UCAP Meeting of 02/072013 2012-2013 agenda status: approved Agenda:
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY University Committee on Undergraduate Education Updated AGENDA Thursday, February 7, 2013 10:15 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Boardroom, 4th Floor, Administration Building
Elias
Strangas, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
minutes status: approved approved at meeting of 02/21/2013 UCAP Minutes for meeting held on 02/07/2013
University Committee on Undergraduate Education DRAFT Minutes Thursday, February 7, 2013 10:15 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Boardroom, 4th Floor, Administration Building
Attending: Eric Aronoff, Mark Axelrod, Emily Bank, Henry Beckmeyer, Jan Brady, Nicole Dandridge, Laura Dillon, Doug Estry, Fred Fico, Chris McClain, Ron Perry, Helen Pazak, Lynmarie Posey, Anne Rabello, Sean Valles, Abraham Wheeler
Absent: Justin Droba, Seung Hyun Kim, Coretta Patterson, Matt Pontifex, Ashton Shortridge, Ryan Sweeder, Cynthia Taggart, Mark Tran
The agenda approved was approved.
Minutes of the January 24, 2013 were approved.
Comments from the Chairperson Chairperson Dillon reported that the Steering Committee meeting discussion included an update on progress made on Dean’s reviews, gun violence and MSU weapons policy, and transition to Microsoft 365. She noted that the University is already migrating all databases to Microsoft 365 but is convening a committee to look at using it as a vehicle for other University systems. Dr. Dillon reminded the committee that the University Awards Convocation and State of the University address is for Tuesday, February 12.
Comments from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education Associate Provost Estry reminded the committee that the University reporting requirements for sexual assault or child abuse was distributed to the University community. He noted that if faculty or staff learns of any child abuse prior to coming to Michigan State the information must be reported to the appropriate authorities. A symposium: Addressing & Preventing Sexual Assault on our Campus will be held on February 22, 2103 at 1 pm in the MSU Ballroom. Register online at: http://fod.msu.edu/TitleIX
Associate Provost Estry reported that President Simon expects to have named the new VPFO soon and that a search committee has been named for search for a new Associate Provost for Academic Services. There is no information to report regarding the search for a new Provost.
Request to Change the
Graduation Requirements for All Majors in the College of Engineering The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Wolff.
Associate Dean Wolff stated the proposed change in graduation requirements result from the changing needs in programming competencies in the various disciplines within engineering. The current group of introductory courses is no longer providing the necessary programming background. This request aligns with the request approved at the last UCUE meeting regarding a change in the engineering admission requirements. For a period of one year, both sets of requirements will be offered in order to ensure that students beginning the program under the prior introductory course scheme are not negatively impacted.
Voice was withdrawn from Associate Dean Wolff.
Motion by Ron Perry passed unanimously. The University Committee on Undergraduate Education, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has no concerns about the request to change the graduation requirements for all majors in the College of Engineering.
Request for a Moratorium on Admission to the Undergraduate
Specialization in Sustainability The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Brandenburg and Chairperson Kaplowitz.
Chairperson Kaplowitz explained the request to place moratorium on admission to the specialization housed in CARRS is not due to the lack of student interest in a sustainability program. The issue is the complexity of the program’s competency-based model— labor-intensive for both faculty and students—is not sustainable due to the high number of faculty FTEs required to support it and the relatively high student attrition attributed to it. To date, fewer than 10 students have completed the specialization. This moratorium was requested in consultation with deans and associate deans across colleges and with faculty that participate in teaching in the specialization. In order to protect the 29 students currently enrolled in the specialization, the 200, 300 courses in the current specialization will be offered by Professor Habron in order for students to complete the specialization.
Chairperson Kaplowitz stated that there is no doubt that increasing numbers of students are interested in the concepts of sustainability and environmental studies. The department is changing its focus entirely to sustainability and environmental education. It plans to create an interdisciplinary minor in conjunction with the RISE program and a major in sustainability and environmental studies that should be ready for academic consideration next fall.
Voice was withdrawn from Associate Dean Associate Dean Brandenburg and Chairperson Kaplowitz.
Motion by Ron Perry passed unanimously. The University Committee on Undergraduate Education, in its consultative capacity to the Provost, has no concerns about the request for a moratorium on admission to the undergraduate specialization in Sustainability.
Lyman Briggs College Integrative Studies Pilot The committee unanimously granted voice to Associate Dean Millenbah and Assistant Dean Strong.
Associate Provost Estry provided some history of the integrative studies model as background linking to this agenda item. Provost Wilcox asked the University Committee on Liberal Learning to review the current integrative studies model and make recommendations for new directions. The parameters were that a return to a distribution model was not an option and any recommendations made could not increase cost of offering the courses or create a credit burden for students. As a result, the three core colleges and the integrative studies directors met over a period of two years to discuss potential directions and new models for moving forward. The group recommended a framework for integrative studies that is a step toward the integrative studies model prescribed in the CRUE document. The question is can we begin to mount the kind of course envisioned? The integrative studies program is piloting courses that, within the current framework of integrative studies, focus on the “grand challenges” with an interdisciplinary faculty guiding them. Simultaneously, an assessment group was formed to create assessments to see how students are doing in achieving the desired competencies. In Lyman Briggs College there is an ongoing tradition of intentional development of this kind of course. Lyman Briggs College offered to pilot this type of course to see if it will align with the integrative studies direction. The pilot will last for five years. LBC will follow the proposed assessment to demonstrate whether the model accomplishes the intended outcomes.
After brief discussion, voice was withdrawn from Associate Dean Associate Dean Millenbah and Assistant Dean Strong.
Motion by Laura Dillon passed unanimously. The University Committee on Undergraduate Education endorses the pilot proposed by Lyman Briggs College and the linkages to the learning outcomes assessment work being conducted in Integrative Studies. The University Committee on Undergraduate Education would like an update on the progress of the pilot in three years.
Proposal to Establish a “Student Name” Policy
Chairperson Dillon introduced the ASMSU proposal to establish a policy that allows students to use a preferred name other than a legal name to identify themselves when a legal name is not required by law or university policy. Emily Banks stated that LGBT brought the idea to ASMSU several years ago. Serendipitously, they found that a place exists in the Student Information System for a preferred name eliminating any need for programming to accommodate the request. The committee had no concerns about the proposal.
Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted by Sandra Walther
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