Undergraduate Curriculum Forum
MINUTES
Adanti Student Center, Room 301A
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Present: M. Hartog, K. McGill, M. Das, S. Grace, G. Kowalczyk, S. Felsenfeld, S. Kopaczewski, L. Lancor, K. McNamara, L. Bower, M. McClain, J. Fullmer, J. Rumrill, M. Fede, C. Hannah, B. Nakamura, T. Radice, J. Liu, C. Simoneau, J. Fields, J. Irving, K. Lacey, M. Vancour, H. Lockwood, K. Cummings, D. Smith, G. Adams, E. Keenan, S. Latorre, T. Lin, K. Barnett, S. Graves, M. Shea, B. Glynn, P. Beals, L. Lancor, A. Reynaga, N. Moniello, S. Keller, J. Mills
Absent: M. Narumanchi, B. Phelan, S. Grubacic, E. West, C. Dellinger-Pate, E. Kramer, R. Kustin, J. Irving, J. O'hara, K. Marsland, J. Tait, T. Abdulaziz, W. Elwood, J. Mielczarski, K. Burke, G. Cochenet, D. Bentley-Drobish
Guest:
I. The meeting was called to order at 9:39 a.m.
Quorum (50% + 1) was reached at 9:46 a.m.
II. Announcements
a. Tonight in MO 103 the Chemistry Club will present Global Warming Exposed with Art Horne.
b. There will be a special meeting next Wednesday regarding the referendum to recall LEP.
c. SCSU is looking for four faculty members to serve on the Search Committee for our new university president.
d. University-wide committee elections coming out soon and LEPC and WACC need new members. LEPC meets Wednesdays from 3:25pm-4:45 p.m. WACC needs four members (one from Library Sciences and one from EDU) and two at-large positions.
e. Transfer students with 30 credits or less will work with Academic Advisement and Polly Beals.
f. Three advisement sessions for faculty and staff for LEP - Monday (4/25) and Friday (4/29) from 1p.m. to 2p.m. in EN A 120 and Tuesday (4/26) from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EN C 112.
g. Today open session with Wendy Cheng from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the ASC Theater.
III. Approval of UCF minutes of April 7, 2011
a. Minutes of March 7th approved unanimously
IV. Standing Committee Reports
a. NPIC
i. Discussion of 4/14 meeting
1. Special Topics Courses:
1) NUR 498 Palliative and End-of-Life Care Colloquium
2) SPA 398 Musical Cultures of the Caribbean
2. New forms for new and revised minors program reviewed
ii. Minutes of 4/14 accepted
b. NMC
i. Discussion of 4/14 meeting
1. Motion to accept the following new/revised courses and revised program proposals:
New Course Proposals
1) EXS 158 Athletic Training Professional Practice
2) EXS 283 Clinical Anatomy and Kinesiology
3) EXS 328 Orthopedic Appliances and Advanced Taping Techniques
Revised Course Proposals
4) PCH 270 Stress Management
5) REC 120 Leadership Development
6) REC 220 Inclusive Recreation
7) REC 320 Recreation and Park Programs
8) REC 420 Organization and Administration of Leisure
9) REC 470 Senior Research Methods
10) PHY 230 Physics for Scientists & Engineers I
11) SOC 203 Social Organizations **
12) SOC 216 Men's Studies **
13) SOC 251 Sociology of Religion **
14) SOC 265 Self and Society **
Revised Program Proposals
15) BS Business Administration/Concentration MIS
16) BS/BA/BS with Certification - Sociology
2. Motion approved unanimously [** submitted to UWIC as LEP offerings]
ii. Minutes of 4/14 received
c. PRAC
i. Discussion of 4/14 meeting
1. Met with Public Health to discuss requirements for expedited review of their assessment due 4/20/11.
ii. Minutes of 4/14 received
d. UWIC
i. Discussion of 4/14 meeting
1. Met with Exercise Science to discuss their Tier 2 proposal - EXS 212 Lifetime Physical Activity
ii. Minutes of 4/14 received
e. WACC
i. Discussion of 4/14 meeting
1. Writing contest winners announced
2. Motion to approve the following W-Courses:
1) ENG 463 20th Century American Novel (J. Mock); HIS 350 Colonial America (M. McDaniel); SOC 315 Sociology of Gender (A. Eich-Krohm); COM 333 Video Script Writing (T. Peterson)
3. Motion approved unanimously
ii. Minutes of 4/14 received
f. LEPC
i. Discussion of 3/30 and 4/6 meeting
1. New LEP Advisement Guide will be made available at advisement workshops for faculty and staff
2. Motion: In the spirit of the desire for flexibility during the transition period, the LEP director in consultation with the LEPC will negotiate "side letters" with departments that have transitioned AUR courses into Tier 2 of the LEP. These side letters would allow flexibility during the transition period so that students can take such courses without the Tier 1 prerequisites specified in the LEP document for a period of two years (until Spring 2013). This is done with the understanding that the department will be working on course revisions so that by the end of the two-year period, either a new course will be proposed that will serve as the major requirement or a new course will be proposed to replace the AUR course as the Tier 2 LEP course.
3. Discussion:
1) Issue with students not graduating in four years
2) Scheduling is working for freshman with additional freshman-only designated sections of courses, like MAT 107 and CHE 120.
4. Question called (E. Keenan) with second (C. Simoneau) and motion approved unanimously.
ii. Minutes 3/30 and 4/6 received
V. Old Business
a. Todd Rofuth, Senate Technology Committee Chair, met with UCF to discuss technology issues.
i. We received a note from Wendy Cheng regarding upcoming improvements.
1. Email space will be enhanced.
2. IT Office is understaffed.
3. Full-time faculty not allowed to forward email to an external source.
4. Education is our primary function so we need technology to make education possible.
5. Arguing for higher quality replacement computers to be able to teach effectively or permit faculty to purchase their own systems to meet their teaching needs. Todd believes we'll be transitioning back to desktops when we see virtual desktops in the classrooms.
6. SCSU receiving proposals for a new course management system to replace VISTA. The replacement will be rolled out spring 2012 or fall 2012.
7. Communication with Library Services and students regarding library technology is not occurring. Process to print and default settings not clear to students, which results in students' frustration.
8. There are printing issues in the computer labs, too. Students are not receiving assistance in a customer-friendly manner.
9. Potential threat to the system as faculty need to go outside of the university to find technology to meet their pedagogy.
10. Policy changes are needed and recognition that current policies are inconsistently implemented across faculty.
11. IT staff appealing to faculty to "buttress their petitions for change" due to a lack of responsiveness to staff requests. Example, two-week advanced notice requirement, which is unrealistic for most faculty to meet their teaching responsibilities.
ii. UCF needs to create a plan to address these and other changes.
VI. New Business
a. Petition calling for referendum to recall LEP implementation. Special meeting next Wednesday to see if the Senate needs to take action.
b. LEP petition: Faculty Senate - Request for a faculty referendum on the LEP - We the undersigned faculty believe that the current proposed LEP is not in the spirit of the original approved program change for the All University Requirements at SCSU. Specifically, we have concerns about the impact on our students in regards to their academic pursuits. The current LEP proposal will adversely impact a) transfer students in their ability to transfer seamlessly as required by State of Connecticut law, b) enrolled students in their ability to complete major requirements within a reasonable period of time to graduate, and c) given current economic restraints impede the University from offering enough and timely courses to fulfill the new requirements. We, the undersigned faculty of SCSU, respectively petition for a new referendum on stopping the current plan of implementation of the LEP into the undergraduate curriculum effective immediately.
c. Mike asked UCF members to consider that most LEP issues are being addressed by LEPC, but graduation timelines and increased caps on W and other courses are not LEPC issues.
Meeting adjourned at 10:51 a.m.
These minutes are respectfully submitted by Michele Vancour.
