G.E. Committee

Meeting Minutes

September 23, 2008

 

 

Present:� David Miller (Chair), Nancy Aumann, Merle Canfield, Anita Chiodo, John Hartsock, Joy Hendrick, Valerie Jones, Donna West

 

Absent:Susana Davidenko, Bruce Mattingly, Joseph Rayle, Mark Worrell

 

 

Committee Membership

����������� ��� The Committee welcomed Anita Chiodo who is the Library representative in place of Ron Conklin.� Also, recently approved by the Faculty Senate, Claus Schubert will join the Committee as the Mathematics/Science representative.

�����������

 

Election of the Chair

����������� ����� David Miller�s election was enthusiastically confirmed!� His participation in and passion for General Education as well as his experience in teaching in the G.E. categories were especially cited.

 

 

Selection of a Secretary

����������� � ����The consensus was to rotate the minutes alphabetically according to the last name of the Committee member.

 

 

Meeting Times

����������� ���� There are definite scheduling conflicts among the membership, and consideration was given to fewer, yet perhaps longer, meetings at �non-traditional� and even �rotated� times (e.g., early morning).� For the next meeting, the timing will remain at 12:30-1:30 p.m.

ACTION ITEM:� The Chair will circulate a memo among the membership in order to determine if there is a convenient meeting time for the majority of the Committee.

 

 

Discussion Procedures

����������� ��� Discussion will be open and recommendations made by consensus.� With a full and/or controversial agenda, members will have a time limit to state a position, and the Chair will recognize each participant in turn.

 

 

 

Approval of the Minutes

����������� ��� April 28, 2008� --� moved by John Hartsock, seconded by Joy Hendrick, passed

����������������������� with one abstention, with the following revision (noted by underlining) in

����������������������� the second-to-last paragraph:� �A suggestion that refreshments at the GE

����������������������� category work group meetings might help improve attendance so Joy

����������������������� Hendrick agreed to write an assessment grant to request funding for the

����������������������� meetings.

 

����������� ��� September 9, 2008 ��--� moved by Joy Hendrick, seconded by Donna West,

����������������������� passed with two abstentions

 

 

Review of G.E. Course Proposals

����������� ���� The consensus was to give agenda priority to requests for the G.E. designation on course proposals.� There is currently a proposal with curriculum and catalog due dates� being recommended to the Provost so that College catalogs would be available for July Orientation, and the Committee then asked when would be the final date for G.E. consideration.�

ACTION ITEM:� Nancy Aumann will forward those proposed due dates with a recommendation for a G.E. Committee deadline.

 

 

Report on G.E. Assessment

����������� ����� Merle Canfield reported on the assessment of the G.E. Program from both last year and for this year.� One of the major concerns is timing.� SUNY Cortland contacts potential faculty participants in the fall semester for assessment in the spring semester.� This scheduling means that data cannot be analyzed until early September for faculty and that the campus had to request an extension of the original September 30 SUNY due date for forwarding the data.

����������� ������ So, the question was if faculty should be contacted in the spring semester for the following fall semester.� That approach would ideally provide the necessary� following spring semester for faculty work groups to analyze and reflect the data as well as to implement any needed changes to a course or a program.� Further, necessary �lead time� would be available for faculty, and reports to SUNY System could be completed in a timely manner.� The only identified disadvantage to spring semester notification concerned adjunct instructors who may or may not return for the fall semester.

����������� ������ For now, there was consensus to maintain the fall to spring schedule, and all agreed that assessment imbedded within courses was more beneficial and valid than the former essay approach.� Merle then distributed the results of the current assessment for G.E. categories #4 and #8; the data and analysis for G.E. categories #7, #9, and #10 will be finished by the end of the week.� The major issue with assessment is how the data is used. � Focusing on the designated learning outcomes for each G.E. category, the question is how has a program improved since the last assessment and how does a program adhere to �best practices.�

 

 

����������� ������� In planning for next year, discussions are proceeding with SUNY System, and a representative from System will be on campus on September 24.� Every committee member is encouraged to join the meeting with Nancy Willie-Schiff in the afternoon.

ACTION ITEM:� David Miller will send a letter to faculty (or at least to department chairs whose departments are involved) who will be teaching in G.E. categories #1, #2, #3, #5, and #6 during spring semester 2009.

 

 

Adjournment

 

 

Next Meeting:� Rescheduled for 12:30 � 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21

������ ���������������������������� �in Old Main 127

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Aumann