S.07-85
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Senate Committee on University Priorities
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Memorandum
TO:
Senate ?
FROM: ?
John Waterhouse
Chair SCUP
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•
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I 'CJ
Vice Preside, Academic
RE:
Report on Undergraduate
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DATE:
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June 19, 2007
Curriculum Implementation (SCUP 07-28)
At its May 30, 2007, SCUP reviewed the Report on Undergraduate Curriculum
Implementation. It is included here for the information of Senate.
end.
C.
S. Dench
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SCUP 07-28
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UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM & INSTITUTIONAL LIAISON
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT ACADEMIC AND PROVOST
TO:
John Waterhouse, Chair, SCUP
FROM:
Sarah Dench, Director, University Curriculum
and Institutional Liaison
RE:
Report on Undergraduate Curriculum Implementation
Cc:
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S
Ma
y
tO. 2007
Attached for SCUP's review is a summary report on the
implementation of the new undergraduate curriculum requirements.
This report reflects the first two semesters of full implementation, and
related activities leading up to Fall 2006.
MEMO
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tM(N F1t.'sn uvi:ttctrv ?
THNKlMG O THE WORLO
Preliminary Report:
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Implementation of Undergraduate Curriculum Changes
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Spring 2007
The new undergraduate curriculum requirements came into effect in Fall 2006. Students
admitted to SFU in Fall 2006 were subject to new admissions criteria (a minimum
standard for demonstrated literacy and numeracy) and will be required to complete
writing intensive, quantitative, and breadth courses as part of their undergraduate degree
requirements.
Admissions
In an effort to ensure incoming students were better prepared for SFU's new curriculum
requirements, minimum standards of literacy and numeracy were included in admission
requirements, effective for new students entering SFU in Fall 2006 and thereafter.
Information detailing the new admissions requirements for Fall 2006 was published in the
SFU Calendar and recruitment materials (print and web) two years prior to coming into
effect. This allowed for notice of the changes to schools, colleges and prospective
students to assist with program planning and course selection. Some complaints were
received that this amount of time was insufficient.
Using the Language Proficiency Index as an admissions screen rather than a placement
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test proved methodologically and administratively problematic, and so in December 2006
Senate approved changes to allow this test to be used to determine placement into FAL or
W courses subsequent to admission. Further work has been done to harmonize the new
literacy requirements with the English Language Requirement, approved by Senate in
April 2007. The new English Language and Literacy requirements will provide clear
information as to the range of alternatives by which students must demonstrate readiness
for academic work in English.
Course Distribution
All Faculties except the Faculty of Health Sciences now have writing, quantitative and
breadth courses offered as part of their regular course offerings. All departments with
majors have W courses at the upper division, which is a graduation requirement.
Supplemental funds have been provided to Faculty
Deans'
offices to address the need for
additional instructional and TA costs in W courses.
I-
.
Faculty
# W Courses
# W Seats
FASS
86
7345
Science
21
1060
FAS
11
1965
Business
1
660
Education
12
2025
Health
Sci
0
0
Other (DIAL)
3
45
Totals
134
13,100
3.
.
Faculty
#
Q
Courses
# B Courses
FASS
82
142
Science
193
33
FAS
27
13
Business
10
1
Education
8
8
Health Sci
0
0
Other (DIAL)
0
3
Total courses
320
200
In the past 2 semesters, there has been unused capacity in some of the purpose-built
breadth-science courses. It is expected that these course spaces will be filled as more
students subject to the new degree requirements move into our system.
Transferable College Courses
All of the local colleges from which SFU admits the majority of transferring students
have certified some of their required, transferable English courses as W. Additionally,
most colleges in B.C. have certified at least one "gate-keeper" W course, usually an
English course. ?
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College courses that transfer to SFIJ as designated credit and articulate to Q or B courses
at SFU are now labeled as such on students' records. Some colleges with courses that
transfer to SFU as undesignated credit have applied for and received the Q and/or B
designations.
The process of working with BCCAT and BC colleges to submit courses to SFU
committees for vetting and approval in the W, Q and B designations has been a
significant undertaking, and the colleges' willingness to do so is testimony to the great
strength of our relationships with sending institutions. Preserving full articulation of
courses was critical in ensuring that college transfer students were not discouraged from
attending SFU nor delayed in their time to degree completion.
Work is continuing to identify and certify transferable courses from colleges outside of
BC and from other universities.
SIMS Issues
Incorporation of all of the above aspects of the Curriculum Initiative into SIMS has
necessitated careful planning and some customization of the system, and a significant
investment of time and resources. Some problems have yet to be resolved for full
implementation and ease of use. Ongoing feedback is being provided from all areas of
the university, and overall, when prioritizing the changes needed, a determination was
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made to maximize benefits to the majority of students and departmental end users while
minimizing costs where possible. Eventual implementation of advising modules in
Peoplesoft will help to fully resolve outstanding issues and reduce the need for manual
intervention.
Support to Students
Student Learning Commons
In order to provide co-curricular academic support for the new curriculum requirements,
a Student Learning Commons was established in the SFU Library. The SLC is an
academic learning centre with the mandate to assist and support students in their
academic pursuits, with a focus on providing writing and learning support services. In
the first two semesters of operation 4692 students attended 142 SLC program offerings.
In the Fall semester, the SLC had 194 individual consultations, growing to 271
consultations in the Spring semester. Programs and services took the form of workshops,
program or course integrated classes, peer education, on-line resources, orientations, and
individual consultations.
SLC services are available on the Burnaby, Surrey and Vancouver campuses. The
services of the SLC have been well used, with an anticipated heavy demand for writing
support services.
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FAL: Foundations of Academic Literacy
To assist students entering SFU with weaker backgrounds in writing, FAL X99 is offered
through the Faculty of Education. In the Fall 2006 semester, 218 students registered in
16 sections of FAL X99. In the Spring 2007 semester, 121 students registered in 9
sections.
The course incorporates "low-stakes" and diagnostic writing activities intended to
provide students opportunities to practice their writing skills. In addition to formative
evaluation, students are assessed and assigned course marks based on evidence of active
learning, collection and presentation of a portfolio of course work, and a group project
with oral presentation and self-reflective evaluation components.
FAN: Foundations of Analytical and Quantitative Reasoning
To assist students entering SFU with weaker quantitative skills, FAN X99 is offered by
the Department of Mathematics. In the Fall 2006 semester, 156 students registered in 4
sections of FAN X99. In the Spring 2007 semester, 126 students registered in 4 sections.
The department designed a Quantitative Placement test (and on-line practice test) to assist
students in determining if their mathematics background is sufficient to succeed in Q
courses. Support and advising for students in FAN and Q courses are available through
re-tooled Math workshops.
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Incorporating FAL and FAN into cohort or highly structured programs has proven
challenging. Work is underway to offer compressed versions of the courses that can be
taken by students prior to the start of regular classes in the Fall semester. A pilot offering
of a compressed version of FAL X99 will be offered in Summer 2007.
Support to Faculty
Many faculty who have redesigned or created courses for the Curriculum Initiative have
accessed instructional development support through the Learning and Instructional
Development Centre, which included the Writing Intensive Learning Office, and through
the "Re-thinking Teaching" Workshops offered by Dr. Cheryl Amundsen. In 2005, the
Annual Symposium on Innovative Teaching focused on pedagogical issues related to the
new curriculum, and was well attended.
The curriculum certification committees (Writing Support Group, Quant/Breadth Support
Group) were available for consultation and feedback as courses were developed, and
typically certification of courses was an iterative process. As faculty gained familiarity
with the criteria for the course designations, informal faculty peer assistance has also
been highly effective.
The resources of the Writing Intensive Learning Office are now being redistributed to the
Faculty Deans' offices. This will further integrate support for writing intensive learning
into the disciplines. Approval has been given to the establishment of an Institute for the
Study of Teaching and Learning in the Disciplines, with the purpose of enabling and
supporting faculty-led inquiry into all aspects of teaching and learning at SFU.
Evaluation
Various facets of the Curriculum Initiative are now, and will continue to be, evaluated in
consultation with the Vice President, Academic's office (University Curriculum and
Institutional Liaison).
Questions relating to the experiences of students enrolled in W, Q and B courses are now
included in the Undergraduate Student Survey. Preliminary data was collected in Fall
2006 through this survey, and findings indicated that responses to the new requirements
(courses) were generally positive. The majority of respondents indicated that:
• W courses helped develop writing skills
• Q courses helped to develop problem solving and critical evaluation skills;
•
B
courses exposed students to new ideas and/or helped students to assess their
values
Compared to students who had not taken W,
Q
or B courses, students who took
designated courses were more likely to value the skills that the classes promote, and to
feel more confident in their abilities. However, the data showed that many students found
the new requirements confusing and recommended simplification (particularly with
regard to breadth requirements). As data collection continues through the Survey, such
findings will inform how to improve the delivery of information about the requirements
to students. Considerable time has been spent over the past two years working with
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advisors, and this will continue until advisors feel more confident in their own
understanding of the requirements.
FAL and FAN are being assessed by the departments offering the courses, with summary
reports provided to the University Curriculum office. The faculty member responsible
for FAL in Education has applied for SSHRC funding for longitudinal research relating
to the degree progress and experiences of students for whom FAL is required. Early
feedback regarding FAL and FAN from students has been positive; students report
feeling better supported and prepared academically. Ongoing evaluation is underway to
track the efficacy of these courses and the academic performance of students who have
completed the courses.
An important piece of feedback from students, faculty and administrators involved with
FAL and FAN is that the additive nature of the credit for these courses is not well
understood and, in some cases, is negatively perceived by students. Given that many
students at SFU complete more than 120 credit hours for their degrees, consideration
should be given to making the credits for FAL and FAN integral rather than additive.
The Student Learning Commons pilot programming is the subject of ongoing assessment
as student supports are developed and refined. On the unit's website,
statistics on usage of SLC services thus
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far are reported in summary form.
A researcher in LIDC is analyzing data collected over the past few years from faculty
teaching "pilot" writing intensive courses, and a follow-up survey/interview protocol has
been developed to update this information.
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