UAS SENATE MINUTES
MARCH 2, 2007
Present: Eric, Virgil, Chuck, Cathy, Jeremy, Jill, Lisa, Lynn, Tony Martin, Yulia, David Noon on phone, Joe, Sitka, Colleen subbing for Tim in Ketchikan Guests: John Bilderback, Carol HedlinEx officio Robbie
1. Call to order 3:06
2. Approval of minutes of last meeting (Feb 2, 2007) ATTACHMENT 2.1 approved
3. Approval of today’s agenda
Jill additions-
- Faculty Senate officially ask IT to fix multiple instructor listings when there is only one instructor of record. Mis-listing is causing a lot of problems especially with end of semester course evaluations.
- Background checks during faculty evaluation for tenure and promotion. The Natural Sciences faculty voted against this idea unanimously and emphatically.
Lisa additions See #5a below
- Statewide committee on Outreach Activities-
- Feedback to Lisa by email….needs by next Friday
4. Assembly member’s comments –see agenda additions above
5. 3:10-3:55 Guest: John Bilderbeck; Learning center and “Smart Thinking”
Intro & Overview LC
- Under Provost umbrella-general and Departmental funding(some lab fees for testing center)
- Initiative of focus
- User friendliness
- Popular amongst student and faculty
- Smooth accessFull chaotic room, who to ask for help, crowdedness discouraging
- Drop In Math Tutors now wear orange hunting vests (sashes caps sweatshirts also in orange)
- Writing tutoring appointments…45 minute appointments now the standard
- Math –crowding an issue…student fatigue setting in
- Relief valve option-sign up ahead of time for 15 minutes outreach guaranteed tutor time
- Still crowded …How to Queue?…publicity and communication needed
- How to serve Math 054/055 clients and other students in need of developmental help
- Why do students depart UAS?
- Eye contact, acknowledge students. Tutors now roam and engage…..gets the shy ones to ask tutor questions
- Traffic control sometimes difficult
- FS query: How much on line service does LC offer?....
- JB:not much did have online writing submission last spring for Ed Grad students…
- Online demand easily overwhelms face to face and takes 3 times as long to get the same feed back….Smart Thinking alternative. Now directly off UAS online page green services bar
- Staffing also a challenge for writing and math….
- Main focus is as campus drop-in center/ esp math drop-in tutoringSigning in =Inconvenient
- Tutor Track……Learning Center, Testing Center, TRIO (Don Montgomery Ketchikan big help)….
- Web page, student card readers under development
- Stigma about signing in….
- Workshops in the dorms for those who don’t come to learning center
- Computer lab also…..records that usage…
- English numbers under-reported….couches far from computers…
- Tony - curious about student salary for tutors…
A-level $7.50
B-level $8.50
C-level $9.50 - Still the same….can Faculty Senate help raise salaries…statewide issues….
- TUTORS=math majors predominantly
- English tutors… more pay might get better tutors but not more tutors….
- IT uses gradation in pay with employee incentive….. (Level A start with training…..)
- Tutors are not in for the money but often interested in more time…..
- Minimum wage ~ $7.50
- Doing Exit interviews…..when/why tutors leave
- More trouble for Chem, Biol, Physics….paid more…
- JB Collaborations…..housing/activities/Trio/academic advising/ Departments (Math and English especially)
- Hiring proper number of tutors is current challenge, have just about enough…may need more if equilibrium changes
- Learning Center Advisory Board-(Harmon, Greesen, Hayes, Tomlinson, Hultstein)
- Chuck inquired about Committee G on Faculty Senate felt purposeless currently in suspension..(Bilderback served as committee initiator, informant, etc.)
- Also Advisory Committee put together by Vickie Orazem under provost. Chuck Requested minutes for FS from AB.
- Student Use Statistics LC=Fall 2006
- Caveats 1: students don’t always sign in (~30% don’t sign in)
- New tracking system-
- Ballpark 395 separate students logged in at least once…FTE 1195 that semester
200 (1-5 visits)
43 students 11-20
10 students 41-50
>60 7 - Average ~78 visits/7 students (CALC, Physics students)
- 1 at 95 times open 82 days
- 25% math=MATH 107 (15% of services=500 visits)
- MATH 054&055=30% of services
- Courses Assignments in Learning center, Faculty Office hours, Faculty walk students through center
- Collaboration with Joe Nelson TRIO
- Jill, Brian, John B on committee…..hired Brian Hitchcock Staff
- Tutors hired by mostly by John since LC moved to Provost office control, math faculty busy with overloads no releases
- for hiring committees….consult faculty for referrals
- Auto exam-consult Tony….
- Smart Thinking (globally available program)–purchased by UAK as a pilot project…Title 3 grant….1000 hours that expire after finals week. Now being used blanket availability/UAS online.
- Every student in every class can use online tutoring
- So far 110 registrations (clicked on link)
- 16 distinct users
- About 20 hours used to date 03/02/2007
- Long wait times. Tutor click initiates clock
- Outsourcing tutors-Bangalore
- Responses vary as tutors vary
- Writing more promising…..feedback better than on the ground faculty can provide.
- Need to tighten up their tutor training
- State Library has free tutoring, writing, homework help system
- Next year Smart Thinking…..could be very expensive
5a. Lisa - Metric for Outreach Reporting……
Lynn include in electronic Activities Report…bean counting activities inevitable….purpose to tell the public/legislature what we (UA faculty) does for the state of AK.
Meanwhile Jill’s UAS Committee of University and Public Service is creating parallel language focusing on University and Public service.
6. Provost’s comments – Robbie will ask Steve Lang career services to track employment data tutors/usage
4:14 Robbie on All Juneau High School Planning Committee
JDHS/Thunder MT/Yakoosge (Robbie, Joe, Larry)
Comments from public for a meet all over town
1) What do you not want HS to be?
2) Want do you want HS not to be
3) What do you want your graduate to look like?
Philippino Community Hall (diversity, equity, parent involvement), Auke Bay School , Floyd Dryden
Equity, (Vocational education Sports in valley), engagement of industry, parents, etc.
Student Success/Student Retention…PBB metrics down in student credit hours….student services trying to track “why” “what happened” for drop outs….
Without Vickie and Trio director…tracking students is falling through the cracks….
Need longer range plan….student retention and successChancellor’s task Force on student Success……
Use UAF Model…..on a similar effort….brainstormed issues, narrowed to 8 issues…
Student orientation freshman and transfer students….sub committees on specific topics…..came back with recommendations for implementation…Urgency requires things in place for fall semester…..15-18 people have volunteered….Dana Thomas (Math Chair) organized UAF committee
Prerequisite checking by Banner…..Alliance/Senates from all campuses….Barbara Hegel if courses flagged…..students can’t register….old-fashioned paper form to over-ride
Eric wondered could faculty consent could be electronic….
Or presorting by questionnaire type form that guides students through pre-requisite/registration process.
Joe Liddle - statistics…..105 college algebra prerequisites but motivated professionals can sometimes make it on 055..(knowledge versus maturity)
8 and 9 moved to the top of the next meetings agenda
7. Chairs comments/report
8. The Ad Hoc Curriculum Clarification Committee suggested changes to the faculty handbook; Lynn Shepherd
ATTACHMENT 8.1 ATTACHMENT 8.2
9. Faculty Award ; Cathy Connor ATTACHMENT 9.1
10. 4:32 pm information first float…… Library skill assessments: Carol Hedlin / Lynn Shepherd
A. Guide to literacy and standards….out last year…… election choices for instructors…..who ask for library staff to present in their classesSales test evaluates info literacy…..evaluates cohorts but not individualsIn response to assessment, core competencies, how to questions and challenges…how do we know if we are succeeding. Things We can do anyway
Institutional Issue…..can it be addressed at Testing level….
Use as learning tool?
Learning modules will be out literacy instruction,
Catalog, refworks, etc., literature reviews.
Reliable, valid, can use not as a prerequisites but a learning tool…James Madison University info literacy testing…entry level assessment – of interest to UAA UAF librarians…..
How it relates to current and existing standards….
Solution Needed...
Assessment delivered online… most viable option yet offered… pretest freshmen/post-test beginning juniors… 45 minute test...
Bay area group (need website) has sharable questions on the web. Take info back to departments and assess interest...
Yulia - pre and post 10 questions online tests that faculty could post, as part of their courses.
Assesses computer skills also screen maneuvers info access impacts research
Trustworthy assessment how do your rely on a specific product