Faculty urged to use online form to submit grades

The Office of the Registrar is asking for the faculty's help in making a perfect grade this fall.

About 50 percent of some 100,000 end-of-term grades are already submitted online, and this fall, for the first time, all end-of-term grades must be submitted online.

Lora Jo Bossio, interim registrar says the change is being implemented because the vendor is no longer supporting the software application used to translate the Scantron "bubble form" used by faculty members to the Banner student information system.

In recent quarters, she adds, there has also been an increasing rate of errors in the processing of end-of-term grades.

The conversion to online submission was first announced in the spring, and this week Bossio was to send out a letter about the change with information on training sessions offered in November and December.

Faculty members may choose to submit grades through Gradebook, available in the Course Management Function of the MyUCDavis portal, or through http://classes.ucdavis.edu/grading.

"Everybody says the online methods are incredibly easy," says Bossio.

Gradebook also enables instructors to record and track student assignments throughout the quarter in a secure database, Bossio says.

The Teaching Resource Center will offer 20-minute training sessions -- open to faculty and staff members and teaching assistants -- on how to use the online grade submission Web site at http://classes.ucdavis.edu/grading.

The sessions will be offered on the following November dates in 25 Wellman Hall:

• Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 4, at 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

December sessions are yet to be scheduled.

For individual consultation and technical assistance, faculty members are encouraged to call IT Express at (530) 754-4357.

Employees to celebrate six-milennia-plus of service

It's often said that UC Davis is a good place to work, and if this year's 246 inductees into the UC Davis Quarter Century Club are any indication, that's an understatement.

Taken together, the employees' service to the university totals 6,150 years.

Those veteran employees, along with 21 others who this year attained the remarkable "half-century" status -- 50 years of employment at UC Davis -- have been invited to celebrate their longevity at the 2004 Quarter Century Club dinner.

The dinner brings together people from across the campus and across the causeway, across disciplines and across job titles.

Acey Hannam, this year's Quarter Century Club president, began at UC Davis as the assistant equipment room manager at Recreation Hall a month before the facility opened in September 1977. "The real importance of this event," said Hannam, "is to recognize the commitment and dedication that goes into what for many people, including myself, is a life of service to this great university."

The dinner will be held Oct. 28, in the ARC ballroom. Invitations have been mailed to all Quarter Century Club members, and reservations are due by Oct. 25 to Doris Goodwin at (530) 757-3312 or Cindy Alexander at (530) 757-3220.

Admissions office trims name but retains mission

Undergraduate Admissions has become the new name for the office formerly known as Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach Services.

Pam Burnett, director of Undergraduate Admissions, said the change is in name only and there are no changes in the mission or programs of the unit. "All of the existing admissions and pre-collegiate services remain in place and continue to play important roles in the educational achievement of students for the state and for UC Davis," she said.

"The name change does reflect how outreach services are now viewed as an integral part of the admissions function," Burnett said. "The academic preparation programs help students as early as middle school to prepare academically for college and educate them about the college admissions process."

All of the existing academic preparation programs in the unit will continue under the admissions umbrella. They include the Early Academic Outreach Program, Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search for the Davis and North State regions, the National Youth Sports Program and the College Options Center-North State.

Hospital offers new spot for taking coffee breaks

A new coffee kiosk is now open in the lobby of the main hospital seven days a week.

Serving a variety of specialty coffees, teas and pastries, the kiosk, operated by Black Rhino Coffee, is open from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. Within the next few weeks, the kiosk will add fresh fruit smoothies to its menu. The health system's commission from sales will go toward research at the UC Davis Cancer Center.

The coffee kiosk was the idea of the health system's At Your Service committee, chaired by Carol Robinson, associate director, Patient Care Services.

Nominations are due soon for various awards

• The Academic Senate is inviting nominations for the 2005 Awards for Distinguished Teaching program. The program honors primarily undergraduate teaching. Nominations may come from any member of the campus community. Nomination procedure details are available at http://www.mrak.ucdavis.edu/senate/committee_dta.htm. All materials must be received in the senate office before by Dec. 3. For details, contact Marci Buell (530) 752-2220 or mcbuell@ucdavis.edu.
• Non-Senate Faculty Development Program award nominations for the 2005-2006 academic year are due by Nov. 8. Application instructions are posted at http://academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/awards.cfm. The program provides funding for the pursuit of professional development activities that will enhance individuals' effectiveness in their current positions.

For more details, contact Gussie Curran, (530) 752-4827, or grcurran@ucdavis.edu.