Baccalaureate Core Committee

Voting members present: Heather Arbuckle (remote), Kathy Becker-Blease, Daniel Faltesek, Andrew Harker, McKenzie Huber, Filix Maisch, Lori McGraw, Steven Morris, Bob Paasch, David Roundy, Rorie Spill Solberg
Voting members absent: Aidas Banaitis, Kaplan Yalcin
Ex-Officio members present: Faculty Affairs – Heath Henry; DPD Director – Nana Osei-Kofi (remote); Ecampus – Karen Watte; WIC Director – Anita Helle

Summary of Meeting with Faculty Senate Leadership

• Met to discuss changes to the Baccalaureate Core (BC)
• Representatives from the Baccalaureate Core Committee (BCC) will attend the February 13, 2020 Faculty Senate meeting propose two policies:
  • The removal of all double-listed courses from the BC.
    • It the proposal passes, courses currently double-listed must choose which category they wish to remain in.
      • Students cannot meet two requirements, even if they course meets two categories.
    • The committee will reach out to the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) for an official endorsement of the policy.
  • Initiating policy to prevent double-listing in the future.
• Changes to the Standing Rules will be proposed at a later date.

Course Proposals

• Discussion needed
  • ANTH 370 – Writing Intensive Course
    • The syllabus makes no connections between the outcomes and the assignments.
    • The first paper does not clearly demonstrate how students are learning to write as anthropologists.
    • Students will supposedly write and revise 9,000 words during the term, but most of the comprehensive revision process has a one-day turn around. The committee feels this is not enough for critiques and revisions to be comprehensive.
      • The final paper is only 1,700 words.
      • Considering the nature of the previous writing assignments, the reviewer does not feel that this course meets the WIC requirements.
        • Send back with notes requesting that that final paper’s word-count be increased to meet the minimum WIC requirement and request clarification on how the first assignment fulfills the outcomes and teaches students to write as anthropologists. The committee will also express its concerns that students do not have enough time to make proper revisions to their papers.
  • FW 439 – Writing Intensive Course
    • The course has had a cap of 25 students in the past. It has hit 26 in previous years. They increased it to 30 this year. The WIC department had some concerns over this increase.
    • They state that they are using Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) but there is no evidence of it.
    • There needs to be more connections to learning outcomes (LOs) 1 and 2. What is free-writing versus formal and informal writing? How are they being graded?
      • There are better connections made in the form, but the answers are still somewhat unclear.
    • They do not use the suggested matrix. The table they use in the syllabus does not have a lot of information and there is not enough information about the assignments to determine if connections to the LOs are being made.
      • Send back with a statement to lower the cap back to 25 students and add more detail about the connections between assignments and LOs 1 and 2.
  • FR 439 – Writing Intensive Course
    • It was unclear whether or not the course is being taught as a hybrid. This is due to a fault with the Curricular Proposal System (CPS). They are looking to add a pre-requisite and make the course non-repeatable.
    • There is no justification provided for the addition of a pre-requisite.
      • The course is taught primarily in French and the description suggested it for students who had taken and passed third-year French.
    • Connections to LOs and how students are assessed were not clear. There was not a lot of information provided on the assignments. This is a slash course (439/539) but there is nothing in the proposal about what makes it a Graduate level course.
      • Since the focus is on adding a pre-requisite, they may have felt that the information was not needed in the proposal.
      • Responses in the matrix were vague and did not seem to fit the course.
    • This was sent back previously with notes on things to fix. They resubmitted, but have not made the changes.
      • Send back and ask them to fully address why they are adding the pre-requisite and why it is non-repeatable. Also, request that they make the previously requested changes.
  • AEC 434 – Writing Intensive Course
    • Ecampus syllabus does not have WIC statement
      • Approve with note to fix
  • MUS 104 – Western Culture
    • Meets the requirements but it is unclear how they are connecting it to culture and society outside of music.
      • Send back with a request for more connections to other levels of culture and society.
  • MUS 331 – Cultural Diversity
    • Resubmitted back in December, and added two new modalities, but there are no syllabi.
    • Previously requested changes were made.
      • Send back and ask about the missing syllabi.
  • GEOG 102 – Physical Science
    • Most of the labs require students to look at images and write a report. The committee agrees that the assignments feel more like general homework, rather than a lab, but there is not enough information to evaluate further.
      • Send back with a request for more information on how these assignments meet the lab criteria.
  • PH 107 – Physical Science   
    • The syllabus does not list the number of credits
    • The course description goes over the maximum word-count.
    • The Disability Access Statement is not standalone and the Reach-out statement is missing.
      • Send back for minor revisions.
  • PHL 456 – Science, Technology and Society
    • Approve with minor syllabus fixes.
  • PPOL 441 – Science, Technology and Society
    • The syllabus does not explain how the course will meet the synthesis outcome.
    • There is no information about assessment.
      • Send back with a request to describe the assignment and make more distinct links between outcomes and assignments.
  • ANTH 320 – Cultural Diversity
    • Missing the verbatim BC statement
    • Connections between outcomes and assignments are vague, as is how students are assessed.
      • Send back for major revisions
• No Discussion Needed
  • WGSS 240 – Social Processes and Institutions
    • Approved with no discussion needed.
  • GEO 306 – drop Science, Technology and Society and add Contemporary Global Issues
    • Approved with no discussion needed.
  • ENG 302 – Writing Intensive Course
    • Approved with no discussion needed.

Category Reviews – Contemporary Global Issues

• Discussion needed
  • FES 365
    • Will be discussed next meeting.
  • BI 306 H
    • Will be discussed next meeting.
  • AEC/ECON 352
    • Will be discussed next meeting.
  • CROP 330
    • Will be discussed next meeting.
  • AG 351
    • The course is currently double-listed with Contemporary Global Issues (CGI) and Social Processes & Institutions (SPI).
      • Taught by three instructors. Two use a very similar syllabus. The third uses their own.
    • The BC LOs are not listed separately by category and there is very little distinction between the two categories.
    • None of the writing assignments appear to meet the requirements.
    • There is little information on assessment or how outcomes are met.
    • LO 3 for CGI is not being met.
    • Assignment descriptions are very minimal.
    • Each syllabus needs to be recreated and needs a full overhaul to meet the CGI requirements.
      • Decertify. All syllabi need major revisions and it is suggested that they course drop one of the categories.
• No Discussion Needed
  • BI 301
    • Approved. A letter will be sent at a later date.