Curriculum Action Notice

From:

Academic Affairs Committee

Date:

March 26, 2003

This is a bulletin from the Academic Affairs Committee concerning proposed curriculum actions. Within the next 10 days, please forward any comments or concerns to the AAC Chair, Helen Biblehimer, Elliott Hall 203, ext. 4521, hbiblehi@mnsfld.edu.

The WIG subcommittee has proposed the following changes:

Action: Proposed Changes to the WAC designated courses:

List Changes:

That the requirements for courses to receive the "W" designation be modified as follows:

1. The designation for "Provisional" W courses be eliminated.
   
2. In its place, a new designation will be developed: "Semester."
   
3. The "Permanent" designation will remain, but it will be redefined to include courses that ALWAYS are offered with the "W" designation, regardless of the instructor.
   
4. The "W" checklist will be revised to reflect the adoption of new designations for the "W" courses. There will be a place for the department chair's signature (not currently included), along with a place to indicate whether the course is being considered for the "Permanent" or "Semester" W designation. The checklist will also indicate that the course syllabus should be included with the application.
   
5. If a department chair is applying for the "Permanent" W designation for a course, he/she will only need to submit the "W" checklist and course syllabus once. If a department chair is applying for the "Semester" W designation for a section of a course, the WIG committee will need to approve the "W" checklist (which will now include the course syllabus) for each section or instructor (if an instructor is teaching multiple sections with the W designation). Once an instructor's course has received the "W" designation for that course, the department chair will only need to provide a list to the WIG chair when preparing the semester schedule.
   
6. Department chairs can provide a list of currently-designated "Permanent" W courses to the WIG committee to be considered for the new "Permanent" designation without completing another checklist and submitting another syllabus, because these forms are already on file.
   
7. Department chairs will identify additional courses that should receive the "Permanent" designation. These courses will be offered and taught as "W" courses, regardless of the instructor. ENG 1112W and ENG 3313W already have this designation, so there is precedent for the Permanent designation. When the department chair prepares the semester schedule, the W designation will automatically appear in the course schedule and on Web Advisor (and thus on the student's degree audit) when the student enrolls in the course. These "W" designations will be course driven, not instructor driven. It will be the responsibility of the department chair to notify the course instructor that it is a W course.
   
8. Department chairs will also identify courses that should receive the "Semester" designation. These courses will be offered and taught as "W" courses only if the appropriate paperwork has been completed by the faculty member, submitted by the department chair, and approved by the WIG committee. The paperwork will include the completion of the "W" checklist and submission of a course syllabus that clearly indicates how the writing requirement will be met. These courses will be instructor driven, not course driven. If the department chair does not submit a list of courses to receive the "Semester" designation, the courses will not be listed as "W" courses in the course schedule and on Web Advisor. Students enrolled in the courses will not receive credit for completing a W course, even if the same instructor had previously taught it with the W designation.