Early Bird

Faculty Senate update

Faculty Welfare Committee report on pandemic’s instructional impact, General Studies assessment update, policy discussions and votes.

By Cory Phare

November 16, 2020

The Metropolitan State University of Denver Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday was filled with insight into instructional policies, practice and proposed changes. 

Gabrielle Katz, Ph.D. (earth and atmospheric sciences), discussed findings from the Faculty Welfare Committee’s survey examining the shift to online instruction and the impact on MSU Denver faculty members. Some 143 respondents submitted information via an idea catcher, showcasing a shift from 46.95 mean pre-COVID-19 hours worked per week to 57.69 after the pandemic hit. The top three challenges reported were workload/grading, pedagogical issues with the online format and the switch to the Canvas learning-management system. Long- and short-term suggestions for improvement included smaller class sizes, a reduced teaching load and scaling back service and committee involvement.

“This is critical information to have, and we’ll continue to work on this,” said Senate President Katia Campbell, Ph.D. (communication studies).

Keah Schuenemann, Ph.D. (earth and atmospheric sciences), provided a general-studies assessment report overview, detailing the shift to a course-based, three-year learning-outcome collection process. Data across general-studies areas showed that most students were performing at an introductory or developing level, with subgroups eliciting questions about the impact and use of information (natural sciences), possible inequities preventing introductory-level comprehension (social and behavioral science) and contextual understanding (arts and humanities).

“Our mission is being accomplished, and the data is reflecting that,” Schuenemann said. “We’ve been laying the groundwork to build a culture of assessment.”

Assessment will continue with the next grouping in the spring semester. 

Faculty Senate Vice President Liz Goodnick, Ph.D. (philosophy), and Richard Russell, J.D. (accounting), led a spirited discussion around the Course Count Policy to bring MSU Denver into compliance with Colorado’s Student Bill of Rights, which states that core general-education courses (GT Pathways) need to be recognized at all public institutions.

Goodnick described how this required modifying current catalog policies, which allows departments to dictate specific general-studies courses and prevents cross-discipline credits from meeting general-studies requirements (or “double-dipping”). The proposed solution was a policy allowing students to count courses in multiple areas and requiring 48 hours of general-studies courses outside of a major’s more recurrent prefix; after discussion around how this might impact specific programs and extended majors, a friendly amendment to reduce this to 33 hours passed with 62 in favor, 13 opposed and 11 abstentions. A second read and vote is anticipated next week.

Russell also led the Senate in several second-read items and subsequent votes:

• A measure would create a graduate-policies subcommittee on the Academic Policies Committee. Following last week’s floor discussion, the new proposal expanded subcommittee representation from three to five and opened membership to areas that do not currently house graduate programs; the vote passed overwhelmingly with 75 in favor, one opposed and six abstentions.
• The CLEP Equivalency Revitalization Project and Proposed Catalog Change would bring the current process in line with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit practice of awarding specific course designations as applicable. This passed with 75 in favor and one opposed.
• The CO-3 Holds Policy would extend students pursuing the more advanced written-communications requirement up to 90 credit hours to complete it without having academic holds placed. Eighty-four voted in favor, with one opposed and one abstention.

Other items of business included:

• Kelly Evans, Ph.D. (human performance and sport), led a second read of the Guests of the Senate Bylaws amendment; the change would allow nonmembers to join discussion before or during official business if the topic is relevant to the agenda; this would also be determined by a first-come, first-served basis and asks for official requests for topics of discussion by nonmembers to be submitted three days prior to meeting. The subsequent vote passed.
• Summer Trentin, Ph.D. (art history, theory and criticism), provided an update from the Curriculum Committee; highlights included the approval of seven classes and two new programs, 16 modifications and redesignations of general-studies courses, and the discontinuation of eight programs and one course.
• Campbell invited attendees to a faculty forum on the Hart Center for Public Service taking place today at 11 a.m.; Zoom registration link here.