--- Forwarded Message from Samantha Earp <[log in to unmask]> --- >Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 05:02:38 -0800 (PST) >From: Samantha Earp <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: #6509 Lab Director/Coordinator/pecking order? (long) >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]> >Cc: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask] >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> ------------------ Hello everyone, My my. Isn't it interesting how often this topic comes up? It seems that so many of us have to spend large amounts of time at regular intervals to work out this very issue. There's a lot to say about this, but here are my comments, for what they're worth. 1. Director vs Coordinator. Generally speaking, in my mind a Director has more responsibility, authority and autonomy than a coordinator or a manager. Many of the people I know of who do operate fairly independently and who report to a higher level admnistrator like a dean have the title of Director. In the Duke context, the Coordinators -who have concrete daily operations responsibilities for a particular facility or for technical support- report to a Director, who has overall administrative (planning, priority, budgetary) and -in my case- pedagogical responsibilities. 2. Administrator vs. Faculty I personally wish that the system of "Administrative Faculty" that exists at UVA and perhaps other places was more prevalent, because what many directors do crosses this particular boundary and others as well. I've been faculty before in previous directorships, and found the tension between the annual review process for "normal" faculty (not my word) and the process needed for a language technology center director to be very difficult. However, I've also argued strongly for the need to such a position to be accorded faculty status, given the pedagogical, service and professional demands. That said, I'm currently considered administrative staff, which fits the Duke context much better. 3. Relationship with other campus IT units One thing you didn't bring up, Donna, is the relationship hierarchically with other campus IT units. I would urge you to think *very* carefully about the most productive way to interact with other units of this type, including those that support academic applications of technology, and then make a strong argument in your proposal for what you want. It seems that many of us end up spending large amounts of time dealing with issues of dependence and autonomy vis-a-vis other campus units, and if you could work out some understanding of this on the front end, you might not have to fight this battle as hard or as frequently, at least until the next restructuring! 4. Reporting line & budget You serve more than one division, on more than one campus. Your mission is complementary to but distinct from the divisions you serve. Do all you can to keep your own budget and your direct reporting line to the Dean. Good luck! Off soapbox, Samantha ----------------------------- Samantha Earp, Director Foreign Language Technology Services Editor-In-Chief, IALL Journal of Language Learning Technologies Duke University 919.660.5945 [log in to unmask] http://www.duke.edu/~ssearp/ ------------------------------ --- LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > --- Forwarded Message from "Donna Apgar" > <[log in to unmask]> --- > > >Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2002 14:12:10 -0500 > >From: "Donna Apgar" <[log in to unmask]> > >To: <[log in to unmask]> > >Subject: Lab Director/Coordinator/pecking order? > > ------------------ > Dear Friends, > Maybe you can help me or let me know where to look! > My position is being re-evaluated due to some > restructuring around here at CPCC. I was hired as > French instructor/Lab Coordinator 5 years > ago....faculty position. We have gone from 1 lab > to 5 locations and from audio to digital etc. I > have gone from teaching classes as well as running > the Lab , to no classes. We service over 1000 > students who must do 27 lab hours per semester > (flex. hrs lab). I service both FL and ESL however > I now report to the newly formed Foreign Language > Division Director. It would make more sense to me > if I reported directly to the Dean as do the FL Div. > Director and the ESL Div. Director, that I control > my Lab budget, that my title change to Division > Director of the Multicampus MM Lab not under either > FL or ESL. What do you think? I am in the > process of writing a proposal to this end. > Will appreciate any and all > input/suggestions/discussion. > > Do we have any statistics from our survey (or any > other) re: > > 1. What is the most common position title for the > person who runs a College or University Multimedia > Language Learning Facility/Center/Lab? > Are we mostly "Directors" or "Coordinators?" > Are we mostly faculty or administrators (probably > depends on size of Institution?) > 2.If we do not teach any classes, are we on > administrative contracts or faculty contracts? > 3. Are we mostly on 10 month or 12 month contracts? > 4. Do most of us report directly to a Dean > or to a Division Director or Program Chair? > What is the pecking > order? > 5. Do most of us have control of our Lab budget/lab > fee money etc.? > > I did a search in the archives and checked the IALLT > Management Manual (old edition I think) but didn't > really find what I need. > Thanks for your thoughts on this. Donna > > > > > > > > Donna Apgar > Multimedia Language Learning Lab > Coordinator > French Instructor > Central Piedmont Community College > PO Box 35009 > Charlotte, NC 28235-5009 > 704-330-6167 > fax: 704-330-6130 > [log in to unmask] > Website: http://www.cpcc.edu/langlab __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE Valentine eCards with Yahoo! Greetings! http://greetings.yahoo.com