At its meeting of April 14, 2008, the Academic Senate approved the following Senate Management Resolution presented by Senator Kaufman for the Curriculum and Research Committee.
Senate Management Resolution
ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO REVIEW CURRENT SJSU GE ASSESSMENT AND CERTIFICATION
WHEREAS, significant concerns have been raised about the appropriateness of the process by which GE courses are recertified; and,
WHEREAS, there is a need to assess the success of the overall GE program; and,
WHEREAS, the Senate has responsibility for crafting and revising GE policy; therefore be it
RESOLVED that a GE Task Force be established to investigate the implications of proposed changes in GE policy and procedure, to consult as broadly as possible with all Colleges; and that the GE Task Force consider modifications to existing procedures regarding assessment and recertification of GE courses
RESOLVED that the GE Task Force be composed of: one faculty member from each of the seven Colleges, the Chair of the Curriculum and Research Committee, and the Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies;
RESOLVED that the Chair of the Task Force shall be a faculty member elected by the Task Force members;
RESOLVED, that the College representatives shall be nominated by the College committee responsible for undergraduate curriculum and appointed by the College dean. A nominee shall have at least 6 years of teaching experience at SJSU, significant experience with GE, and shall not be a current member of BOGS. Members should possess direct experience with the preparation and submission of materials for the GE assessment and recertification process, and should include GE course coordinators and Department Chairs."
RESOLVED, that the GE Task Force submit an interim report to the Senate at the end of October 2008, and a final report by the end of Fall 2008, at which time the Task Force shall be dissolved;
RESOLVED, that the Senate recommend that BOGS extend certification of all currently certified courses by one year, with the dates for continuing certification of all currently approved GE courses moved back by one year;
RESOLVED, that during the one-year hiatus, BOGS undertake an assessment of the overall GE program as it currently exists and report the findings to the Curriculum and Research committee during Spring 2009;
RESOLVED, that during the one-year hiatus, new GE course proposals shall continue to be reviewed by BOGS under existing policy for new course approval;
RESOLVED, That the Chair shall be elected by the whole task force from among its faculty members.
Rationale: There is considerable concern among faculty at SJSU about the efficacy of current GE recertification and assessment procedures. In particular, the data collection and reporting functions are seen as time consuming without sufficient evidence that the data collected actually results in improvements in student learning. The Senate is responsible for crafting GE policy and shall be responsive to these concerns. It is incumbent upon the Senate to ensure that all parties with interest in the GE program be consulted and represented in addressing these concerns. Changes in GE policy and procedure affect some 250 courses at SJSU, and major changes in the structure of such a program should be undertaken with appropriate care. This resolution will suspend all GE reporting requirements while providing the Senate time to consider substantial changes.
Approved: 3/9/08
Vote: 10-0-0
Present: Buzanski, Cooper, Kaufman, Maldonado-Colon, Roldan, Romo, Schultz-Krohn, Stacks, Van Hooff, Yu
Absent: Cushing, Nance, Protho-Jones
Financial Impact: None
Workload: Representatives of each college shall participate in the Task Force as part of their normal service; members of BOGS will be freed from recertification duties and instead spend committee time on assessment of the GE program as a whole.