This month’s faculty senate meeting mainly focused on low student evaluation feedback and how to increase the number of students completing the evaluations.
The current rate of student evaluations is at 40 percent, a significantly low number of the student population. Faculty senate chair, Dr. Sarah Porter suggested allotting five or ten minutes of class time for students to complete the evaluations or offering some sort of incentive such as giving extra credit or dropping the lowest quiz grade if a certain response rate is met.
Many different viewpoints were discussed on this issue with some faculty arguing that offering incentives could skew evaluation results. One faculty senate member suggested making the evaluations mandatory and possibly even making it a pass/fail assignment for courses.
Other suggestions were to make the evaluations part of final exams or condensing the evaluations since many students can take multiple classes with one professor.
Another topic of conversation during the meeting was a change to grading sections within the catalogue and the Faculty Policies and Procedures Manual (FPPM). A change would be placed in the submission of midterm grades as discussed in Section C of the FPPM. Instead of a letter grade for a midterm grade, professors would instead post a “P” for pass or “F” for fail.
There were also differences pointed out in the grading sections of the catalogue and the FPPM. Changes to the graduate studies section in 2013 were not applied to the FPPM.
No changes were voted on and it was sent back to the executive committee.
Changes to courses and programs were discussed for the kinesiology program which had a name change to Health and Physical Education.
Several courses underwent changes in credit hours or were removed from programs, whereas others were added to programs.
All changes were voted in by faculty senate and will go into effect for the 2017-2018 catalogue.
The Financial Planning Report included information on a budget update.
The report states, “With about 92% of fall tuition/fees collected, we continue to be ahead of revenue projections, in part due to increases in overall enrollment. On the E&G (Educational & General) side, we have about $150,000 in uncommitted funds while the Auxiliary side is showing a $1.3mil surplus (appx $800,000 of this is set aside for debt service on the new student union).”
The University Planning Council (UPC) update included information on President Reveley’s draft for a new charter for the UPC. The change in the charter constitutes the formation of a smaller finance subcommittee, using UPC as “a forum to address special issues” such as the vice presidential debate and Title IX.
UPC meetings will now be open to the university community.
The next faculty senate meeting will be held on Thursday, December 3 at 3:30 p.m. in room 209 A&B of the Greenwood Library.
