Minutes
Curriculum Committee
September 9, 2003

Members: James Swartz (Chair), Gerald Adams, Diane Robertson, Andy Hamilton, Tyler Roberts, Mark Montgomery, Devan McGranahan.

1. The Committee agreed that the meeting should never go past 6:00 pm
2. The division representatives will canvas the members of their division who used the two-part MAP application form this past summer to find out how the application process worked.
3. The committee agreed that we should try to wind up our discussion of independent study and compensation for such activities some time this fall and to forward something to the faculty for discussion and/or consideration this semester. We began our discussion with the question of whether or not independents as a general principle should be compensated. Some members felt that they should not be compensated because the "cost" will be too large. One member said if we don't compensate we will create a great deal of inequity because the college has "blessed" independents by awarding credit but the college doesn't want to "pay" for it. One member felt that it would be difficult to assign compensation equitably as there is so much variation among independents. Faculty release time could become a burden if the faculty "cash" in their release time all at once. Another member suggested that maybe the FAR could be used to keep track of the "compensation" portion for directing independents. What kinds of resources will we need to cover the release time granted for independents? Another member said that to compensate MAPs but not independents is not right. One member suggested that if we compensate independents we will have to re-examine the guidelines for all types of independents in order to determine the exact compensation that should be awarded for each type of activity and this might limit the degrees of freedom currently allowed within independent study. Another proposed solution would be to compensate everything without question but to set limits as to how much one could accumulate and when it must be used. Another proposed solution would be that compensation would only occur during the summer and not during any regular academic term. Last year we went on record as saying that a faculty member may not receive more than one course of teaching credit for MAPs in any semester. Maybe such a rule should apply for independent study? Another idea would be that compensation would only begin after directing a minimum number per term or year. This would be like an over load "charge" to the institution. This discussion will continue in two weeks.

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