DSAC Minutes 11-14-12

DSAC Minutes 11-14-12

by

  1. DSAC Website: Dr. Lynn Champion
    1. Seeking input about the DSAC portion of the new Arts & Sciences website
    2. Currently under Administration tab
    3. Changes made

i.     Officer list updated

ii.     Names of representatives hyperlinked to provide e-mail addresses

iii.     Photos at the top of the page

iv.     Link to DSAC bylaws

v.     Additional link under Current Students tab

  1. Additional questions

i.     Is there anything else we want for the site?

  1. Blog?
  2. News board/banner?
  3. Links from departmental websites?

ii.     How do we let people know that we are their voice?

  1. “Elevator” Speech: Dr. Lynn Champion
    1. Speech to communicate the value of an A&S degree to the general public
    2. Suggested emendation to highlight the notion of flexibility/adaptability
  2. Winter Convocation: Missy Parker
    1. DSAC will be a part of a convocation ceremony for students getting into their major held early in the spring semester
    2. This convocation is projected to first be held in early 2014
  3. UTracK Discussion: Missy Parker
    1. The UTracK degree tracking system will go into effect for freshmen entering Fall 2013
    2. The whole purpose is to allow a student to see what will be required to complete the degree in four years

i.     Certain courses will be designated milestones, which will need to be taken by a specific semester

ii.     The system is designed to identify people falling off track before they actually fall

  1. There will be 5 terms’ worth of milestones for each degree path, which must be met to stay in the major

i.     Students cannot be off track 2 semesters in a row

ii.     Faculty will be allowed some leeway in allowing students to stay on an intended path if milestones are not met

  1. Four-year sample plans have been developed for every major
  2. Answers to questions

i.     Students will be able to run tracking audits in addition to using the current DARS system

ii.     Second majors will not be tracked

iii.     If students switch majors, milestones start from the semester in which they switched rather than from their first semester attending UT

iv.     Departments will be able to set tracking terms back

  1. 15-4 Tuition Model
    1. Will not affect current students
    2. Starting next year, full-time students will pay for a minimum of 15 hours, regardless of the number of hours taken

i.     Currently full-time students are charged for a minimum of 12 hours

ii.     Under the change, students will be charged by the hour up until 12 hours and once 12 hours are reached, the charge will jump up to that for 15 hours

iii.     This change is to encourage students to take more hours and to generate additional revenue

  1. Syllabus Guidelines
    1. Dr. R.J. Hinde wants our input on a college-wide list of requirements for syllabi
    2. Part of the idea is to more clearly identify intended learning outcomes
    3. Proposed adjustments to guidelines

i.     Necessitate that professors provide defined office hours on syllabi

ii.     Address how mid-semester changes to syllabi are to be made

  1. An electronic database of syllabi is intended
  2. Also attached are the syllabus guidelines presented, please e-mail me (asdsac@utk.edu)  if you have any questions or suggestions
  3. The new curriculum proposal from last meeting has been approved by the curriculum committee and is being passed on to the faculty