ASCRC Minutes 3/25/14
Poetry Corner, Mansfield Library, 2:10 p.m.
Members Present: J. Deboer, C. Henderson, L. Gillison, S. Samson, T. Thibeau, M. Triana, E.
Uchimoto, N. Vonessen, G. Weix
Members Absent/ Excused: L. Eagleheart, K. Easwaramurthi, J. Laine, T. Manuel, M. Triana
Ex-Officio Present: J. Hickman,N. Hinman, B. Holzworth, B. Howard, J. Laine
The minutes from 3/4/14 were amended and approved. The meeting began with the UM Minute.
Communication Items:

Professor DeBoer reported on the visit to the Defense Critical Language Program. The group
was provided with a primer on the facilities, offerings, and funding structure. The director
follow-up with the number of graduates. They have provided instruction to 1080 students
and are projected to graduate 1352 at the end of this grant year. Although the courses are
taken for college credit, the University does not get credit for the student credit hours because
of the funding structure. Students are likely registered through the School of Life Long
Learning.

The NWCCU requires the University to have a course credit policy and make it explicit in
our materials. Upon further research Chair Henderson discovered that funding agencies also
require a policy. He made a first draft for members to review. A section needs to be added
that outlines an audit mechanism to ensure compliance. Please review the draft, think about
an audit mechanism, and share your edits and ideas electronically. The policy will be
reviewed after spring break.

The additional course restrictions for Political Science will be treated as an editorial change
given the procedure was changed last year.
Business Items

Professor Thibeau summarized the proposed academic support policies for international
students. International Programs Director Zagalo Melo sent some additional concerns before
the meeting. Some governments only fund students who are fully admitted. Thus, the
Provisional Admission Status was changed to Full Admission with Academic Support. The
proposed changes to the test score requirements are not in alignment with the Graduate
Schools requirements. Dean Ross should be consulted on this issue. The scores should either
be aligned or higher for graduate students. The subcommittee still needs to reach consensus
on whether the academic support courses are required or strongly recommended. The
Conditional Admission section is somewhat confusing. Some suggested that this section
should not be in the catalog given ELI students are separate from UM students. Professor
Thibeau will get clarification regarding the process for ELI students to become admitted
conditionally.

The Information Literacy Workgroup made a recommendation that ASCRC support the
experimental offering of Advanced Research Literacies (LSCI 391). The language was sent
to members prior to the meeting and the course syllabus was distributed during the meeting.
The course will be offered next fall. The Writing Committee will discuss the course at its
next meeting April 7th. It can be linked to an upper-division writing course or other
discipline specific content. The course will not be made permanent if there is low
enrollment. The language to be included on the April Faculty Senate meeting is appended
below.

ASCRC was sent the Dormant Course Report. Departments have requested that the courses
highlighted be maintained for the reasons listed. The report was approved.

The proposal for the Big Data Analytics Certificate was received today. It will be sent to
committee members for consideration and action after spring break. It was delayed due to
questions regarding funding.
The meeting adjourned at 4:00 PM
ASCRC Statement of Support for Advanced Research Literacies, LSCI 391
ASCRC strongly recommends LSCI 391, Advanced Research Literacies, as a
complementary and collaborative class in support of required upper-division writing
classes. LSCI 391 is a 1-credit class designed to develop an advanced understanding of
critical literacies and lifelong information seeking skills. This class will be offered
beginning fall semester 2014. It will also be shared with the Writing Committee for further
discussion about how to best incorporate information literacy into upper-division Writing
classes.
Class Description
The ability to locate, evaluate and use information effectively and ethically is essential. In this course
students will develop an advanced understanding of critical literacies and lifelong information seeking
skills. Students are encouraged to take this course as a complement to “W” designated courses in their
major. Students will complete an in-depth literature review relevant to their major that includes all
aspects of information literacy, including visual literacy, media literacy, news literacy, and scholarly
communication literacy. Students will hone their abilities in critical thinking, resource analysis, and the
ethical and appropriate use of information through an in-depth analysis of publication practices.
Learning Outcomes
· Construct an original argument, position or question based on research findings and/or analysis
and interpretation of texts within their historical and cultural contexts.
· Complete a literature review.
o Implement a research strategy appropriate to research need.
o Recognize the value of original scholarship;
o Compare and contrast research from various sources to create an holistic analysis of a
topic.
o Identify gaps in research findings and modify research strategies accordingly.
· Apply discipline-specific understanding and style guide to research productions.
o Describe key discipline-specific information resources and how they are organized and
used.
o Construct advanced searches using controlled vocabularies and Boolean operators.
o Execute cited reference searches.
o Recognize and explain the value of tracking citations forward and backward.
· Document and organize personal research process and information sources.
· Understand the economic, legal, political, and socio-economic impacts on information access and
use (e.g., censorship, constraints, costs, funded research, policies, scholarship).