December 18, 2013
MEMORANDUM
TO: CAS SENATE ACADEMIC POLICY COMMITTEE, KATHRYN BESIO,
YOSHIKO FUKUSHIMA, JENE MICHAUD
FROM: WILLIAM J. MAUTZ, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY
RE: SENATE MOTION: ON-LINE LABS NOT EQUIVALENT TO REAL
HANDS-ON LABS
At the meeting of hte CAS Senate December 6, I introduced the following motion:
Whereas on-line laboratory courses do not train students in hand motor skills with
laboratory equipment and safety, on-line laboratory courses are contrary to the mission of
hands-on laboratory courses. On-line laboratory courses are not academically equivalent
to hands-on laboratory courses.
During the discussion of this motion, Tom Curtis pointed out that the Social Sciences
statistics course has an “L” code for “laboratory” course (Soc280L Statistical Reasoning),
but it could be reasonably run as an on-line course. This is because the training in tools
and equipment is in the use of a computer and software. He raised the possibility that
other “L” courses might have similar structure such the motion might not generally apply
to all “L” courses. The motion was then referred to the APC for further review and
clarification.
I have surveyed the UHH course catalog of courses to review course designations
and descriptions regarding this possibility. Hands-on-training in laboratory courses
include courses with the “L” designation in the alpha code and courses with “(lec., lab)”
or “(lab)” as a parenthetical in the course title. The UHH number distribution of these
courses is as follows:
College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management including
Agriculture, Agribusiness Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Engineering, Animal
Science, Aquaculture, Horticulture, and Soil Science:
“L”
3
(lec., lab)
41
CAS:
Astronomy “L”
Biology “L”
Chemistry “L”
Drama “L”
Education (lab)
Geology “L”
(lec., lab)
2
18
10
3 (stagecraft, costume, and lyric theater)
2 (field experience)
2
6
Computer Science (lec., lab)
Japanese (lec., lab)
Japanese Studies (lec., lab)
Kinesiology “L”
Marine Science “L”
Music “L”
Nursing “L”
Physics “L”
(lec., lab)
Psychology “L”
Sociology “L”
1
3
4
2
15
4
11
2
2
2
1
With the exception of Soc280L Statistical Reasoning, no UHH “L” course, by the course
description, appears to be appropriate for development of an equivalent on-line version.
Statistics training courses in other departments, Biol280, Mare250, and Psych213, do not
carry the “L” code designation, although all these courses use a computer classroom.
Similarly, no “(lec., lab)” course appears to be adaptable to an equivalent on-line version
for its laboratory content, except possibly CS410 Elements of Computer Architecture
(lec., lab), which is difficult to judge from the course description. There are other courses
involving training with hands and/or voice as well as mind in Art, Drama, Dance, and
Music, which may not be amenable to on-line versions, but they do not carry a coding for
this distinction.
With only one or two current exceptions to the expectation that “L” code courses
could not have equivalent on-line substitute versions, it seems to me the motion could be
made to apply to all “L” code courses. Classrooms with multiple computer terminals are
commonplace now, and perhaps do not need in and of themselves to be called
“laboratories” with their courses all designated “L”, such as Biol280, Mare250, and
Psych213.
If departments and instructors wanted to make an on-line version of an “L” code
course, some other code should be established. This way on-line courses will be
distinguished on transcripts. Currently, on-line versions of laboratory courses, such as
community college versions titled “Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory”
transfer tu UHH as equivalent to our biol243L/biol244L Human Anatomy and
Physiology Laboratory courses. There is no indications that the community college
versions were on-line or actual hands-on. On-line versions of courses with content that is
covered in laboratory courses could carry other descriptor codes; instead of “L” for
“laboratory”, these could be “LO” or “LOL” for “Laboratory On-Line.”
Please advise me on what steps should be taken next to advance review and
implementation of my motion before the CAS Senate.
Cc: Jean Ippolito, Faith Mishina, Thomas Curtis, Jim Beets, Leon Hallacher, Adam Pack