Educational Policies Minutes Mar. 2, 2004

Members present: Kris Eitrheim, Ragene Gwin, Bill Hixon, David O”Connell, Randy Richards, Lori Rodriguez-Fishser, Nathan Schlueter, Barb Wiese, Brenda Peters, Dan Zeimet, Corinne Winter

Guests: Paul Koch, Lew Sanborne, Ann Austin, Kathy Potter, Meredyth Beno

Motion to approve minutes of Feb. 17: Ragene Gwin, Second: Barb Weise

Minutes approved

I. Program Review – Student Success Center

Motion to approve: Bill Hixon Second: Kris Eitrheim

Overview of process used by SSC for review: for the most part, it is a process used annually for a report that the center gives to the officers. They review their services and usage rates, survey tutors and users of the center. This fall, they also surveyed faculty in general.

They see their strengths in serving many students of diverse abilities. They are especially satisfied that the developmental courses are working quite well. They work always to make collaboration among tutors and staff even better. The most difficult part of their work is facilitating a good referral process between faculty members and students.

Discussion:

What is the mission of the tutorial program? - To provide support for students, to allow all students who wish to do so to experience academic success at SAU. Ideally and tutor should work herself out of a job by helping the tutee develop independent learning strategies. Training tutors to help tutees make good use of the sessions is one of the greatest challenges. Marketing the program is another.

What is the goal of writing tutors? Tutors deal with content issues first and may then try to help students with other issues but they are not a proofreading service.

How is success evaluated: In Supplemental Instruction, grade analysis is used and that is quantitative. Other parts of evaluation are more qualitative – based on student reports of their experience.

There was considerable discussion of the format and aims of New Student Seminar. A number of people are working on ideas to use both NSS and Orientation Week in ways that enhance the student’s reflection on academic goals and experiences.

Program Review Approved.

II. Proposal to exempt from the writing placement exam students who are fully admitted to SAU and who have at least a 24 in English on the ACT.

Motion: Nathan Schlueter; Second: Bill Hixon

This would exempt 20 to 25 % of a typical incoming class of first year students. Experience shows that the placement exam is not an effective instrument for these students. In fact, top students sometimes write the most problematic essays at orientation.

The hope is that a reduction in the number of papers to be read will allow each paper to be read twice in the placement process.

Motion Passed

NEW BUSINESS

1. It has been decided that transfer students coming from a Community College without having completed an AA degree will not be deemed to have fulfilled the ENG 101 requirement by taking one semester of English composition at the Community College. This was already true for students from most CC’s, but it will now apply to all such students. There is a proposal that such students might be exempted for ENG 101 by a portfolio process in which they would present samples of their experience of writing a well-documented research paper and of the process they used in developing the paper(s). Is this proposal something that should be discussed by EPC.

Consensus of the committee is that the English Department should make that decision and it does not need to come before EPC. It is similar to decisions that all departments make about accepting courses as equivalent to our requirements.

2. The Education Dept is requesting to move their 5-year Program Review from Spring of ’05 to Spring of ’06 because their state accreditation process will take place at the latter time. They might also be applying for National accreditation.

Motion to approve the move: Bill Hixon; Second: Nathan Schlueter

Motion Passed.

Next meeting will take place Mar. 16

Two items on the agenda:

-History courses – Dan LaCorte

-Criminalistics Program

Motion to Adjourn: Kris Eitrheim; Second: Nathan Schlueter

Adjourned 4:15 p.m.

Submitted by Corinne Winter