Senate Document Number 0703F

Date of Senate Approval 11/13/03

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

FWDC 1:    Establishment of the Faculty ILS Oversight Committee (ILSOC)

Implementation of this document is contingent upon Faculty Senate approval of the APC document "Integrative Liberal Studies Implementation Proposal," currently under consideration.

Rationale: Both the review of our existing General Education program, arising out of the SACS Self-Study, and the development of proposed revisions in General Education, approved by the Senate on April 24, 2003 in Senate Document 7203S as the Integrative Liberal Studies program have been faculty driven. In order to ensure continued faculty ownership and faculty-driven evolution of the ILS program, and to encourage wide faculty participation in ILS, it is important that there be established a Faculty ILS Oversight Committee which works with both the Academic Policies Committee and the Associate Vice Chancellor for University Programs. In addition, to broaden faculty participation and oversight, we believe that four distinct subcommittees be established to advise ILSOC, one for each of the Intensive categories. Both the ILSOC and the Intensive Subcommittees will have both an evaluative and a formative role in the ILS program, collaborating with faculty in generating courses which conform to ILS program charges.

Structure:

The Faculty ILS committee will be composed of:

--Five faculty members, in staggered three-year terms, with at least one member from each of the three academic divisions. The committee will be nominated by the FWDC and voted upon by the Faculty Senate.

--One member of APC, chosen by APC (ex officio, without vote)

--Associate Vice Chancellor for University Programs (AVCUP)/Director of ILS Program, or designate (ex officio, without vote)

One voting member, who must have at least one year of service on ILSOC, will be chosen as chair of the committee at the first meeting of the academic year. This requirement does not apply to the first year of the committee.

For each of the Intensive designations, there will be a subcommittee established to advise ILSOC on each of the Intensive designations. Each subcommittee will be composed of:

--One member of ILSOC, other than the chair of ILSOC, who will serve as chair.

--Other faculty members, in staggered three-year terms. Subcommittees will be nominated by the FWDC and voted upon by the Faculty Senate, which will seek to have divisional balance in each of the subcommittees. In addition to the chair, for the Q and I intensives, two faculty members will be chosen; because of expected higher workload, for the W and D intensives, four additional faculty members will be chosen. Q and I intensive subcommittees will thus have three members, while the W and D subcommittees will have five members. The Information Literacy Intensive subcommittee must have one faculty member chosen from library faculty.

Duties:

1) The ILS Oversight Committee will determine whether courses and clusters proposed by faculty members to fulfill ILS requirements conform to the charge for the relevant component(s), as approved by the Faculty Senate. APC is responsible for changes in component charges and criteria, while the AVCUP is responsible for staffing, faculty development, and course development related to the ILS program. Once clusters and courses are approved, the ILS Oversight Committee notifies the Registrar and the AVCUP.

In all component areas, ILSOC has both an evaluative and a formative function. If proposals are not satisfactory, ILSOC and/or the Intensive Subcommittee must explain its decision and provide guidance to faculty on ways to bring the proposed course in line with the charge for that area. Decisions may be appealed to the APC who may uphold the decision, reverse the decision, or send it back for further consideration. The submission and approval process for courses for each ILS component is as follows:

a) ILS Topical Clusters: Faculty members propose a cluster of courses to the committee. One faculty member is indicated as coordinator of the cluster. The proposal must (1) describe the topic of the cluster, (2) indicate the faculty member who will coordinate the cluster, and (3) clearly articulate the ways in which each course is appropriate for the proposed cluster.

The ILS Oversight Committee determines whether the connections among these courses are sufficient to justify designation as a cluster for the ILS program and whether the proposed cluster meets the criteria established for ILS clusters. ILSOC also determines whether cluster courses proposed for ILSN, ILSS, or ILSA designation satisfy their criteria.

Proposals to modify clusters by addition or deletion of courses must also be presented to the ILS Oversight committee, with explanation. Course additions must be justified using the same criteria as the creation of new clusters. A complete description of cluster requirements may be found in the ILS Implementation Document which provides the charge for ILS topical clusters.

b) Intensive Courses: Faculty members apply for D, W, Q, or I designation for their courses by providing a sample syllabus of their course with attached explanation to the appropriate subcommittee. A course may carry no more than two intensive designations. The subcommittee will review each application and issue a recommendation to ILSOC. Based on their recommendation, the ILS Oversight Committee determines whether the course fulfills the requirements of the relevant Intensive category.

c) LSIC and LSSC: The ILS Colloquia Coordinator is responsible for evaluating colloquium proposals and for ensuring that each section meets relevant colloquium requirements. The Colloquia Coordinator will report annually to ILSOC (see below).

d) Learning Foundations: Faculty who wish to add courses fulfilling the Natural Science Lab or Foreign Language requirements may make a proposal to ILSOC, which will determine whether the course fulfills the criteria established for these courses.

e) Arts: Faculty members who wish for one of their courses to receive ILSA designation for a studio/workshop course or a topical cluster course must provide a sample syllabus of their course with attached explanation to the ILS Arts Coordinator. The Arts Coordinator evaluates these proposals and provides a list of approved courses to ILSOC. ILSOC determines whether this list of courses fulfills ILSA requirements.

2) The ILSOC will receive an annual report from ILS Arts, Colloquia, and Humanities Program Coordinators which details any changes in course offerings, core content, and areas of concern. ILSOC will use this information in constructing its annual report to APC.

3) The Chair of the ILS Oversight Committee will report to APC at the end of each semester, providing information about decisions made by the committee during that semester, with rationale if necessary. In this report, the chair may also identify areas of concern with regard to clarity and specificity of component charges, proposals for ILS courses, availability of ILS sections, or any other issues.

Impact:
The oversight of ILS will require a substantial increase in committee assignments, reflecting the importance of faculty oversight and control of the curriculum. There will be five faculty members on ILSOC and 12 additional faculty members on the subcommittees. It is expected that this will be a significant committee assignment for the first few years of the new program, but that the workload will diminish over time as the curriculum becomes established. However, we believe that there will always be proposals from faculty for new clusters and new intensives that need to be evaluated.