THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE FACULTY SENATE Senate Document Number 0992S Date of Senate Approval 1/16/92 Signature of Senate Chair __________________________ Date________ Action of Vice Chancellor: Approval _______________________________ Date________________ Denied _______________________________ Date________________ Reasons for denial and suggested modifications: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Statement of Faculty Senate Action: APC #9: Changes in Biology and Physics Teacher Certification Programs EFFECTIVE DATE: For catalog, Fall 1991; for implementation, Spring 1992 Delete: Page 69 -- Entire section under Biology with Teacher Certification Add: Page 69 -- Biology with Teacher Certification All biology certification students must complete the following program: I. Required courses in the major -- 23 hours, including BIOL 105, 210, 211, 443, 444, 451, 452. II. Restricted electives in the major -- 8 hours. A student majoring in biology with Teacher Certification must choose one course from each of the following listings: A. Phylogenetic biology -- 332, 333, 334, 335 B. Organismal biology -- 345, 346, 455 III. Required courses outside the major -- 34-35 hours: ASTR 105; CHEM 141, 142, 231; CSCI 126 or 141; ENVR 105; MATH 164 or 191; SOC 240; STAT 185; and those requirements indicated under the Education section of the catalog. IV. Special departmental requirements -- BIOL 451 and 452 to satisfy the demonstration of competency. Students who wish to be certified in Comprehensive Secondary Science (as distinct from biology) must also complete ATMS 103 and four additional hours of Biology at the 300 level or above. In addition, it is highly recommended that those seeking middle school certification have a second area of concentration, preferably mathematics. All students must contact the Department of Education for specifics. IMPACT: Currently, middle and secondary students have the freedom to choose four hours of electives in the major. This change would preclude that freedom and substitute ENVR 105, with one additional hour. As to replacing PHYS 105 with ASTR 105, both are general education courses; and the minimal number of science certification students who would enroll should have little significance to the overall picture. In addition, students presently have a choice of CSCI 126 or 141, a fact which was omitted in the UNCA catalog. Rationale: The general change would effect closer compliance with the mandate from UNC General Administration regarding number of hours required for graduation. That it does not represent total compliance is the result of need to maintain some degree of quality essential to satisfying, as nearly as possible, standards established by the pertinent learned societies and accrediting agencies. Indeed, it is this need which underlies the request to delete PHYS 105 as a requirement, substituting ASTR 105. Though the courses are entirely different in primary focus and coverage, both present those basic principles of physics essential to the prospective teacher. In addition, the change would eliminate the one concern expressed by NCATE and the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction; that is, there should be no doubt that all science certification students receive exposure to an appropriate level of study in astronomy. Delete: Page 158, under Program in Teacher Certification in Physics, Sections I and II and line 2 of the second paragraph. Add: I. Required courses in the major -- 30 hours: PHYS 221, 222, 323, 324, 325, 331, 332, 400, 401, 402, 495. II. Required courses outside the major -- 38 hours: ASTR 105; BIOL 105; CHEM 141, 142; ENVR 105; MATH 191, 192, 291; SOC 240. (For specifics, see Education section and the appropriate advisor in the Department of Education.).... Students desiring certification for secondary .... Those desiring middle school certification must add ATMS 103 and either BIOL 241 or ENVR 241. It is also highly recommended.... Impact: Current domain responsibility for PHYS 101 and 103 as well as ASTR 105 resides with the Department of Physics and the instructors therein (Error in catalog re prevailing requirement being only PHYS 103; students have the choice of either 101 or 103). Further, (a) ASTR 105 will be offered every semester, whereas PHYS 101 will not; (b), PHYS 103 has, indeed, been replaced by ASTR 105; and, (c), consistent with national norms, very few individuals seek certification having a physics basis. Thus, this change should have no negative impact upon the offering department. There are, however, two matters of concern: l) Removing PHYS 101 or 103 reduces the major, as relevant to the physics HEGIS, to 29 hours. Thus there is need to add PHYS 495, one hour of research, to comply with UNCA requirements of a minimum of 30 hours reflecting that HEGIS. 2) Though (l) creates no real problem, inasmuch as the research requirements of the Physics Department and the Department of Education will coincide, there is need to note that prevailing standards established by NSTA/NCATE mandate that the physics major consist of a minimum of 32 hours. In addition, elimination of ENVR 130 from the Middle School Program could provide less than that quality preparation stipulated by the learned societies. Rationale: The one certification track suffering true deletion is that concerned with middle school. Though elimination of ENVR (BIOL) 241 reduces student exposure to certain essential scientific principles, it does provide for closer compliance with the UNC General Administration mandate regarding number of hours required to complete an undergraduate program. In addition, the change from the choice of the 3-hour PHYS 101 or 103 for all students would eliminate the one concern expressed by NCATE and the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction: that is, there would be assurance that physics certification students receive appropriate study in the area of astronomy. In other words, having a choice of PHYS 101 or 103 did not provide such assurance.