September 30, 2020 Minutes

A printable PDF of this information can be found here.

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

September 30, 2020

3:10pm-4:30pm

Webex

I.            The meeting was called to order at 3:11pm

II.            Approval of FS Minutes from September 16, 2020

a.       Tomas Gedeon moves to approve. Susan Dana seconds. No discussion. None opposed. No abstentions. Approved.

III.            Information Updates:

a.       Rename of Department: Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology (vote)

1.       Microbiology and Immunology is putting BOR forms together to rename their department. 

2.       The proposed new name will be Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology.

3.       Senate vote

A.      Ed Schmidt moves to approve. Tomas Gedeon seconds. No discussion. None opposed. NO abstentions. Approved.

b.       Program and Core Assessment (Tami Eitle)

1.       Mid-cycle Report to NWCCU, October 15 & 16, 2020

A.      Upcoming NWCCU visit will be virtual

B.      Focused on an assessment of student learning

C.      Keely will post the full mid-cycle report to the Faculty Senate website

D.      After year-7 visit, we had a recommendation on program assessment.

E.       Templates available to guide people through the process. They give us a chance to provide feedback.

F.       Each college has representation on the Assessment and Outcomes Committee. Mostly Assistant/Associate Deans. Some are faculty members. Some entities have both on the committee.

G.      Academic Program Assessment 2018-19

i.            213 programs, minors and certificates that were due to do assessment in 19-20

ii.            37 programs did not submit their assessment.

·         Included 8 minors and 6 certificates

·         At least one department with multiple options was not reminded and did not complete assessment activities in 2018-19

iii.            Assessment and Outcomes Committee provided feedback to each department on their assessment

H.      Program Assessment Results

i.            At least two faculty members assess student artifacts using scoring rubrics to assure inter-rater reliability

·         49% either did not report or indicated that they did not use at least two faculty to assess student work

ii.            Programs identify areas where performance thresholds were not met

·         50% did not report

·         8% did not meet threshold

·         42% met threshold

iii.            Program assessment results are shared at program/unit faculty meetings

·         31% reported total faculty involvement in reviewing assessments, analyzing results, developing strategies

·         7% indicated that faculty were minimally, or not involved at all , in assessment activities

·         62% fell somewhere in between.

iv.            Evidence that faculty reviewed assessment results and have developed specific strategies for improving student learning or improving assessment practices to better inform discussion

·         40% identified areas for improvement

·         32% identified no concerns and were satisfied with the assessment results

·         28% did not respond at all

v.            Demonstration of changes made from pervious assessment activities (Closing the Loop)

·         37% identified specific areas of changes made from previous assessments and commented on how those changes affected student success.

·         Most department are making changes to their programs (curriculum changes, changes in courses and assignments, etc. , but few departments are reporting these out as changes and then assessing to see if these help improve student learning. Department should report on any such changes.

vi.            Areas that need improvement based on the analysis of data

·         Student artifact sample size (too small)

·         Assessment results based on minimal assessment activity and data

·         Depts using an exam or course grade as the assessment of a particular learning outcomes when the exam or course assessed content far beyond the specific program learning outcome.

I.         Core Assessment

i.            Engage faculty and staff in assessment and improvement of the MSU Core

·         Workshops (US Seminar Directors, University Studies Seminar Instructors (2), CLS Seminar Instructors (2), First Year Writing instructors (1), CFE Assessment Training (6)

o   12 workshops or FLC’s, 176 total individuals participating

·         Faculty Learning Communities

o   2 workshops or FLC’s, 9 individuals participating

ii.            Pilot assessment of Thinking and Problem Solving

·         Student artifacts demonstrating “Thinking and Problem Solving” were collected

·         136 faculty submitted 5 student artifacts each (68% of faculty invited to participate, participated)

·         84 faculty participated in assessing these student artifacts

·         403 total artifacts were assessed

·         Core committee, Friends of the Core and University Seminar Directors reviewed and interpreted the data

iii.            Review of Assessment results and recommendations

iv.            Recommendations

·         Assessment of student learning

o   Random artifacts

o   Training for faculty

·         Assessment of assessment process

v.            Susan Dana: Commend Tami for all the work. Was a huge task. Can refine it a bit, but overall, it was a good process.

c.       Senate Update

1.       BOR meeting

A.     Discussion for their support for different initiatives that faculty think would make their lives better

2.       Family Child Care

A.            The Provost and the President agreed to have HR start to look for a collaboration with a public organization to provide childcare for faculty.

3.       Graduate Housing

A.            Have been in discussions with administration

B.            Have a time period for faculty and staff in graduate housing to transition to housing outside of campus

C.            Discussed issues and problems with “living wage” in Bozeman

4.       Data on COVID Cases

A.            Data on campus cases released on Friday’s by the Health Department

B.            Within the system, there is variance on data and how it is released

IV.            Senate Discussion: Delphi Survey

a.       Draft Report posted in Faculty Senate D2L

1.       Executive summary of survey results open for senators’ comments and discussion

A.      Scholarship is a priority

B.      Independence of teaching

C.      Communicating scholarship, getting results out to the public

D.      What will we do with this info? Will use your ideas from this survey to leverage the decision-making process in other counsels and committees.

b.       Knowledge: Faculty Senate Ranking of Importance

  Question: What are the essential concepts, principles, theories, and philosophy that influence your                      experience as a faculty member at MSU?

                   Ranking Very Important (4.1 to 5.0)

1.       The ability to do research on topics that are of interest and have value to society is important in my work.=5.0

2.       Sharing knowledge is important in my work.=4.8

3.       Assisting students to gain knowledge is important in my work.=4.7

4.       Education is a special human activity. It is essential to the progress of civilization - we are here only because generations before us learned how to share knowledge from generation to generation.=4.5

5.       Grant support and assistance guides my work at MSU.=4.3

6.       Most/many of society’s problems are so complex and "wicked" so that any one intellectual silo typically cannot effectively engage and need trans-disciplinary approaches, as much as can be mounted.=4.3

c.       Skills: Faculty Senate Ranking of Importance

                  Question: What are the important activities or things that you do that influence your experience as a faculty                      member at MSU?

                  Ranking Very Important (4.1 to 5.0)

1.       I do research. The ability to explore new ideas, new avenues and concepts is a great privilege of working at the University.=4.8

2.       I can honestly say that my experience as a faculty member is, more than any other item, positively influenced by my research autonomy and ability to move forward research and discovery to better understand and ultimately provide solutions to significant real-world issues.=4.6

3.       Transdisciplinary research involving faculty from different departments and colleges at MSU.=4.4

4.       Lead and participate in grant funding activities.=4.4

d.       Dispositions: Faculty Senate Ranking of Importance

                   Question: What are the critical feelings, attitudes and values that influence your experience as a faculty                               member at MSU?

                   Ranking Very Important (4.1 to 5.0)

1.       I value transparency and insight. This means that when important decisions are made, I want to see the data that supports the stated rationale. Data needs to be transparent and available and anyone who wants to weigh in on how the university should be run should be literate in how the campuses finances operate.=5.0

2.       I value comradery, teamwork, sharing, honesty, transparency, and trust.=4.8

3.       I value achievement, professionalism, and excellence, which motivate me to publish research and secure grants from leading journals/institutions and to hold myself accountable to high standards of teaching in the classroom.=4.8

4.       I thrive in collegial, collaborative, and mutually supportive environments, and I strive to contribute to and maintain values that support such an environment.=4.6

e.       What are the themes that stand out to you?

f.        What ideas resonate with you?

V.            Task Force to Advance Excellence in Pedagogy Planning Instruction for Spring 2021 and Beyond

a.       Core Members

1.       David Singel-Co-Chair

2.       Michael Brody-Co-Chair

3.       Bradford Watson

4.       Dean Adams

5.       Colin Smith

b.       Focus Groups

1.       Large Lecture

2.       Laboratory

3.       Blended

4.       Freshman Seminar

5.       Ryan Anderson: Found the group very enjoyable. Many different perspectives and experiences. Want to keep “group” experiences as much as possible-labs, small groups, etc. Some feedback is that the technology isn’t quite “there” yet. Possible “take home” labs, in some cases. Would like to leave behind student stress and anxiety. Faculty, staff, and students all rise and fall together. Want to be sure we are keeping an eye on the mental health side of this.

c.       Process

1.       Survey Questions

A.      What should we leave behind?

B.      What should we bring forward?

C.      What should we plan, pilot, and assess?

D.      Susan Dana: Interested in the timing of getting this feedback. Our course schedule for Spring will be up soon. Decisions are being made without the feedback from your task force. How will this be used in decisions going forward?

·         This collection should be finished by mid-October. Enrollment for Spring probably won’t be until November. Schedule may be modified but will be somewhat the same. How we deliver those classes is still up for discussions. Know what you’re signing up for. Make sure students know what they are signing up for. Been told that through November and December there is wiggle room for changes.

·         Julia Haggerty: One issue is standardization across courses. Not everyone has the same access to the same technology. Who will set those guidelines and who will hold everyone accountable? Seems vague.

o   Michael and Bradford will bring this question forward to the next meeting.

2.       Focus Group Discussion

A.      1-2 hours in WebEx

VI.            Old Business

a.       Undergraduate Courses (Second Reading) See Faculty Senate Webpage: https://www.montana.edu/facultysenate/upcoming_meeting.html 

1.       ACT 208: Racquet Sports (9/9/2020)

2.       ACT 222: Backcountry Ski Fundamentals (9/9/2020)

3.       ACT 234: Yoga Nidra Meditation (9/9/2020)

4.       ACT 238: Swiftwater Rescue (9/9/2020)

5.       HSTR 488: The Nuclear World (9/9/2020)

6.       LSCI 437: Social Media Practices (9/9/2020)

7.       PSYX 401: Advanced Research Design & Analysis (9/9/2020)

b.       Undergraduate Course Changes and Programs (Second Reading)

1.       Course Changes

A.      SPNS 352IH: Afro-Latinx Narratives: Text& Cinema- Title change only. Learning Outcomes were existing (9/9/2020)

2.       Programs 2020-2021

A.      ASTR-BS: Physics BS - Astronomy and Astrophysics Option (9/9/2020)

i.            Great option!

VII.            New Business

a.       Undergraduate Courses Spring 2021 (First Reading)-will be up for another two weeks

1.       FILM 215: American Popular Television (9/22/2020)

2.       HEE 303: Methods of Lifetime Fitness Activities (9/22/2020)

3.       HEE 304: Methods of Team Sports

4.       HSTR 488: The Nuclear World (9/9/2020)

5.       LSCI 437: Social Media Practices (9/9/2020)

6.       PSYX 401: Advanced Research Design & Analysis (9/9/2020)

7.       PSYX 429: Eating Disorders (9/22/2020)

b.       Graduate Council

1.       Courses

A.      MEDS 542: Musculoskeletal-Created to cover the material removed from the course listed below, MEDS 540. (9/18/2020)

2.       Course Changes

A.      MEDS 540: Blood and Cancer-Removal of "Musculoskeletal" from title. Change to learning outcomes, credits, and description. (9/18/2020)

3.       Program

A.      MEDS 540: Blood and Cancer-Removal of "Musculoskeletal" from title. Change to learning outcomes, credits, and description. (9/18/2020)

VIII.            How can we communicate and support each other in this time of crisis?

a.       Senators’ Hours in Webex

1.       Tuesdays 1-2 PM and Thursdays 11 AM to 12PM

b.       Faculty Senate D2L Brightspace: discussion area for topics of interest

c.       Faculty Senate Email Group: [email protected] 

IX.            Senators Open Discussion

a.       Amy Thomas: Ability to share task force progress with faculty beyond senate? Yes, you can share. If you get strong feedback on it, please share with senate. Make sure all know that this is a DRAFT.

b.       Susan Dana: Difficulty in getting students to come to class. Many are saying they are sick. Teach Freshmen and Juniors. Having a really hard time getting the Freshmen to come to class, care about what they are doing. Even Surge Mentors are being challenged too. Even with Juniors, 25% of students failed the exam. Haven’t seen that before. Are others experiencing similar issues? What resources can we use?

1.       Jeannie Little: Music students seem to be an emotional wreck. Breaking down easily. Worried about things they aren’t usually worried about it. Afraid at any little symptom, thinking they have COVID, so they stay home. Haven’t seen this level of stress in students before. Suggesting counseling. Two things: 1)COVID 2)Political Situation.

c.       Michael Brody: Live near campus. Party house nearby. No masks, big parties. Called police the first time. Talked to Dean of Students. One of the students is a 4.0 GPA senior who looks great on the record, but conducting parties is dangerous at this time. Was great that Dean of Students did the work to track down information.

d.       Julia Haggerty: Commend Dean Ogilvie on his communications with students. The compassions that he shows in his messaging to students should be a model on what others can do. Thankful to him for that model he’s provided.

1.       Agreed. The video was moving, supporting and great. Thank you.

2.       Forwarded it to colleagues and they were grateful as well.

e.       Delphi survey: Research enterprise is still there but has been eroding. We need to gain autonomy again as we move forward.

f.        Julia Haggerty: Women caregivers of small children report the most feedback on their inability to full fill what they think makes them successful. It’s important to figure out how we are going to acknowledge that and deal with that as an institution.

g.       Julie Ruff: Just finished making a flyer for children in area schools. Encouragement to take your vitamin D. Encourage our students too. It decreases depression and anxiety.

X.            Public Comment

a.       None

XI.            Adjourn

a.       Julie Ruff moves to adjourn. Mike Walach seconds. Meeting was adjourned at 4:25pm.

Reminder: Next meeting October 14, 2020

                    Webex

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