RARITAN VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
FACULTY SELF- EVALUATION REPORT FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2009-10
Name: David Chase
Position/Department: Instructor, English Department
Date: May 26, 2010
To be submitted to the appropriate Department Chairperson annually by May 31, in
accordance with the Faculty Contract Agreement, (VII, B.1)
This Faculty Self-Evaluation report is limited to the current academic year. Please
provide detailed supporting information for the evaluation criteria below, focusing on the
most important goals and objectives addressed in the past year. Where appropriate, make
specific reference to goals identified in the Professional Growth Plan (PGP).
EVIDENCE OF TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS
If 2008-09 was characterized by my attempts to invigorate my writing and
literature classrooms by challenging myself beyond my comfort zone, then 2009-10 was
distinguished by my efforts to achieve a higher level of effectiveness in the revised
teaching practices that I had developed via the self-imposed challenges of the previous
academic year.
The re-vamping of my American Literature survey course during 2008-09
accomplished its intended goal, in that it supported students’ efforts to make more
meaningful connections among texts that engage with the most prominent themes, issues,
and struggles that have emerged during approximately 145 years of our national history.
Although my syllabus remained relatively unchanged for my offerings of the course in
2009-10, my delivery of the material was enhanced through the use of a variety of
multimedia resources (i.e., author photos and original manuscripts; photographic records
of historical scenes/moments, short thematic videos, and film adaptations of assigned
readings), through classroom practices that encouraged active learning (i.e., studentdeveloped discussion questions, informal presentations, an emphasis on
conversation/discussion), through the development of a final project that allowed for
student ownership of the material, and through a final exam that permitted creativity
while requiring thoughtful analysis and synthesis. During upcoming fall semester, I look
forward to fine-tuning these effective practices in ENGL 222, as well as to discovering,
developing, and implementing additional innovations in order to make the course even
more engaging and successful in supporting the diverse learning styles of its enrolled
students.
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In my developmental writing and online composition courses, I continued to
promote a classroom environment that is student-driven and focused on collaborative
learning. I further revised the sequencing of my course assignments in both English I and
English II in order to provide a stronger level of scaffolding for students’ incremental
masteries of the skills and competencies necessary for effective critical thinking, reading,
and writing. As in ENGL 222, I continued to give careful consideration to my required
readings and to the development of individual writing assignments, so as to support a
higher level of success by encouraging student engagement with—and ownership of—the
course material. Above all else, because I know that students learn most effectively when
they understand themselves as learners, I continued to emphasize metacognition through
frequent and timely opportunities for self-reflection on progress, skills development, and
intellectual growth.
I value professional development highly, and I have sought out a variety of
opportunities during the year in order to generate new ideas and practices to support the
ongoing processes through which I become a more effective facilitator of student
potential. During March 2010, I traveled to the League for Innovation in the Community
College’s National Conference, where I attended presentations and workshops on a wide
range of teaching-related topics. I also attended a “Strategies for Success” conference
supported by Pearson, in which I participated in a focus group on the newly-revised
MyLiteratureLab software system, which I am presently piloting in my online English II
courses. Additionally, I served as a reviewer for several new and/or revised educational
tools related to my discipline, including a development reading textbook grounded in
brain science, a multiculturally-focused literature for composition textbook, and a highly
visual (and electronically-supported) writing handbook. Despite being “outside the
classroom” activities, these experiences have informed and contributed to my
understanding of myself as an effective instructor, while shaping and directing my plans
for further innovation and professional development.
Finally, I continue to be exceptionally grateful to have the opportunity to serve as
Adjunct Coordinator for the English Department, since it allows me to observe up to
twenty different instructors per year in the practice of teaching students. The observations
I perform (as well as the conversations that follow these classroom visits) keep me
consistently mindful of the choices I make as an instructor, and they often challenge me
to discover and develop more effective practices in the essential areas of classroom
management, assignment development, and supporting student success in the various
stages of the writing process.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Facilitated Roundtable Session at national conference:

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Diversity Matters: Supporting LGBTQ Students in the Community
College Curriculum; Innovations 2010; League for Innovation in the
Community College Annual National Conference; Baltimore, MD; March 2831, 2010
Purpose of Roundtable Conversation: To consider how sexual diversity-focused
courses assist LGBTQ community college students in their efforts to recognize
themselves as uniquely empowered individuals within and across the boundaries of
communities; and to identify strategies for the integration of LGBTQ perspectives
into the community college curriculum.
Attended national and local conferences:
 Strategies for Success; Society Hill Sheraton, Philadelphia, PA; February 26, 2010
Featured Speakers: David Pike and Lynn Troyka

Innovations 2010; League for Innovation in the Community College Annual National
Conference; Baltimore, MD; March 28-31, 2010
Panels attended included sessions on incorporating technology in the writing
classroom; matters of diversity; and supporting/training adjunct instructors.
Contributed feedback to authors/publishers of educational materials for academic
discipline:
 Completed textbook review of DK Handbook for Pearson Longman
 Completed textbook review of Literature: A World of Writing Stories, Poems, Plays,
and Essays for Pearson Longman
 Participated in focus group for MyLiteratureLab
 Participated in program demonstration/review for MyCompLab
 Completed textbook review of College Reading: The Science and Strategies of Expert
Readers for Wadsworth/Cengage
 Participated in online survey for The Learn Series, a series of coordinated textbooks
that are being developed by Jones and Bartlett Learning
Attended the following RVCC workshops, programs, and activities:
 “Using Graphic Organizers to Support Students with Learning Disabilities” (Kathleen
M. Rotter); September 22, 2009
 “Helping Students with Reading Disabilities Understand Assignments” (Kathleen M.
Rotter); October 27, 2009
 :Students with Asperger's in the College Classroom”; (Vincent Varrassi); January 26,
2010
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COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS
Contributions to the English Department:
 Served as Adjunct Coordinator, including leading meetings at Faculty Reporting
Days, organizing Colloquia during both semesters, arranging mentoring relationships
between full-time and adjunct faculty, reviewing syllabi and assignments, and
conducting teaching observations of part-time instructors
 Served on departmental committee to develop revised course outlines for English
Composition I and English Composition II
 Participated in English I Final Exam Scoring Sessions; Fall 2009 and Spring 2010
 Participated in Developmental/ESL Portfolio Placement Sessions; Fall 2009 and
Spring 2010
Contributions to the College:
 Served on Front Door Committee
 Served on Middle States Faculty Committee; team leader of one self-study question;
team participant on additional self-study question
 Participated in Women’s History Month through book recommendation project on
display in college library; March—April 2010
 Participated informally in Gay Awareness Week; April 2010
 Formed Working Group to discuss LGBTQ awareness and to plan for development of
LGBTQ Ally Program to support RVCC students
Contributions to the Community:
 Tutored dyslexic individual in reading, writing, and spelling
 Participated in Project 1138’s National Same-Sex Commitment Ceremony at the
International Equality Forum; Philadelphia, PA; May 2010
 Participated in/volunteered at various events organized by/for the GLBT communities
of Philadelphia, New York City, and Asbury Park, NJ
Records of Course and/or Program Development:
 Led efforts to develop an LGBTQ Ally Program at RVCC, for rollout during 20102011 academic year
Additional comments and projected goals for the coming year:
During the upcoming academic year, I plan to teach “The College Experience”
(STDV 100) course, so as to deepen my understanding of myself as a facilitator of
student learning. By focusing on students’ metacognitive processes, their efforts to
develop effective study skills, and their discoveries of their unique learning styles, I hope
to enhance my ability to support academic success, both in and out of the classroom. In
my teaching of the core English Composition courses, I intend to continue to incorporate
a diverse range of emergent technologies to support and enhance student learning. I
already have begun piloting the use of MyLiteratureLab and SafeAssign in my English
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Composition II online courses. If all goes well, I also plan to pilot the use of
MyCompLab in my Fall 2010 English I Workshop course. I also am scheduled to teach
my Special Topics course (on LGTQ Literature) for the second time in Spring 2011,
which I hope will move it one step closer to inclusion in the English Department
curriculum as an official elective offering.
Provided funding to do so is available, I will continue to present research and
writing related to teaching and/or research fields at appropriate regional and national
professional conferences, and I will seek out opportunities to attend and/or otherwise
participate in lectures; presentations; textbook, software, and handbook reviews; and
other development activities related to my profession and discipline. In my service to the
English Department as Adjunct Coordinator, I will continue to refine my administrative,
mentoring, and supervisory skills as the department coordinator of our part-time
instructors. I will serve on a variety of college-wide and departmental committees,
including continuance of my terms on the Front Door Committee and Middle States
Faculty Committee. Finally, I will seek to accomplish the development an LGBTQ ally
program that delivers training, guidance, and resources for college community members
wishing to identify themselves as supporters of this particular cohort of diverse students.
___________________________________
Signature
______________________
Date
Revised 05/09, T. Valasek
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