policies, procedures, and guidelines, including DH (LOCAL) Employee Standards of Conduct. Faculty are expected to adhere to the terms of their contractual agreement.
Physical Presence on Campus
The position requires office hours and physical presence on campus. Employee must reside in the Laredo area or be able to commute to campus daily.
Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities
1. Course Organization and Management
- Develop, evaluate, and revise course objectives to ensure instructional quality and curriculum alignment with THECB’s ACGM and/or WECM, SACSCOC Principles and Standards, and other applicable accrediting agency standards and outcomes.
- Utilize the Laredo College Learning Management System (LMS), known as CANVAS, to organize and publish all current instructional materials prior to the first day of classes.
- Maintain an accurate and updated syllabus through Concourse each term/semester.
- Maintain students’ attendance records, submit grades and grade distribution sheets on time, and provide timely constructive feedback to students.
- Follow procedures and the academic calendar related to the Office of the Registrar, including grade reports and deadlines, attendance records reports, withdrawal deadlines, class changes, and time and room scheduling.
2. Effective Delivery of Curriculum and Instruction
- Assume primary responsibility for and exercise oversight of the curriculum in conjunction with LC policies, ensuring course rigor, academic integrity, and quality of instruction.
- Review and revise curriculum and instructional materials.
- Ensure courses and educational programs align with transfer frameworks and workforce placement to meet current industry demands.
- Utilize a variety of teaching techniques to assess student learning needs. Integrate real-life situations into learning experiences to encourage critical thinking, interdisciplinary skills, active learning, and teamwork.
- Use technology appropriately to design and support relevant learning activities that develop students' understanding of discipline-specific thinking practices and create academic literacy.
- Consider individual differences of students to design and support a range of appropriate learning activities.
3. Assess Student Learning and Pedagogical Methods that Drive Continuous Improvement:
- Collaborate with colleagues, chairs, deans, and the provost/vice-president of academic affairs across the institution to continue improving measurable learning outcomes, including the THECB (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board) core curriculum objectives and other applicable accrediting agency standards and outcomes, and participate in Institutional Effectiveness/Program Reviews.
- Appropriately measure and assess ACGM and WECM end-of-course learning outcomes and any applicable accrediting agency standards and competencies.
- Design and align assessments with learning objectives and opportunities that measure or demonstrate student academic achievement.
- Regularly assess student performance and provide timely constructive feedback.
- Evaluate teaching and assessment practices to continue improving them.
4. Faculty Non-teaching Responsibilities
- Hold at least ten office hours physically conducted on campus. Three out of the ten office hours will be devoted to the Center of Learning, Academic, and Student Success (CLASS) for academic coaching, conducting workshops, advising, and/or departmental and student needs. Office hour locations need to be identified by the Employee in the faculty schedule.
- Attend at least fifteen hours per week of LC business in consultation with the Department Chairperson/Program Director/Director.
- Complete all evaluation measures, Title IX, and other training the institution provides.
- Participate in instructional, departmental, or institutional research to improve education effectiveness, support the student survey process, and continue evaluating teaching and assessment. Encourage a sense of community among students for learning inside and outside the classroom.
5. Professional Development
- Pursue Professional Development by staying current with the discipline. Some activities include participating in professional societies, reading discipline-specific journals, attending conferences or making presentations; and/or maintaining required professional credentials, licensing, and continuing education hours a disciplinary standard dictates; and/or contributing to one’s academic discipline through research and publication or other endeavors as appropriate; Participate in service through appropriate discipline-specific organizations, educational organizations, statewide boards/committees.
- Actively participate in professional development opportunities pertaining to active, applied, and experiential learning related to workforce and transfer outcomes.
- Shall participate in mandatory professional development activities required by the college.
6. Faculty Departmental Responsibilities
- Conduct assessment plans for their respective discipline and/or program, which includes program reviews, course assessments, and institutional effectiveness reports.
- Faculty must participate in department, discipline-specific, and college activities and serve and be active in department, college, cross-college, discipline-specific, and /or district committees.
- Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders such as other higher education institutions, program advisory council meetings, and public and private K-12 schools/districts.
- Participate in the development and implementation of retention and persistence plans.
7. College-wide Participation
- Advise students about program, career, or transfer opportunities to help them make informed decisions about their educational pathway.
- Participate in assessment and compliance practices such as Quality Enhancement Plan, General Education, SACSCOC IE assessment, and/or other accreditation processes.
- Attend college-wide mandatory events such as Graduation, Convocation, In-Service, and other activities deemed by the college.
- Participate in community outreach and public relations initiatives such as career day for elementary and secondary schools, Fall Fest, Fun Fest, open houses and campus tours, and other activities identified for the college.
- Participate in community advisory councils on behalf of the college's interests.
- Assist in policy development and other governance matters.
8. Perform other duties assigned by the Department Chairperson, Program Director, or Director, respective Dean, Associate Provost (when applicable), Provost/Vice-President of Academic Affairs, and President.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES SPECIFIC TO THE POSITION
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Teach courses in the designated discipline across multiple modalities: face-to-face, online, hybrid, and dual enrollment.
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Instructors may be required to teach at Fort McIntosh, South, and high school campuses. Depending on departmental and student needs, instruction may be scheduled during daytime, evening, or weekend hours.
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Direct library research or other outside assignments.
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Counsel and notify students or counselors of frequent absences, failures, or necessary make-up work.
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Encourage students to utilize campus resources such as the Library, Tutoring Center, Counseling Center, and other support services.
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Communicate required course materials to Library and Writing Center staff to support student access and success when needed.
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Sponsor or assist in sponsoring student clubs and organizations; actively participate in student-centered events and activities.
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Provide a safe environment for students and be responsible for securing assigned equipment, materials, and classrooms.
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Substitute for colleagues as needed and serve as a peer mentor when requested.
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Follow established procedures for requesting instructional supplies, arranging travel, and submitting absence reports promptly.
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Will assist in the setting up, taking down, and overall organization of art gallery shows.
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Will assist in receiving and preparing for the shipping of artwork.
Supervision Exercised
Students in the classroom, lab, and/or clinical sites.
Supervision Received
Department Chairperson, Program Director or Director, respective Dean, Associate Provost (when applicable), Provost/Vice-President of Academic Affairs, and President
Physical Requirements
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit.
The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, or crouch.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move items weighing up to 50 pounds.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Work Environment
Work is performed in a standard office environment.
Work-inside a well-lighted and air-conditioned area most of the time.
The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.
Safety
Required to work safely and follow safety rules.
Report unsafe working conditions and behavior.
Take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent others from engaging in unsafe practices.
Special Conditions
Required to work safely and follow safety rules.
Report unsafe working conditions and behavior.
Take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent others from engaging in unsafe practices.
EEO Statement
In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Laredo College is open to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, or national origin who are otherwise eligible for admission as students. Furthermore, Laredo College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and no applicant or employee will be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability or national origin. This institution will not enter knowingly into any contractual agreement for services or supplies with any firm failing to follow fair employment practices.
Foreign Degrees
Foreign degrees require an evaluation for United States equivalency from an approved stated education agency or having membership with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Transcripts issued outside the United States of America require a course-by-course analysis with an equivalency statement from a certified transcript evaluation service verifying the degree equivalency to that of an accredited institution within the USA. This report must be attached to your online application at the time of applying. For your convenience, we have provided the following links to assist you in complying with this requirement. However, you may use any other certified transcript evaluation service. http://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Certification/Out-of-State_Certification/Foreign_Credential_Evaluation_Services/ http://www.naces.org/members.htm
Disclaimer
The above description is an overview of the job. It is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities of the job, nor is it intended to be an all-inclusive list of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Duties and responsibilities may change with business needs. LC reserves the right to add, change, amend, or delete portions of this job description at any time, with or without notice. Employees may be required to perform other duties as requested, directed, or assigned. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made by LC as its discretion to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
