Academic Affairs Committee Special Meeting
Thursday, March 20, 2014
10:00 a.m., TEAL Room, Wheelwright Auditorium
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NOTE: The remarks of the Committee and others are summarized and not verbatim. The taped
recording of this meeting is available in the Office of the Provost.
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Attendees:
Brandon Palmer, Chair, Humanities
Teresa Burns, Science
Carol Megehee, Business
John Beard, Associate Provost
Cathy Goodwin for Amy Fynn, Kimble Library
Richard Aidoo, Humanities
Jamia Thomas-Richmond, Education
Breanne Parker, University College
Dan Lawless, University Registrar
Kay Keels, Business
Dustin Thorn, Science
Richard Costner, Education
Jim Everett, Humanities
Steven Bleicher, Humanities
Lori Knox, Humanities
Nick Pritchard, Chair, Core Curriculum
Yun Sil Jeon, Humanities
Absent:
Guests:
This special meeting of the Academic Affairs Committee was held to review the proposal from the Core
Curriculum Committee, and the Department of Communications, Languages and Cultures/Foreign
Language regarding the transition from a two course language requirement to one course that combines
culture, language. In addition, the committee will be reviewing the following proposals as they pertain
to the requested changes:
ID # 469: GERM 115
ID # 470: FREN 115
ID # 471: ITAL 115
ID# 473: SPAN 115
German Studies I
French Studies
Italian Studies I
Hispanic Studies I
Dr. Yun Sil Jeon and Dr. Lori Knox presented, via power point, an explanation of how the new foreign
language courses would be taught. A copy of the presentation is available for review.
Discussion ensued following the power point presentation. Some brief notations from the discussion
include:
Academic Affairs - Special Meeting
March 20, 2014
Page 1
* 110-level course would be removed from the catalog beginning in the Fall 2014 semester;
*115-level course combines both the 110- and 120-level course topics and information;
* 115-level course would become the new “introductory” course;
*120-level courses would remain in the catalog until the need no longer exists. This could take
several semesters.
*Placement exams will still be available for students wishing to enroll in a higher-level of a
foreign language.
The following courses were reviewed and approved:
FREN 115
French Studies
Number of credits: 5 Pre-requisites: None Co-requisites: None Course restrictions: None. This
course may be used as an elective or cognate course. Core Curriculum: This course is to be
shown in the Core Curriculum under Core Goal 5: Knowledge of the Cultures, Languages, and
Social Structures in Other Countries of the World. Proposed catalog description: French Studies
I. (5) This class introduces students to the French language and the many facets of French
culture. This course also helps students develop the basic skills of speaking, listening, and
communicating in everyday situations in French culture. As a hybrid course, this course will
deliver three credit hours face-to-face and two hours via a distance learning format.
Justification: After many years of trying to teach the language based primarily on grammar, we
have come to the conclusion that this approach does not lead to student acquisition of oral
communication in the target language. This new approach is specifically focused on the
acquisition of oral ability. To that purpose we have divided the course in two parts. We will
follow the flipped classroom approach, utilizing the hybrid method. We will deliver grammar
instruction online outside of class. The two online credits will include pronunciation and
controlled production practice activities and emphasize those linguistic skills that can be
acquired through automatic and repetitive exercises. We will utilize the three credit face-to-face
classroom time for real life application of language and to engage students with the rich cultural
facets of French culture. The online instruction provides an individualized, low-stress
environment in which the student can be successful. The face-to-face class time will help
students apply the grammar knowledge previously acquired online and allow them to practice
oral activities commonly found in real life situations that students are likely to encounter.
Culture will be an essential part of this face-to-face interaction, since culture and language
cannot be separated. We will use Vista Higher Learning’s Promenades and WebSAM (Web
Student Activities Manual) as our primary in-class and online text. Recent findings of student
focus groups of Spanish Minors and Majors confirm that the above-mentioned method better
accommodates the needs of all our language students and the university's needs as well. Impact
on existing academic programs: Eliminate the current sequence of French 110, 120, and 111,
and consequently the need of mandatory placement test for all incoming and transfer students.
This way the advising load for administrators will be simplified. Those advanced students who
wish to be more challenged will be encouraged to take a placement test in order to complete
the next level course (a bridge course between FREN 115 and 200 level courses). Therefore, it
will simplify class selection for students. Since this course will be three face-to-face credits and
two online, the online part will allow students to manage their study time based on individual
needs and will provide them a low-stress learning environment. The need for classroom space
will be greatly reduced. This simplification of the curriculum will help the department to utilize
resources more efficiently. Financial costs associated with this request: Dedicated space and
equipment for online assessment. Foreign Language Instructional Center resources. This course
Academic Affairs - Special Meeting
March 20, 2014
Page 2
will be part of the normal load of the CLC faculty in the French section. For example: Lecturers
currently have a load of 5 courses (3 credits each) per semester. With this new program,
lecturers will have 3 courses (5 credits each) per semester. Each instructor will be in charge of
both the online and face-to-face activities for each course. . Method of delivery: Hybrid
Semesters offered: All Date change is to be effective: Fall 2014
Committee action: This proposal was approved as written and will be submitted to Faculty
Senate for the April, 2014, meeting.
GERM 115
German Studies I
Number of credits: 5 Pre-requisites: None Co-requisites: None Course restrictions: None. This
course may be used as an elective or cognate course. Core Curriculum: This course is to be
shown in the Core Curriculum under Core Goal 5: Knowledge of the Cultures, Languages, and
Social Structures in Other Countries of the World. Proposed catalog description: German
Studies I. (5) This class introduces students to the German language and the many facets of
German culture. This course also helps students develop the basic language skills of speaking,
listening, and communicating in everyday situations in German-speaking cultures. As a hybrid
course, three credit hours are delivered face-to-face and two hours via distance learning format.
Justification: After many years of trying to teach the language based primarily on grammar, we
have come to the conclusion that this approach does not lead to student acquisition of oral
communication in the target language. This new approach is specifically focused on the
acquisition of oral ability. To that purpose we have divided the course in two parts. We will
follow the flipped classroom approach, utilizing the hybrid method. We will deliver grammatical
instruction online outside of class. This two credits part will include pronunciation and
controlled production practice activities, those that can be acquired throughout more automatic
and repetitive exercises. We will utilize the three credits face-to-face classroom time for real life
application of language and also engaging students with the rich cultural facets of the Hispanic
cultures. The online instruction provides an individualized non-threatening environment in
which the student can be successful. The face-to-face class time will help students to
consolidate the grammar knowledge previously acquired online, by practicing oral activities
commonly found in real life situations that students are more likely to encounter. Culture will be
an essential part of this face-to-face interaction, since culture and language cannot be
separated. Recent findings of student focus groups of Spanish Minors and Majors confirm that
the method that we have developed better accommodates the needs of our students and of the
university. Impact on existing academic programs: The impact that German Studies will have on
the existing academic programs would be to: Eliminate the current sequence of GERM 110, 120,
and 111, and consequently the need of mandatory placement test for all incoming and transfer
students. This way the advising load for administrators will be simplified too. Those advanced
students who wish to be more challenged will be encouraged to take a placement test in order
to complete the next level course. Therefore, it will simplify class selection for students. Since
this course will be three face-to-face credits and two online, the online part will allow students
to manage their study time based on individual needs and gives them a non-threatening
learning environment. The need for classroom space will be greatly reduced. This simplification
of the curriculum will help the department to utilize resources more efficiently. Financial costs
associated with this request: Dedicated space and equipment for online assessment. Foreign
Language Instructional Center resources. This course will be part of the normal load of the CLC
faculty in the German section. As an example: Lecturers have now a load of 5 courses (3 credits)
each semester. With this new program, lecturers will have 3 courses (5 credits) each semester.
Academic Affairs - Special Meeting
March 20, 2014
Page 3
Each instructor will be in charge of the same course online and face-to-face group. Method of
delivery: Hybrid Semesters offered: All Date change is to be effective: Fall 2014
Committee action: This proposal was approved as written and will be submitted to Faculty
Senate for the April, 2014, meeting.
ITAL 115
Italian Studies I
Number of credits: 5 Pre-requisites: None Co-requisites: None Course restrictions: None. This
course may be used as an elective or cognate course. Core Curriculum: This course is to be
shown in the Core Curriculum under Core Goal 5: Knowledge of the Cultures, Languages, and
Social Structures in Other Countries of the World. Proposed catalog description: Italian Studies
I. (5) This class introduces students to the Italian language and the many facets of Italian
cultures. This course also helps students develop the basic language skills of speaking, listening,
and communicating in everyday situations in Italian cultures. As a hybrid course, three credit
hours are delivered face-to-face and two hours via distance learning format. Justification: After
many years of trying to teach the language based primarily on grammar, we have come to the
conclusion that this approach does not lead to student acquisition of oral communication in the
target language. This new approach is specifically focused on the acquisition of oral ability. To
that purpose we have divided the course in two parts. We will follow the flipped classroom
approach, utilizing the hybrid method. We will deliver grammatical instruction online outside of
class. This two credits part will include pronunciation and controlled production practice
activities, those that can be acquired throughout more automatic and repetitive exercises. We
will utilize the three credits face-to-face classroom time for real life application of language and
also engaging students with the rich cultural facets of the Italian culture. The online instruction
provides an individualized non-threatening environment in which the student can be successful.
The face-to-face class time will help students to consolidate the grammar knowledge previously
acquired online, by practicing oral activities commonly found in real life situations that students
are more likely to encounter. Culture will be an essential part of this face-to-face interaction,
since culture and language cannot be separated. Recent findings of student focus groups of
Spanish Minors and Majors confirm that the method that we have developed better
accommodates the needs of our students and of the university. Impact on existing academic
programs: The impact that Italian Studies will have on the existing academic programs would be
to: Eliminate the current sequence of Italian 110 and 120, and consequently the need for a
placement test for all incoming and transfer students. This way the advising load for
administrators will be simplified too. Those advanced students who wish to be more challenged
will be encouraged to take a placement test in order to complete the next level course (a bridge
course between ITAL 115 and 200 level courses, which will not be part of the ITAL Core classes).
Therefore, it will simplify class selection for students. Since this course will be three face-to-face
credits and two online, the online part will allow students to manage their study time based on
individual needs and gives them a non-threatening learning environment. The need for
classroom space will be greatly reduced. This simplification of the curriculum will help the
department to utilize resources more efficiently. Financial costs associated with this request:
Dedicated space and equipment for online assessment. Foreign Language Instructional Center
resources. This course will be part of the normal load of the CLC faculty in the Italian section. As
an example: Lecturers have now a load of 5 courses (3 credits) each semester. With this new
program, lecturers will have 3 courses (5 credits) each semester. Each instructor will be in
charge of the same course online and face-to-face group. Method of delivery: Hybrid
Semesters offered: All Date change is to be effective: Fall 2014
Academic Affairs - Special Meeting
March 20, 2014
Page 4
Committee action: This proposal was approved as written and will be submitted to Faculty
Senate for the April, 2014, meeting.
SPAN 115
Hispanic Studies I
Number of credits: 5 Pre-requisites: None Co-requisites: None Course restrictions: None. This
course may be used as an elective or cognate course. Core Curriculum: This course is to be
shown in the Core Curriculum under Core Goal 5: Knowledge of the Cultures, Languages, and
Social Structures in Other Countries of the World. Proposed catalog description: Hispanic
Studies I. (5) This class introduces students to the Spanish language and the many facets of
Hispanic cultures. This course also helps students develop the basic skills of speaking, listening,
and communicating in everyday situations in Hispanic cultures. As a hybrid course, three credit
hours is delivered face-to-face and two hours via a distance learning format. Justification: After
many years of trying to teach the language based primarily on grammar, we have come to the
conclusion that this approach does not lead to student acquisition of oral communication in the
target language. This new approach is specifically focused on the acquisition of oral ability. To
that purpose we have divided the course in two parts. We will follow the flipped classroom
approach, utilizing the hybrid method. We will deliver grammatical instruction online outside of
class. This two credits part will include pronunciation and controlled production practice
activities, those that can be acquired throughout more automatic and repetitive exercises. We
will utilize the three credits face-to-face classroom time for real life application of language and
also engaging students with the rich cultural facets of the Hispanic cultures. The online
instruction provides an individualized non-threatening environment in which the student can be
successful. The face-to-face class time will help students to consolidate the grammar knowledge
previously acquired online, by practicing oral activities commonly found in real life situations
that students are more likely to encounter. Culture will be an essential part of this face-to-face
interaction, since culture and language cannot be separated. After careful consideration of three
publishing houses (Vista Higher Learning, Pearson, and McGrew-Hill), the committee has
determined that McGrew-Hill is better fit for our new program. We will use their Connect
platform and LearnSmart. Recent findings of student focus groups of Spanish Minors and Majors
confirm that the method that we have developed better accommodates the needs of our
students and of the university. Impact on existing academic programs: Eliminate the current
sequence of Spanish 110, 120, and 111, and consequently the need of mandatory placement
test for all incoming and transfer students. This way the advising load for administrators will be
simplified too. Those advanced students who wish to be more challenged will be encouraged to
take a placement test in order to complete the next level course (a bridge course between SPAN
115 and Minor/Major 200 level courses, which it will not be part of the Spanish Core classes).
Therefore, it will simplify class selection for students. Since this course will be three face-to-face
credits and two online, the online part will allow students to manage their study time based on
individual needs and gives them a non-threatening learning environment. The need for
classroom space will be greatly reduced. This simplification of the curriculum will help the
department to utilize resources more efficiently. Financial costs associated with this request:
Dedicated space and equipment for online assessment. Foreign Language Instructional Center
resources. This course will be part of the normal load of the CLC faculty in the Spanish section.
As an example: Lecturers have now a load of 5 courses (3 credits) each semester. With this new
program, lecturers will have 3 courses (5 credits) each semester. Each instructor will be in
charge of the same course online and face-to-face group. Method of delivery: Hybrid Semesters
offered: All Date change is to be effective: Fall 2014
Academic Affairs - Special Meeting
March 20, 2014
Page 5
Committee action: This proposal was approved as written and will be submitted to Faculty
Senate for the April, 2014, meeting.
With no other business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.
Academic Affairs - Special Meeting
March 20, 2014
Page 6