Agenda: March 24, 2016

1. Approve minutes from March 10, 2016 meeting.

2. Revised Postings Received from Departments

EDUC 454 – Phase I Internship Seminar for Middle School STEM Teachers (New) – Revisions 3/23/16

EDUC 466 – School, Family, and Community Partnerships for Middle Grades STEM Success (New) – Revisions 3/23/16

HAPP 350 – Public Health Ethics (New) – Revisions 3/22/16

Management of Aging Services (Program Change) – The program change was tabled because it is dependent on the approval of other tabled courses.

AGNG 320 – Introduction to the Management of Aging Services (Change: Title, Transcript Title & Description) Revisions 3/23/16

AGNG 460 – Internship in the Management of Aging Services (Change: Title, Transcript Title & Credits) – Revisions 3/23/16

AGNG 462 – Internship in Aging Service I (Change: Title, Transcript Title & Credits) – Revisions 3/23/16

3. Posting from 3/10/16 meeting that need to be discussed:

ENME 303 – Topics in Engineering (Change: Title, Transcript Title)

ENME489 – Special Topics In Mechanical Engineering: Medical Device Development (Change Course Number & Course Title)

ENME 489 – Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering: Biomaterials (Change: Course Number, Title, Transcript Title, Recommended Course Prep, Repeatable & Description)

ENME 489 – Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering: Biomechanics (Change: Course Number, Title, Transcript Title, Recommended Course Prep, Repeatable & Description) REVISED

HAPP 340 – Health Communication (New)

PHIL 353 – Morality and Psychology (New)

POLI 386 (cross-listed as GLBL 386) (Change: Recommended Course Prep & Description)

PSYC 353 – Morality and Psychology (New)

4. Current Postings

HIST 208 – Global Terrorism (New)

HIST 425 – Making a Buck: The History of American Capitalism (New)

HAPP 412 – Research Methods in Health (Change: Prerequisite & Description)

HAPP 470 – Health Administration and Policy Program Internship (New)

HAPP Major – Program Change

RUSS 270 – Introduction to Russian Culture and Civilization (Change: remove cross-listings and deactivate)

RUSS 271 – Introduction to Modern Russian Civ. and Culture (Change: remove cross-listings and deactivate)

SOWK 260 Introduction to Social Welfare, Social Policy, and Social Work I (Change: Formal Title)

5. Tabled Postings

The UGC discussed and tabled the following courses on 3/10/16:

EDUC 431 – Methods for Teaching STEM in the Middle Grades (New) The UGC tabled the courses because of the following issues: the proposed transcript title is longer than 30 characters, the current syllabus does not contain an explanation of what the various assignments are: What is a class artifact? A philosophy statement? Content expertise? The department should explain each and add a discussion of how they will be assessed.

EDUC 435 – Integrated STEM Content and Pedagogy (New) – REVISED – The UGC tabled the course because it is standard for 400 level-course to have at least some recommended course preparation if not hard prerequisites. Also, there was no indication in the syllabus of how the professor will assess the various assignments or what the grade scale is for the course. Nor is there any language explaining the expectations for the various assigned papers.

SOWK 240 – Information Technology in Social Work (Change: Title & Description) – The UGC tabled the courses because it seems the department is proposing a new course. The proposed change to the course catalog suggests such a new course. If this is the case, the UGC would like for the department to resubmit the course as a new course with an accompanying syllabus? If this is not the case, the department should make that clearer in the rationale?

SOWK 397 ‐ Social Work Methods I: Introduction to Practice (Change: Title & Description) – The UGC tabled the course because the proposed change is dependent on the new SOWK 240, concerns about which are addressed above. The UGC has been working to phase out using sophomore/junior/senior standing as a prerequisite because it does not necessarily clearly communicate to students the particular skills/competencies they need to be successful in the class.

Social Work Minor (Program Change) – The program change will be considered once SOWK 240 is resubmitted.

ENGL 241 – Currents in British Literature (Change: Total Max Credits & Description) – The UGC did not understand the change since all courses at UMBC are repeatable for a better grade. They would like to know if the department is requesting that the course be changed from a special topics course to a “repeatable three credit course.”

ENGL 243 – Currents in American Literature (Change: Total Max Credits & Description) – The UGC did not understand the change since all courses at UMBC are repeatable for a better grade. They would like to know if the department is requesting that the course be changed from a special topics course to a “repeatable three credit course.”

The UGC discussed and tabled the following courses on 2/18/16:

BIOL 487 – Medical Case Studies (New) – The UGC tabled the course because it needs further clarification from the department. The committee needs to know if the department intends for BIOL 303, CHEM 351, PHYS 112 or 122, and MATH 151 or 155, all with a “C” or better to be prerequisites, rather than recommended course preparation. If that is indeed the case, please remove the course from the “recommended preparation” box. In the syllabus, the Department needs to spell out clearly what a “case assessment” is and how the students will evaluate them.

The UGC discussed and tabled the following courses on 12/3/15:

PHIL 345 – Philosophy of Language (Change: Prerequisite, Repeatable & Description) – The UGC is unclear if grading changes are meant to include p/f or not.

PHIL 454 – Animals and the Environment: Moral Theory and its Application (Change: Course Number, Formal Title, Prerequisite & Description) – revised 454 – The UGC would like to know if the department is changing the transcript title too.

PHIL 399 – Topics in Philosophy (Change: Prerequisite & Description) – revised – The UGC needs to know how many credits can be taken, and the department needs to include the number of times the class can be taken in the catalogue description.

PHIL 399b – Topics in Philosophy (Change: Course Number, Prerequisite & Description) – revised – The UGC needs to know how many credits can be taken, and the department needs to include the number of times the class can be taken in the catalogue description.

PHIL 498 – Advanced Topics in Philosophy (Change: Recommended Course Preparation, Prerequisite & Description) – revised – The UGC needs to know how many credits can be taken, and the department needs to include the number of times the class can be taken in the catalogue description.

PHIL 499 – Advanced Topics in Philosophy (Change: Recommended Course Preparation, Prerequisite & Description) – revised – The UGC needs to know how many credits can be taken, and the department needs to include the number of times the class can be taken in the catalogue description.

The UGC is waiting for Departments to address the tabled postings listed below:

ART 461 – Advance Photographic Compositing (New) The UGC tabled the course because all 400 level courses need at least recommended or prerequisite listed. Also, from the syllabus is was not clear what the assignments in the class consist of or how they will be graded. The department has been requested to indicate which assignments are written, which are visual, and how they will be assessed.

ART462 – Entrepreneurial Practices in Photography (New) – The UGC tabled the course because it was not happy with the prerequisites or the determination that students must be juniors or seniors to take the class. Since some students use AP credits and come in with 45 credits, it is better for departments to mandate students take certain classes. Also, the Registrar’s Office can not use “300” or “400” level classes in any discipline as a prerequisite. The UGC suggested to the department that they build “junior or senior standing” into the schedule of classes and add a “reserve capacity,” thereby determining that a certain number (or all) seats must be reserved for juniors or seniors. This can be changed by the department, and thus does not have to come through the UGC. Finally, the UGC would like to know what the “team assignments” are and how will the instructor assess them?

VART – Photography Concentration BA (Program Change) – The UGC tabled the two program changes because ART 461 and ART 462 were listed in both.

VART – Photography Concentration BFA (Program Change)

POLI 468 – Disaster Politics (New) – Revised – The UGC tabled the course because there is no breakdown of how the assignments are weighted. The department mentions a “heavy emphasis on discussion,” but provide no sense of how you will measure and assess that participation. The UGC would like for the department to add a section to the syllabus that explains the various components of the students’ grades and how they will be weighted and assessed. Also, it is our understanding that every 400-level POLI class should have a significant writing component, but you mention only a midterm and final. How will you incorporate the writing?

POLI 476 – State and Societal Transition in Post-Communist Europe: Study Abroad in Poland (New)