The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Educational Policy Committee

Minutes

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Attending: Robert Bork; Helena Dettmer (chair); Ed Folsom; Mackenzie Hasley; Timothy Havens; Michel Laronde; Sarah Larsen

Excused: Usha Mallik; Larissa Samuelson; Michael Teague

1.  A proposal from the General Education Curriculum Committee for GE status for the course 113:046/ANTH:1046 (and cross-listed with 131:046/GWSS: 1046) People and the Environment: Technology, Culture, and Social Justice in the area of International and Global Issues was introduced by Robert Bork, EPC liaison to the GECC. The proposal stems from a partnership among interested faculty who have been designing the course for over a year and is exemplary in its attention to the GE outcomes. The proposal also raised issues in GECC about instructor load, team-teaching, and TA allocation, with the suggestion that EPC look at these issues. If the College values innovative teaching, it must find a way to support it, both during course development and delivery. EPC agreed to discuss this concern at a future meeting.

2.  Guest Margaret Jesse, Senior Director, ITS-Instructional Services, met with EPC to discuss the restructuring of Instructional Services to include the Center for Teaching and Evaluation and Examination Service. The change will allow additional support staff to serve both units; this support is needed since many faculty are now choosing to use technology in the classroom. The current director of EES is retiring and thus moving that office into ITS-Instructional Services makes sense at this time. The new unit will be called the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology, clarifying its service to faculty and to student learning. Recent projects show this dedication to faculty and student learning, including the TILE classroom and the new Learning Commons in the UI Main Library. ITS-Instructional Services has a long history of a close partnership with the Center for Teaching and the reorganize will make that partnership even more effective. EPC agreed that the move of the Center for Teaching into a new unit that would include ITS-Instructional Services and EES could give the Center needed additional resources and support staff. The change could also create more synergy for related projects, such as the review of ACE evaluations and the EES project to have them submitted by students online.

3.  Jean Florman, Director for the Center for Teaching, met with EPC to discuss the transition of the Center for Teaching into the new ITS unit and confirmed that the increased resources from the reconfiguration would be a welcome addition to her office. During the conversation, she assured EPC that the Center will continue to serve all faculty, as before, and not just those requesting technological support.

4.  A proposal for a new major in Biomedical Sciences (BS) from the Department of Biology was presented by Professor Bernd Fritzsch, DEO, Department of Biology, and Associate Professor Bryant McAllister, DUS, Biology. The major requires a minimum of 78 semester hours of course work in the natural sciences, mathematics, statistics, and the social sciences. The courses prepare students for research and/or practice in the chemical, genetic, cellular, and physiological basis of human disease. The curriculum also prepares students for medical training, especially in the area of human genetics. The administrative home of the proposed major is the Department of Biology but an advisory board will guide the major and help to facilitate the placement of students into faculty labs and the mentoring of students. The major, if approved, will be selective, with around 30 students accepted into the major each year and with a total of around 100 students participating in the major during a four-year period. EPC discussed the selective nature of the major, supporting this request since there are many CLAS programs in the sciences that are not selective. The selective admission process also will ensure that students understand the requirements of the program and the level of commitment needed for success. The role of membership in the UI Honors Program was also discussed, with Helena Dettmer noting that membership in Honors was not a requirement for graduation with the major. EPC wondered when students should enter the program, asking whether or not the sophomore year would be better than the freshman year. EPC also asked if students could move to other majors without a delay in graduation, if necessary, and suggested that students be allowed to enter the major late to fill any openings left by attrition. The guests assured EPC that they would be piloting various admissions and advising procedures and would be sensitive to student needs and to the issues raised by the committee. EPC approved the proposal; it will next move to Faculty Assembly for discussion.

5.  The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Timothy Havens, Associate Professor
Department of Communication Studies and of African American Studies
Secretary, Educational Policy Committee