MEMORANDUM

TO: University Curriculum Committee

FROM: Dr. Sharon M. Ballard, Chair of CDFR Curriculum Committee

DATE: March 6, 2013

RE: CDFR Curriculum Revisions

  1. The Department of Child Development and Family Relations proposes the following changes in the BS in Family Community Services (FCS) program.
  • Revise and update the course proposal for CDFR 1103 – Marriage and the Family. A revised course proposal is included in the curriculum packet.
  • Rationale: CDFR 1103 is required of all the undergraduate majors in CDFR. The course has not been revised for many years. The course objectives and assignments were revised to facilitate consistency across multiple sections. This proposed changed was approved by the CDFR faculty on February 5, 2013.
  1. The Department of Child Development and Family Relations proposes the following changes in the Birth-Kindergarten (B-K) Teacher Education program.
  • Replace ELEM 3249, Early Literacy, in the professional studies core requirements with READ 3301, Teaching Reading K-2.
  • Rationale: ELEM 3249 duplicates material covered in CDFR 4122, Language and Literacy in the Early Childhood Curriculum. Exit surveys and conversations with BK graduates indicate that more instruction in reading pedagogy is needed. Our graduates need to be prepared to teach reading to a classroom of kindergarten children, which will undoubtedly include children who are reading at the first and second grade level. READ 3301 will give them the skills and knowledge needed. This proposed changed was approved by the CDFR faculty on January 14, 2013.
  1. The Department of Child Development and Family Relations proposes the following changes in the Child Life program
  • Revise language in the catalog to reflect revised admission standards and a new application process.
  • Rationale: These changes clarify requirements necessary for success in this major. Child Life is a very popular major and faculty want to ensure that students are truly interested in Child Life and are successful once in the program. Internship placement is very competitive and these revised standards and procedures will ensure that students are able to secure an internship. These changes were approved by the CDFR faculty on February 4, 2013.
  • New course: CDFR 3022: Death, Dying, and Bereavement. This course would be required for all Child Life majors. The new course number has been requested and approved. A course proposal is included in the curriculum packet.
  • Rationale: A death and dying course is strongly recommended by Child Life Council for the academic preparation of child life specialists. At ECU, our Child Life major undergraduate students do not have access to this type of course. Senior students and alumni feedback consistently indicates a need for developing this course. CDFR faculty voted on and approved this proposal on Feb., 4, 2013.
  • Add CDFR 4410: Professional Seminar (1) as a required course for all Child Life majors and revise course description to include child life majors.
  • Rationale: CDFR 4410 is required for Family and Community Services students the semester prior to their internship. This has been very successful in facilitating the internship placement process, increasing the professionalism of students, and improving the internship experience for students. It is hoped that requiring this course for Child Life students will result in these same outcomes.
  • Change advisor-approved electives from 6 to 3 s.h.
  • Rationale: The addition of CDFR 3022 as a required course necessitated the reduction of elective hours by three.
  • Increased the core 57 s.h.
  • Rationale: The addition of CDFR 4410 (1) necessitates the addition of this one credit.
  • Remove an advisor approved computer course from the cognates and reduce cognates to 6 s.h.
  • Rationale: The addition of CDFR 3022 as a required course necessitated the reduction of total hours by three. Computer proficiency is required in many high schools and a computer course is no longer necessary in the required curriculum.
  • Add ANTH 1050: Global Understanding to the list of restricted electives from which students can choose 9 s.h.
  • Rational: This course is being added to increase students’ opportunity for global understanding and to provide opportunities for students to fulfill the new global diversity requirement.
  1. The Department of Child Development and Family Relations proposes the following revisions:
  • New course: CDFR 4100: Study Abroad in CDFR. A course proposal is included in the curriculum packet. The new course number has been requested and approved.
  • Rationale: CDFR is offering more study abroad courses than in the past. Having the name of the course reflect the study abroad experience rather than using an independent study course will be beneficial for students on their academic transcripts. A unique course number also will allow for documenting the unit’s global diversity. This course proposal was approved by the CDFR faculty February 4, 2013.
  • Revise CDFR 4521: Research in CDFR. We are proposing a name change and making the course variable credit. A course proposal is included in the curriculum packet.

Rationale: Making the course variable credit and repeatable allows a student to engage in CDFR enrichment experiences for 6 credits or the equivalent of 2 CDFR electives. Allowing students to choose the number of credit hours and to repeat the course and receive credit will give CDFR faculty additional options to provide students with more research and enrichment opportunities. Additionally students have the potential to start on a research or other project and continue with this project over the course of several semesters; thereby, giving them experience with the entire progression of a research project. Expanding the title to include teaching and leadership accommodates a wide range of student experiences. Faculty approved this proposal on March 4.