Baccalaureate Core Committee

Voting members present: Aidas Banaitis, Daniel Faltesek, Kelsey Emard, Matthew Kennedy, Michelle McAllaster, Lori McGraw, Rene Reitsma, Randy Rosenberger, Kaplan Yalcin
Voting members absent: Geoffrey Barstow, Colin Johnson, Justin St. Germain, Jack Istok
Ex-officio members present: Academic Affairs – Heath Henry; Ecampus – Karen Watte; WIC – Sarah Perrault
Guests: McKenzie Huber, Michael Jefferis, Caryn Stoess

Discussion of General Education Policies

• Grade minima
  • Requirements for minimum passing grades
    • No policy at OSU.  
    • Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) and Core Transfer Map (CTM) requires C-.  
    • “All courses must be passed with a grade of "C-" or better. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 at the time the AAOT is awarded.” 
    • Pros
      • C- is the threshold for many students already 
        • In many cases D- grades are the threshold for passing. So long as a student does not receive an “F”, they receive credit.
        • Other institutions are all accepting D- for credits. Eastern Oregon University (EOU) is an exception. Enforcing a C- threshold may affect OSU transfer rates.
          • Many students are not going for AAOT or other transfer
          • Out of state students would also potentially be negatively impacted.
        •  How would a C- requirement impact transfer Ecampus students?
          • Karen Watte believes it would have similar impact to regular transfer students.
          • It should be stated, somewhere, that while the institution does not enforce a grade minimum, some programs may have their own policies about a grade minimum – if a Bacc Core course is also used to fill the major, a program may require a minimum.
      • it is not equitable to award credit at lower grade levels at OSU versus Comm Colleges 
      • students should not be allowed to purchase lower standards 
      • students attempting to game S/U decisions may damage their own progress 
    • Enforced for inbound transfers with a CTM or AAOT, but not for OSU originating students. 
      • This is more a degree requirement and would potentially need Senate and Provost approval to set and enforce this policy. The committee bylaws allow for the BCC to make recommendations, as well as implement policies.
  • The committee opted, at this time, to not recommend or institute a grade minimum policy.
  • Should the double-dipping policy be amended to include language requiring students to meet the program requirements, even if the institution does not have a grade minimum?

Action: Lori McGraw motioned to accept the following amendment to the double dipping policy - For a General Education course to also apply in a specific academic program, the program may impose its own grade minimum; seconded. The motion passed with 9 votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 votes in abstention.

• Class sizes
  • General Education class size requirements
    • Synthesis (70) and WIC (25?) areas have course cap policies. https://apa.oregonstate.edu/general-education/current-bacc-core/bacc-core-learning-outcomes-criteria-and-rationale
    • Synthesis: A course capacity of 70 students. If enrollment is over 70, then break-outs (recitations) or Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) should be used to ensure that students receive adequate and timely writing feedback.
    • WIC: Ideally, WIC courses are restricted to 20 students. If anticipated enrollment is greater than the ideal maximum number of students, please explain how faculty will manage the work load.
      • Pros
        • smaller course sizes are better for student feedback and engagement 
        • some courses require smaller sizes for signature assignments 
        • writing assignments require time to be graded for meaningful disciplinary content (not mechanics/syntax) 
      • Cons
        • more sections, challenging logistics 
        • increased risk of course divergence (is one giant good course better than a divergence of problematic ones) 
    • Transitions – cap of 35 (27)
    • Writing exploration “smaller course sizes” (41)
    • LOCR outcome dependent. 
      • Why is Difference, Power & Oppression (DPO) not included in this policy?
        • Will require small group work, but courses could be larger.
        • CPHHS has 260 students enrolled in DPDs courses. Could a cap of 100 be applied to make some headway on this issue?
          • Potentially cap at 25 for upper division and 50 for lower division?
            • A conversation best left for the LOCR committee.
            • How can a department make a budget if restrictions are placed on DPO/WIC courses? Students are missing the option of electives because faculty are needed to teach these classes with strict enrollment caps.
              • This may be more of a staffing issue, rather than a curricular issue. The committee could advocate for this in the budget conversations.