Approved 2-13-03
Thursday
January 30, 2003
2:00 p.m.
MA 211K
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
PRESENT
Tony Allred, Bill Clapp, Gary Dohrer, Dawn
Gatherum, Michelle Heward, Marie Kotter, Dan Schroeder, Molly Smith, Kay
Brown - Secretary
MINUTES
Marie Kotter: Moved to approve the
minutes from the January 16, 2003 meeting.
Second: Dawn Gatherum
Outcome: The minutes were approved.
ONLINE
INSTRUCTION
Online Instruction and Distance Learning
Ad Hoc Committee – Cheryl Hansen, Chair
Pilot evaluations were done on all online classes
fall semester. Students were notified to take the evaluation as they
logged on. The notice went out at the end of the twelfth week of the
semester. The results have not been sent to Cheryl but should come in
the next week or two. The evaluation was administered online with the
information being made available to faculty to see the results of the
evaluation on their course.
The instructor’s feedback was helpful and meaningful.
The course lessons, assignments and activities motivated me to learn the course material.
The syllabus clearly explained the course objectives.
The lessons, assignments and activities increased my understanding of the course material.
The course was clearly organized and easy to navigate.
I was satisfied with the technology used in the course.
Currently, Department Chairs do not have access to online courses. The only way they know if there is a problem is when a student complains that the professor has not responded, materials have not been graded, etc. Is there inequity in knowing the response rate for online classes? Department Chairs do not know how long it takes a professor to grade a paper or a test and get it back to the student in a course offered in the classroom.
(They also included the two standard questions required for all WSU classes.) A strongly agree – strongly disagree Likert scale was used.
The Online Committee would like to have the Faculty Senate approve evaluations of all online courses being taught every semester. The Online Committee feels the evaluations of online courses should be used for the same purpose as the evaluations of classroom courses and should be used for tenure and promotion purposes.
Concern was expressed about students having to respond to several evaluations for the same course, i.e., Online and Distance Learning evaluation, WSU Online evaluation, and possibly the Department evaluation if the course is part of the faculty member’s load.
The Executive Committee suggested that the Online Instruction and Distance Learning Ad Hoc Committee bring their evaluation to the Faculty Senate to show that this evaluation can be integrated
with department evaluations. The evaluations would go to the departments with comparative data going to the Online Instruction and Distance Learning Committee. Comparative data needs to be available to show that an online course is equivalent to the traditional instruction of the course in a classroom. Some online courses that are cross listed with more than one department are not always getting the approval of both chairs.A contract with Web CT has been signed by Weber State. We will still have an online staff, but Web CT will manage the hardware for online instruction. They expect it will take two years to convert everything over.
The Online and Distance Learning Committee will review the WSU Online Guidelines of Good Practice. The committee has combined the Guideline for WSU Instruction with the WSU Online Guidelines of Good Practice to use as an assessment form for new classes that are being proposed for online instruction. Cheryl Hansen is scheduled to meet with the CRAO Committee, Tamas Szabo, Chair, to discuss making the Online Instruction and Distance Learning Ad Hoc Committee a standing committee of the Faculty Senate.
Committee members were originally assigned to the Online Instruction and Distance Learning Committee because they had experience with online courses. They have, therefore, come to the committee with their own agenda and expectations. The Executive Committee may want to rethink this qualification when appointing committee members in the future. Currently "online instructors make $45 per credit hour per student according to the end of third week roll. Adjustment for any additional enrollments will be made at the end of the semester at the same per student rate." Some questions were raised about adjunct instructors teaching online courses as a benefit of having their spouse work for the university. Also discussed was the need to control the total number of student enrolled in an online class.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTIONS
Executive Committee Elections as approved by the Faculty
Senate will be conducted electronically or by paper ballot at the choice
of the faculty member.
Timetable - Ballots should be emailed so that they are in the mailbox on Monday. Faculty will need to respond back by Wednesday, either by email or hand deliver the ballot to the Faculty Senate Office. An additional notice will go out via the Daily Bulletins.
MOTION
Dawn Gatherum: Moved to give three days for the
Senators to choose whether or not they want to be on the
ballot. The sample ballot will be emailed on Monday and they
need to respond by Wednesday whether or not they want their
name on the ballot.
Second: Tony Allred
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.
MOTION
Bill Clapp: Moved to give faculty three days to
vote for the Executive Committee members. The ballot will be
emailed on Monday and they need to respond by email or bring
in their ballot by Wednesday.
Second: Dawn Gatherum
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.
BUDGET
Norm Tarbox and President Millner will be asked to do a budget
presentation to the Executive Committee. Items of interest include:
Constraints
First tier tuition is collected by each institution and sent to the legislature. The legislature then allocates back to each institution a percentage of that tuition money with guidelines of how it should be allocated at the institution level.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 3:45 p.m.