New Programs and Innovations Committee
October 21, 2004 Minutes

Present:  A. Abugri, (Chair), C. Barrett, K. Barrett, T. Fleming, B. Horn, L. Bier

The committee again addressed the suggested Special Topics Workshop by Joe Fields.  We discussed whether or not our role as a committee was to offer workshops or whether one was needed.  We confirmed our role as receiving, considering and evaluating new program proposals, suggestions and proposals on curricular innovations, and logging of special topics courses.  We did not see a workshop as our function or the need for a workshop.  The committee would rather put it's energy toward getting the approved motions from last semester executed.  Those motions included updating the UCF web page with procedures for offering special topics courses and adding a special topics page to the Schedule of Classes.  In lieu of these motions having been enacted, the committee will follow-up on several suggestions to get procedural information to faculty and a list of special topics courses to students.

Suggestions:

• Communicate procedural information for Special Topics courses to Chairs to be shared with faculty
• Article in Southern news to spread word to whole community, especially students, about special topics courses
• Community e-mail through Public Affairs listing special topics courses being offered during the Wintersession and Spring semester

The committee also discussed our concern that the Winter and Spring Special Topics courses were signed-off by UCF Chair Joe Fields, prior to committee review.  There apparently seems to be a timing issue of when course schedules are due for the Schedule of Classes versus when Special Topics are due to the NPIC.  If the committee is only reviewing and logging after the fact, then we question our function.

Submitted by Christine Barrett