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SENATE ? 

From

_SENATE COMMITTEE ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES 

Subject

USE OF VECTOR DESCRIPTIONS IN THE 

?

Date

November 14, 1974 

CALENDAR 

MOTION 

That Senate approve an amendment to its previous 

regulation on the use of vector descriptions in the 

calendar to permit those Faculties or Departments 

who so wish to have a numerical vector description 

listed in the calendar against their courses." 

EXPLANATORY NOTE: 

40 ?

['The intent is to amend attached Issue 7, use of 

vector patterns (in regularly scheduled courses) 

such that where the Faculty or Department wishes, 

the numerical vector description applicable under 

Issue 7(d) would appear in the calendar (as well 

as in the Course Guide) in lieu of the word 

identification called for under Issue 7(b) 

If approved,this change would be effective 

immediately in preparation for the 1975/76 calendar] 

•1'

Uav of Vector_P

flouIar]vchduidcourco)

the intcnt

this

ion eas that vector patterns lie ci il,lintcLI

/ ?

fro:

the ltiiversi tv C:flcnd:r Only lTl'1

licit

that, in the prcscntatin

11cr:

course pvop(n1s, no indication of the vector pattern :tsined

each course shoulti be riven. A Section for this infonmition exists

the no;, course prc.po;aI

foim;

and it

not intended that this

Sect ton :1;utiid bc clir:inatcd.

Ii,ia, in pro;osin a nc:i course,

dcparteein

:i] I indicate what they anticipate will he the norm-al

• ?

Vector j):tt tern for ic course; and this ciii he cukni tted for ac'roval

tlireu1:i 11:0 faculty ctirricttlira cc'o;,ittce,CUS

and

Senate.

ilie folior.ing should 'lso

ntt:

SOT. c,r:::s,

sirth as (:rccted r;Pns, will not have vectors

ciii :v:ititai; a 'it(- of the vector originally

approved. Dcp:n'tuc'ntol offices sh:id 10 likewise.

This

vector can he chan:ed for ruy ,ivcn semester, or semesters,

the Chairron of the l

) eic;rtin

•

.1'.t, si!.icct to the approval of the

DparUnrns:iI CtltTicu1ts Ct'aoitte., and u.ithin the total nun:cr

contact hours

ass

ined to the course. If chanc is to be rnad for

any mother

Consc'cutive semesters, consideration should be given

to a rcq::e:t for fonsal cçproval to clianc the original vector to

that now desired.

For each scir.cstcr the pertinent vector will appear in the Course

Guide, idontifying

identifying the method for that scu:ester. The ch:nnes and

ztppror: I under el rust reach the flc,i:t r:tr' s Office, ScI:eduli::

Section,

along with

all other schedulin

material each sewester.

I.uo

MOTION: ?

"That Senate approve • as vat forth

in S.74-43,

rep

That all vector patterns be olimlitateil from the University

Calendar.

That each course description contained in the University

Calendar be .lecc'spanit:d by an mdi car ion of the nature of

the couruc, c .g. lcctutn/tutorial , le tuIre./LLIrorial/lahorLtory.

scadnar, ctr.

Tint, within the total rnr.,ber of coliLact liotir:; aiiid to a

con rue • .ini oubject to tit,' :Ipprl.v:l I Of the. d;

pnrtr.i':itaI under-

• •-•

? flr:l(lli:It ., eli r en I ma eroi it ec • time

ChA

m ::ttimmr to reflect

0111)'

tIc'

t. i.ius riqul r,IJ'IL;

:iui,I

Liii'

e:,Ic;til.it description of

the coui ui ?

-..

• d) That vector patterns for all regularly scheduled courses be

Included in the Course Celde; I)c.partecntal approval will be

writing and ubu11.1-Led to the Registrar."

Rstion.,le

There is considerable confusion shout vector patterns. This is

attributable to the many uses to which they mire currently put. For eeoc

course. • veciot neobera indicate the lecture, tutorial, laboratory pat tern,

while others use the first vector nuciber to iiuli late the amount of outside

work requi re.d. Seminars present rectal protilcos with Coin(: departments

indicating vc'e.tnr paLLcrn of 0-5-0 and others the vector

2-3-0.

There is

agreccnt, lua::cvcr, that currant vector patterns:

,) often do not beat any relationship to either the contact hours

of the course or the credit hours assifned to it.

need not reflect the way in which the course is actually taught.

will vary from sOmostor to rcmestcr for individual courses

dependent upon the jiistructor.

servo no useful purpose in the University's Calendar.

would be of assistance to students if placed in the Course

CuidonvtcIcd they carried a co:ejstcnt ricantnf.

Becaue teacKrin r.:cthod ,inml content often influence students' chalco

Of courses, ft is reasonable to cpuct that occitrute information on both will

•

supplied to students in advance of time coure. We recognise that indjvidul

faculty i:ewhors clii vary in their approaCh to tic seme course and that the

annual publication of tIic Universtiy 's C"IL-ntlzt r

c;unnt therefore reflect there

sc.westcr chioii;;ee. Furihirnore • time iluiLve: sy :; Calendar is a statci:a.at of

general policies '

and principleS tad we flail 11:11e justification for L;e con-

tinued incite; [cii In

or vector patirlus. Perause the Calendar Is u;eui to

dctormlno t ,-a;uii cr cru'dI t for et u,?:;: 1:; onrolling at other tmuil uct:: It! ::; ::ho linen

taken cr'.irue:; CL liii:; tIm I vorsi ty iid i

'c:iiism: it.

a general futile

(0 1'

r.telr:it

taking couruts at Siunmim Ii'asm-r, e' iciee ru'cor.s:

hued

that carl: cCitmrl:

•1ecr!p

contained Iii ti' CnIc-ndnr be nectI:p;si led by

CiaI dtecmi m

tion of the 5ni:ti

which 11w

uLi:i

rue will -ho Liu111 ,

Since the Cu'ut' Cimiute 1mi0vlmk::

iferiathiii

ftidlvldua nirce;ter

COIIL'SC

offerltirs, we Iil

LuVU

LIlOC it is timc list anIro-

prlatc place in which tm' incorporate course VrCtOI p;mttemnu.

5.7L( 1620-

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

MEMORANDUM

At its meeting of 12th November, the Senate Committee 

on Undergraduate Studies considered the attached proposal from the 

Faculty of Science that the existing Senate regulation on the use of 

vector descriptions in the Calendar be amended to permit those Faculties 

or Departments which wish to do so to include course vector descriptions 

in the Calendar. 

For the information of Senate, a copy of the present 

regulation, passed earlier this year as part of Senate Paper S.74-.43, 

and of an explanatory note to Departments from the Chairman of SCUS 

is attached to this proposal. 

?

The Chairman of the Faculty of Science 

Curriculum Committee emphasized that, in approving this recommendation, 

the Faculty of Science had not intended to ask for repeal of the 

existing regulation but merely to make provision for those departments 

wishing to do so to include vector descriptions in the Calendar. He 

noted that, in the departments In the Faculty of Science, vector 

.

descriptions seldom if ever varied and that the elimination of course 

vector descriptions from the Calendar deprived these departments of 

a valuable means of comparison with other universities. Thus, it 

was the wish of these departments that they be allowed to include 

such descriptions in the Calendar in future. 

This proposal Is now forwarded to Senate, with the 

Committee's recommendation that it be approved. 

H—cs.

I. Mugrige 

ams

att. 

SiMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

MEMORANDUM

I,....................

$,.nate 

Committee on ? 

.

From..., ?

A.E. Curzon 

...... .... ....... ..... .U.n4 

a4.uate....Studies            

Act . 

ng Dean of Science 

Subject

..............

U.S ....OF VC.T.OR PE 

SCRIPTIONS

Date.....

....... 

...

Novemb.c.r 

7,,

, 1974 

IN THE -CALENDAR 

The Faculty of Science, at its meeting of October 31, 1974, 

passed a motion, 

"To request Senate to amend its previous regulation so as to permit 

those Faculties and/or Departments that wish, to have a numerical 

vector description listed in the calendar against their courses." 

Rationale: 

Vector descriptions are commonly used in universities, particularly 

in the local universities, as a valuable means of comparing 

courses, especially with respect to the amount and nature of 

the material presented in a course, and its division between 

.

?

lectures, tutorials, and laboratories. Consequently, the 

dropping of the vector notation in the calendar is liable 

to lead to misunderstanding and difficulties in other institutions 

incomparing our courses with theirs, and could have the effect 

of diminishing the credibility of our programs. 

1w

104L