Present: Professors Staples (chair), Bennett, Penniman, Sievers, Talbot and Uddin; Registrar Leybold-Taylor; Head Librarian Vargo; Dean Hall; Associate Dean Denard; Student members Alexander, Jordan and Pellegrino; Guests: Professors Garrett and Groth
Chair Staples called the meeting to order at 12:36 p.m.
Proceedings:
The minutes for 3/10/05 meeting were unanimously approved.
Associate Dean Denard presented a revised course proposal to replace the current Wells 101-102 first-year course sequence that takes into consideration the discussions at the previous two APPC meetings. The first of the two courses in this proposal is the First-Year Writing Seminar (Wells 101) and the second is the one-hour Introduction to College course tentatively listed as Wells 111. (It was decided in a previous APPC meeting not to require a second writing-intensive seminar this year.)
Discussion on the revised proposal was opened. Questions, concerns and issues touched upon in the discussion follow.
Faculty training: It was pointed out that there is no mention in the proposal of faculty training for teaching what would become the new Wells 101. Also, who would provide such training? These issues need to be addressed. A notation about faculty training will be added to the Wells 101 proposal.
Research training for students: This issue needs to be addressed either in Wells 101 or in Wells 111. There should be a writing component in Wells 101 that calls for research.
There was a suggestion of having a handbook with a list of common required assignments (e.g., number of papers, essays, etc.) to be shared among Wells 101 faculty.
Grading: Who will do the grading for Wells 111? Should a TA be hired for grading? The recommendation will be that grading could be shared among the Wells 111 Coordinator, College librarians, and TA’s. Wells 101 faculty members might also participate.
Combined four-credit course? A question was raised if Wells 101 and Wells 111 should be combined into a single four-credit course with a Friday Plenary (like present Wells 101). The committee decided to keep them as two separate entities.
Staffing: Who will be directing or coordinating? Don’t we need a central organization? There was a suggestion to have the Wells 111 coordinator be the Associate Dean of the College and to have a faculty member as coordinator of Wells 101.
S/U or Letter-grade option for Wells 111: No decision was reached after discussion.
Is Wells 111 a good idea? Yes it is, and it is a course that should be required of first-year students and possibly transfer students as well.
Associate Dean Denard wishes to prepare a complete guide and resource manual for Wells 101.
Chair Staples will send the (corrected) course proposals for Wells 101 and Wells 111 to the faculty for preliminary feedback before they are taken to faculty meeting for approval.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:37 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Muin Uddin, Secretary pro tem.