1. Greg announced that the newly appointed student member would be integrated into the Council meetings next term, as her class schedule does not permit her to attend our meetings this term. He has had several orientation meetings with her, so that she will be up to speed next term.
2. We reviewed and discussed the Annual Assessment plans for Biochemistry, Chemistry, and General Education. Greg will e-mail the council with a draft of our comments within the next week or two.
3. We brainstormed ideas for improving our current assessment system. Some of these ideas were:
--the value of annual department meetings or retreats, specifically to discuss assessment results and possible program changes (Greg will investigate funding for these retreats)
-- the possibility of assessing changes in attitudes as a result of coursework. Professor Psyh mentioned that this was being done in Biology 101, with students surveyed regarding attitudes at both the beginning and the end of the term
--the possibility of an assessment newsletter, perhaps twice a term. This could be a vehicle for sharing best practices, etc. It was suggested that perhaps Professor Carter could suggest a journalism student to assist the Council with the newsletters
4. We discussed concerns related to asssessment of distribution courses within the Gen Ed requirements and also to the assessment of computer literacy requirements and oral communication skills. The consensus was that assessment responsibility belongs to the appropriate departments and not with the Gen Ed directors.
5. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, November 29, from 3:45-5:00, when we will review and discuss assessment plans for the English Department, the Honors Program, and Fintel Library.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol Cissel, Secretary
