COUNCIL ON CURRICULAR PROGRAMS AND INSTRUCTION

Thursday, 9 March 2006

3:30 p.m.

Algonquin Room - University Union

A C T I O N M I N U T E S

MEMBERS PRESENT: P. Anderson, B. George, J. La Prad, A. Melkumian, K. Neumann, N. Parsons, K. Winters, E. Woell

Ex-officio: D. Williams

MEMBERS ABSENT: B. Baily, L. Conover, T. Waldrup

GUESTS: Virginia Boynton, Jim Brakefield, Virginia Diehl, Fred Ebeid, Greg Hall, Warren Jones, Tej Kaul, David Lane, Marcia Lucas, Kim McClure, Jim McQuillan, Vicki Nicholson, Scott Palmer, George Peek, Win Phippin, Steve Rock, Stephen Straub, Larry Wall, Anita Werling

I. Consideration of Minutes – 23 February 2006

APPROVED AS DISTRIBUTED

II. Announcements

Chairperson Anderson announced that the formal charge to the CCPI subcommittee has been revised, by a motion at the March 7 Faculty Senate meeting, to identify “the principal distinctions among the categories listed in the Terms Related to Academic Programming chart” and to report back to Faculty Senate by the end of fall 2006. The subcommittee is also asked to consider whether there are too many categories of academic terms and whether more or less should be transcripted, as well as determining possible exceptions to the 120 s.h. guideline for majors.

III. Old Business – None

IV. New Business

A. Request for 275/475 Course

1. BAT 475, Export Development, 3 s.h.

NO OBJECTIONS

B. Requests for New Courses

1. CS 302, Spreadsheet and Database Applications, 3 s.h.

Motion: To approve CS 302 (Parsons/La Prad)

MOTION APPROVED 7 YES – 0 NO – 1 AB

2. ECON 170, The Global Economic Environment, 3 s.h.

Motion: To approve ECON 170 (Melkumian/Neumann)

MOTION APPROVED 8 YES – 0 NO – 0 AB

3. HIST 422, American Environmental History, 3 s.h.

Motion: To approve HIST 422 (Woell/Melkumian)

Health Sciences professor Nancy Parsons noted that while the request mentions the Environmental Studies minor within the Relationship to Courses in Other Departments section, it does not mention Environmental Health, which is a long standing course established in 1969. She stated the depth of discussion within Environmental Health does not appear to be the same as what will take place within HIST 422, but she feels that there should be some reflection that another area of the University addresses this topic besides the Environmental Studies minor. CCPI asked History Department representatives to obtain a letter of approval from the Chair of Health Sciences prior to the request going forward to Faculty Senate.

MOTION APPROVED WITH CHANGE 7 YES – 0 NO – 1 AB

4. HIST 424, History of Flight Culture, 3 s.h.

Motion: To approve HIST 424 (Melkumian/Parsons)

In response to a question regarding the use of the word “culture” within the title of the course, History professor Scott Palmer told CCPI that this course will examine the way in which flight is constructed within different cultures rather than being simply a history of flight. Dr. Palmer has spoken with the Sociology/Anthropology Department and determined that none of their faculty are interested in developing a course along these lines. Responding to a question regarding projected enrollment, Dr. Palmer stated he anticipates students will range from sophomores to seniors at the undergraduate level, and that, after graduate approval is received, the class will be overwhelmingly undergraduate since that is usually the case with 400-level courses.

MOTION APPROVED 7 YES – 0 NO – 1 AB

5. MUS 128, Guitar Ensemble, 1 s.h.

Motion: To approve MUS 128 (Neumann/La Prad)

Change: Change Date of First Offering to Fall 2006

MOTION APPROVED 8 YES – 0 NO – 1 AB

6. PSY 427, Health Psychology, 3 s.h.

Motion: To approve PSY 427 (Melkumian/Parsons)

Change: Change reference to Community Health and Health Services on p. 3 of the request to Health Sciences, the current name of the department.

MOTION APPROVED 8 YES – 0 NO – 0 AB

C. Requests for Changes in Course Descriptions

1. CS 301, Advanced Microcomputer Systems with Spreadsheet Applications, 3 s.h.

Current: This course covers advanced spreadsheet techniques including microprogramming. Also covered are on-line information systems, package installation, and other advanced application techniques.

Proposed: This course covers advanced spreadsheet techniques including microprogramming. Also covered are on-line information systems, package installation, and other advanced application techniques. Credit cannot be given for both CS 301 and CS 302

Motion: To approve CS 301 (Parsons/La Prad)

Dr. Neumann told CCPI that there is 50 percent content overlap between CS 301 and 302 and between CS 302 and 483 because the proposed new course CS 302 is composed of a combination of materials from CS 301 and 483.

MOTION APPROVED 8 YES – 0 NO – 0 AB

2. CS 483, Microcomputer Systems with Database Applications, 3 s.h.

Current: Covers command language, programming logic and applications of database systems for the noncomputer science major. Cannot be applied to the computer science major.

Proposed: Covers command language, programming logic and applications of database systems for the noncomputer science major. Cannot be applied to the computer science major. Credit cannot be given for both CS 483 and CS 302

Motion: To approve CS 483 (Woell/La Prad)

MOTION APPROVED 8 YES – 0 NO – 0 AB

D. Request for New Minor

1. Forensic Psychology

Motion: To approve new minor (Melkumian/La Prad)

CCPI told Psychology department representatives that it is important that PSY 490 become a multiple titles course. Chairperson Anderson also expressed her pleasure at the amount of interdisciplinary support for the proposed minor.

MOTION APPROVED 8 YES – 0 NO – 0 AB

E. Requests for Changes in Majors

1. Accountancy

2. Economics

3. Finance

4. Human Resource Management

5. Information Management

6. Management

7. Marketing

8. Supply Chain Management

Motion: To consider the requests as a consent agenda item (Parsons/La Prad)

MOTION APPROVED 8 YES – 0 NO – 0 AB

Dean of the College of Business and Technology Fred Ebeid was asked by CCPI to provide an overview as to the process that went into the proposed changes to the business core. Dean Ebeid stated that COBT’s Curriculum and Assessment Committee was asked last year to examine the business core, which had not been undertaken in several years. He stated it was a year-long, difficult process which resulted in a report submitted by the committee in May 2005 indicating that there were some courses that should be eliminated from the core in order to reduce the size and to give students greater flexibility and the choice of taking a minor in addition to the comprehensive major. The committee recommended eliminating two classes from the core, but Dean Ebeid stated they were deadlocked on the elimination of two additional courses. Dean Ebeid convened department chairs in summer 2005 to examine the report, provide input regarding the recommendations, and consider the issues over which the committee was deadlocked. Dean Ebeid stated the chairs agreed with the committee’s recommendations and then, working with Associate Dean Larry Wall, examined each deadlocked issues, made recommendations regarding them, and developed a proposal. Dr. Ebeid stated that with the formation of the College’s Faculty Council this past year, the proposal was then submitted to them for input. The Faculty Council Executive Board was also provided with the Curriculum and Assessment Committee’s report, and decided to submit the proposal modified by the chairs, associate dean, and dean to COBT faculty for a vote. The vote of the College of Business and Technology faculty was 41 in favor of the modified proposal and 40 opposed. Dean Ebeid explained that the COBT Faculty Council’s Constitution states that an issue “will be supported when a simple majority of those voting are in favor.” He added that when the Faculty Council Executive Board met on November 29, 2005, to determine the outcome of the vote, they passed a motion “to ask the dean’s office to take the necessary steps to implement the change.”

Dean Ebeid stated that one of the issues that was considered when preparing the proposal was how to best infuse business ethics, which is required as part of the College’s accreditation. The College of Business and Technology asked the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies if they would consider offering a course in business ethics, but because of staffing considerations, the large number of business students expected to take such a class, and the current moratorium on offering Gen Ed courses, they were unable to do so. The decision was then made to infuse business ethics within the introductory IM 125 and newly-proposed ECON 170 courses. Dean Ebeid explained that students can take either class, and that all business students will thus be exposed to business ethics their freshman year. Students will also be exposed to the business ethics module through a capstone course that they will take their senior year. He said the College’s intention is to introduce business ethics early, continuously, and at the end of students’ college education.

Economics professor Steve Rock had submitted to CCPI a memo outlining the process leading to the proposed changes to the business core and stating his objections to that process. Dr. Rock’s memo asserts that the report submitted by the College of Business and Technology Curriculum and Assessment Committee was incomplete and that the Dean had informed him via email that “unless there was strong support from faculty,” the modified administrative proposal would not go forward. He asks CCPI in his memo to send the proposal back to the College and to request that the COBT Curriculum and Assessment Committee reopen their analysis and consideration of the common business core courses.

Dr. Rock told CCPI that he believes passionately that one of the sacred articles of trust at Western is that faculty drive the curriculum, which is why curriculum committees in departments and colleges, as well as CCPI, exist. Dr. Rock stated that the COBT Curriculum and Assessment Committee wrote up a report based on their efforts at the time, but were not asked to continue with their deliberations to reach closure. He told CCPI that he does not view the modified proposal developed by the chairs, associate dean, and dean as a faculty-driven curriculum. But Dean Ebeid stated that he does believe the proposal represents a faculty-driven initiative since faculty developed the original proposal, the modified proposal was submitted to the Faculty Council, and faculty voted on the final proposal. He stated that had he turned down the vote of the faculty supporting the proposal, he would have been accused of not accepting a faculty initiative. Dean Ebeid pointed out that the Faculty Council Executive Board had the right to send the proposal back to the Curriculum and Assessment Committee if they desired to do so. Dean Ebeid asked CCPI to keep in mind that any COBT faculty member can submit a proposal to the Curriculum and Assessment Committee, which would have started this process over again, but that no faculty member did so this year. Dean Ebeid concluded that he believes that shared governance means that faculty have a say in curricular decisions as well as administrators, and he pointed out that all COBT department chairs are also professors who have a right to review curricula along with faculty.

COBT Curriculum and Assessment Committee Chair George Peek, professor of Accountancy, told CCPI that the COBT Faculty Council includes persons who are not in the College of Business but get to vote on business curriculum. He stated this may be a problem because it demonstrates that the business faculty do not have complete control over the business curricula. Dr. Peek stated the Department of Accountancy requested a break down of the faculty vote to determine if the majority of those voting were actually faculty, but have not yet received it. He stated that the College’s Curriculum and Assessment Committee sent a questionnaire to COBT faculty after the vote was passed, and the general consensus was that faculty would like more changes than were proposed in the final request. He said that COBT faculty wanted changes because none had been considered for a number of years, but many felt the proposal was inadequate and the process was flawed. But Information Management and Decision Sciences Chair Tej Kaul stated that a handful of responses from faculty does not represent a consensus of all COBT faculty.

Vicki Nicholson noted that some of the changes in majors require CS 302, which has a hidden prerequisite of CS 101. Dr. Kaul explained that students must demonstrate proficiency in CS 101 by taking an exam or having completed the course prior to coming to Western. He added that if the degree changes are approved, he will drop CS 101 as a prerequisite from one IMDS course. Computer Science Chair Kathy Neumann stated that the department is seeing increasing levels of student computer proficiency, and they anticipate a large percentage of students will be able to proficiency out of CS 101. She said that high schools used to provide programming classes and have now switched to applications classes, so incoming students are very proficient at the introductory computers class but have little or no programming skills. COBT Associate Dean Larry Wall stated that the College of Business and Technology believes that students will be better served by taking a higher level of Computer Science course than taking CS 101 as a freshman.

Donna Williams noted that formerly ACCT 420, FIN 400, MKTG 400, and SCM 400 could not be applied toward their majors, but that would change with approval of the proposed changes to the business core, so those course descriptions will need to be changed through requests from their departments if the changes in majors are approved. Minor changes were noted to the requests, specifically:

· Moving MKTG 329, 333, and 497 up from Directed Electives to Department Core Courses on the Marketing change of major form

· Changing Departmental and Directed Electives total s.h. from 24 to 15-24 on the Economics change of major form

· Removing “Same” from the Proposed Open Electives column for the change of majors for Finance and Marketing

· Correcting the title of IM 125 within the Rationale section on the forms

DR. NEUMANN CALLED THE QUESTION

CHANGES IN MAJORS APPROVED 5 YES – 2 NO – 1 AB

Motion: That CCPI add to the agenda consideration of the change in minor that was included within the request for change of major for Information Management (Neumann/Parsons)

MOTION APPROVED 6 YES – 0 NO – 2 AB

Motion: To approve the change in minor for Information Management (Neumann/La Prad)

The proposed change was synopsized as allowing students to take either Cobalt or Java programming.

MOTION APPROVED 8 YES – 0 NO – 0 AB

V. Reports

A. CCPI Subcommittee on Academic Terms

Chairperson Anderson told CCPI that at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting, concerns were expressed both at the lack of communication regarding the charge to the CCPI subcommittee and that the charge was given by the Provost and Parliamentarian, which may be beyond their purview since they are not actually members of Faculty Senate. Dr. Neumann stated that what the subcommittee has up to now reported to the Executive Committee is past and current practices, and what Faculty Senate now wants is for the subcommittee to go one step further and make recommendations as to whether there should be any changes in current practices and if what is allowed to appear on transcripts currently is too restrictive. Chairperson Anderson added that the subcommittee is to continue to look at the template provided by Provost Rallo as a guideline.

Dr. Parsons asked CCPI members if they have any way of determining what the standards are for their disciplines at different institutions. She stated that Health Education has a listserv that she can use to inquire regarding the size of majors and minors at other institutions. Dr. Neumann stated that Computer Science has an accrediting body that publishes substantial guidelines, and Dr. La Prad added that his discipline draws from NCATE standards.

B. Provost’s Report – None

Motion: To adjourn (Parsons)

The Council adjourned at 4:55 p.m.

Ed Woell, Secretary

Annette Hamm, Faculty Senate Recording Secretary