APC030414M
ACADEMIC POLICY COMMITTEE
Minutes of Meeting
Date: Monday, April 14, 2003
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:48 p.m.
Committee Members: Dr. Barry Adam, Mr. Lakin Afolabi, Prof. Jeff Berryman, Dr. Randy Bowers, Ms. Julia Campbell,
Dr. Mike Dufresne, Dr. Kaye Fawdry, Mr. Tom Fuerth, Mr. Eric Harbottle, Dr. Gerry Kerr, Dr. Kathryn Lafreniere, Dr.
Linda McKay, Prof. David Palmer, Dr. Michael Salter (Chair), Dr. Jim Weese, Ms. Yue (Amber) Zhang
Absent: Mr. Jeff Laporte, Ms. Cathy Maskell (regrets)
In Attendance: Dr. Kai Hildebrandt, Ms. Anna Kirby, Prof. B. Mazer, Ms. Charlene Yates, Ms. Renée Wintermute
(Secretary)
Formal Business
1 Approval of Agenda
Although items were not discussed in sequential order, the minutes do reflect the agenda order of business.
Motion to approve the agenda - Dr. Kaye Fawdry
Seconded - Dr. Kathryn Lafreniere
Carried
2 Approval of Minutes
Minutes of April 1 2003. Minor corrections were noted.
Motion to adopt the revised minutes - Dr. Kaye Fawdry
Seconded - Dr. Randy Bowers
Carried
3 Business arising from the minutes
3.1 2003-2004 University Budget
It was NOTED that:
$ indicators for performance funds are set out by the government and are the same as those used in the previous
three-four years.
$ percentage increase for the Leddy Library is matched by a percentage increase in Paul Martin Library.
$ additional resources will be allocated to the WISE program (a work-study program for international students).
$ there continues to be no provision in the budget for scholarships for international students. Although international
students must prove that they will not require monetary assistance while studying abroad, this should not prevent
the University from offering them scholarships, which are based on academic merit rather than financial need.
$ funding for the promotion of the University has been a standing item in the budget for a number of years.
Generally focussed on faculty and student recruitment and retention strategies, funds provided in this year=s
budget will be used to more specifically address issues relating to promoting the University=s image and
reputation.
$ although it is difficult to project enrolments for the coming year, given the climate of uncertainty, the University is
confident that enrolment targets will likely be met. However, were the University unable to meet its targeted
enrolments, capital and one-time spending would need to be deferred.
$ there is a strong belief that the University of Windsor could be more competitive were it to tap into the significantly
large pool of potential candidates from the US and increase recruitment efforts for NAFTA students.
$ Graduate Studies determines the process for the allocation of GA/TA funds.
$ the Law School continues to conduct entrance and exit surveys to determine the impact of tuition hikes on
accessibility. Previous exit surveys were completed for years where there were no tuition increases. The current
Exit Survey is the first one which surveys students affected by tuition increases. Results from this survey are not
yet ready. Members agreed that future proposed increases in Law tuition should be considered in light of this Exit
survey.
$ were the University to freeze law tuition until the results of the Exit and Ontario-wide surveys were known and
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were these results to indicate that accessibility is not hindered by tuition hikes, the University would then have to
substantially increase its tuition to remain competitive.
the Law five year plan envisioned tuition increases which would keep it in line with University of Western Ontario
Law School. In fact, tuition increases have not been as high as those for the latter.
a large portion of the tuition paid by law students is re-invested back into the Law School, in order to improve the
quality of service to students, address the issue of adequate financial aid for law students, etc.
funding for international recruitment are taken from visa fees.
the focus of the budget is on students: how to provide better service, teaching and research facilities,
scholarships, etc. to students.
increases for international student fees are unregulated and vary (see tuition fee schedule)
to respond to security issues, particularly with services (such as the Leddy Library) increasing hours of operations,
the Budget Committee proposes the following: 1- additional staffing in the Leddy Library; 2- two additional campus
police staff members; 3- a liaison officer who will work with students and faculty to educate them on security and
safety issues, and ensure that security and safety concerns are disseminated to the appropriate bodies in a timely
fashion; 4- one additional staff member in the Health and Safety Office.
minor corrections were noted.
Mr. Eric Harbottle and Ms. Anna Kirby were thanked and commended for all their work on the budget and for
ensuring that the budget process is a transparent one.
the Chair will present APC=s comments to Senate at its April 15, 2003 meeting.
4 Outstanding business
Nothing to report.
Items for Discussion/Approval
5 Reports/New Business
5.1 Mature Student Policy
It was NOTED that:
$ a closer review of the mature student policy, approved by Senate in November 2002, revealed that the policy did
not differentiate between applicants who had previously attended a University and left in good standing, and those
who were not in good standing when they left the University.
$ the revised policy requires that applicants, who previously attended a University and left on academic probation or
were required to withdraw, provide proof of reasonable probability for success in university studies. This condition
would therefore provide students who had been required to withdraw on more than one occasion the opportunity
to return to university, were they able to present a strong case for re-admission.
$ unlike PLAR which assesses prior learning and assigns advance credit where applicable, profiles submitted by
mature student applicants are reviewed for admission eligibility only.
MOTION: That the revised Mature Student Policy be approved.
Dr. R. Bowers/Dr. K. Fawdry
CARRIED
5.2 Business Residency Requirement Changes
It was NOTED that:
$ the proposed Business residency requirement changes fit within the University=s current residency requirements.
$ Business has been asked to further review two of the five policy motions it had forwarded to the Committee.
$ minor corrections were noted.
Motion:
That the proposed Business Residency Requirement Changes (APC030414-5.2) be approved.
Dr. B. Adam/Dr. R. Bowers
CARRIED
5.3 Standardization of Percentages Across the University
It was NOTED that:
$ members of the working group (Prof. Jeff Berryman, Ms. Julia Campbell, and Ms. Charlene Yates) were thanked
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for all their hard work.
$ the working group identified two major issues: 1- disparity in grade conversion scales across departments and
Faculties; and 2- the meaning of a letter grade and whether there should be a uniform description/meaning for
letter grades.
$ though not as detailed as other universities, the undergraduate calendar briefly defines each letter grade.
$ though clearly defining the academic standards associated with each letter grade might provide some broad
guidelines, uniform descriptions of letter grades tend toward vague generalities.
$ some departments/Faculties have established grading policies which include conversion of letter to number
grades (see appendix B). Although there are some discrepancies, a number of areas use a similar grade
conversion scale to that used by the Registrar=s Office.
$ the proposed conversion scale is used by the Registrar=s Office and is in-line with other university conversion
scales across Ontario and Canada.
$ a uniform grading scale is not synonymous with a uniform grading policy. It was noted that grading policies are
established by individual Faculties/departments and may therefore differ (see motion 3).
$ once adopted, all faculty members would be assigning letter grades according to the proposed conversion scale,
ensuring that the meaning of letter grades is the same from department to department. However, bell curves and
other grading standards would be determined by the departmental/Faculty grading policy (see motion 3).
$ the proposed University-wide conversion scale applies to undergraduate programs.
MOTION 1: That the following percentage conversion scale be adopted at the University of Windsor and
applied whenever it is necessary to convert a percentage grade to the officially assigned
letter grades approved by the University.
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
F-
93-100
87-92.9
80-86.9
77-79.9
73-76.9
70-72.9
67-69.9
63-66.9
60-62.9
57-59.9
53-56.9
50-52.9
35-49.9
0-34.9
Prof. J. Berryman/Ms. J. Campbell
Abstentions:1
CARRIED
MOTION 2: That it be recommended that on an annual basis every academic department apportion some
time during a Departmental Council meeting to discuss grading policies.
Prof. J. Berryman/Dr. J. Weese
CARRIED
It was AGREED that:
$ departments and Faculties should be encouraged to clearly define their grading policies within the next academic
year.
MOTION 3: That Faculty or Departmental Councils adopt formal grading policies that are appropriate for the
particular discipline, and that they provide some description of the learning expectations for
each letter grade.
Prof. J. Berryman/Ms. J. Campbell
CARRIED
It was AGREED that:
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$ dialogue between instructors of the same course should be encouraged in order to ensure overall consistency.
$ both motions 4 and 5 should be amended to read: AThat Deans and Department Heads continue to...@.
MOTION 4: That Deans and Department Heads continue to encourage discussion between instructors,
particularly where a number of instructors are engaged to teach similar sections or courses, so
that there can be some shared expectations on appropriate student evaluation.
Prof. J. Berryman/Ms. J. Campbell
CARRIED
MOTION 5: That Deans and Department Heads continue to ensure that new faculty members are acquainted
with departmental, Faculty and University norms with respect to grade evaluation and consider
providing mentoring where warranted or requested.
Prof. J. Berryman/Ms. J. Campbell
CARRIED
6 Action Plan 2002
6.1 Faculty Evaluation - Progress Report
(See APC030414-6.1 for more complete details.)
was NOTED that:
the Action Plan Working Group on Faculty Evaluation consisted of Dr. Kaye Fawdry, Dr. Janet Flewelling (resigned in March
2003), Dr. Kai Hildebrandt, Mr. Winston Jalloh (GSS), Mr. Jeff Laporte (UWSA), and Dr. Dale Woodyard.
$
if approved, the UCAPT motions forwarded to Senate for consideration will have implications on the final reworking of the
SOST evaluation form.
$
through regular meetings, the working group systematically analyzed the criteria required for an effective SOST form.
However, given time constraints and the possible impact of UCAPT motions forwarded to Senate, the working group was
unable to complete its work during this academic year.
$
$
was AGREED that:
document APC030414-6.1 be forwarded to the Senate Steering Committee as an Interim Report with a recommendation that
the work of the Working Group (membership to be determined) continue in the new academic year.
ditional Business
uestion period/Other business
7.1 2003-2004 APC Membership
It was NOTED that:
$
members, whose term on the Committee is coming to an end, were asked to consider whether they would like to
renew their term.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn - Dr. Kaye Fawdry
Seconded - Dr. Randy Bowers
Carried
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