BTF Meeting, April 4, 2003
Meeting began at 9: A.M.
Attending: Anne Keddy-Hector, David Froehlich, Jackie Jarzem, Steve Bostic, Ed Meyertholen,
Sal Tavormina, Sarah Strong, John Norris, Terry Shaw, Trish Phelps, Steve Muzos, Steve Ziser,
K. Sathasivan, Bernice Speer, Mark McCaffery
1. Update of PCM Distance Learning Delivery Method
Since it has been a year since the Department first offered Personal Computer with Modem
(PCM) Distance Learning classes, Steve Muzos, Sal Tavormina and Sata presented the
Department with their impressions and conclusions this delivery method. All three feel that it has
been a successful year, although they do not yet have data e.g. retention figures or
documentation of performance increase. PCM is also proving to be a popular method among the
students. Indeed, some students who have taken 1308 via PCM have become upset when they
did not get into the PCM 2306 section.
The use of Blackboard to facilitate communication with and between students has been
especially successful. Steve Muzos preprogrammed his Blackboard to automatically send
reminders of due dates and other important information to all his students. Students have greatly
appreciated this and have sent several emails thanking him for the reminders. Students now
have immediate access to their grades on-line through the grade book function in Blackboard. He
is also able to blanket email announcements and updates to all his students easily. Now that
ACC has the 2306 available as streaming media, all his students may watch the tapes at any time
of day or night. Steve also gives extra credit for those who take part in the discussion board
which he monitors all the time. Steve's orientation is now completely on-line thanks to PCM.
Sal agrees that the PCM delivery method does increase communication, both student to faculty
and student to student. It has been more work for him to setup and update the Blackboard site
every semester. Sal has found that he gets about 75% participation in the discussion board. He
has noticed his PCM classes fill up faster than his ITV courses and thinks this is because
students don't wish to come on campus if they don't have to, so PCM removes this negative
aspect of Distance Learning classes. He has noticed little or no change in either the retention
rate or on test scores, although this is much more student discussion.
Sata believes the students taking his hybrid 1406 class via PCM do have a better retention
rate. Since the students already had discussions going in his on campus Saturday labs, the online discussions are just a continuation of these. The determining performance factor seems to
be how self-paced and self-motivated the students are.
David Fonken had asked Bernice to get a quick assessment of Sarah's hybrid 2306 class.
Sarah says that some students seem to grasp the material better in the OPC/on campus hybrid,
but says it is more a matter of students applying themselves and studying. The students do,
however, enjoy getting together to watch the videos.
2. Hybrid q309 Section
David Froehlich would like to create an OPC/on campus hybrid 1309 class for the spring 04
semester. It is a popular course, but David thinks we're missing a segment of the population who
are put off by a totally OPC format, a segment that would like some on class interaction and
guidance.
David is going to be teaching a 5.5-week section this summer and is interested in finding an
open room at NRG and offering students the option of coming together to watch the presentations
as an experiment. It would not be required, but optional.
David is also looking for a good 1-hour video that addresses evolution to use in this course. If
anyone knows of one or even two such videos please let him know.
Approved unanimously.
3. Course Number Change Questions
A question was raised about how the change from Biol 1308 to 1309 will affect the
transferability of the course, especially with reference to SWT since a lot of its students take this
course. SWT accepts both 1308 and 1309. The change in number will not at all affect those
transferring the course to fulfill SWT's general science requirement. It will affect those is SWT's
Health Science programs who have been transferring the course to meet the Cellular and
Molecular Biology requirement. The Department from SWT had written Bernice to see if we were
going to be changing 1308. If not, they would not be accepting 1308 for transfer to their
department.
4. On-line Office Hours.
Faculty may hold office hours on-line for their OPC course, but they need permission from the
Distance Learning Office. Permission is granted on a course by course basis. The hours must be
held outside the normal 8-5 timeframe.
Office hours are held on campus. 5 hours plus 1 hour for every 3 LEH overload are required of
all full-time faculty. In addition to these, OPC courses require the # of hours the class would have
normally met on campus i.e. a 3 LEH OPC course requires 2.5 extra office hours. As an
example, a faculty member teaching a section of 1408 OPC class with an overload would be
required to have 5 hours basic office hours plus 5 additional hours for the OPC (2.5 for lecture/2.5
for lab) and 1 hour for the overload. If the faculty member were also teaching a 1308 section, an
additional 3 hours of office hours would be required.
The OPC Office will allow a faculty member to convert some of the required on campus office
hours to on-line office hours. Blackboard data shows the highest use times are not during the
day when students are working, but at night. The peak Blackboard activity time is actually
between 10pm and 2am. This is why on-line office hours may not be during the day. During online office hours, the faculty member must be available for students to contact through email, online chat, phone or other electronic means. The hours may be nebulous when the application to
convert is submitted i.e. to convert 4 on campus office hours to on-line office hours, but must be
specific once approved and listed in the course syllabus. Once an instructor has been approved
to hold on-line office hours, the instructor does not have to resubmit the application every
semester, but the Department Chair ahs to verify you've posted the hours and are available
during them.
The motion was made to allow all instructors teaching distance learning Biology courses to hold
up to 100% of the required OPC office hours via chat, email or other electronic techniques. The
technique must be spelled out in the request.
Passed unanimously.
5. Common Course Objectives
The final draft of the CCOs for Biol 2316 Genetics, Biol 1424 Native Plants, Biol 1413 General
Zoology, Biol 2416 Aquatic Biology, Biol 1309 Life on Earth, Biol 1409 Diversity of Life, Biol 2306
Living Planet, Biol 1407 Structure and Function of Organisms, Biol 2305/2102 (formerly Biol
2402) Human Physiology, and Bio 1614 Field Biology were presented. Mark will post them online for final comments, criticism or changes. The vote to adopt them will be at the May
Department meeting.
Biol 2993 Critical Thinking is the only Biology that still needs its Common Course Objectives to
be written. Anne Keddy-Hector has volunteered to do them next year.
A motion was made to accept the final draft of the Common Course Objectives of Biol 1411 and
1411. Passed Unanimously.
7. Safety Items
The Board of ACC will require a paragraph describing safety and evacuation procedures in all
syllabi in the fall. Terry Shaw in particular and Biology in general were held up as examples for
the rest of ACC at the last Board meeting. Terry takes a few minutes at the beginning of each
semester to familiarize students with evacuation procedures and information and this came to the
attention of the Board.
By the end of the semester, each campus will hold an evacuation drill. CYP and PIN have
already held theirs. The science faculty were only faculty that were prepared and knew what to
do during the evacuation.
8.The Herbarium at Rio Grande
The Herbarium at Rio Grande contains 20 years of specimens, but no one has been managing
it since Steve Muzos moved to Pinnacle. Bernice is looking for volunteers for a committee to
assess the herbaria college-wide. The committee's mission will be to assess the collections,
decide what to keep and alternatives to dispose of the unwanted i.e. the Wildflower Center or
local high schools. Last summer, the Native Plants course taught at the Wildflower Center was
able to double the Center's collection. This would be a good opportunity to earn help other
institutions.
Steve Muzos will chair the assessment committee. Bostic and John Norris have volunteered to
be on the committee. The committee will see what other campuses and courses could use
specimens from the herbaria.
The Department also formed a committee to assess all the collections at ACC i.e. liquids, birds,
vertebrates, insects and plants, organisms in general. The committee will decide if the collections
need to be kept, whittled down or apportioned out so that the Department does not have a vast
collection of one thing e.g. liverworts at one campus while another is buying them for its labs.
Steve Ziser will chair the committee. Betsy Maxim, Sarah Strong, David Froehlich, and Steve
Bostic will be on it.
9. Adjunct Evaluations
Last year, the Department voted to allow full-time faculty who are being evaluated on a three
year portfolio cycle, to use their portfolio scores in the 2 years they do not submit portfolios.
Otherwise, their evaluation scores suffer since they would be missing the points earned by
portfolios. There are adjuncts who are on the three year portfolio cycle also. Bernice made the
motion to allow the adjuncts on this cycle have their portfolio grades roll forward in the next two
years on their evaluation. As is the case with full-time faculty, adjuncts who receive a portfolio
grade they wish to improve may submit a limited portfolio to address any deficiencies.
Passed unanimously.
10. Department Chair Election
There are some revisions to the rules for Department Chair elections. The first change is that
adjuncts may now vote in the elections and other Department votes.. A number of adjuncts equal
to the number of full-time faculty in a department may ask to be eligible to vote. They must
contact the chair and let her know of their interest. The Biology department decided to allow any
adjunct who is currently on the eligibility list to vote on any issue.
There is also a new process for electing Department Chairs. A full-time faculty member who is
not running for the Chair will be appointed to coordinate the election. The election coordinator will
accept nominations, announce the candidates and run the election through email.. The votes will
be tallied in the presence of the Dean. If no person wins more than 50% of the vote, a runoff will
be held.
David has consented to be Election Coordinator. Bernice has declared she is running for the
Chair again.
Meeting ended at 10:44