Core Curriculum Task Force Meeting
MINUTES
DATE AND Friday, October 6, 2006
TIME: 12:45 p.m.
LOCATION: SU 80, Room 223
Member(s) Present:
Oliver Buckton; Susannah Brown; Fred Fejes; Jeff Galin; Paul Hart; Lee Klingler; Tim Lenz; Anthony Lombardo-chair; Don Torok
Member(s) Absent:
Marina Banchetti; Mary Ann Gosser-Esquilin; Mark Jackson; Robin Jordan; Cliff McCue; Maria Petrie; Don Ploger; Debbie Raines; Allen Smith
Guest(s): Steve RiCharde
A motion was made to approve the minutes of September 8. There was no dissent. The minutes were approved as distributed.
Guest Steve RiCharde was introduced as the new director of assessment. He was invited to talk about providing templates for departments to use in carrying out their assessments of how they view the core curriculum and their place in it. Discussion ensued. Fred Fejes commented that we need to change the university culture with regards to undergraduate education and not use the core as introductory courses to majors. The consensus was that we establish a set of criteria for core courses to be distributed to the departments. The basis could be that core courses are terminal, not introductory – if a department was to design a course for students who are not going to major in their discipline, what would they want them to know? Fred handed out a paper titled "Guidelines for Courses Receiving Honors Credit at FAU" and described it as an example we can use for the core. After much additional discussion, Steve agreed to work with the CCTF and the departments on this approach to possible revision of the core curriculum once appropriate criteria have been established.
The paragraph describing the purpose of the core was discussed. The task force members conveyed their ideas as to what needs to be changed. Tony will make the adjustments and send out for review. After the paragraph is approved by all task force members Tony will put it on the UUPC agenda for their approval. The paragraph will then need to be approved by the UFS.
Meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.
