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agenda status: approved

Agenda:

AGENDA

University Committee on Academic Policy

Meeting of Thursday, September 2, 2004
10:15 a.m., Board Room, Administration Building


1. Approval of Agenda

2. Approval of Minutes of the April 29, 2004 meeting..........(Attachment)

3. Comments from the Chairperson

4. Comments from the Assistant Provost

5. SIRS/SOCT Update

6. Roundtable discussion

7. Adjourn


Please phone or E-Mail Robin Pline (353-5380; pline@msu.edu) if you cannot be present and send a substitute in your place.


Attachment: April 29, 2004 Draft Minutes

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minutes status: approved

approved at meeting of

UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 09/02/2004

Approved 9/16/04

Members Present: Lauren Beach, Renee Canady, Steve Dilley, Jeremy Hernandez, Jennifer Hodges, Folu Ogundimu (Chair), Helen Mayer, Rodney Phillips, Karthik Prasad, Ralph Putnam, Sharon Senk, Kurt Stirewalt, Cynthia Taggart, Maija Zile, Alex von Eye

Others Present: Assistant Provost and Dean June Pierce Youatt

Members Absent: Henry Beckmeyer, Bridget Behe, C. Kurt Dewhurst, Yadav Gopalan, Rebecca Henry, Peter Tomchuck

1. The meeting was called to order at 10:17 a.m. The agenda was approved.

2. Minutes of the April 29, 2004 meeting were approved as distributed.

3. Comments from Chairperson: Chairperson Ogundimu welcomed members of the Committee. He called the Annual Report of the Committee to the attention of Committee members, specifically as it related to upcoming issues. These included discussion of the expansion of off-campus programs, the need to follow up with colleges on grade inflation, and the need to follow up with ECAC on the XF grade. He also mentioned the State News feature story on allmsu.com. The issue generated substantial discussion.

4. Comments from the Assistant Provost: Assistant Provost Youatt welcomed Committee members and thanked them for being willing to serve, noting that this year the Committee will have a heavy agenda due to structural changes in the University. She reminded Committee members of the Committee Bylaws, which outline the Committee’s advisory, consulting, and decision-making roles. She also brought the Committee up to date on the Undergraduate Initiative Subcommittees and asked UCAP members to look over the documents of the Subcommittees on the web [http://realizingthevision.msu.edu/ugrad/] with an eye toward policy.

5. SIRS/SOCT Update: Youatt asked for input regarding putting SOCT forms online in November. Three units tested the system in Spring, and found that it worked well in general. However, the system requires some fine-tuning for better operational efficiency. After substantive discussion, the Committee expressed support for doing SOCT forms online. Concerns voiced during the discussion were that fewer students might respond to online evaluations, thus compromising the reliability and validity of the system. Youatt mentioned that putting SIRS online would be approached more slowly, although those units who use the standard SIRS form and wish to administer them online could do so by November, with the understanding that qualitative and quantitative data cannot be linked. She also mentioned the need to discuss whether SOCT forms should be administered for the summer sessions, in addition to the Spring and Fall semesters.

6. Round Table: Steve Dilly discussed the work of the Athletic Council, stating that a peer review process is taking place in the Athletic Department, in accordance with inter-collegiate athletic guidelines. He also noted that Conflict of Interest Rules are under review in the Academic Council. Also, Sharon Senk asked for information on the status of the XF grade with respect to implementation. Youatt told Committee members that the Provost will decide about the grade this semester. If she supports the use of the XF grade, UCAP will need to follow up by adding language in the appropriate University Policy documents.

There being no further business, UCAP adjourned at 11:05 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cynthia Taggart

9.2.04UCAP Minutes.doc

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