Undergraduate Curriculum Forum
Notification Management Committee Minutes
November 16, 2006
In attendance: R. Glinka, R. Hunter, M. Kiarie, R. Kustin, K. Laing (Recorder), T. Lin (Co-Chair), W. O'Brien, C. Kim, Guests: W. Yu and J. Daponte
Opened with introduction and welcome of guests.
Review of Proposals
The Revised Program Proposal for BS-Business with concentration in Marketing was reviewed.
It was discussed that at our previous meeting the Revised Program was approved pending notification of affected departments, Computer Science and English.
Computer Science wanted an opportunity to have their recommendations heard. W. Yu provided a written response (attached below) to a meeting between R. Kustin and Computer Science faculty explaining the rationale for the revision to the Marketing program. W. Yu highlighted several areas of the response.
A discussion ensued around the impact on students, the impact on the Computer Science Department, the rationale for the revision to the program, and the purpose of notification of affected departments.
We concluded our discussion with W. Yu and J. Daponte at 10:45 a.m.
The committee continued the meeting briefly and decided to table a vote on the proposal until our next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:00am
November 14, 2006
NMC / UCF
Re: Marketing Program Change
Dear NMC / UCF,
Dr. Richard Kustin visited Computer Science Department on November 14, 2006 to discuss the proposal from Marketing Department (MKT) regarding the removal of CSC 200 as a cognate requirement. Computer Science is appreciative of his visit as an opportunity for us to understand the rationale behind this proposal.
As explained by Dr. Kustin, the rationale of the proposal is to augment the Marketing program requirement to align with AACSB accreditation criteria. Dr. Kustin stated that the AACSB requires each academic program to have no more than 50% of its required courses outside of the Business discipline. In order to be eligible for consideration for accreditation, MKT needs to eliminate ENG 316 and CSC 200 as cognate requirements to comply with this AACSB requirement. In our discussion, Dr. Kustin indicated that MKT is satisfied with CSC 200 course coverage and to date has not heard any complaints from any MKT majors. CSC 200 is currently the only required course in the MKT program with technology as its content.
The Computer Science Department acquired its professional accreditation from CSAB / ABET fifteen years ago and has always maintained the accredited status. Our department has deep understanding and can identify with the complexity of the process. Given the short time notice, this letter is prepared as a response from Computer Science to the MKT proposal based on our understanding of the AACSB accreditation guideline. If there is additional information which should be taken into consideration, the Computer Science Department will be more than happy to participate in further discussion.
As per the AACSB guideline on page 3 and 4:
defining the scope of accreditation
The accreditation process presumes the inclusion of all degree programs delivered by the institution that permit 25 percent or more of the teaching for undergraduate programs or 50 percent or more of teaching for graduate programs to be in traditional business subjects. (Pg. 3)
If the business programs included in the accreditation review provide 25 percent or more of an undergraduate program or 50 percent or more of a graduate program, the degree program will be presumed to be a business program, and it will be included in the review. (Pg. 4)
The AACSB requirement states that undergraduate programs with 25% or more of the teaching in traditional business subjects are eligible for accreditation consideration. The 50% requirement applies to graduate programs only. Currently, Marketing department meets and exceeds this requirement.
On page 15, the guideline further identifies Information Technology as a skill area which should be included:
Normally, the curriculum management process will result in an undergraduate degree program that includes learning experiences in such general knowledge and skill areas as:
• Communication abilities.
• Ethical understanding and reasoning abilities.
• Analytic skills.
• Use of information technology.
• Multicultural and diversity understanding.
• Reflective thinking skills.
On page 62, under section Using External Guidance:
Using External Guidance
The faculty has the responsibility for setting the learning goals for degrees. However, they need not, indeed they should not, operate in an isolated fashion on a task so critical to the success of the school in meeting its mission. External constituencies can inject expertise and
perspectives into the process that will be unavailable if the faculty operates alone. ....
....
University expertise outside of the business school can also be a valuable resource. Faculty in language and area studies, communications, social sciences, law, information technology, and
other disciplines can share information about the latest research of their disciplines, how it is best taught, and how business graduates may utilize it.
On page 69-70, under Topical Coverage Must Fit The School's Mission:
Topical Coverage Must Fit the School's Mission
Schools should assume great flexibility in fashioning curricula to meet their missions and to fit with the specific circumstances of particular programs. Some of these topics may be emphasized for particular learning needs and others may be de-emphasized.
.....
Schools are expected to determine how these, or other, topics occur in the learning experiences of students, but accreditation does not mandate any particular set of courses, nor is a prescribed
pattern or order intended.
.....
Curricular contents must assure that program graduates are prepared to assume business and management careers as appropriate to the learning goals of the program. Contents of the current and relevant to needs of business and management positions. ..... Another example of present-day relevance and currency is the need for graduates to
be competent in the uses of technology and information systems in modern organizational operations. The school must determine the specific ways globalization and information systems are included in the curriculum, and the particular pedagogies used. Curricula without
these two areas of learning would not normally be considered current and relevant.
As globalization permeates today's modern organizational operations, the demand on marketing professionals is on the rise. To remain competitive, business graduates must ground their theories with practical skills in information technology. The AACSB accreditation guideline clearly endorses this as the ongoing trend.
The field of information science changes very rapidly. In a few months, Microsoft will release the new edition of MSOffice with numerous new features including web collaboration. As noted in the AACSB guideline, information technology will be an integral part of how we do business. It is our responsibility as educators to prepare students to handle such challenges. The issue is not whether our students know technology but how well they know it. The Computer Science Department faculty are at the forefront of information science. We are most suitable to bring such knowledge into the classroom.
CSC 200 Personal Computing Applications is a course developed by the Computer Science Department over the last two decades specifically for Business students. This course is not a requirement for CSC majors. If any department in the School of Business feels that the course content needs to be adapted to address specific needs of the students, Computer Science can customize the course or sections of the course to meet such needs.
The Computer Science Department very strongly recommends that CSC 200 remain as a cognate for Marketing majors. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with any department to strengthen the information science curricular foundation, preparing students as leaders for tomorrow.
Respectfully submitted,
Winnie Yu
Chairperson
Computer Science
CC: Dr. Henry Hein, Dean of School of Business
Dr. Edward Harris, Dean of Communication, Information, & Library Science
