Faculty hold first meeting of the semester; Moodle discussion, committee reports dominate
By: Troy Montigney
Issue date: 9/11/07 Section: News
- < prev Page 2 of 2
ATAC reported approximately 20 percent of this semester's 750 courses are utilizing Moodle. Multiple faculty members spoke about personal difficulties with the new software, but Sanders said that efforts to familiarize students and instructors with Moodle will continue as its predecessor is completely phased out.
Another issue heard by the faculty was the current student retention rates.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Neil Abraham provided some facts and figures about the rate, which varied somewhat from class to class.
"The retention rate of the sophomore class is a bit lower than in the past," Abraham said.
However, Abraham said the current senior class' retention rate is the highest retention rate in University history - closely followed by the current junior class. The pair of record-breaking retention rates, coupled with the largest freshman class in recent years, led to a spike in total current enrollment.
"The class of 2011 is larger than planned but not as large as was feared," Abraham said. "All together, there are around 2,350 degree-seeking students this year."
Abraham also spoke about the degree of gender equity amongst summer faculty hires. Males accounted for 58 percent of the positions filled, which was on par with the percentage of males in the faculty as a whole.
The meeting ended with the announcement that DePauw will join 600 other universities nationwide in a "Focus the Nation" event on Jan. 31, 2008. As part of the event, faculty members will be encouraged to lead their classes in discussions on global climate change. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) has accepted an invitation to appear on campus on the day of the event, and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) has also been invited.
Another issue heard by the faculty was the current student retention rates.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Neil Abraham provided some facts and figures about the rate, which varied somewhat from class to class.
"The retention rate of the sophomore class is a bit lower than in the past," Abraham said.
However, Abraham said the current senior class' retention rate is the highest retention rate in University history - closely followed by the current junior class. The pair of record-breaking retention rates, coupled with the largest freshman class in recent years, led to a spike in total current enrollment.
"The class of 2011 is larger than planned but not as large as was feared," Abraham said. "All together, there are around 2,350 degree-seeking students this year."
Abraham also spoke about the degree of gender equity amongst summer faculty hires. Males accounted for 58 percent of the positions filled, which was on par with the percentage of males in the faculty as a whole.
The meeting ended with the announcement that DePauw will join 600 other universities nationwide in a "Focus the Nation" event on Jan. 31, 2008. As part of the event, faculty members will be encouraged to lead their classes in discussions on global climate change. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) has accepted an invitation to appear on campus on the day of the event, and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) has also been invited.
Be the first to comment on this story