ACADEMIC POLICIES COMMITTEE MINUTES

Meeting Time: 8:00 am Sept. 11, 2002

Meeting Place: KU 211

Presiding: James Dunne

Senators Present: Biers, Dunne, Hallinan, Hartley, Johnson, Pedrotti, Saliba, Sargent,

Ex Officio Member Present: Palermo

 

Handouts: Jim Dunne provided the committee via email, prior to the meeting, a suggested charge and committee membership for a proposed subcommittee charged with resolving the impasse in the implementation of the Quantitative Reasoning Competency. This document is included in the minutes below.

 

1.         The minutes of the April 17, 2002 meeting of the APC were approved.

 

2.         Status of work of the Gen Ed Subcommittee

           

Dave Biers reported that the GE 2002 Subcommittee tasked with a review of the Rationale and Goals portion of the General Education Policy had met last spring to discuss revisions proposed by various members of the subcommittee on a Quick Place site. He is in the process of developing a first draft of a proposed revision based on discussions at that meeting. The subcommittee plans to have a proposed revision ready to bring before the full senate by the December meeting of the full academic senate

           

           

3.         Status of the Quantitative Reasoning Competency

 

Jim Dunne reminded the APC members that the implementation of the Senate approved Quantitative Reasoning Competency scheduled for this term had been delayed. The delay was a result of problems encountered in the Competencies Implementation Subcommittee when that subcommittee, together with representatives from the Mathematics Department, tried to develop an implementation strategy. As a result of those problems, the Mathematics Department was asked to review the QRC document and suggest a new implementation plan and policy. Paul Eloe, chair of the Mathematics Department, together with other representatives from the Mathematics department did develop a proposed revised QRC policy and implementation scheme.

 

Jim Dunne noted that the proposed revision and the need for delay had been discussed at the last Provost’s Council meeting in the Spring of 2002. The Provost’s Council expressed agreement for the need for delay of the implementation of the QRC and general support for the revisions suggested by the Mathematics Department. In response to this situation, Jim Dunne stated, he formed a QRC subcommittee tasked with comparing the Senate-approved QRC and the new proposed QRC and bringing a proposed resolution of the issue to the APC. This QRC subcommittee is chaired by Joe Saliba and met for the first time on Sept. 4, 2002.

 

4.         Formal Establishment of the QRC Subcommittee

 

Jim Dunne noted that the establishment of the QRC subcommittee charge and membership had been done prior to the first APC meeting because of the need to resolve this issue quickly. He asked the APC to review the QRC subcommittee membership and charge, make suggested changes, and approve the establishment of the subcommittee. The charge and proposed membership are listed below.

 

 

SUBJECT:  Revised QRC Subcommittee of APC                       -                       Fall 2002

 

Background:

  1. The Quantitative Reasoning Competency (QRC) area – at the general competency level (basic competencies that all UD undergraduate students will achieve) – was conceptualized in the University Policy somewhat differently than the other three areas of competencies were.  In the other three areas, students will satisfy the general competency requirements within courses in their curricula.  For the QRC area, general competency requirements were established that students could satisfy via courses, proficiency tests taken separate from any courses, and/or a combination of both.  
  2. It was determined last academic year that the QRC area at the general competency level as originally defined in the University Competency Policy will have significant implementation problems and needs to be “reconsidered”.
  3. The Mathematics Department and its chair Paul Eloe have developed an alternative proposal.
  4. The Academic Policies Committee (APC) of the Academic Senate must consider this proposal and possibly others and develop a formal proposal for a Revised QRC Policy. 
  5. In order for the General Education & Competencies Committee (GECC) and Compentencies Implementation Subcommittee (CIS) to begin implementation of this policy for the 2003-2004 academic year, any new QRC Policy should be developed and approved by the Senate this term.  The last Academic Senate meeting this term is scheduled for December 6, 2002.
  6. At the end of last academic year, the Provost Council reviewed this issue and recommended that the Senate reconsider the QRC policy.

 

 

Subcommittee Membership:

            Joe Saliba, Subcom Chair          Engineering, APC member

Other Subcommittee Members being invited:

            Leno Pedrotti                            Sciences, APC member

            Patricia Hart                             Education, department chair

            Paul Benson                              Humanities, department chair

            Jim Dunne                                Business, APC and GECC member

John Korte                                Social Sciences, GECC member

            George Doyle                            CIS member and chair (2001-2002)

            Aparna Higgins                         Math Dept, Familiar with revised QRC proposal

            Pat Palermo                              Provost Office, Ex Officio APC member

            Pat Johnson                              Assoc Dean, A&S, Connected Learning

 

Charge to the Subcommittee:

            Understand the development of the original QRC policy

            Understand the implementation problems encountered    

Consider and compare the revised proposal from Math Department

Consult with faculty and academic administrators in appropriate ways

Develop for the APC a proposal.  Target date:  November 15, 2002.

 

It was noted by Pat Johnson that Paul Eloe was not on the proposed subcommittee membership. She suggested that, as the primary author of the proposed revision, he should be on the subcommittee. Jim Dunne and Joe Saliba noted that he was invited to the meetings as a resource and that another member of the Mathematics Department, Aparna Higgins is included in the proposed membership. Leno Pedrotti noted that George Doyle, chair of the Competencies Implementation Subcommittee, has acted as a strong proponent for retaining the current QRC policy. He suggested that the committee would be more balanced if Paul Eloe and George Doyle were either both on the subcommittee are both used only as resources for the subcommittee but not included as voting members. He suggested that the best choice would be to invite Doyle and Eloe to all QRC subcommittee meetings as resources but to not include them in the membership. Joe Saliba said that he would contact George Doyle and Paul Eloe to see if they would be willing to act as resources only but not as voting members of the subcommittee or if they would prefer to be both voting members of the subcommittee.

 

Pending the finalization of the membership, the APC approved the formation of the QRC subcommittee. Joe Saliba noted that the subcommittee hoped to bring a recommendation to the APC by mid November so that a recommendation could be brought before the full senate at the December meeting of the academic senate. It was noted by many present that it is important that the proposal brought before the senate has the approval of the Mathematics Department since they are tasked with the primary implementation, and the general approval of all departments and divisions. It is important that the draft proposal is well distributed, understood, and debated before finalization. Senate approval of a QRC policy at the December meeting would allow for implementation in the fall of 2003.

 

5.         Rewording of Residency Requirement Statements in the Bulletin.

 

Jim Dunne noted that Pat Palermo had brought an issue related to various statements in the Bulletin related to residency requirements to the attention of the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate who have in turn directed the issue to the APC for discussion and proposed resolution. Briefly, in several places in the Bulletin, a residency requirement is stated by noting that a certain number of credit hours need to be taken at UD. Pat Palermo suggests that the wording should be “from UD” to accommodate distance learning initiatives as well as situations in which the UD course work is done off site. Gordon Sargent noted that the Board of Regents should be informed of any proposed changes. Pat Palermo said that the Deans seem to be in favor of the proposed new wording. Jim Dunne stated that he has assigned this issue to Kevin Hallinan who should bring an initial suggestion regarding the revision to the next meeting of the APC.

 

6.         Announcements

Pat Palermo noted that a description of the graduation competency requirement was sent to department chairs and others this past summer and that various units are to be developing graduation competency requirements this year. Pat Johnson stated that the College of Arts and Sciences is trying to have the graduation competency plans finished early in 2003.

 

7. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 am.

 

Wearily submitted by Leno Pedrotti.