The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE
Minutes
April 24, 2008

Attending: S. Birrell, H. Dettmer (Chair), M. Gilbert, K. Hall (committee staff), R. Honey, R. Ketterer, J. Kimberley, P. Kutzko, J. Menninger, M. Niño-Murcia, D. Redlawsk, and A. Segre

Guests: Jane Omann, Senior Associate Director, Enrollment Services, and chair of the study group; and Anne Zalenski, Associate Dean, Distance Education.

1. J. Omann and A. Zalenski reported on the work of a university-wide study group to create better ISIS display notations for web courses. Categories of online courses have expanded, ranging from traditional guided independent study courses (GIS) conducted solely online to web courses that also require site meetings, scheduled online conferences, classroom meetings, or other such variations. The study group created notations for ISIS that alert students to these differences, thus encouraging students to read the complete course description where details are given. As additional online course types become available, new notations will be created. Instructors will be able to select the correct identifier for the course from a pull down menu. The system should be operational in time for spring course postings.
2. EPC discussed and approved the minutes from April 17.
3. EPC discussed the recommendations from the General Education Curriculum Committee (GECC) concerning the five-year review of GE courses in Anthropology, Geography, Statistics, and Religious Studies. EPC unanimously accepted GECC's recommendations and approved the continuance of the listed GE courses in the GE Program for another five years. A number of significant issues in the report were discussed by EPC:

• Course size was felt to be a problem by GECC and the departmental DEO in a very large lecture course (22S:008), required of business students but which also functions as a GE course. H. Dettmer will raise this issue with the DEO of Statistics and Actuarial Science and with The Tippie College of Business to see if the size of the course and the related issues may be addressed.
• GECC noted that in one instance an adjunct instructor did not have an office because of lack of space. EPC will invite Joe Kearney to a meeting in early September to discuss the feasibility of providing shared office space for adjuncts teaching GE courses through Saturday and Evening.
• EPC also noted problems suggested in the GECC report with quizzes being confused with exams in terms of the Collegiate and University policy requiring that students with legitimate excuses for missing an exam be allowed to make up that exam. EPC will discuss the differences between quizzes and exams next fall and will clarify the related policy.
• Finally, GECC noted that some faculty seem confused over exams held during the last week of classes and final exams given during final exam week. The College considers these to be equivalent and requires all such exams to be given during final exam week. In the fall, EPC will discuss ways to define and clarify this policy while educating DEOs and faculty on its importance.

4. M. Gilbert, EPC liaison to the General Education Curriculum Committee, reported that GECC agreed to follow-up on five-year reviews of GE courses that presented issues. The follow-up will take place after one year rather than after five and will occur at the department in question or at an other neutral location and not during a GECC meeting. The meeting will be informal, supportive, and hopefully helpful to the faculty teaching in the GEP. Meeting outside of the normal GECC meeting format should help to accomplish these goals. The meeting should be conducted by the Chair of GECC or the chair’s representative. If serious issues continue to exist, they will be referred back to the committee or to the associate dean and EPC.
5. M. Gilbert also reported to EPC on GECC’s recommendations concerning the General Education Advisory Committee’s work on restructuring the GEP. GECC outlined its role in the restructuring and suggested that GEAC’s reports, while recommending changes, reflect the positive opinion of the GEP as presented by the Common Academic Experience Subcommittee. GECC also strongly advised GEAC to include the PE Skills courses in the GEP: to eliminate them would mean straying from the committee’s mandate or opening up the revision of the GEP to even more changes.  The committee’s charge does envision the possibility of future changes, but not at this time.

Respectfully submitted,
EPC Secretary
Robert Ketterer