Academic Council Minutes
September 5, 2002
Hunter Hall

Attending: Gwen Cassel, Julie Miller, Roland Shook, Chris Farren, Tony Macias, Steve Reed, Linda Baldwin, Lloyd Cowling, Jerry Harmon, Ben Tucker, Stuart Moore, Ken ladner, MaryBaumhover, MaryBillings, Larry Rucker, Donna Rees, Andy Hernandez, Junius Loga n, Faye Vowell, Gail Gruber, Gloria Maya, Magdaleno Manzanarez.

Faye Vowell reviewed Agenda and Handouts. Roland Shook passed out an additional handout regarding Summer School concerns. This will be e-mailed to all faculty senate members.

Faye Vowell began with a plus/delta exercise regarding summer school.
PLUS
· financial aid
· workstudy more flexible about how they spread out their hours. Could take classes in June and work in July.
· multitude of classes to take
· multiple general education classes first month of summer school
· increased enrollment
· brought other issues that we need to discuss DELTA
· f inancial aid
· look more carefully at needs of WIA students.
· multitude of starting times/overlapping starting times made scheduling difficult.
· classes overlapping forced students to choose one class instead of two.
· difficult for students to take graduate and undergraduate courses
· organization of class schedule (done by start date rather than department)
· multiple time blocks cause overlapping classes (need set time blocks).
· fewer gen ed classes second half
· flexibility permitted abuse
· process for scheduling summer courses
· getting lab fees from classes conducted during the summer.
· students getting grades too late

Chris Farren explained that degrees have always been posted in August from Summer School term. He also mentioned and Jerry Harmon agreed that most teachers are allowed to take positions without a degree being posted. Licensure is more difficult; it takes Santa Fe two month s to process which compounds the problem. Chris Farren also explained that Federal Financial Aid regulations required us to go to one summer session registration. If a recommendation for change comes from this group, we must decide how to notify people.

Linda Baldwin suggested parameters like having two sessions A and B. This would still work for financial aid.

The group discussed whose job is it to enforce what is pedagogically sound. Vowell felt the responsibility was shared by Chairs and VPAA.

Gloria Maya observed that Expressive Arts teaches within a lab context and requires a longer block of time. Some classes in the summer go from 8 to 5. Expressive Arts also has visiting professors during the summer with scheduling needs which they like to accommodate. It is easier to allow visiting professors to select from pre-set blocks.

Faye Vowell observed that we need a more defined start and end date for undergraduate students but workshops can have a different scheduli ng pattern.

Roland Shook/Mary Baumhover both suggested setting aside a few weeks for scheduling workshops only. Gail Gruber pointed out that this wouldn't work for a number of students.

Ken Ladner thought that if we have a basic structure then we can fit everything into that basic structure. Workshops will fit into the normal schedule if they use the prescribed blocks of time during the day. Jerry Harmon thought that the key is to make an intelligent determination about students who are degree bound and need a set schedule versus those who are not degree-bound and are just taking classes.

Andy Hernandez pointed out that for upper division history, for example, the compressed format has worked well.

Faye Vowell will ask that Chairs who are going to offer compressed sessions ensure that they are of the quality that we want--degree seeking courses that are not workshops. She will ask that students do evaluations and that chairs conduct a class visit.

Chris Farren suggested that we have two four-week summer sessions for degree seeking undergraduate students.

Faye Vowell asked that calendar committee grapple with the dates for the second session of summer school for a few years out. But Roland Shook pointed out that the July 4 holiday would not come into play for three years since it will be on Friday in 2003, Saturday in 2004, and Sunday in 2005.
Consensus was reached that summer school for 2003 would have two basic sessions:
June 2 - July 2
July 7 - August 6.
Consensus was reached that the following would be the set periods for a class to meet:

Times: 8:00-9:50; 10:00-11:50; 1:00-2:50; 3:00-4:50; 6:00-7:50.

Julie Miller spoke about issues with evening classes--Media services closes at 5:00 in the summer due to staffing issues. As our classes have expanded into distance education, we have been going into late hours when Media Services hasn't planned on that. If we are going to schedule late classes in the summer then we have to decide h ow we are going to allocate those resources. On the other side, using video conferencing for graduate classes it is hard to break even. They cost much more to deliver than we get back in enrollment. Is it worth it for Media Services to stay open? Linda Ba ldwin discussed the need to develop evening hours for degree-bound courses to serve the needs of working students.ITV is a possible solution for a class in Gallup with the instructor in Silver City. Faye Vowell stated that she saw the need for more communication on scheduling these classes. The second issue is a resource issue.

Should we offer graduate classes in the same way undergraduate classes are offered or do them in an alternate time sequence--three three-week blocks. Mary Baumhover stated that most 400 level classes are taught with graduate classes. Jerry Harmon wanted f lexibility for graduate classes--not degree-seeking but workshops or professional development. Jerry Harmon, Linda Baldwin, and Gail Gruber will wo rk on recommendation for appropriate pedagogy for intensive degree-bound courses.

ITV scheduling problems with Gallup were discussed. Gallup does not necessarily match the Silver City campus schedule. But they have to come into alignment if they share students. Stuart Moore handed out a schedule for producing class schedules for this year and the group discussed it.

JoAnn Fischer asked that we discuss turnaround time for producing the class schedule. It is too short. Faye Vowell suggested that we back up the start time and get summer schedule draft out sooner.

For completely up-to-date schedules, use the schedule on the web-site. Roland Shook suggested that web-site schedule be updated daily. We discussed the possibility of an automatic update every night. Steve Reed will look at this.

Gwen Cassel discussed advising concerns with getting the class schedule in November: If we start advance registration on 11/11 it doesn't give much time to get everyone advised. When c an we have web access to the schedule? Stuart Moore said that the schedule would be on the web on 10/21 when materials go to the printer. Advance registration can begin on 10/21.

Deming and T or C will include their classes in the main schedule. Gallup will look at its scheduling.

Gail Gruber mentioned the difficulty with reused CRNs. Stuart did not feel this was a problem. Stuart Moore will work toward a solution for class schedules that isn't paperbased. If the Registrar were sending schedules to departments electronically, we would save some time and address the concern that JoAnn Fischer raised.

Faye Vowell asked that as classes schedules are built the chairs in some way share their schedules with other people and discuss potential overlap and concerns with courses in their degree plan that chairs know students will have to take in other areas.

The chairs will have a follow up discussion about timing of class schedules. Faye Vowell suggested that it would be poss ible to create a draft three-year schedule for classes. The following issues were addressed:
1. Overlapping classes
2. Starting and end times
3. Procedure to deal with compacted classes.
4. Started talking about a communication process. The other issues that still need to be discussed will be placed on the Chairs Council agenda.