COMMITTEE: Academic Standards

MEETING DATE: August 26, 2002

PERSON PRESIDING: John Tilley

REGULAR MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Jim Decker, Joseph Gershtenson, M. S. Ravi, Catherine Rigsby, and John Tilley

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Michael Bassman, Pat Dunn, Dorothy Muller, and Katie Sagle

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE:

_________________________________________________________________________________

ACTIONS OF MEETING

Agenda Item: 1:. Election of Officers

Action Taken: The following officers were elected without dissent:

Chair John Tilley

Vice Chair Jim Decker

Secretary Nancy House

__________________________________________________________________________________

Agenda Item: 2 Designation of Committee Representatives

Action Taken: As Chairman of the Academic Standards Committee John Tilley will serve as an ex-officio member of the General Education Assessment Committee. Furthermore Chairman Tilley designated Michael Bassman Committee representative to the Council on Undergraduate Advising and Jim Decker as Committee representative to the University Athletic Committee

Agenda Item 2: Bob Morrison’s 05-08-02 memo requesting a recommendation regarding distance education class evaluations

Discussion: The committee discussed the timing ( up to three weeks after class has ended) of distance education class evaluations with respect to potential disparities. The Committee recognized the problem created by this practice.

Action Taken: A subcommittee (Gershtenson & Ravi) will investigate this matter and report to the full committee on 09-16-02.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Agenda Item 3: Bob Morrison’s 08-22-02 memo requesting consideration of changes to the ECU “auditing course policy”

Discussion: The Committee recognized the potential problems with the policy as it now exists.

Action Taken A subcommittee (Decker & Muller) will study this issue and report to the full committee on 09-16-02.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Agenda Item 4: Bob Morrison’s 07-30-02 memo requesting a report to the Faculty Senate on the ECU “Honors” designation.

Discussion: The Committee discussed the historical utilization of this policy and compared ECU’s policy with that of other UNC institutions.

Action Taken: Rigbsy moved, the ECU “Honors” designation policy be retained without modification, passed.

Agenda Item 5: Annual review of the “Honors” and “Writing Across the Curriculum” programs

Discussion: Tilley will distribute the “Honor” and “Writing Across the Curriculum” annual reports for discussion at the Committee’s next meeting.

Action Taken: The Committee will discuss these annual reports at the 09-16-02 meeting.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Agenda Item 6: Review of General Education Goals and Objectives

Discussion: Tilley provided a brief summary of issues and concerns relative to the General Education Goals & Objectives including actions recent actions taken by the Academic Standards University Curriculum Committee, Educational Policies and Practices Committee and Faculty Senate. He framed the discussion and re-introduced a 16-point plan for reviewing ECU’s General Education program.

Action Taken: The following three subcommittees were created: a) Collection of Gen Ed requirements from other UNC institutions and elsewhere (Muller & Dunn), b) Review of ECU Gen Ed assessment data (Tilley), and c) Liaison with relevant ECU committees (Rigsby). All of the subcommittees will report at the 09-16-02 meeting.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Motion to Adjourn: Decker, passed.

NEXT MEETING: September 16, 2002