Faculty hold first meeting of the semester; Moodle discussion, committee reports dominate
By: Troy Montigney
Issue date: 9/11/07 Section: News
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University professors met for the first faculty meeting of the semester in the Union Building Ballroom Monday.
The meeting was mostly procedural in nature, comprising reports from eight faculty committees.
The Committee on Management of Academic Operations (MAO) chairwoman Inga Aures reported the committee was in the process of fine-tuning class time banks which will be enacted for the 2008-2009 school year. Additionally, the committee was looking into how students fare in fulfilling all six group requirements, a standard enacted three years ago.
MAO presented four measures for faculty approval, three of which passed unanimously. A topics course entitled Biology 190 was created and designated as group one, while a Beginner's Tap Dancing class was approved for group six status.
The fourth measure called for a revision of graduation requirements for students enrolled in the School of Music's five-year dual-degree program. The motion proposed that music students pursuing a College of Liberal Arts degree should be exempt from taking a second semester-level foreign language course. Instead, their group five credits would be fulfilled by School of Music diction courses in English, French, German and Italian.
"It has been a scheduling conflict and a nightmare to try to work in all these different languages with the double degree," said associate professor of music Caroline Smith.
German professor Howard Pollack-Milgate spoke against the proposed change.
"It is a mistake to think that three first semester courses are somehow equal to the second semester proficiency in one language as other Bachelor of Arts students must earn," Pollack-Milgate said.
The motion was ultimately defeated.
Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) chairman Bruce Sanders addressed the ongoing transition from Blackboard course management software to the Moodle program.
"There is no expectation that the use of Blackboard will be continued after this year," Sanders said. "The committee urges everyone who has yet to make the transition to begin doing so."
The meeting was mostly procedural in nature, comprising reports from eight faculty committees.
The Committee on Management of Academic Operations (MAO) chairwoman Inga Aures reported the committee was in the process of fine-tuning class time banks which will be enacted for the 2008-2009 school year. Additionally, the committee was looking into how students fare in fulfilling all six group requirements, a standard enacted three years ago.
MAO presented four measures for faculty approval, three of which passed unanimously. A topics course entitled Biology 190 was created and designated as group one, while a Beginner's Tap Dancing class was approved for group six status.
The fourth measure called for a revision of graduation requirements for students enrolled in the School of Music's five-year dual-degree program. The motion proposed that music students pursuing a College of Liberal Arts degree should be exempt from taking a second semester-level foreign language course. Instead, their group five credits would be fulfilled by School of Music diction courses in English, French, German and Italian.
"It has been a scheduling conflict and a nightmare to try to work in all these different languages with the double degree," said associate professor of music Caroline Smith.
German professor Howard Pollack-Milgate spoke against the proposed change.
"It is a mistake to think that three first semester courses are somehow equal to the second semester proficiency in one language as other Bachelor of Arts students must earn," Pollack-Milgate said.
The motion was ultimately defeated.
Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) chairman Bruce Sanders addressed the ongoing transition from Blackboard course management software to the Moodle program.
"There is no expectation that the use of Blackboard will be continued after this year," Sanders said. "The committee urges everyone who has yet to make the transition to begin doing so."
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