Core Education Committee

Voting members present: Andrea Allan, Vipin Arora, Aidas Banaitis, Abigail Crowell, Kelsey Emard, Daniel Faltesek, Matthew Kennedy, Lori McGraw, Brian Mills, Holly Mitchell, Kari-Lyn Sakuma, Dave Stemper, Paula Weiss
Voting members absent: Liz Delf,
Ex-officio members present: Core Education – McKenzie Huber; Curriculum Management – Stephanie Baugh; General Education Assessment – Heath Henry; Writing Intensive Curriculum - Ashley Holmes
Guests: Michael Jefferies, Kristin Nagy Katz, Andrew Valls

 

Course Reviews

• BB 211 Professional Development I for Biochemists & Molecular Life Scientists – Beyond I
  • Exemplary.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 11 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• PH 198 Professional Development for Physicists – Beyond I
  • One reviewer noted the course description was very short.
  • Learning outcome and assignment descriptions were very vague.
  • Lacking in National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) competencies.
  • Components of the Essential Assignment should be developed and explained further.
    • How does the interview connect to the resume?

Action: Motion to rollback to emphasize the focus on careers rather than resources in the physics department, reflected in the text of the course description, Learning Outcome (LO)1, and LO2; seconded. The motion passed with 11 votes in favor, 2 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• BI 298 Professional Development for Biologists II – Beyond I
  • Good course, overall.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• MB 290 Career Preparation: Biohealth Sciences and Microbiology – Beyond I
  • Good fit for the category with no issues.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• FE 101 Introduction to Forest Engineering – Beyond I
  • Guest speakers cannot be relied on to meet a learning outcome.
    • Are they teaching NACE competencies in other ways? Are they solely relying on the guest speakers?
  • Reflection is a weak artifact for LO 2.

Action: Motion to rollback to adjust the essential assignment for LO2 to clearly meet the LO and to show how NACE competencies are taught throughout course activities and lectures; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• FOR 007 Beyond OSU I: Prepare – Beyond I
  • No major issues.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• FOR 111 Introduction to Forestry – Beyond I
  • Missing Ecampus redevelopment proposal.
  • How is the elevator speech a career artifact?
  • Could have stronger connections to NACE competencies.

Action: Motion to rollback to adjust essential assignment for LO2 to clearly address the entirety of that LO; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• DSGN 253 Professional Development    Beyond I
  • Good fit for the category.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• OEAS 007 Beyond OSU I: Prepare – Beyond I
  • Good fit for the category.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• AEC 412 Applied Economics Course-Based Research (second review) – Beyond II
  • Added a career reflection assignment and a description of it.
  • Explanation for Pass/No Pass was fine.
  • Meets the category.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 12 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 1 abstention.

• BHS 008 Beyond OSU II: Engage – Beyond II
  • All issues have been addressed.
  • Meets the category.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• ENSC 221 Environmental Case Studies (second review) – Beyond II
  • All issues have been addressed

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• OEAS 497 Research in Earth and Environmental Sciences – Beyond I & II
  • Good fit for the category.
  • Refers to NACE in CIM but not the syllabus.

Action: Motion to approve both OEAS 497 and 498 with a recommendation to add the NACE competencies to the learning agreement description in OEAS 497 syllabus; seconded. The motion passed with 12 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 1 abstention.

• OEAS 498 Internship in Earth and Environmental Sciences – Beyond I & II
  • Good fit for the category.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 11 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• SUS 331 Sustainability, Justice, and Engagement – DPO-A
  • Maintaining DPO
  • LO3 missing explicit statement on racism or dismantling racism.

Action: Motion to approve with a note that they need to address racism in LO3; seconded. The motion passed with 11 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• MTH 301 Integral Histories and Social Issues in Mathematics – DPO-A
  • Exemplary.

Action: Motion to approve with a note that they need to explicitly address racism in LO3; seconded. The motion passed with 13 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• BI 346 Ocean Justice – DPO-A
  • Unclear how assessment of LO2 will meet the outcome.
  • LO3 missing explicit statement on racism or dismantling racism.
  • LO 1 – match essential assignment back to LO 1.
  • Unclear if they are doing one project or three different projects.
  • Is it US-focused enough? It does touch on global aspects; it’s impossible not to since the ocean is a global resource.
    • A lot of the funding for this type of research is from US agencies.

Action: Motion to rollback for: 1) adjusting essential assignment for LO3 to clarify how the assignment meets all parts of the LO, including how do you ensure students will address racism as one of the systems of oppression that will be addressed, and how students will acknowledge and address the power dynamics inherent in any budget from a US funding agency; 2) how will this budget assignment dismantle rather than replicate systems of oppression?; and 3) clarify how ascription of difference is taught and assessed for LO1; seconded. The motion passed with 12 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• ANTH 245 Biological and Cultural Constructions of Race – DPO-F
  • Don’t really mention how they’re addressing intersectionality, except for a brief mention in the description of an assignment.

Action: Motion to conditionally approve with a note for more detail on intersectionality in LO2; seconded. The motion passed with 12 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• COMM 226 Intercultural Communication – DPO-F
  • Essential assignment for LO3 unclear.
  • No explanation on how they address intersectionality.

Action: Motion to send back; LO2 needs intersectionality clearly described in terms of how it is taught, what is the deliverable for LO3, Ecampus is minimal, needs to be a prima facie syllabus; seconded. The motion passed with 11 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 1 abstention.

• GEOG 100 Climate Justice – DPO-F
  • One specific example of intersectionality.
    • Not in the essential assignment.
  • Global examples rather than US examples.
  • LO2 essential assignment unclear.
  • LO1 essential assignment does not focus on student lived experiences.
    • Focuses on climate experiences, rather than systemic oppression.

Action: Motion to rollback for 1) how do students connect systems of oppression to their experiences, not just how climate experiences impact them; 2a) more description of essential assignment and 2b) how intersectionality is addressed for LO2; 3) clarify how the course is US focused and adjust as needed (global connections are acceptable, but the focus needs to be on DPO in the US); seconded. The motion passed with 12 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.