ASCRC Year-End Report, 2004-2005

 

Membership:

            Don Potts, Chair                       Forestry                       2006

            Jean Luckowski, Chair-elect     C&I                             2006

            Louis Hayes                             Poly Sci                        2005

            Ed Moore                                COT                            2005

            Deirdre McNamer                    English                          2006

            Dennis McCormick                  MCLL                         2006

            Craig Johnston                          Pharmacy                     2006

            Sebastian Derry                        Library                         2007

            Colin Henderson                       COT                            2007

            John Eglin                                 History                         2007   

            Holly Thompson                       Chemistry                     2007

            Valerie Hedquist                       Art                               2007

 

            Students

            Shawna Hagen (Fall)                Poly Sci                        2005

            Emily Jones (Fall)                     Poly Sci                        2005

            Shay Johnsen                            Psych                           2005

            Ryan Kerr (Fall)                       EVST                           2005

            Vincent Pavlish (Spring)            Poly Sci                        2005

            Chris Healow (Spring)              Philosophy                    2005

 

Agenda Items and Actions

 

1.    Routine Curriculum Review

The ASCRC acted on a total of 280 curriculum proposals that included 36 program modifications, 4 Level I and 5 Level II proposals.   Concerted efforts to enforce proposal submission deadlines produced most of these actions during the fall.   The Minors in Military Studies and Central and Southwestern Asian Studies resulted from a number of years of discussion and negotiation.

 

Level I proposals included:

Pharmacy Technology Certificate Program

AAS and Certificate Program in Carpentry

Power Generation Option

Option in Forensic Chemistry

 

Level II proposals included:

Undergraduate Option (Geography) in Central and Southwest Asian Studies

International Development Studies Minor

Certificate Program in Forensic Studies (Anthropology)

Minor in Military Studies.

Minor is Central and Southwest Asian Studies

 

2.   Writing Deliberations

The ASCRC received 2 proposals at the end of the last academic year.   The first, the General Education Task Force report recommended that a second English Composition course be required of all students.   The second, from the Provost’s Writing Committee, also recommended a second composition course requirement from courses across the curriculum, as well as revisions in the criteria for “W” courses.   

 

These proposals resulted in tremendous discussion concerning identification of the writing “problem,” possible solutions, and possible negative impacts resulting from hastily implemented policy decisions.    These discussions were extracted from the ASCRC minutes and posted on the ASCRC web site.

 

Much of the discussion involved review of surprisingly difficult-to-obtain information on the writing program, the WPA, and the Writing Center.   Nancy Mattina of the Writing Center was most helpful in this matter.

 

Subsequent discussion with the Provost prompted the disbanding of the Provost’s Writing Committee and the establishment of an ad hoc ASCRC writing subcommittee.   The ASCRC subcommittee includes 1 member from ASCRC (Chair), 1 member each from English, Social Sciences, Humanities, Sciences,  and the Professional Schools, 2 student members, and ex-officio members representing the Writing Center, the Provost’s Office and the Registrar’s Office.

 

The Charge to the writing subcommittee is to:

Evaluate all current “W” courses for compliance with existing writing course criteria.

Review for acceptability all new “W” course proposals

Review existing “W” course criteria and make recommendations for revisions

Review and approve the current WPA test instrument

Monitor WPA results

Consider student appeals to WPA scores

Act in an advisory capacity to the Writing Center

 

ASCRC formulated and submitted to the Senate as an information item (4/14/05), a number of administrative suggestions to deal with the writing problems:

1.       Assuming eligibility, ENEX 101 shall be taken the first semester in attendance at the University or the second depending upon alphabetical sequencing.

2.       Satisfactory completion of ENEX 101 requires a grade of C (2.0) or higher. 

3.       After satisfactory completion of ENEX 101, a writing course from the approved list must be taken, preferably within the next two semesters. 

4.       Writing course syllabi will include an informational link to the site listing current information about the WPA. 

5.       Upon completion of #3, the WPA should be taken no later than 70 credits. 

6.       Upon failing the WPA, students are required to take a writing workshop from the Writing Center. 

7.       Upon completing writing workshop, students are required to take the next WPA.

The second item was presented as a seconded motion for a change in policy and was  approved by the Senate.

 

3.   General Education Deliberations

The General Education Task Force report last spring generated considerable discussion in the ASCRC and lead to the creation of a standing subcommittee of the Faculty Senate dealing with revisions in General Education, reporting directly to the ASCRC.   That committee, Chaired by John Eglin (History), was charged and began its work this year.  

 

Slowing the work of the committee has been the uncertainty created by the Legislative Transfer Audit and the Regents’ developing of policy recommendations concerning those matters.

 

Given the uncertainty in changes to General Education, the ASCRC elected to conduct the scheduled review of courses in Perspective 3 (Historical and Cultural), Perspective 4 (Social Science), and Foreign Languages/Symbolic Systems Competency.   This action resulted in the removal of a number of courses offered for General Education credit in those areas and an observation that the criteria for the perspectives is vague and may need to be tightened.

 

 

4.    Other Actions

The ASCRC created an ad hoc committee to look into the issue of how to review and evaluate Online Courses offered by the University of Montana.    There are many academic standards issues involved.  That committee, working cooperatively with the Graduate Council, will continue its charge next year.

 

The ASCRC named an ad hoc committee to begin investigating our existing “Non-Western” General Education course requirement.  The understanding is that the subcommittee is taking on this task to help the new General Education Committee with their work.  Seemingly more popular language for similar requirements across the United States is “Cultural Diversity”.   That language is also present in the Board of Regents’ General Education Core policy.   The ad hoc committee will continue next year.

 

The ASCRC acted on a proposal received from the Department of Accounting and Finance to change the current 10 credit limit of “VT” or “T” credits to a 30 credit limit.  The request was to a facilitate articulation between the College of Technology’s 2-year Accounting Technology degree and the 4-year undergraduate degree in Accounting offered by the School of Business Administration.    Two other articulation arrangements are being negotiated.

 

After thorough discussion of the merits and concerns of this proposal, a motion for approval was passed.   That seconded motion will be brought to the Faculty senate for approval early NEXT academic year to allow the Senate adequate time to consider all ramifications.