COMMITTEE:
Calendar
MEETING DATE:
January 30,
2008
PERSON PRESIDING:
John Crammer
ATTENDEES: Shanan
Gibson, Punam Madhok, Johna Faulconer, John Crammer, Linda Teel, Donna Kain,
Kathleen Row
EX-OFFICIO:
Angela Anderson, Mary Farwell, Ira Lawson
VISITORS:
The meeting was called to order at 12:00 noon in Rawl 132 by John
Crammer. Mary Farwell moved (Shanan
Gibson seconded) approval of the November 14 as modified. Motion passed.
The committee reviewed the new scheduling practices
document. Angela Anderson said that
she had been asked to get concerns about the document from the Calendar
Committee and forward the concerns to the Provost this afternoon. Mary Farwell said that Friday afternoon
classes are poorly attended; improvement in attendance would need changes in
culture. Ira Lawson asked whether
it is true that there is a UNC system school that does not have Friday
classes. Shanan Gibson said that
the graduate Business School at one of the UNC schools does not
have Friday classes. Anderson said that there
are problems with classroom space and large classrooms; some large classrooms
have classes with 40 students and cannot be bumped. Farwell is in a department that needs
large classrooms which allow combining sections of BIOL 1100. Kathleen Row expressed concerns about
partitioning classrooms. Anderson stated that
authority is needed to control space.
Row liked the idea of having large classrooms assigned to the Provost;
departments may have control for some times during the day. Farwell said that some of the large
classes are four hours of lecture with either one hour on four days or two hours
on two days. Lawson has a four hour
biology class and the second hour is sometimes a problem. Row replied that evening classes are
three hours long. Gibson added that
business has three hours one night a week classes. Farwell said the longer classes work for
older students. Lawson asked why
BIOL 1100 was four semester hours.
Farwell replied that this was because of the Foundations curriculum
requirements. Lawson asked whether
this was from the Board of Governors.
Anderson
pointed out that four semester hour classes occupy two time slots. Row added that breakout session needs
multiple classrooms. Gibson
asked about multiple classrooms with different setups for different
classrooms. She also asked about
partitioning classrooms. Anderson said that Bate is
in the business partition. Donna
Kain said that computer classrooms are needed for certain classes and film has
three or four rooms. Farwell
repeated that she was concerned about Friday afternoons. She had heard of a class where students
don’t show up on Fridays.
Anderson
said that the General Administration will require better utilization before they
will fund a new building. Kain said
that during her first year here she had 2-3 and 3-4 MWF classes and had trouble
with attendance on Fridays (she ended up having to do Fridays on
Blackboard). Kain, Row, and Gibson
said they had tests and projects due on Fridays. Kain said she has colleagues who will
teach only on T/Th. Lawson suggested that Friday is an
attendance problem then use technology on Friday; HLTH 1000 meets one day in
lecture and one day by technology.
Anderson
said that hybrid classes could make rooms available. Linda Teel and others notes that the
real world requires work on Friday.
Lawson said that faculty makes rules that turn off students. Kain replied that faculty is required to
provide a certain amount of time for instruction; when you come to college you
make a commitment to do the work.
Row said we need to take into account what types of classes to schedule
on Fridays and the instructors to teach them. Kain said that some service classes have
so many sections that they need all possible times; she had talked with Wendy
about exam schedules. Lawson
suggested that there be a limit on how late Friday classes can meet. Anderson pointed out that Distance Ed students
are high maintenance on e-mails and others agreed that this is true.
The committee next turned to working on the new calendar for
2009-2010 and comparing key dates for other UNC schools. Anderson asked about changes to the dates for
commencement for fall and spring beginning with fall 2008. Consideration of a Monday start for fall
semester was abandoned because faculty convocation must be on Monday. Classes for fall 2009 will start on
Tuesday. Gibson (who will represent
the committee when the proposals are sent to the Faculty Senate) said that she
needed a reason to tell the Faculty Senate why we are not proposing an entire
week break for Thanksgiving. Row
mentioned that Thanksgiving is too late in the semester for a week off (there
are relatively few classes after Thanksgiving). Kain said the University of Iowa has a week off. Gibson suggested that parents would
prefer the entire week. Johna
Faulconer said that if the week off eliminated the fall
break then it is too long until Thanksgiving. Lawson said some of his friends are for
a week off and some are against a week off. Kain suggested that we look at our peer
schools. At 12:52 the committee agreed to recess until next
Wednesday at noon in order
to decide whether to approve the proposed calendar in time to make the agenda
for the March Faculty Senate meeting.
The meeting was resumed in Rawl 132
on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. The
attendees decided to have the entire committee vote by e-mail on the proposed
calendar for 2009-2010 (six positive votes required) and send it to the Faculty
Senate meeting on March 18. Gibson
conducted the e-mail vote and later reported that the proposal was approved with
some editorial changes suggested by Punam Madhok. Shanan Gibson will represent the
committee. A file with key dates at
other UNC schools was distributed.
The committee will next meet in April for the report on the
results of the Faculty Senate meeting, work on the committee’s annual report,
and approval of the minutes of this meeting. Meeting adjourned at 12:15 pm.