Educational Programs and Policies Committee

Minutes, March 30, 2009

Present: Bruce Conrad, Mary Anne Gaffney (Chair), Phil Harris, Michele O’Connor (scribe), Keya Sadeghipour, Robert Aiken, Catherine Schifter, Dan Liebermann, Kate Wingert, Concetta Stewart, Tamar Johns , Wendy Kutchner, Marge Devinney, Suman Balish, Jason Gasper-Hulvat, and  Peter Jones (guest)

Minutes were reviewed and corrected and approved.

Peter Jones proposed that EPPC reconsider the repeat course proposal that would prevent a student from taking a course more than three times.  He suggested that before we have such a strong policy, we should ensure that we have done all we can do to help these students prior to failing a course twice. 

Discussion:

Bruce Conrad:  Explained that the numbers are very large for students who fail calculus, so it is very hard to follow-up.  Unfortunately, many CST students have parents who pressure the student in a pre-med direction, so students continue to retake a course.  The fact is that students who earn a C in pre calculus will not pass calculus.

Peter Jones: Prior to the current Pre-Health Advising unit, which has been around for only two years, students were not receiving timely feedback on whether Pre-med was an appropriate goal.  Now with the Pre-Health Advising unit, it should cut down on the number of students hanging on to a particular major.

Concetta Stewart:  Can students who fail be retested?

Bruce Conrad: What about transfer students?  If they fail calculus, they should be required to go back to pre-calculus.

Peter Jones: If we have established equivalencies and have admitted these students, how can we give these students a test and then put them back?  CST has done a lot already to help students.  Beginning Fall 2008 transfer students in particular colleges take the placement test as a diagnostic; they’ve also added a tutorial on to their courses for all students.

Concetta Stewart: Is this a legacy issue? 

Peter Jones:  As grading and quality assessment improves, the numbers of students taking courses multiple times should get smaller.

Dan Liebermann:  What about students who don’t listen?

Concetta Stewart:  This is a serious problem and can’t continue.

Peter Jones:  We need to recognize that there hasn’t been much intervention up front to justify EPPC’s proposed recommendation.

Suman Balish:  Should students be required to meet with a faculty advisor?  In my previous experience, students were assigned to faculty advisors, so faculty would know students.

Peter Jones:  We need to remember that 35% of our students are first generation.  We have recently established a predictive model to help identify at-risk students.  This information will help us be proactive.

Phil Harris:  Early intervention is the appropriate path.  How would identification occur, so we can flag these students?

Peter Jones:  We could flag students who failed the same course twice.

Dan Liebermann:  Putting a limitation saves money for the student and for Temple.  If a student fails the course and has problems we could allow the student to continue through an exception process.

Bob Aiken:  There should be a combination:  Any student who fails a course twice will be automatically flagged and must register through an advisor.  If the student fails a third time, then the student shouldn’t be allowed to take it a fourth time.

Concetta Stewart:  What if faculty could see who failed before, faculty could intervene earlier if they saw that the student was having trouble again?

Peter Jones:  Could the EPPC policy recommendation have a more formative approach?

Suman Balish:  Faculty should follow these students.

Concetta Stewart:  Does EPPC recommend policy and add procedure or just policy?

Peter Jones:  EPPC makes recommendations to the Provost.

Bob Aiken:  What would be the procedure:  If a student fails a course twice, the student would be flagged and would need to see an advisor to register.  If he/she failed it a third time, he/she would need the permission of his/her dean to take the course a fourth time.

Keya Sadeghipour:  There are three issues:  Who gets admitted to Temple; what is the advising quality: and what is the quality of education.

Concetta Stewart:  Motion to revise previous recommendation:  Any student who fails a course twice has a hold put on their registration and must see an advisor.  A student who has failed a course three times cannot register for that course the fourth time without the permission of his/her dean.

Catherine Schifter:  Seconded

Vote:  All in favor: Yes.

Bruce Conrad:  Target classes with high failure rates; should adopt a math process:  If bad first assessment, students should be required to attend a supplemental instruction session.

Robert Aiken:  New Motion:  Continue to except ACE credits.

Michele:  Seconded.

Vote:  All in favor: Yes

Next Meeting:  Electronic.