COMMITTEE:   Academic Standards Committee

MEETING DATE:   October 23, 2006

PERSON PRESIDING:   Linda Wolfe  

REGULAR MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Bauer, McConnell, Smith-Canter, Richardson, Lorenzo, Thomas 

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Brown, Bailey, Sprague   

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE: Michael Poteat and Chuck Rich from the Department of Institutional Planning, Research and Effectiveness

CALLED TO ORDER: 2:00 PM

ACTIONS OF MEETING

Agenda Item: Approval of Minutes of 9/18/06

Action Taken: Approved

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Agenda Item: Consideration of an web version of the SOIS

Discussion:  Dr. Poteat led a review of the issues involved in moving the Student Opinion of Instruction Survey from a paper version to the Internet. He provided several materials to help guide our discussion, including a recent PowerPoint demonstration that had been prepared to summarize the research concerning the advantages and drawbacks to a web-based SOIS. Dr. Poteat summarized the savings in cost, staffing, and time (both class time and survey preparation time), as well as the potential benefits in response rate. He mentioned how a comparison could be made with the DE survey that is already web-based. For the SOIS on the web, a new form will need to be developed and able to be used on the mainframe. Questions were raised concerning security (including student privacy) and how results will be retrieved and stored; Dr. Poteat answered that all security issues will be addressed and resolved and the survey results could be sent both electronically and as a paper copy to each instructor and department chair.

Action Taken: Bailey made the motion which was seconded by Bauer that the committee approves the recommended change to an on-line version of the SOIS and requests that Dr. Poteat present the motion to the Faculty Senate for their approval.

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Agenda Item: Consideration of the CLA (Collegiate Learning Assessment) and its potential adoption by East Carolina University

Discussion: Dr. Poteat provided materials to the committee discussing the CLA, and he briefly reviewed the interest the upper administration has taken in the assessment (though has declined to pursue at the current time). He discussed how that CLA is administered to compare freshmen students with seniors in tests that evaluate skills in critical analysis. After the committee raised several questions concerning the objectives of the assessment, its evaluation, and how the results would be used, the topic was tabled for future discussion when the administration decides to reconsidered the issue.

Action Taken: deferred to a future date

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Agenda Item: Consideration of outcomes assessment for courses approved for Foundations credit

Discussion:  Dr. Poteat provided materials to the committee related to the SACS’ standard and evaluation of the general education outcomes. Due to time constraints, it was decided by the committee chair to table the discussion of outcomes assessment until our next meeting.

Action Taken: deferred to the next committee meeting

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ADJOURNED: 3:30 p.m. 

NEXT MEETING: Scheduled for November 20, 2006 at 2:00 p.m.  

ITEMS TO BE DISCUSSED:  The committee will discuss any new courses submitted for Foundations credit; Mike Poteat will return to report concerning the deliberations of the Faculty Senate concerning the motion to move the SOIS to the web and to assist the ASC with a discussion of outcomes assessment for Foundation courses; Mike Brown will provide a report from the meeting of the Athletic Department committee; Linda Wolfe will report on the discussions from the Continuing and Career Education Committee regarding the issue of a Distance Education survey being developed;