Meeting Minutes: Committee on Academic Affairs
May 5, 1997
Georgia Southern University Campus
Minutes
The quarterly meeting of the Administrative Committee on Academic Affairs was held at the Southern Center for Continuing Education on the campus of Georgia Southern University on May 5, 1997. Chairman Stapleton convened the meeting at 11:00 a.m. and the meeting was adjourned at 3:40 p.m. A list of attendees is attached.
Actions taken were as follows:
- Dr. Carter welcomed the group and invited them to attend the functions associated with the conference of the BOR Distinguished Professors of Teaching and Learning.
- Dr. Muyskens gave opening remarks and included the topics of semester conversion and admissions phase-in. He indicated that there would be a Faculty Associate in his office next year. This would be a faculty person from one of the campuses interested in administration and someone who could benefit from the experience.
- Dr. Morgan described the GPECC survey regarding transfer practices with DTAE institutions. They want to know what is actually happening not what we think they want to hear.
- Dr. Muyskens indicated that the Math Placement Test was not funded by the Legislature but would likely be funded by the BOR. We are not to receive a memo in the very near future regarding common course numbering and descriptions.
- Dr. Henry reported on the draft statement concerning program review. This item will be on the summer meeting agenda.
- Dr. Fuller reported on the proposed BOR policy 402.0101 concerning admission to career programs. Dr. Rugg raised an issue from the perspective of the Admissions Task Force.
- Dr. Burke reported on the change in the Regents' Test Policy. It was approved (see attached).
- Dr. Rugg reported on the work of the Admissions Task Force. Dr. Goldstein reported on the first meeting of the subcommittee on program accreditation.
- Dr. Kettlewell presented the final report from P-16 regarding the courses that satisfy CPC. A motion was approved to ask the committee (P-16) to look into courses from high school that satisfy CPC requirements as also satisfying the legislative requirements (history and constitution).
- Dr. Elifson presented two alternatives regarding GPA calculation. Following extensive debate and parliamentary maneuvering, Proposal II as distributed was passed (see attached). The question of GPA calculation as it relates to admissions was referred to the Admissions Task Force (Dr. Rugg).
- Dr. Prokasy moved the adoption of the +/- grading system as permissive. The motion was seconded but failed.
- Dr. Rugg led a brief discussion on the "Findings and Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Two Year College Utilization."
- Dr. Biesinger reported on gigipop and the work of the Chancellor's committee on distance Education.
- Dr. Butler asked for names for a discussion group on pre-professional programs. They should be sent to Dr. Burk. He reminded us that special science core courses for nursing were prohibited. He reported on web activity regarding the core.
- After much discussion the recommendations from the discipline committee were referred back to the Executive Committee.
Respectfully submitted,
Harry S. Carter
Chair-Elect
| ATTENDEES AT ACAA MEETING | |
|---|---|
| Attendee | Institution |
| Harry S. Carter | Georgia Southern University |
| Anthony L. Tilmans | Southern Polytechnic State University |
| Harris T. Travis | Southern Polytechnic State University |
| Ed Rugg | Kennesaw State University |
| Frank Butler | Armstrong Atlantic State University |
| Linda Exley | DeKalb College |
| Ron Henry | Georgia State University |
| Jan Kettlewell | Board of Regents |
| Lloyd Benjamin | Valdosta State University |
| Barry Goldstein | Medical College of Georgia |
| Bill Prokasy | The University of Georgia |
| Kathy Fuller | Gainesville College |
| Tom Jones | Columbus State University |
| John Upchurch | North Georgia College |
| Paul Beyer | Columbus State University |
| Josephine Davis | Fort Valley State University |
| Robert McMath | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Janis Coombs Reid | Atlanta Metropolitan College |
| Marci M. MIddleton | Board of Regents |
| Linda Williams | Board of Regents |
| Joseph M. Kirkland | Darton College |
| Ted Harris | Waycross College |
| Greg Labyak | Dalton College |
| David Morgan | Board of Regents |
| Kathleen Burk | Board of Regents |
| Margaret Smith | Bainbridge College |
| Bob Trammell | Macon College |
| Jerry F. Williams | Georgia College & State University |
| Andrea Hardin | Georgia College & State University |
| Valerie M. D'Ortona | Middle Georgia College |
| Ernest Benson | Albany State University |
| John Black | East Georgia College |
| Tim Hynes | State University of West Georgia |
| Tom Wilkerson | South Georgia College |
| Willie E. Johnson | Savannah State University |
| Kris Biesinger | Board of Regents |
| Bill Bompart | Augusta State University |
| Elliott McElroy | Clayton College & State University |
| Bettie Horne | Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College |
REGENTS' TESTING PROGRAM
Proposed Changes to Policy and Procedures for Semesters
Presented for ACAA Approval (05/05/97)
The following proposed changes to Regents' Test policy and procedures for semester conversion were distributed at the Wmter Quarter meeting of the ACAA and have been approved by the Academic Committee on English and the Academic Committee on Learning Support/Developmental Studies.
The Regents' Test will be administered during one testing period each semester after approxirnately ten to twelve weeks of instruction. The test will be administered on a flexible schedule during the summer, with results available before the start of the fall semester.
Students must take the test in their first semester of enrollment aver earning 30 credit hours if they have not taken it previously. (Inspections may not prohibit students who have earned at least 30 credit hours from taking the test for the first time.)
Students who have not passed both parts of the test by the time they have earned 45 credit hours must take remediation each semester of enrollment until they have passed both parts.
Students transferring from outside of the System with 30 or more credit hours should take the test during their first semester of enrollment at a System institution. Transfer students with more than 45 credit hours who have not passed both parts of the test before enrolling in their third semester at a System institution must take remediation each semester of enrollment until they have passed both parts.
Institutions may allow students to take the test before they have earned 30 credit hours. They may require that students take the test before 30 hours or remediation before 45 hours. However, there should be an opportunity for students who plan their schedules appropriately to take the test twice before they are required to take remediation. (Such planning may require enrollment in English the first two semesters and may include additional requirements established by the institution. Students who postpone taking English or who postpone taking the test will not necessarily have two opportunities to take the test before the remediation requirement is imposed.)
Students who are not enrolled may be pennitted to take the test at the discretion of the institution. Non-enrolled students from two-year institutions who are otherwise eligible to take the test and not subject to a remedial requirement might be encouraged to take the test during the summer administration.
After students have earned 45 credit hours, they may retake each part of the test no more than four times and may be enrolled in remediation no more than three semesters for each part. Because students with 45 credit hours who have not passed the test may enroll in college-credit courses only if they also enroll in required remediation, such students could be permitted to enroll in college-credit courses for a maximum of three semesters after earning 45 credit hours. Institutions, however, could further restrict their enrollment in college-credit courses. Those students who have not passed within three semesters of enrollment after earning 45 hours are not permitted to enroll at a System institution or to retake the test for at least two years.
An additional proposal is that the following statement be added to the last paragraph:
After two years a student may, at the institution's discretion, be permitted to retake the test no more than twice and enroll in remediation once. Students re-admitted to take remediation may not take other courses until they have passed both parts of the test.
For Discussion: Chief Academic Officers
University System of Georgia
May 5, 1997
Grade Point Average Calculation
Introduction:
A group of academic officers from five University System institutions were charged by Senior Vice Chancellor James Muyskens to develop a common methodology for calculating grade point average (GPA) to be used in determining academic status (good, warning, probation, suspension) and eligibility for graduation. The purpose of having a University System-wide algorithm for calculating the GPA is to reduce confusion among students, particularly those who transfer. It was made clear before work began that institutions would be expected to continue to calculate an "all attempts," institutional GPA, a HOPE scholarship GPA, and any others they used to determine academic honors related to on-going performance, such as dean's list, or to graduation, such as cum laude.
The Committee, comprised of Joan M. Elifson, Chair (FLD), Bill Bompart (AUG), Josephine Davis (FVS), Sam Davis (UGA), and Lotus Levy (VSU), studied the ways that institutions calculate grade point average and discovered wide variability. Some institutions include in the calculation the grades earned in all courses taken at the institution, some use only grades in courses making up the student's current degree objective, and others exclude some (or all) attempts at repeated courses. The Committee focused in particular at standardizing the exclusion of repeated courses in the GPA calculation.
In addition to Committee deliberation, the Chair of the Committee participated in discussion with the Executive Committee of the Chief Academic Officers and with the Advisory Committee of the Chief Academic Officers. While there was not uniform agreement that a common methodology for calculating grade point average is desired, the latter group agreed to receive a proposal. The hope is that any changes could be incorporated in the semester conversion transition.
Proposal:
The Committee was split on the means of arriving at a standard GPA, and in the end, the Committee agreed to present two options to the Chief Academic Officers.
- Calculate the academic standing and graduation GPA based on all courses taken at an institution.
- Calculate the academic standing and graduation GPA based on the last attempt at all courses taken at an institution.
The advantage of the first option is simplicity and "full disclosure. " The students' entire academic record at the institution is reflected in the grade point average. The advantage of the second option is its reflection of a student's final level of learning in each course. Further, it provides incentive to students for repeating courses that they did not master and a disincentive for repeating courses in which they have earned credit.
The Committee did not find reasonable justification for recommending that the course repeat option exclude courses at the 300 or 400 level or be limited to courses in which the student had earned a grade of D or F, as is the practice at some institutions. Further, it did not endorse the notion that the GPA calculation be limited to courses in the current degree objective. While this limitation might be valid for graduation calculations, it is not appropriate for academic standing GPA calculations. The committee indeed recommends that the same calculation be applicable to both of these decision processes.