Minutes of the General Education Committee
for May , 2005

 

Attending: Lori Allen, co-Chair, Erika Behling, Jaime Cheatham, Pat Goldsmith, Susan Haller, Farida Kahn, Carmel Ruffolo, and Evelyn Zepp.

The new “green sheet” was distributed.

Report of Director, Susan Haller:
--Web site is available www.cs.uwp.edu/staff/haller/gened
--Budget: Spent $10, 500 (lump sum about ½ and S&E—quite a lot unspent)
Began the year with $26, 398 (salary, incl. U.S.)
Fifteen people in 3 sub-groups to begin assessment work--$500.

Sub-groups:

Literacy: Kavenik, Tutlewski, Evans, Walasek, Snell (possibilities)
Critical Thinking: Allen, Khan, Zepp, Cheatham
Teamwork: Norton, Behling

E.S. 201 needed DV listing added.

Discussion: how do students get past the 60 credit limit...skills req. and declaring major?
Gen. Ed. group needs support through enforcement.

We wrote on the blackboard some goals for the Gen Ed Committee and
Director for 2005-06:

(1) Assessment

(2) Partner with FY, Advising, Sue Lemens to develop a Senate resolution (for November or February) about enforcing the 60 credit rule on General Education completion*

(3) Partner with Ethnic Studies to facilitate goals of both GE and ES
a. improve timeline for DV course identification each semester (preferably each year)

b. work together to promote more DV courses for BOK credit

* Discussion of Math Comp memo indicating student had waited until graduation to take required math course, which was facilitated by executive action.

Other items added after the meeting, via email, included using Focus Groups to evaluate GenEd from the student perspective, and an examination/discussion of Information Literacy.

Lori also insisted that we emphasize the positives that we accomplished this past year that should carry over into the next year:

(1) First Year Experience
(2) Learning Assistance reform
(3) test/pilot learning communities
(4) new relationship with Ethnic Studies

The committee adjourned (for the year) at 10:30.

Congratulations to everyone for a productive and lively year's work!