This summer, APSCUF is going behind the scenes to show you how faculty members and coaches continue to devote themselves to affordable, quality education even when class is not in session.
Dr. Eleanor Shevlin, left, works with her Summer Undergraduate Research Institute student, Frederikia Wilson, on her history of African-Americans at West Chester University.
During the academic year, my work week runs from Monday through Sunday and entails a long list of tasks and duties that must be accomplished as well as a few that can carry over until the following week or beyond. In fact, this blog post is an example of a task that I very much wanted to complete in April but had to be postponed until semester was over due to more pressing responsibilities. Working from my e-calendar, scheduling software history, and written task-lists, the following recounts my work for the week of April 17. For the weekends, I have not included a blow-by-blow timeline but instead indicated the hours spent for each task.
Sunday:
- Did curriculum and academic policy committee paperwork for change of MBA courses for graduate certificate program (2.5 hours)
- Completed statement to accept nomination by executive committee of Modern Language Association for a three-year term on a specialist forum. (30 minutes)
- Updated CV and wrote letter of interest for department’s graduate coordinator position (2.5 hours)
- Graded four ENG 400 annotation, contextualization papers (2.5 hours)
- Checked emails periodically throughout afternoon (see below)
Monday: Work from home in D.C.
- 8:30 a.m. – As typical, I started my morning on April 18 with checking and responding to emails, spending 2.5 hours for the initial run through (emails cover a wide range, but many require responses; all are emails that came in after 11:30 p.m. on Sunday). The following offer a range that I receive and apply to this week:
- students I am currently teaching
- English majors interested in internships
- other non-majors that I have previously taught
- firms interested in securing interns
- advisee questions
- students interested in graduate publishing certificate
- English majors seeking career help
- business related to the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading & Publishing
- program review queries (in lieu of teaching a class, I serve as program review coordinator for the university; I am overseeing seven departments/programs for 2015–16, and in April I am also making contacting with the six programs that will undergo review in 2016-17).
- emails related to East-Central American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies in my role as president (none this week, though)
- emails related to my department committee work (graduate advisory committee, executive committee, alumni and awards committee)
- emails related to my university service (advising taskforce, university advisory assessment committee, ad hoc member of CAPC program review sub-committee, university advisory research council, Media & Culture)
- 11 a.m. – Prepared document for SHARP
- 11:30 a.m. – Reviewed 15 drafts of WRT 200 and 205 research papers with break at 1 p.m. for weekly PASSHE call regarding program review revisions (15 minutes).
- 3:30–6:30 p.m. – Marked five ENG 400 annotation, contextualization papers
- (check emails periodically throughout afternoon)
- 8–9 p.m. – Prepared documents for ENG 400 University of Pennsylvania Rare Book visit and check emails
- 9:30 p.m. – Left Washington, D.C., to drive up to West Chester
- 12:30 a.m. – Arrived and re-read essay for ENG 400 course (30 minutes)
Tuesday:
- 7:30 a.m. – Arrived at my office, checked out laptop for classes, and handled email
- 7:50 a.m. – Made copies, arranged material for two WRT classes
- 8:15 a.m. – Reviewed scheduling proposal materials for graduate committee meeting next day
- 8:45 a.m. – Caught up on new mails (including reaching out to accepted students with requested information)
- 9:15 a.m. – Assembled material for UPenn visit
- 9:45 a.m. – Met with graduating major (not one of my advisees) to discuss career plans, review options, explain about Career Services
- 10:20 a.m. – Returned to emails
- 10:45 a.m.–2 p.m. – Taught WRT 205 (in Recitation) and WRT 200 (in Anderson)
- 2 p.m. – Returned to office to drop off WRT 200 and 205 materials and pick up ENG 400 items and train tickets; met students at 2:40 p.m. at Bull lot to drive to Exton train
- 3:15–9:45 p.m. – Took 3:24 p.m. from Exton to 30th Street Station. Arrived at UPenn rare book room at 4:30 p.m. I guided the 13 students in working with materials there until 6 p.m. We then took brief tour of Penn exhibit and had a working pizza dinner. Planned on taking an 8 p.m. or so train, but all trains very delayed; we arrived back at Exton much later than anticipated.
- 10 p.m. – Returned to campus to handle emails, send ENG 400 students followup work (researched new info needed based on our Penn visit; scanned materials, sent thank-you note to UPenn), and review drafts of student cover letters and résumés for job and internship applications.
- 12:30 p.m. – Leave for home
Wednesday:
- 7:30 a.m. – Arrived at my office and handled email
- 8 a.m. – Met with WRT 205 student to review her draft
- 8:30 a.m. – Reviewed two more research drafts for later meeting
- 9 a.m. – Initial meeting for Media & Culture interdisciplinary minor
- 10 a.m. – Met with art professor Larry Wills to discuss his ART 315 course in terms of the graduate publishing certificate
- 11 a.m. – Met with second WRT 205 student to review her draft
- 11:40 a.m. – Checked email and gathered materials for graduate advisory committee (GAC) meeting
- Noon – GAC meeting
- 1:15 p.m. – Met with WRT 200 student to review her draft
- 2 p.m. – Weekly meeting with grad assistant
- 3 p.m. – Advising ceremony (received advising award)
- 4 p.m. – Caught up on emails
- 4:30 p.m. – Met with former microbiology/pre-med student about pursuing a literature minor or double-majoring
- 5 p.m. – Met with student about internship
- 5:30 p.m. – Caught up on emails, ordered books from PALCI, grade an ENG 400 annotation assignment.
- 7 p.m. – Met with WRT 200 students to review drafts
- 8 p.m. – Held phone conversation with prospective grad certificate publishing student
- 8:30 p.m. – Reviewed more WRT 200 and WRT 205 drafts
- 9:30 p.m. – Met with student interested in summer internship
- 10 p.m. – Spoke by phone with WRT 200 student
- 10:20 p.m. – Scanned new materials for ENG 503 summer course
- 11–11:30 p.m. – Caught up in reading and responding to all emails
Thursday:
- 7:30 a.m. – Arrived in office and began checking emails
- 7:45 a.m. – Prepared editing materials and groups for WRT 200 class and exercises for WRT 205 class
- 8:15 a.m. – Met with student about internship opportunities and requirements
- 8:45 a.m. – Reviewed cover letter and résumé for a student’s internship application
- 9:30 a.m. – Returned to reading and responding to emails
- 10:15 a.m. – Met with WRT 200 student to review draft of research paper
- 10:45 a.m.–2 p.m. – Taught WRT 205 (in Recitation) and WRT 200 (in Anderson)
- 2 p.m. – Attended and participated in meeting for literature track
- 3:20 p.m. – Attended and participated in department meeting
- 4:20 p.m. – Attended Sigma Tau Delta induction ceremony for our majors
- 5:30 p.m. – Packed up and drove back to D.C.
- 9-10:30 p.m. – Handled emails and responses and began reviewing drafts of ENG 400 contextual essays
Friday: Work from home in D.C.
- 8:30 a.m. – Checked and responded to emails
- 9:30 a.m. – Updated all program review materials for 2016-17 for upcoming meetings
- 10:15 a.m. – Responded to 10 online requests for recommendations from various school districts for a graduating BSEd in English student (had written a three-page letter two weeks previously, so this letter often helped me speed up the process).
- 11:30 a.m. – Checked and responded to emails
- Noon – Reviewed two WRT 200 drafts
- 1–3:30 p.m. – Wrote recommendation letter for student from spring 2013 to support her application to MS in Information and Library Sciences
- 4:15–6:30 p.m. – Checked and responded to emails, including sending reminders via email, Twitter, and more regarding SHARP’s sponsorship of Folger’s Wonder of Will live-streaming event
- 8:30–10 p.m.—Worked on developing 18th century historical map for ENG 400 project
Saturday:
- Wrote a 1,300+ word post, “Scholarly Communication, Monetary Networks, and the Control of Knowledge” for Early Modern Online Bibliography, a scholarly blog I co-host/co-edit. (3.5 hours)
- Worked with colleague from Penn State to devise panel and call for papers for the SHARP session at the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies 2017 conference. (1 hour)
- Prepped for WRT 200/205 lessons on transforming a project from one completed using print medium to multimodal. (1 hour)
- Worked on developing tools and instructions for using materials for website for ENG 400 seminar and completed related reading. (3.5 hours)
- Checked email and responded throughout day and evening.
Dr. Eleanor Shevlin is an English professor at West Chester University.