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....................... SENATE ....................................................................................... 

.......................................................From..........ACADEMI.C...PLANNI.NG...COMNIT.TEE 

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From ....... -ACADEMIC 

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-PLANNING ... COMMITTE 

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SENATE UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES 

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FEBRUARY 5, 1971 

.COMMITTEE ...... 

MOTION: 

"That Senate establish a Senate Committee on 

Undergraduate Studies (standing) with membership, 

terms of office and terms of reference, including 

organization, as outlined in Paper S.71-35." 

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To ................................ Merr be 

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rs ... .of...Sena.. 

From ....... ... ...... Academi,c ..P.lanning...Comrni.t.tee................... 

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Subject ....................... S.e,na,t.. .... Und.e.rgr.adua.t.e .... St.u.d.ies..............Date..............February 

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RECOMMENDATION 

That Senate establish a Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies 

(standing) with the following membership, terms of office and terms 

of reference: 

Membership 

Vice-President Academic or his designate 

Two faculty from each Faculty Undergraduate Curriculum 

Committee elected by the members of those Committees 

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• ? Two student senators 

Dean of Arts or his designate 

Dean of Education or his designate 

Dean of Science or his designate 

Dean of the Division of General Studies or his designate 

Registrar ? 

ex-officio ? 

secretary ? 

(non-voting) 

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Librarian 

Academic Planner ? 

(non-voting) 

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One person appointed by the President 

The chairman of the Committee will be designated by the Vice-President 

Academic. 

A quorum will consist of the chairman of the Committee and one 

representative from each of the Faculty Undergraduate Curriculum Committees. 

Terms of Office 

The representatives from the Faculty curriculum committees and the 

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• .2.. 

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student senators will normally serve a two-year term and will be 

eligible for reappointment. In the first instance, it is recommended 

that the Faculty Curriculum Committees elect one of their members 

for a one-year term and the other for a two-year term; Senate in 

electing the student senators to the Committee should also name 

one to serve a one-year term and the other to serve a two-year 

term. Such an arrangement will ensure continuity and overlapping 

membership. 

consider and make recommendations to Senate on all existing and 

proposed courses taking into consideration: 

(1)

the University's academic standards 

(2)

the need for coordination of all undergraduate academic 

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activities within the University 

review the results of current evaluation processes and bring 

significant discrepancies to the attention of Senate, the Faculties 

and the departments concerned. 

C. To recommend to Senate grading and examination practices appropriate 

to the University's educational process to ensure: 

(1)

reasonably consistent and equitable evaluation practices within 

and across courses 

(2)

the continued maintenance of high academic standards 

The nature of the degree and program offerings at Simon Fraser University 

has, until recently, reflected primarily a departmental orientation. 

In planning the undergraduate curriculum at the University, it has 

been possible to vest responsibility for curriculum recommendations in 

the hands of departments and in faculty curriculum committees with 

responsibility for final approval of new program and/or course offerings 

vested with Senate. 

Recently, however, several inter and multi-departmental courses and 

programs have emerged as well as a Division of General Studies 

charged with offering experimental courses and programs. Furthermore, 

Senate has now approved the establishment of a Bachelor of General 

Studies, defined minor and double minor degrees and will soon be 

examining double major degrees and other proposed curricular changes. 

To many, it is becoming readily apparent that with the expansion of 

the program and degree options available to students, the resulting 

inter-relationship among programs will require a much greater degree 

of coordination and integration in the various facets of the under- 

graduate-curriculum than hitherto. In both the program and degree 

areas, there is a need to ensure that course offerings, pre-requisites 

and co-requisites reflect the programs that have been established, 

that unnecessary duplication is avoided, that inter-relationships 

among programs are identified, and that standards once set are 

maintained. 

Furthermore, there is a need to ensure that the implementation of 

these new degreesand programs' does not result in an unnecessary 

proliferation of different degree requirements at this University 

Finally, inextricably linked to the whole undergraduate curriculum 

is the issue of grading and examination practices. At the present 

time, there exists a Senate Committee on Grading and Examination 

Practices. Because we find it difficult to separate the curriculum 

issues from the grading and examination practices issues, we are 

recommending that responsibilities in both of these areas be integrated 

into one committee. In so doing, we recognize that we are imposing 

a heavy responsibility on one committee. However, we believe with 

the effective utilization of staff assistance, the actual work of the 

committee members can be considerably lessened. The Committee should 

also point out its concern about the proliferation of committees at 

this University and hopes, by this mechanism, to set a favorable example. 

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ORGANIZATION 

This proposal is intended to provide at the undergraduate level a 

curriculum review structure which is similar to that at the graduate 

level. The existing curriculum committees in each of the three 

faculties would be retained and, thus, recommendations would emerge 

from departments, be reviewed at the faculty level and then carried 

to the Senate Undergraduate Studies Committee for review from a 

University perspective. The recommendations of the Committee would, 

in turn, be forwarded to Senate for its consideration. 

The work of the Senate Undergraduate Studies Committee would be 

expected to complement that of the Academic Planning Committee. 

While the latter would maintain responsibility for reviewing and/or 

developing new program proposals for submission to Senate and for 

recommending academic priorities, the Undergraduate Studies Committee 

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would review and recommend to Senate on those curriculum matters 

affecting all programs implemented at the University. 

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