University of Minnesota, Morris

Morris, MN

MINUTES 2005-2006 Curriculum Committee Meeting # 4

February 2, 2006 1:00 p.m. Moccasin Flower Room

Present: John Schwaller, Michael Korth, Judy Kuechle, Tap Payne, Jeffrey Ratliff-Crain, Carol Marxen, Ray Schultz, Harold Hinds, Van Gooch, Maggie Stewart, Alyssa Herzog, Clare Strand, Jeri Mullin, Nancy Helsper, Dorothy DeJager.

Absent: Jooinn Lee, Heather Michaelson, Isaac Linehan-Clodfelter, Sara Haugen and Tom McRoberts.

Meeting was opened by John Schwaller at 1:00 Introductions were made by everyone.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Approval of the minutes from November 10, 2005.

Motion: (Hinds, Korth) to approve the minutes from meeting #3

VOTE: Motion passed (9–0–1)

First Year Seminar Theme Change:

Discussion was held as to whether or not to change the theme for First Year Seminar, Schwaller had asked for comments about this campus wide and had gotten little feedback except for those against the change. The Assessment of Student Learning Committee had forwarded the request. In the absence of a concrete proposal, it was recommended that the Curriculum Committee table this discussion.

Motion: (Marxen, Stewart and Herzog) to table changing the theme for First Year Seminar

Discussion: a member said we should come back to visit the change of topic. Another member asked if we table a subject are we required to revisit the subject in our next meeting? Schwaller clarified by saying by tabling a question the Curriculum Committee can revisit it at any point in the future. He also stated that when the Campus Assembly accepted the report of the Task Force a few years ago and re-approved FYS there was no request to bring the issue back to Assembly within a specific term of years. FYS became another permanent part of the curriculum.

Vote: Motion passed (10-0-0)

Directed Study to be used for General Education Requirement

Schwaller read the proposal from the Scholastic Committee and asked for discussion. A member asked if there were a limit in the number of Directed Studies that might be used to fulfill General Education Requirements. There is a limit to directed study credits in that all directed studies have limits on the number of times they may be taken but not a limit on how many can be used for graduation. Concern was brought up as to where the approval level will be: at the Division level where the course is taken? The Scholastic Committee envisioned that the faculty and student would together make the decision and indicate on the Directed Study that it would fulfill a General Education Requirement. A committee member said he would like a list of what Directed Studies have been used as General Education Requirements and their designator. A student said there is a disparity as to what General Education Requirements are and what Directed Studies are used as. The student thought a General Education Requirement were usually filled using a broader classroom experience and that a Directed Study was a more in depth study of a subject of interest to the student.

A member brought up that there are categories where a General Education Requirement could probably not be fulfilled by a Directed Study for instance, Foreign Languages. Directed Studies should be used as an extension of the classroom.

A common request comes from students who have studied abroad and want to use their experience in a directed study while abroad as a General Education Requirement in related field related to category in which they were studying. Sometimes it works well, and other times not. A member also spoke of the downfalls of students potentially not getting a broad education with the use of Directed Studies for General Education Requirement courses. It was brought up that all courses have a General Education Requirement designator, so there is a spirit in how we define a General education Requirement fulfillment and should be judged individually whether or not it meets that requirement. Concerns were mentioned regarding transfer students being able to use Directed Studies as General Education Requirement classes. Dorothy DeJager is at present the person who determines the transferability of courses from other colleges to UMM.

Motion: (Ratliff-Crain, Marxen) to approve the use of Directed Studies for satisfaction of General Education Requirements.

Vote: (8-2-0) Motion Passed

Discussion was held as to how the Directed Studies would be reviewed. It was brought up that it could be the Scholastic Committee or the Curriculum Committee or the faculty/student and Division Chairs. Jeri Mullen explained there a regular form (similar to one used in the past for honor classes) that could be attached to the Directed Study form with an explanation of goals and objectives for the course, with the instructor and Division Chair approval. If the Curriculum Committee were to be reviewing the forms, the GER designator would have to be approved also. A member commented that the Division Chairs as a group could decide if a directed Study fulfills a GER. In the past 7 years there have been only 21 instances where students have come back to the Scholastic Committee to have their Directed Studies fulfill a GER. A member questioned if the committee wished to have all Directed Study forms come through for approval? Should a limit be put on the number of directed studies used for General Education Requirements? It was mentioned that they should come through the Curriculum Committee as separate requests. Registration deadlines should not affect the registration directed studies since students are able to register any time during the semester.

Motion: (Hinds, Ratliff-Crain) to have the Curriculum Committee approve the use of directed studies to fulfill General Education requirements. Student and faculty will so indicate on the directed studies form, to be amended to carry such a check off. The student and faculty member would then, on another form, outline how the proposed directed study will satisfy the goals and objectives indicated for the GER. The form will be approved by the division chair of the division in which the faculty member is assigned, and then forwarded to the full Curriculum Committee for approval. The GER approval is separate from the actual registration for the course, since approval might follow in several weeks.

Discussion: a member explained that the General Education Requirement Designator and the Directed Study form will be separate. Also, the question was raised, as to, what if anything will be changed in the catalog? Due to time restraints the committee could not go into rewording the catalog at this meeting.

Vote: (9-0-1) Motion passed

Submitted by Judy Van Eps