USF Undergraduate Council - Minutes of October 14, 2002

Present: Michael Berman, Glen Besterfield (Chair), Victoria Canterbury, Deborah Condosta, Myung Kim, Ashley Tanneberger

Absent: Sylvia Fiore, Kathryn Laframboise, Sandra Reynolds

Guests: Susan Bill, Tony Embry, Teresa Flateby, Jim Garey, Verna Glenn, John Richmond, John Sarao, Jennifer Schneider, Curtis Wienker, Nancy Williams

The meeting was called to order at 3:06 p.m.

1. The minutes of September 23,2002 were approved as submitted.

2. Announcements

   The Undergraduate Council will adopt a rotating scheme to address Undergraduate Council business. New courses/curriculums will be addressed every other meeting.

   Two (2) subcommittees were established.

   1. Academic Grievance Committee
      The Undergraduate and Graduate Councils of the University of South Florida have been charged with developing an Academic Grievance Procedure based on the draft procedure previously presented and the observations of the Undergraduate and Graduate Councils.

      The Undergraduate Council Academic Grievance committee members are:

      • Michael Berman
      • Silvia Fiore
      • Myung Kim

   2. Plus/Minus
      Student Government Resolution 2 of the 43rd Term, Fall 2002 calls upon the Faculty Senate and the appropriate Councils to revisit the issue of the current grading structure. The Resolution requests that the Councils and the Senate recommend a change in the grading structure that would result in the removal of the "+" and the "-" grades with in the "A" grade category, enabling all "A" grades to receive 4.0 quality points. All other grade categories would remain as they are. The Undergraduate Council has been charged with making a recommendation or modification regarding this request.

      The Undergraduate Council Plus/Minus committee members are:

      • Victoria Canterbury
      • Deborah Condosta
      • Kathy Laframboise

   Teresa Flateby passed out a Writing Assessment Practices sheet that will be used to survey instructors who teach Gordon Rule courses to determine how faculty grade student's papers. Opinions regarding the survey can be emailed to Teresa Flateby

3. Review of Course and Curriculum Change Proposals

   Music

   • Minor in Electronic Music
     This minor proposal is for a Music Minor concentrating in Electronic Music. Following discussion, this minor was approved.
   • Bachelor of Music in Music Education
     This degree proposal was tabled until the next Undergradaute Council meeting.

   NSC 1110L Naval Science Laboratory
   This course is a laboratory for the naval science program. Following discussion, this course was approved pending receipt of a syllabus.

   Childhood Education

   • EDE 4301 Classroom Management, School Safety, Ethics, Law, and Elementary Methods
     This course examines the legal issues affecting classroom/school management, school safety, professional ethics and elementary school methods. Following discussion, this course was approved.
   • LAE 4314 Teaching Writing in the Elementary School, Grades K-6
     The purpose of this course is for students to understand children's writing development and to design and implement instructional strategies for teaching composition in an integrated Language Arts curriculum. Following discussion, this course was approved.
   • LAE 4414 Teaching Literature in the Elementary School, Grades K-6
     The purpose of this course is for students to survey and analyze the genres of children's literature and to develop instructional strategies to use literature in literacy learning across the curriculum. Following discussion, this course was approved for Literature and Writing pending Gordon Rule justification.
   • RED 4310 Reading and Learning to Read
     This course will prepare pre-service teachers to understand the foundations of reading and the inherent learning principles to produce successful readers. Following discussion, this course was approved.
   • RED 4511 Linking Reading Assessment to Instructors
     This course will prepare pre-service teachers to use multiple assessment measures to assess and diagnose students' strengths and needs in literacy learning. Following discussion, this course was approved.

   PHC 4542 Stress, Health and College Life
   The purpose of this course is to examine the relationship between stress, as a multi-casual concept, health and disease. Following discussion, this course was approved.

   Biology

   • BSC 4313C Advanced Marine Biology
     This course involves a detailed analysis of marine environment in the Tampa Bay or surrounding area. Following discussion, this course was approved.
   • BSC 4937 Seminar in Marine Biology
     This course focuses on developing the student's understanding of contemporary research in the field of Marine Biology. Following discussion, this course was approved.

4. Assignment of Course Proposals
   • ECH 4936 Undergraduate Professional Development Seminar (New Course) - Fiore
   • ENC 3211 Communication for Engineers (Request for addition to curriculum of the Information Technology Program) - Fiore
   • IDS 3668 Images of Contemporary Urban Culture (substantive) - Besterfield
   • PHI 1600 Introduction to Ethics (substantive) - Besterfield

The next meeting will be Monday, October 28, 2002. The meeting was adjourned at 4:42 p.m.

Please send any suggestions or comments to:
Office of Undergraduate Studies