Academic Affairs Council 1.28.2014
Minutes submitted by Michelle Frenzel
Attendees: Patrick Guilfoile, Lynn Johnson, Joan Miller, Shawn Strong, Jim Barta, Colleen
Greer, Angie Gora, Michelle Frenzel, and Deb Peterson.
1.
Combining Council with Academic Forum - fall of 2014
Patrick Guilfoile
Looking for feedback on folding the Academic Affairs Council and Academic Forum
groups into one meeting beginning Fall 2014. There was brief discussion and no
objection to this concept.
2.
Assessment Update
Patrick Guilfoile
An assessment update was provided indicating where the university is at in regards to
program-level outcomes, curriculum maps, assessment plans for 2013-2014, assessment
finding for 2013-2014, five year plans, and five year review/self-studies.
A report to HLC is due soon; there will be 44 programs looked at for this report. Those
programs with individual accrediting bodies/external reviews were removed from the list
of programs for this report.
Overall progress continues, there is a little more work that needs to be completed in
regards to curriculum maps. Work continues with assessment plans and findings.
3.
Graduate education
Joan Miller
Graduate school deans from MnSCU institutions have been meeting to develop a matrix
of programs at the state universities in the interest of keeping our student in our system.
If one school doesn’t have a program that a student needs, then this matrix could be used
to see if other MnSCU institutions offer it. Additional discussion item was the possibility
of ‘dual’ degree programs; one degree, two institutions.
Progress continues to be made on the e-application for graduation students. Joan is part
of a daily ‘scrum’ to discuss the progress MNSCU ITS is making and answer any
questions they have.
There was some discussion on materials student prepare for their graduate program and
the role Joan has in helping them be best prepared to submit a complete document.
4.
Other
a. Curriculum Process
There was discussion regarding the curriculum process and the timeline for
proposal implementation. Currently the deadline for final approval by early
March 2014 is for submission by late spring/early fall.
There was a rush of proposals submitted December/January hoping for Fall
implementation.
There was discussion regarding the process, committee meeting times (regular or
ad-hoc), missing Faculty Associate meetings (only one per month), relaying
changes one curriculum committee makes to the other curriculum committees
(what if they have already responded). A question was asked if a common
meeting time for all curriculum committees was one solution. Proposers have
been invited to meet with the curriculum committee if the committee has
questions. Could this be incorporated into the process automatically? Question
posed on implementing program changes fall and spring semester, rather than
only fall, this being one possible solution to the rush of proposals submitted in
December/January that don’t have enough time to make it through the process.
There was discussion about proposals submitted to the liberal education
committee and the MnSCU ‘super curriculum’ committee that will review new
course submissions to MnTC. It is unclear if this MnSCU committee is currently
functional and how long this process will take.
Experimental Course Forms – discussion on the use of experimental course forms.
This form is intended for delivering a course (new content) and assessing if it
should be incorporated in program curriculum.
Based on the above discussion, Records will be researching other institutions’
curriculum process.