PDC01-05-08M
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Minutes of Meeting
Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2001
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:40 p.m.
Committee Members: Prof. Tony Blair, Ms. Gwen Ebbett, Prof. Neil Gold (Chair), Mr. Jerry McCorkell, Dr. Kathleen
McCrone, Dr. Linda McKay, Dr. Veronika Mogyorody, Dr. Alfie Morgan, Dr. Graham Reader
Absent: Dr. Sheila Cameron, Dr. Richard Caron (regrets), Ms. Laura Chesnik (regrets), Dr. Alan Gold (regrets), Mr.
Liam McCarthy (regrets), Dr. Bulent Mutus, Mr. Corey Paterson (regrets), Ms. Stephanie Plante, Dr. James Weese
(regrets)
Invited Guests: Dr. David Cotter, Dr. Kai Hildebrandt, Dr. Lesley Lovett-Doust, Mr. Andrew Sasso
In Attendance: Dr. John Corlett, Mr. Kerry Eagen, Dr. Michael Salter, Ms. Linda Urquhart, Ms. Renée Wintermute
(Secretary)
Formal Business
1
Approval of Agenda
Item 7.1 was moved to 4.1 and item 6.5 AMBA Fast-Track Co-op@ was added to the agenda.
Motion to approve amended agenda - Dr. Alfie Morgan
Seconded - Mr. Jerry McCorkell
Carried
2
Approval of Minutes
Minutes of April 27, 2001. A minor correction was noted: Under 6.2 AIt was AGREED that@, the following point
should be added: A91-400 be changed to 91-4xx.@
Motion to adopt the revised minutes - Mr. Jerry McCorkell
Seconded - Prof. Tony Blair
Carried
3
Business Arising from the Minutes
Nothing to report.
4
Outstanding Business
4.1 BSc in Biotechnology
Dr. Lesley Lovett-Doust and Dr. David Cotter spoke to the proposal.
It was NOTED that:
$ the proposed Biotechnology program consist essentially of two BSc degrees which, although they share several
core courses, are distinct one from the other as of year one.
$ having two different program admissions (OUAC) codes will enable the areas to effectively distinguish between
the Biotechnology students. Effective academic counseling will also be better ensured if the students are
distinguished in the program from the outset.
$ the admissions requirements for the biology and biotechnology degree vary slightly from those for the
biochemistry and biotechnology degree.
$ there will be no new admissions into the Biochemistry degree program once the Biochemistry and Biotechnology
program is running. Students who find that they are unable to meet the requirements for the latter by their fourth
year may be able to fall back to a BSc in Biochemistry. The Biochemistry degree will however not be run as an
independent program. Essentially, the Biochemistry and Biotechnology program will replace the Biochemistry
program in terms of student intake.
$ the proposed BSc in Biochemistry and Biotechnology and the current Biochemistry degree requirements differ by
only two courses. The former requires students to take two Computer Science courses.
$ although the Biochemistry degree program will be phased-out, for the first few years it will run along side the
Biochemistry and Biotechnology program.
$ no new resources should be allocated to support the current Biochemistry degree program.
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It was AGREED that:
$ there would be two different program codes for the Biology and Biotechnology, and the Biochemistry and
Biotechnology degrees.
$ the original proposal should be revised to reflect the change from a single joint program with two streams, to two
distinct programs.
$ once revisions are complete, Dr. Reader will review the new document on behalf of PDC prior to the proposal
being sent to Senate.
Motion: Subject to a revised proposal, that the BSc in Biology and Biotechnology program and the BSc in
Biochemistry and Biotechnology program be approved.
Mr. J. McCorkell/Prof. T. Blair
CARRIED
5
Chair=s Report
It was NOTED that:
$ negotiations with Deans regarding Five Year Plan enrolment targets are almost complete. The agreed enrolment
targets will be presented to Committee members at a future meeting.
$ prior to adjourning for the summer, PDC will need to discuss possible ways of making the third year of the Five
Year Plan reporting process less intensive.
Items Requiring Approval
6
Reports/New Business
6.1 Reliable Scheduling
It was suggested that the motion read:
Motion: That each AAU be required to include the following information in their Annual 5-Year Plan update:
1. A list of the required (compulsory) courses that will be offered annually in each of the AAU=s
programs, and the semester(s) (Fall, Winter, Summer) during which each course will be offered, for
the next four years.
2. A list of the optional courses in each of the AAU=s programs and the semester(s) during which
they will be offered, for the next four years
3. That these results be made available to the student body.
Dr. A. Morgan/Mr. Jerry McCorkell
It was NOTED that:
$ in order to effectively plan their academic careers, core and required courses should be offered consistently, and
notice of future course offerings should be posted as early as possible. Although this is already the case with
most professional degree programs and some other programs offered at the university, there are several
programs for which course offerings are posted as late as a few weeks before the beginning of the semester and
core/required courses are offered sporadically.
$ academic planning is important and every effort should be made by the departments to assist students in this.
However, given that (yearly) appointments decisions, sabbatical announcements, budget decisions, etc., can
have a significant impact on course offerings and so on, it would be impossible for most departments to produce
and follow a schedule of all the courses it promises to offer over the next four-years. A minimum of one-year
projection of course offerings would be more realistic.
$ the Psychology department at St. Mary=s University presents its students with the courses it plans to offer over
the next calendar year, while the Psychology department at the University of Waterloo outlines its course
offerings for a three year period.
$ the university should better organize its course offerings.
$ information regarding course offerings should be made available to students as soon as possible.
$ teaching loads for the upcoming Summer to Winter semesters are assigned by February 15. Departments could
therefore post, by the end of February, those courses which will likely be offered in the upcoming semesters
(summer-fall-winter).
$ the advanced schedule of course offerings need not be in the (annual) Five Year Plan reports.
The motion was WITHDRAWN.
It was AGREED that:
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$ the University should have at least a one-year advanced schedule of course offerings, labeled as >tentative=
and posted on-line. Posting this information on-line would provide greater accessibility and allow for the
information to be quickly updated.
$ disclaimers reminding students that they are invited to visit the department and seek additional academic
counseling should also be added to the on-line tentative advanced schedule postings.
$ a Working Group comprised of Mr. Jerry McCorkell (chair), Dr. Kai Hildebrandt, Dr. Lesley Lovett-Doust, Dr.
Michael Salter, and if available, Dr. Bill Wellington, will further review this issue and report back to PDC in the
following academic year with a more developed and practicable motion and rationale.
6.2 Flexible Learning
It was NOTED that:
$ areas should, if they are not already doing so, begin to think not only about what courses to offer but how to offer
them.
$ the assessment of which courses should be offered in an innovative flexible format should be done at the Faculty
level. The role of the Centre for Flexible Learning (CFL), once this is complete, is to help with the development
and the running of the course(s).
$ areas who wish to incorporate flexible learning courses and require CFL assistance should notify the CFL one
year in advanced in order for the course to be well-developed and successfully mounted.
$ although some areas have taken the initiative regarding non-traditional course offerings, there is no effective
overall strategic plan for Flexible Learning on the campus.
$ both the Faculty (Coordinating) Council and the Dean should approve flexible learning initiatives prior to the
departments seeking assistance from the CFL.
$ considering course offerings and delivery formats is part of the five-year planning process.
$ when specifying teaching plans, areas could also identify distributive learning plans, if any, in their five-year plan
(annual) reports.
Motion: That, when specifying teaching plans in their Five Year Plan and Annual Status Reports, each area also
identify, if any, their distributive learning plans (such as, on-site offerings in satellite facilities,
teleconferencing courses, web-based learning, weekend and evening offerings, and distance
education).
Dr. V. Mogyorody/Dr. A. Morgan
CARRIED
6.3 Advanced Standing for FASS Certificates/Degrees
This item was delayed to a future meeting.
Items Requiring Discussion
6.4 Delegation of Authority
This item was delayed to a future meeting.
6.5 MBA Fast-Track Co-op
This item was delayed to a future meeting.
Additional Business
7
Question Period/Other Business
It was AGREED that:
$ in order to have Senate consider items 6.3 and 6.5 during this academic year, an additional PDC meeting is
required. Given time constraints and Senate submission deadlines, the meeting will be scheduled early in the
week of May 14.
8
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn - Dr. Graham Reader
Seconded - Ms. Gwen Ebbett
Carried
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