Educational Policies & Programs Committee
Minutes of September 24, 2007
Present: Bruce Conrad, Chris Dennis, Marge Devinney, Rob Drennan, Anthony DeFusco, Jane Evans, Mary Anne Gaffney (Chair), Phil Harris, Michele O'Connor, Keya Sadeghipour, Catherine Schifter, Concetta Stewart, and Karen M. Turner. Terry Halbert was present as a guest.
The meeting convened at 2:35 PM.
1. Terry Halbert spoke to the committee about the status of the General Education program. The Board of Trustees revised the program in June. Originally, a "College 065" was envisioned; all General Education courses were to be offered under its auspices. This college was abolished. Colleges and departments are now responsible for staffing and administering General Education courses. The limit of five courses per category has been lifted. The goal now is to ensure that freshmen get an edifying experience -- rather than to place an arbitrary limit on the number of choices presented. The Trustees also revoked the mandate that all General Education requirements must be satisfied before the student has completed 62 credit hours: students are now advised -- but not required -- to complete General Education in the first two years of study. Previously, no General Education course could be included as an elective in a degree curriculum. The Trustees revoked this rule also, but stipulated that an a GenEd course may not be used a required course in the major.
As 2008 approaches, a General Education implementation group, comprised of associate deans from CLA, CST, SCT, and the Fox School has been formed. General Education now has is own office, and a budget committee, whose members are Chris Dennis, Dick Englert, Rich Joslyn, Jaisan Kurichi, Sandy Kyrish, Vanessa Rose, Tim Walsh, Ralph Jenkins, and David Watt. This committee has met weekly for the last 6 weeks.
Concetta Stewart pointed out that the general education program will be the centerpiece for the Middle States evaluation. The self study will include a longitudinal study of the writing course. There will also be a study conducted by Eli Goldblatt of the course Mosaic 1,2 (formerly known as Intellectual Heritage 1,2) which breaks down the concept of academic literacy into the use of texts.
The learning goals of the breadth areas of the General Education Curriculum must be clearly stated. Faculty participants should get together to ask how specific goals in each area are being met.
A culture of assessment must be developed. Keya Sadeghipour said that the College of Engineering is gaining experience with assessment. It has found it necessary to set realistic goals and to run pilot courses before proceeding with large-scale offerings. Surveys are not very useful in assessment; a more direct assessment process is necessary.
Dean Sadeghipour asked about the status of the required number of free electives in a curriculum. Terry Halbert responded that 12 credits was the recommended minimum for any curriculum. If a program does not have room for that many free electives, then that fact must be explained to students. Not surprisingly, the issue of defining the term "free elective" arose. Terry Halbert quoted the president, who said that the issue of appropriateness of the free electives allowed in a given curriculum should be addressed -- with reference to the best practices in the subject area -- in the context of the periodic external reviews.
There are some open policy issues:
- The minimum grade required to satisfy a general education requirement has not been established and is a contentious issue. Opinions range in the closed interval [D-,C]. This committee will make the decision.
- Could the General Education program replace the Core in 03/08? Terry Halbert predicted problems. Chris Dennis said his office was making enrollment projections and considering logistics. Dean Sadeghipour hoped that the Vice Provost's office would work closely with deans.
- Chris Dennis wondered what general education courses would be available for freshmen in 36/08. Will colleges step forward and make courses available, or will requests go to the colleges?
- Catharine Schifter expressed the concern that students majoring in Elementary Education would have fewer courses offering content knowledge at the level they need.
- Karen Turner noted that issues such as these were falling through cracks, and suggested that a list be made.
- The budget issue arose -- smaller classes that are needed in general education will be expensive.
- Will transfer students have access to general education courses? Currently it is proposed that during the first year, freshmen only will be offered general education courses, with transfers and upperclassmen allowed in only when space is available. Michele O'Connor expressed concern for the transfer students, who are encouraged to register early. They have to have courses available.
- Michele O'Connor also pointed out that the 2008 bulletin will need extensive revision. Many undergraduate degree curricula are being restructured as a result of the 124 credits requirement.
Dean Stewart informed the committee that on October 3, the Council of Deans meeting will focus on general education. She will try to get Dick Englert to push the issue mentioned by Catharine Schifter about the loss of courses that have traditional subject content in favor of "boutique" general education courses. This concern has been expressed by many, that the General Education Curriculum was developed in isolation of the needs of students who have to take certification exams. Jane Evans said a list of concerns should be sent to GEEC. Terry Halbert can then decide how to route these concerns, such as: How is General Education addressing the needs of students to take the next step, professional licensure or graduate admission?
To summarize this discussion, Mary Anne Gaffney suggested the following list of concerns:
- Does the General Education Curriculum offer appropriate traditional content knowledge to meet the needs of all students preparing for careers?
- What degree of access should transfer and core students have to general education courses?
- What is the minimum acceptable grade in a general education course needed to satisfy a particular general education requirement?
- Will courses that are needed by some constituency be displaced by general education courses that do not meet the same needs?
2. Karen Turner said that EPPC needs to have two additional members: there is an open seat with a 3-year term and a vacated seat with one year to go. Candidates from CLA and Fox are not eligible. Jane Evans proposed referring the question to the Representative Faculty Senate.
3. The minutes of September 10 were accepted with minor corrections.
4. Michele O'Connor reported that she has been visiting community colleges, with a list of 5 areas to examine regarding the transition from core-to-core to General Education. Many articulation agreements will be reviewed.
A new issue regarding transfer students has arisen, as a result of the online home schooling phenomenon. Students take community college courses, and earn an Associate's degree and a high school diploma simultaneously. Are they eligible for core-to-core? They have college transcripts. Michele O'Connor will bring a count of the number of applicants with this situation to the next meeting.
5. Mary Anne Gaffney said that the question of credit toward the baccalaureate degree for ROTC courses may be on our agenda soon. Chris Dennis suggested that individual deans should be consulted. The present status is that ROTC credits are posted on a student's transcript, but they do not count toward graduation. The vice provost for undergraduate studies takes the position that they should be counted. Dean Stewart asked the vice provost's office to find the policies of other universities on credit given for ROTC and to report back to this committee.
6. Mary Anne Gaffney reminded us that the next meeting will be in 3 weeks, on October 15. GEEC will be invited to send a representative. The meeting then adjourned, at 4:08 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Bruce Conrad
