Tag Archives: Core Ed

2018-19, Announcement, Blog

Senate Meeting Agenda – May 22, 2019

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DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to order

  • Introductory Remarks; Senate President Bill Harbaugh

3:15 PM   Approval of Minutes

3:16 PM     Business / Reports:

4:42 PM   Open Discussion
4:43 PM   Other Reports
4:44 PM   Notice(s) of Motion
4:45 PM   Other Business

  • Executive Session: Awards

5:00 PM   Adjourn to Faculty Club, all invited!

2018-19, Announcement, Blog

Senate Meeting Agenda – May 8, 2019

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DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

All times are estimates.

3:00 P.M.   Call to order

  • Introductory Remarks; Senate President Bill Harbaugh

3:10 PM   Approval of Minutes

3:11 PM     Business / Reports:

  • Update: Knight Campus and Bioengineering program; Patrick Phillips (Biology, Advisor to the President)
  • Report: Data Science Initiative; Bill Cresko (Biology, Office of the Provost)
  • Discuss: US18/19-18: Enhancing Engagement in Academic Governance; Elizabeth Skowron (Psychology, Senate VP)
  • Discuss: US18/19-20: Policy on Hiring and Promotion of Academic Administrators; Bill Harbaugh (Economics, Senate President)
  • Discuss: US18/19-19: Core Ed Distribution Requirements; Chris Sinclair (Mathematics)
  • Senate VP Elections: solicitation of self-nominees, election process, compensation; Bill Harbaugh (Economics, Senate President)
  • Report on Research Metrics and Faculty Tracking Software; Scott Pratt (Executive Vice Provost) and Ellen Herman (History, Office of the Provost)
  • Legislative Update; Melanie Muenzer (Assoc VP Vice Provost of Academic Initiatives)

4:35 PM   Open Discussion
4:36 PM   Other Reports
4:37 PM   Notice(s) of Motion
4:40 PM   Other Business

  • Executive Session: Honorary Degrees

5:00 PM   Adjourn to Faculty Club, all invited!

2018-19, Announcement, Blog

US18/19-17: Updates to the General Limitations of the Bachelor’s Degree

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Date of Notice: April 24, 2019
Current Status: Approved May 22, 2019
Motion Type: Legislation
Sponsor: Core Education Council

Motion

Section I

1.1  Whereas the University of Oregon has recently reconfigured the core ed requirements; and

1.2 Whereas the Core Ed Council “oversee[s] that part of the University curriculum which is
required of all undergraduate students”; and

1.3 Whereas Core Education Credits are defined to be those satisfying an Area of Inquiry (Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Arts & Letters), Writing, Global Perspectives and US-Difference, Inequality, Agency, and/or a Bachelor degree specific requirement.

Section II

2.1 Be it therefore moved that the existing General Limitations for the Bachelor’s Degrees found at http://uocatalog.uoregon.edu/admissiontograduation/bachelorrequirements/ under the heading “General Limitations” be replaced with the following General Limitations for Bachelor’s Degrees:

    1. A total maximum of 124 credits may be transferred from domestic, regionally accredited junior or community colleges and from international junior or technical colleges. Of the total maximum of 124 credits, only 90 credits may be transferred from an international junior or technical college.
    2. A maximum of 48 credits in law, medicine, pharmacy, chiropractic medicine, dentistry, non-academic technology or any combination may be used toward fulfilling total credit hours for bachelor’s degrees.
    3. A maximum of 24 credits may be used toward fulfilling total credits in the following areas (a,b,c, and d) with not more than 12 in any one area:
        1. Lower-division professional-technical courses;
        2. Physical education activity, Military Science activity (e.g. MIL 131 and 331), and dance activity (DANC) courses, except for dance activity courses for majors in dance;
        3. Music lessons Performance in Music (in any the subject code including MUP, MUS and MUJ), except for majors in music;
        4. Applied and/or experiential courses, academic support skills courses, non-academic field experience courses, or career and professional development courses.
    4.  For music majors, a maximum of 24 credits in music lessons performance (in any the subject code including MUP, MUS and MUJ) may count toward requirements for the BA or BS degree.
    5. For dance majors, a maximum of 36 credits of DANC may count toward requirements for the BA or BS degree.
    6. University of Oregon academic records are sealed thirty days after the official conferral date of a degree. After this date, changes to majors and minors, addition of departmental honors, removal of incompletes, grade changes, or other changes to an academic record cannot be made.
    7. When the University awards credits for Advanced Placement Program (AP), International Baccalaureate Program (IB), Cambridge Examination Program, the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), and credit by examination (course challenge), these credits are counted toward the satisfaction of bachelor’s degree requirements–except residency and the 45 UO credits graded A,B,C,D. When the university grants credit for AP, IB, Cambridge, and CLEP examinations, pass (P*) credit is granted.
    8. For limitations related to repeated courses please refer to UO Policy on Repeatable and Non-repeatable Undergraduate Courses.
    9. Students may not receive credit for any course assessed as having substantially similar content as a course for which they have already received credit.
    10. Students may not receive credit for courses beneath their assessed competency level. Competency level can be assessed by various means such as placement scores, faculty/departmental assessment, etc.
    11. Student may not receive credit for courses that are designated by the department as regressive prerequisites for courses in which they are currently enrolled or have already received credit.
    12. Students must be enrolled with must have degree-seeking status in order to earn an undergraduate major, minor or certificate; undergraduate majors, minors and certificates must be completed at the time the degree is awarded.

2.2 Be it further moved, that the relevant academic unit will be involved in the determination of what credit/courses are restricted in points 9, 10 and 11 of 2.1.

2.3 Be it further moved that the “One Course” restriction under the existing Group Requirements be replaced with

“Students may use a maximum of 3 courses that have the same subject code(s) as their primary major (e.g. MUS, MUJ for music majors) to simultaneously count for both a student’s major requirements and Areas of Inquiry requirements.”

2.4 Be it further moved that, under Group Requirements for Specific Degrees, 1. Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts, or Science, the language “Each group must include (a) at least two courses with the same subject code and (b) at least one course with a different subject code. No more than three courses with the same subject code may be used to fulfill the 45-credit requirement.” be replaced with:

“Students must take courses in at least two subject codes in each Area of Inquiry. Students may use a maximum of 3 courses in any one subject code toward the total credits across all Areas of Inquiry.”

And that under Group Requirements for Specific Degrees, 2. Bachelor of Architecture, Fine Arts, Education, Interior Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Music, or Music in Music Education, the language “Each group must include at least two courses with different subject codes. Two groups must each include at least two courses with the same subject code. No more than three courses with the same subject code may be used to fulfill the total 36-credit requirement.” be replaced with:

“Students must take courses in at least two subject codes in each Area of Inquiry. Students may use a maximum of 3 courses in any one subject code toward the total credits across all Areas of Inquiry.”

2.5 Be it further moved that the limitations in 2.1-2.4 be effective Fall 2020, and will go into effect for all students; students who were admitted under the existing rules/limitations may opt to have those limitations apply.

Effective date: Fall 2019 for incoming undergraduate students.
Passed the Core Ed Council unanimously on 4/24/2019.

Updated Draft  of Motion – May 20, 2019

Updated Draft – May 22, 2019

2018-19, Blog, Motions

US18/19-11: Requiring Canvas for Core Ed Courses

3 Comments

Date of Notice: January 16, 2019
Current Status: Notice Given
Motion Type: Policy Proposal
Sponsor: Core Education Council

Motion

Section I

1.1 WHEREAS The Core Ed Council voted unanimously in support of this motion on January 28, 2019; and

1.2 WHEREAS the high school to college transition is challenging to many students and performance in the first year is correlated with student success; and

1.3 WHEREAS LMS use is correlated with undergraduate student success; and

1.4 WHEREAS Canvas is FERPA compliant, and other cloud-based grading systems (Google Sheets, etc) may not be; and

1.5 WHEREAS Between Fall 2017 and Winter 2019, 40% of UO Core Ed Courses had not published their Canvas site; and

1.6 WHEREAS The motion is supported by the Deans Council;

Section II

2.1 THEREFORE BE IT MOVED that Instructors of Record in classes that count toward “core education” requirements (including Areas of Inquiry; Difference, Inequality and Agency; Global Perspectives; Writing, and BA/BS requirements) shall use, and make available the Learning Management System (LMS) site for the core ed class, prior to the first meeting, to students enrolled in the course.

  • At a minimum, the LMS site for a core ed class shall include information about what requirements the course satisfies, any Methods of Inquiry covered by the course, a course syllabus, any significant assessments, and students’ current performance in the course.
  • The Senate instructs the Core Ed Council to work with the Office of the Provost (and/or other administrative offices) to automate the insertion into the LMS sites of core ed courses the official course description approved by UOCC, any core ed requirements the course satisfies, the Methods of Inquiry and associated learning outcomes approved by UOCC and standard language regarding relevant university policies pertinent to students in core ed courses (AEC, student conduct code, etc). The Senate instructs the Core Ed Council to work with Libraries (and/or other administrative offices) to provide LMS training and support for instructors of courses which count toward core ed courses.

Implementation date: Fall 2020.

2017-18, Announcement, Blog

US17/18-17: Learning Goals for Methods of Inquiry

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Date of Notice: March 14, 2018

Current Status: Notice Given

Motion Type: Legislation

Sponsor: Core Education Task Force

Motion

Section I

1.1  WHEREAS The Mission of the University of Oregon is:

The University of Oregon is a comprehensive public research university committed to exceptional teaching, discovery, and service. We work at a human scale to generate big ideas. As a community of scholars, we help individuals question critically, think logically, reason effectively, communicate clearly, act creatively, and live ethically; and

1.2  WHEREAS The combined curriculum common to all undergraduate degrees, the Core Education, should serve the mission of the university; and

1.3  WHEREAS Clearly articulated learning goals are useful for student success; and

1.4  WHEREAS Clearly articulated criteria for how a course meets learning goals is useful for UOCC course approval; and

1.5  WHEREAS Clearly articulated criteria for how a course meets learning goals are useful for assessment of student learning in that course; and

1.6  WHEREAS The American Association of Colleges and Universities has developed nationally vetted learning goals and criteria for many categories of learning outcomes common between institutions; and

1.7  WHEREAS Accreditation standards require that institutions demonstrate how their common curriculum supports their institutional mission; and

1.8  WHEREAS Accreditation standards require that the institution establish and assess student learning goals for its general education program.

Section II

2.1  BE IT THEREFORE MOVED that the University Senate establish the following categories of Learning Goals derived from the University Mission: Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, Written Communication and Ethical Inquiry. These categories of Learning Goals will be called Methods of Inquiry.

2.2  BE IT THEREFORE MOVED that when approving new courses which satisfy one of the Areas of Inquiry of Arts & Letters, Social Sciences and/or Natural Sciences, the UOCC will ensure that, in addition to the learning goals relevant to the Area of Inquiry(ies), courses will only be approved if they address learning goals from at least two Methods of Inquiry.

2.3  BE IT THEREFORE MOVED that when approving courses which satisfy one of the Areas of Inquiry of Arts & Letters, Social Sciences and/or Natural Sciences, the UOCC will require approved courses to address at least half of the criteria for the relevant Methods of Inquiry.

2.4  BE IT THEREFORE MOVED that the Core Education Council will develop and bring to the Senate for approval guidelines for assessing the learning goals in Methods of Inquiry.

2.5  BE IT THEREFORE MOVED that the Core Education Council will regularly review Methods of Inquiry and recommend changes to the Senate when appropriate.

Presentation with Methods of Inquiry

Learning goals (paragraph) and criteria (bullets) for Methods of Inquiry

Critical Thinking

Students will develop the skills and habits of mind necessary for the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events in the evaluation and formulation of opinions and conclusions. Critical thinking requires students to question critically, think logically and reason effectively in the context of discipline-specific methodologies.

  • Explanation of issues, assumptions, or hyptheses
  • Evidence: Selecting and using information to investigate a point of view or conclusion Using relevant and credible evidence, information, or hypotheses to describe, investigate or analyze a situation, or draw a conclusion.
  • Facility with methods of reasoning appropriate to the discipline (such as inductive, deductive, scientific, or esthetic reasoning, or statistical inference)
  • Modeling: Capturing the essentials of a situation in language or symbolism suitable for deriving conclusions about it.
  • Influence of context and assumptions
  • Student’s position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis)
  • Logical conclusions and related outcomes (implications and consequences)
Creative Thinking

Students will develop the capacity to combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways, and work in an imaginative way characterized by a high degree of innovation, divergent thinking, and risk taking.

  • Acquiring Competencies: acquiring strategies and skills within a particular domain.
  • Taking Risks: going beyond original parameters of assignment, introducing new materials and forms, tackling controversial topics, advocating unpopular ideas or solutions.
  • Solving Problems
  • Embracing Contradictions
  • Innovative Thinking: connecting, synthesizing or transforming ideas in discipline-specific ways.
  • Connecting, Synthesizing, Transforming
Written Communication

Through iterative experiences across the curriculum, students will develop the capacity to develop and express ideas in writing, to work in different genres and styles, work with different writing technologies, and mix texts, data, and images to effectively communicate to different audiences.

  • Context of and Purpose for Writing: considerations of audience, purpose, and the circumstances surrounding the writing task(s).
  • Content Development
  • Genre and Disciplinary Conventions: Formal and informal rules inherent in the expectations for writing in particular forms and/or academic fields
  • Sources and Evidence
  • Control of Syntax and Mechanics
Ethical Reflection

Students will develop the capacity to identify, examine, and critically revise ethical positions, map them onto larger ethical ideas (theoretical traditions, moral frameworks, prevailing social frameworks), and reflect on how decisions and actions (including, sometimes, inaction) shape our relations to others and self. Students will develop the capacity to articulate the ends sought in a range of endeavors in personal, social and professional contexts. Students will also develop concepts, practices, and other tools appropriate to valuing those ends in relation to their means of attainment and their impacts on self and others.

  • Awareness of one’s own values and capacities for self-questioning
  • Language and tools to examine ethical issues, including discipline-specific frameworks
  • Recognition of the presence of ethical issues, especially where typically neglected
  • Awareness of impacts of our decisions and actions (both personally and as members of groups)
  • Application of ethical inquiry to subject-specific issues