Academic Senate delays adding new UP courses
The Academic Senate voted Tuesday to not add new courses to the University Program until July 10, 2010.
Professor of psychology and A-Senate secretary Bryan Gibson believes it would not make sense to add new courses under the old guidelines when there will be a new guideline included in the implementation plan.
Since there has been continued discussion and review of the General Education Program at Central Michigan University, the General Education Subcommittee recommended extending the policy of not adding new courses to the University Program.
“When it became clear that the general education program was going to be revised, it was decided to not keep adding courses,” said Phil Squattrito, A-Senate chairman and chemistry professor.
A new course would be added to the University Program if the current courses do not meet the quantitative reasoning competency and writing intensive courses.
Guideline changes
According to the Curricular Authority Document on academicsenate.cmich.edu, basic general education courses are expected to base 50 percent of the student’s grade on writing.
The current guidelines are still in effect, and professors are struggling to meet these requirements, Squattrito said.
However, there will be a change in general education courses, adding intensive writing courses and quantitative literacy, which will be included in the implementation.
Under the new guideline, the writing intensive courses will base 70 percent of a student’s grade on writing.
“The goal is to have students become better writers,” Squattrito said.
The changes in the new program include the creation of a competency requirement in quantitative reasoning, which will benefit students in everyday math such as understanding deficit and taking out loans.
The new implementation will contain certain changes that cannot be changed instantaneously — there are many steps that have to take place, Squattrito said.
The document is expected to address procedures and timetables for evaluation and approval of quantitative reasoning competency courses, University Program courses and writing intensive courses.
“We voted to make the change,” Gibson said.
The implementation, which the General Education Subcommittee is responsible for conducting, will be expected to be complete for A-Senate to approve or possibly reject by the end of November or beginning of December, Squattrito said.
Donna Ericksen, math professor, was concerned if the suspension of adding new general education courses would hinder the deadline for the new implementation.
“(But) it wouldn’t because it’s not scheduled to be reviewed until next year,” she said.
