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Section 2:
Office of the Dean
DOCUMENTATION OF NATIONAL MISSION CONTACTS AND ACTIVITIES:
USING THE “ACTIVITY SUMMARY” AND “CONTACT LOG” FORMS
The Clerc Center must provide evidence of all its contributions toward
the national mission. Teachers and staff document the training, technical
assistance (consultation), information dissemination, and other such services
using “Activity Summary” and “Contact Log” forms, as described below:
Documentation Procedures
1. Prepare the proper documentation: “Activity Summary” or
“Contact Log”.
Every Clerc Center teacher and staff member contributes to
the national mission. Consequently, each of us is expected to document
national mission activities, specifically:
- training - conducting workshops, teaching courses, presenting
at conferences; supervising/coaching interns and practicum students,
etc.
- technical assistance - providing consultation services, planning
assistance (e.g., serving on conference planning committees); conducting
needs assessments; assisting with problem solving; serving on professional
committees, etc.
- exhibit/performance - marketing Clerc Center products, publications,
services; performances; demonstrations; etc.
- publication/product - writing/editing an article, book; developing
curriculum materials, etc.
- information dissemination - meeting with visitors; sharing
information; consulting; responding to inquiries; etc.
Documentation occurs online through the Clerc Center website, although
paper forms are still available for documentation as well. Contact Information
Systems and Computer Support (ISCS) for training in how to enter data
online. The two forms that are used by teachers and staff for documentation—either
on paper or online—are:
- “Activity Summary” - for training, technical assistance, exhibits/performances,
publications/products
- “Contact Log” - for information dissemination (e.g., visitors,
responses to inquiries)
The database addresses are:
http://clerccenterdb.gallaudet.edu/ActivitySummary/
http://clerccenterdb.gallaudet.edu/Contactlog/
Clerc Center personnel are encouraged to enter online as much of their
own documentation data as possible. Directors/coordinators may also identify
key personnel within their units who will enter data for other members
of the units. Paper forms are available in the program managers’ offices
of both schools, in all directors’/ coordinators’ offices, and in the
Office of the Dean.
2. Submit “Activity Summary” and “Contact Log” forms to your
immediate supervisor.
If you have entered the data online, attach a printout of the form with
your supporting documentation. Supervisors will review the forms,
make corrections as necessary, and then forward them to the respective
directors/coordinators.
Forms should be submitted at regular intervals, as established by the
Clerc Center Management Team (CCMT).
A special note regarding documentation of visitors:
As a support to teachers and staff, the documentation of visits by
educators and other professionals, when coordinated through the Office
of Training and Professional Development (TPD), will be handled by TPD. Therefore,
you need only handle the documentation of a visitor if you have coordinated
that visit yourself, without the involvement of any unit listed above.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if something should be documented or not?
Generally speaking, if you are providing information to people outside
the Clerc Center, document it. Consequently, if you serve on a planning
committee for an upcoming conference, or respond to an inquiry about effective
teaching practices for deaf/hard of hearing students, or assist a parent
in finding resources for a child... all these are the type of things that
relate to our national mission and should be documented. It is best to
err on the side of documentation so... when in doubt, document!
What are some examples of activities that would not be documented?
If you are communicating with someone outside Clerc Center because
you are requesting information from them, then this would generally not
be documented. For example, if you are contacting people in the community
asking them to be guests in the classroom and do read-alouds for the students,
you do not document this. In this case, you are requesting their
services rather than providing yours. We document evidence of us providing
services to those outside our programs.
However, using the same example above, if you initiate a contact because
you are requesting someone’s services but before your conversation ends
you find that you are, indeed, providing them with information about the
Clerc Center, then you would document this contact.
Another example is if you are providing training to families of KDES/MSSD
students. This is not documented as national mission. This is something
internal to our own program. If you are providing training to families
of KDES/MSSD students and the event is also open to and attracts families
of deaf/hard of hearing students in other programs, then yes, you would
document it.
What about email, listservs, distance education, and other Internet
activities?
A long-standing challenge relates to documentation of information
dissemination that is conducted via the Internet. We are well aware of
the problem. For now, document these activities using the “Activity Summary”
and “Contact Log” forms as best you can. ISCS continues to be on the alert
for mechanisms that would be more relevant and accurate for the information
dissemination we do through electronic communication. Those of you who
are moderating listservs may want to prepare a completely separate report
about the listserv, its membership, the nature and number of communications,
etc., rather than using the “Activity Summary” or “Contact Log” forms. Use
these forms as guides, however, because the information requested on them
is the information that we are asked to report.
If you have questions about how to proceed with documentation, talk with
your respective director/coordinator, or with the director of ISCS or
the director of TPD. Thank you in advance for your serious attention to
documentation. It is an important vehicle by which we demonstrate the
significant services we provide to parents, students, educators, and other
professionals who work with deaf and hard of hearing students.
PROCEDURES FOR DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL (DESS) SUBMISSION OF
CONTACT LOGS/ACTIVITY SUMMARIES
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All DESS teachers and staff members document their national mission
activities either by entering the information on the computer system
or by filling out the forms manually.
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DESS teachers and teacher aides submit contact logs/activity summaries
to the appropriate Program Manager by the last day of the month.
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DESS staff members submit contact logs/activity summaries to their
supervisors by the last day of the month.
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Program Managers and supervisors review all forms to ensure everything
is in order.
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Program Managers and supervisors forward all forms to the director
of DESS for final review by the first Friday of the following month.
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The director of DESS will send all forms to the Office of Training
and Professional Development.
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