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College of Education
GRADUATE PROGRAMS COMMITTEE
Friday, October 12, 2012 Meeting
Minutes
Members Present: Don Dellow, Zorka Karanxha (Chair), Bill Campbell, Sherman Dorn for Darlene DeMarie, Allan Feldman (Vice-Chair), Audra Parker via Skype, Yi-Hsin Chen
Members Absent: Bruce Jones
Ex-Officios Present: Harold Keller, Michael Stewart Others Present: Sherman Dorn, and Lora Crider
Call to Order
Zorka Karanxha, Chair called the meeting to order at 9:32 a.m.
Review of Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Don Dellow to approve the first set of meeting minutes from 09/14/12 and the motion was seconded by Sherman Dorn. A vote was taken the minutes passed unanimously and there were no abstentions.
Approval of the Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Don Dellow to approve the consent agenda and the motion was seconded by Bill Campbell. A vote was taken the minutes passed unanimously and there were no abstentions.
Reports
Graduate School Update
Harold Keller reported that the M.Ed. in Instructional Technology was moving forward with permanent course numbers to address financial aid and transcript issues.
The offices of Admissions for Undergraduate, Graduate and International Students have been collapsed into one office in an effort to have greater efficiency. This new merged office is under the Director of Admission Bob Spatig.
The College of Education Graduate Studies office has been able to undergo many positive changes after an analysis of the functions of the office and recommendations were made by Jeany Gonzalez. Many staff members have now been cross-trained to assure that in the absence of one team member that things can continue to move forward. Miranda and Vanessa have been asked to take leadership roles in the office and have been able to streamline many processes and digitize many documents. Jeany Gonzalez has been assigned as a resource and support to the office as .25 of her assignment.
Graduate Council Update
Sherman Dorn reported that the Graduate Council is two months away from discussing the issue of what constitutes a concentration core.
The Board of Governors is reducing the number of new degrees and has initiated a new pre-review process. It is easier to get a new concentration in an existing degree approved than a new degree program.
The Graduate School has adapted a new policy regarding Identity Verification of students in Distance Learning Courses/Program. The new policy states that students at any time might be asked to verify their identity.
Approved
11/02/12
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The move from Blackboard to Canvass has begun with some people now piloting Canvass this semester. Everyone is asked to migrate to Canvass by January 2014. Shelly Stewart is assisting so that courses will be migrated smoothly into the new system.
Collegiate Teaching Group Update
Allan Feldman and Don Dellow reported that this CIRTL group under the direction of Rick Pollenz is on hold for now as they are awaiting the outcome of the funding of an Access Proposal and they will be meeting on Monday, October 15th.
New Business
Temporary Course Numbers
Zorka Karanxha shared a handout with the committee which shows the results of the e-mails that were sent out to chairs asking for them to review their graduate programs and report the number of temporary course numbers that were regularly being taught in their masters programs. There have been problems for students with: financial aid, transcript issues and it was noted that some students could have their GPAs affected as well. Miranda reported that once a course has been repeated with the same number three times, it is no longer counted toward the students GPA.
It was noted that any issue of excess/improper usage in the Masters programs are in the process of being addressed by the departments. The next step is to approach the Chairs to do the same analysis of their doctoral programs. Zorka reported that e-mails will go out to Chairs on Monday, October 15th asking them to do the same analysis of their doctoral programs. It is likely that there will be more over-usage of courses being taught on a regular basis with temporary course at the doctoral level.
New University Policy on the Role of Outside Chairs
Harold Keller brought up the new Graduate School Policy on outside chairs and suggested that the committee might want to review the new policy and make a recommendation on how the college should interpret and apply the new policy. This will be on next month’s meeting agenda to be discussed as “New Business.”
Electronic Signatures/faxes/e-mail being allowed on College Graduate Forms
Sherman Dorn brought forward a motion which was passed in his department to help facilitate the completion of: Qualifying Examination Pass/Fail forms, Ready to Defend Proposal Forms, and the Ready to Defend Dissertation forms. His department proposes that:
Moved, that scanned or faxed signatures of doctoral committee members, and emails from any committee member other than a major or co-major professor, will serve as documentation of approval for the following internal college processes: passing or failing a comprehensive exam, approval of a proposal for defense, or approval of a dissertation for defense.
One clarification suggested by colleagues: The scanned or faxed signatures apply to any committee member; emails allowed from non-majors but not from (co-)major professors.
The Committee decided this topic will be on next month’s meeting agenda for further discussion.
Program Committee Clarification
Don Dellow asked if the committee had to sign off on the Program of Study for a doctoral student had to be the same as the dissertation committee. It was determined that these did not need to be the same but provoked a discussion on the advising of doctoral students. It appears that some students are not being thoughtfully advised before a program of study is created and that this is causing a lot of extra paperwork to continually update the program of study and many students are finding out they are not eligible to graduate until these programs of study have been revised to reflect the actual work that the student has done to complete their program of study. It was suggested that maybe a two-step process might resolve a lot of the interim revisions by submitting a proposed program of study and then a finalized program of study.
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For the good of the OrderElectronic Vote
Lora Crider asked the committee if they had any suggestions about the e-voting process and the committee seems pleased at how the new process is working.
Degree Program vs. New Concentration
Allan Feldman asked if it was relatively simple to put forward a new concentration instead of a new degree program. Based on the discussion he is hoping to put forward new STEM Education Ph.D. concentrations in the near future.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:38 a.m.
Original Attachments: Consent Agenda, p2 09/14/12 Meeting Minutes New Handout:
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Consent Agenda
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GPC
Program Revision:
M.Ed. in Secondary Education in Instructional Technology………Ann Barron Supporting Courses: (existing courses with temporary numbers seeking permanent numbers)
EME 6053 – Internet in Education
EME 6055 – Current Trends in Instructional Technology EME 6207 - Web Design
EME 6208 - Interactive Media EME 6215 – Instructional Graphics EME 6458 – Distance Learning
EME 6631 – Technology Project Management
Reviewed by Zorka Karanxha and Audra Parker and Approved by the GPC on 10/12/12
New Course………Ilene Berson
EDG 7367 – Visual Research Methods in Education, Reviewed by Don Dellow and Yi-Hsin Chen Approved by electronic vote on 10/02/12
Program Termination……….…….M.A. in Physical Education in Exercise Science
(Program was replaced by the M.S. in Exercise Science) Reviewed by Zorka Karanxha and Audra Parker Approved by electronic vote on 09/17/12
Graduate Certificate Terminations………Secondary Education
Mathematics Education…………Eugenia Vomvoridi Social Science Education………..James Duplass Teacher Education………Jane Applegate English Education……….…….Jane Applegate
Informal Science Institutions: Environmental Education…….Stephen Thornton Science Education………..……Dana Zeidler
Reviewed by Bill Campbell and Bruce Jones, Approved by electronic vote on 09/19/12
New Course………Glenn Smith
EME 7615 – Instructional Game Design for E Books, Reviewed by Don Dellow and Yi-Hsin Chen Approved by electronic vote on 09/21/12
Course Change………Stephen Sanders
PET 6971- Thesis
Reviewed by Zorka Karanxha and Audra Parker, Approved be electronic vote on 09/25/12
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Department
Number of Courses
Action taken or forthcoming
DELPS
2 (one in Spring &
Summer 2012)
Both courses changed to
permanent. So there are none
at present.
Early Childhood Ed. & Literacy
Studies
None
Adult, Career and Higher
Education
4 courses
1 course was changed to
permanent course number and
another one will change to
permanent.
2 to remain as special topics.
Psychological & Social
Foundations
1 course
Dr. Dorn is clarifying this
issue with Early Childhood
Physical Education & Exercise
Science
3 courses
The department will change
these three courses to
permanent course numbers in
the next 6 months.
Special Education
2 courses in two different
programs.
There is no action at this
point. 2 courses to remain as
special issues.
Secondary Education
9 or more (some usage)
(one course has 6 credits)
7 courses are going through
GPC and are on the consent
agenda
Educational Measurement &
Research
1 course
The course will be submitted
for a permanent number next
year. This is due to a change
in professors who teach it.
Total until end of Summer 2012 22 courses
Total number of regularly offered courses that use temporary course numbers at present:
19 temporary course numbers. Of these, 4 (four) will remain as special topics.
Departments are working to change many of the temporary course numbers to permanent course
numbers.
Some programs have some use of special course numbers as they ought to be used. It does not
appear to be as wide spread in terms of number of courses.
Discrepancy between the USF and State system