agenda status: approved

Agenda:

1. Approval of the Agenda
2. Approval of the November 8, 2007 Minutes 
3. Comments from the Chairperson
4. Comments from the Associate Provost
5. Undergraduate Learning Assistants
6. Religious Observance
7. Academic Dishonesty
8. Roundtable
   

Phone or e-mail Sandra Walther (353-5380; swalther@msu.edu) if you cannot be present.
Please remember that you are asked to send a substitute from your college.

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minutes status: approved

approved at meeting of 01/10/2008

UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 11/29/2007

Attendees: Dennis Banks, Matthew Caramagno, R. Sekhar Chivukula, Peter Cobbett, Marty Crimp, Doug Estry, Richard Hallgren, Linda Jackson, Carolyn Loeb, Helen Mayer, Matthew McKeon, Jerry Punch, Ralph Putnam, Michael Schechter, Michael Shields, Jim Smith, Amanda Venettis, Thomas Volkening, Chris Wenstrom

Absent: Rania Badin, Caroline Hartig

Agenda was approved.

Minutes of the November 8, 2007 meeting were approved as revised by deleting “as requested in its memorandum of August 17, 2007” from the motion by Michael Schechter, page 2, paragraph 3.

Comments from the Chairperson
Eleven committee members have indicated they plan to attend the December 13 meeting. Given the small attendance, the meeting will be cancelled.

Comments from Associate Provost
At this time, it doesn’t appear there will be a need for UCAP to take up any business regarding admissions in Dubai.

Undergraduate Learning Assistants
Rick Hallgren, Subcommittee Chair

The document for consideration, revised based on feedback from reviewers, and a set of discussion questions were distributed to the committee members.

Professor Hallgren discussed the changes in the current revision with the committee. Questions and discussion among committee members centered on:

• Need to articulate the parameters of terms such as, “instructing” and “assisting” in the context of instructing other undergraduate students and assisting a faculty member
  
• Appropriate word order and word choices to indicate clearly the importance of faculty mentoring as part of the ULA experience
  
• What are the practices at peer institutions? Other institutions cast being a ULA as an opportunity to enhance the education of the undergraduate by providing a unique experience in which to learn and gain knowledge.
  
• What is the role of this document within the policy structure of the university? Who will oversee it? What is the structure and context of where it resides?
  
• Does the title “Undergraduate Learning Assistants” appropriately describe the function? Wouldn’t “Undergraduate Interns” be a better description?
  
• What are the priorities for the ULA position description?
  Assisting faculty?
  Faculty Mentorship?
  Instructional benefit to other students?
  
• To what extent do we want to proscribe the use of learning assistants in the document.

• Responsibility for ULAs
  
  Why not have a university run program for ULAs much as the TAP program functions.

• Inclusion of the list of training topics to be covered in orientation and training
  Should training topics be included in the policy?
  Would the list be irreducible?
  Should it be strengthened?
  Should a core set of topics be identified and additional information added as required by the dept?
  Would it be prudent to offer a complete training module on line or other resources to help colleges to develop training?

• Is there a need to provide provision for a ULA to appeal?

• Is it the intention for students to be ULA’s for courses that they have already taken?

Based on the discussion of the committee and any further feedback, the ULA subcommittee will provide additional revisions to the draft document prior to the January 10 meeting.

Roundtable
No comments from committee members.

Meeting adjourned at noon.

Respectfully submitted by
Sandra Walther