Core Education Committee

Voting members present: Andrea Allan, Vipin Arora, Aidas Banaitis, Abigail Crowell, Liz Delf, Kelsey Emard, Daniel Faltesek, Matthew Kennedy, Lori McGraw, Brian Mills, Holly Mitchell, Kari-Lyn Sakuma, Paula Weiss
Voting members absent: Troy Hall
Ex-officio members present: Core Education – McKenzie Huber; Curriculum Management – Stephanie Baugh; Difference, Power, and Oppression – Tenisha Tevis; Ecampus – Katherine McAlvage (v. Watte); General Education Assessment – Heath Henry
Guests: Michael Jefferis, Kristin Nagy Katz, Caryn Stoess, Andrew Valls

Basic Math Standard Proposed Policy

• Rationale: The new Quantitative Literacy and Analysis category does not outline a basic level of math standards for OSU students and the category has been broadened from the past Bacc Core math category to include statistics and other quantitative classes that may or may not teach adequate basic math skills. We propose a basic level of math competency for our students that can be included as a pre-req of all courses in the Core Ed Quantitative Literacy category. 
• Policy: All Core Ed Quantitative Literacy classes will either teach students the equivalent of Math 103 or have the equivalent of Math 103 as a pre-req. (equivalency is an Aleks score of 46 or Math Placement Test score of 17)
  • This is not a new standard, there was simply a drafting error.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 10 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

Transitions Policy Proposed Revision

• Rationale: There is a need for a policy because the structure and content of the Transitions courses are required, by the Faculty Senate, to include centrally developed materials and to be similar across all experiences. The Core Education Steering Committee proposed guidelines for how transitions would be provisioned, which are considered in this policy.
• Policy:
  • All Transitions courses will be titled “Transitions”
  • The catalog description of all Transitions courses will match that of the centralized offerings (CORE 100 and CORE 300)
  • Transitions courses will not include course-specific learning outcomes outside of the Core Ed category learning outcomes; any course-specific Learning Outcomes will be placed in a separate co-req class
  • Transitions courses will be exactly 2 credits
  • Transitions courses must use learning resources that are freely available to students and may not require the purchase of any learning materials
  • Centrally approved learning materials on mental health, financial literacy, and inclusive communities must be included in the course
  • It is strongly recommended that mental health materials be provided in the first five weeks of the term
  • Ten week-long modules have been centrally developed by subject experts for use in Transitions courses; inclusion of centrally developed modules is encouraged but not required
    • Conferred with the FS presidents steering committees and the registrar.
    • Instead of including the modules, we are using three essential learning materials and modules can be built around them.
    • Struck out references to the steering committee
    • Broader issues involving the specification of number of hours of recitation that was addressed.
    • 10 week-long modules have been developed and are available.

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

Course Reviews

• ED 216     Purpose, Structure, Function of Ed in Democracy  DPO-F
  • A good fit for the category

Action: Motion to approve; seconded 12, 0, 0.

• FST 265    Halal Food: Cultural and Religious Implications     DPO-F
  • A good fit for the category and addressed all the original concerns.
  • The intersectionality feels lacking; it might be doing that, but it doesn’t quite explain how in the syllabus.
    • For consistency we should ask for clarification – request a couple of concrete examples.
      • Articulate– using historical and contemporary examples – how ascribed differences, combined with inequitable distribution of power across cultural, economic, social, and/or political institutions, result in racism and intersect with other forms of systemic oppression.
  • CIM and Syllabus have slightly different titles so should be fixed.

Action: Motion to rollback: 1) match syllabus title to CIM proposal title, and 2) add a few clear examples of the intersectional analysis; seconded. The motion passed with 12 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• KIN 212    Sociocultural Dimensions of Physical Activity        DPO-F
  • Good proposal overall
  • The essential assignment doesn’t seem to assess all parts of the learning outcomes (LO) for each outcome.
  • Discussing other people’s identities and not their own.
  • Changing it from 312 to 212 and request it still be given the Baccalaureate Core category that the original class was in, Social Process and Institutions, while also meeting the current DPO standards.

Action: Motion to Rollback KIN 212: 1) Please explain how the course still meets all three LOs for Social Processes and Institutions; 2) please clarify how the essential assignment assesses all parts of LO1 and LO2; and 3) please move the Core Ed Learning Outcomes on the syllabi to earlier in the syllabus so students can more easily find it; seconded. The motion passed with 12 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• WR 227Z  Technical Writing      Writing Elevation
  • Statement on Open Educational Resources (OER)
    • As there are multiple instructors who teach this course, the discretion to use a textbook that costs money is up to the individual instructor. OER use is encouraged and carefully considered. Most instructors do use an OER.
  • It’s 3 credits, but it should be 4 credits.
    • It has an exception.
  • WR 227Z has been relatively recently redeveloped with Ecampus (2023) but we invite them to come see us to do a partial update to reflect the Core Ed outcomes.

Action: Motion to approve; seconded. The motion passed with 11 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 1 abstention.

• TA 147     Introduction to the Theatre  Arts & Hum – General
  • All requested changes for on campus and Ecampus have been made.
  • One minor typo in Ecampus LO 3.

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

• MUS 109   Native American Flute         Arts & Hum – General
  • Not clear how it emphasizes critical thinking.
    • Engages sources through oral tradition. Self-reflection could be exploring biases and self-reflection
  • Focused on presentation and performance.
  • OERs listed
  • Learning musical traditions and learning to create music for themselves and to fit themes for their family
    • Highest level of Blume’s taxonomy
    • Not music students so to hear them discuss music in these terms it would be clear that they are using critical thinking
      • Is this course meeting critical thinking under the Learning Outcome Criteria & Rationale (LOCR) definition?
    • Very high enrollment, traditionally, but this category has an enrollment limit.
    • This proposal will be discussed more during the October 17 meeting.
• HST 201   Indigenous Peoples, Empires, and Revolutions      Arts & Hum – General
• HST 202   Civil Wars and Civil Rights: Making US Citizenship Arts & Hum – General
• HST 203   Contesting Freedoms: Making the Modern US      Arts & Hum – General
  • All 3 HST are exemplary; HST 203 does need an Ecampus redevelopment

Action: Motion approve 201, 202 and 203, with the condition that HST 203 will be held until they submit an Ecampus redevelopment course; seconded. The motion passed with 11 votes in favor, 0 votes in opposition and 0 abstentions.

• ART 204   Into to Western Art: Prehistory to High Middle Ages        Arts & Hum – General
  • This course will be discussed during the next meeting on October 17.
• ENG 102   Intro to Global Young Adult Literature       Arts & Hum - Global           
  • Good fit for the category but not a lot of details for how it fits the learning outcomes.
  • LOs brief and vague.
  • They say they are using exams as the essential the assignment, but the reviewers found other assignments that may be other suitable assignments as essential assignments. Not an issue but could provide a broader perspective.
  • Missing Ecampus redevelopment

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