DECSC

Minutes 5-2-2006

12pm-1pm, room 3902

1. Review and Approval of the charter (Shared Governance and Collegial Consultation Process)

   Rick passed out copies of the revised DECSC charter (page 15) in the Shared Governance and Collegial Consultation Process (new version not posted yet). Jan asked if the terminology "Alternating Tuesdays at College Hour" is specific enough due to the varying number of Tuesdays for each month. Wanda asked if "Alternating Tuesdays" referred to the 1st & 3rd or 2nd & 4th? A motion was made to approve the document, seconded by Scott. A vote was taken and was approved by the committee. Discussion followed. Jan suggested we specify the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays. Jan then asked whether it was redundant to specify that the membership include both "faculty experienced in DE delivery" and "faculty experienced in the area of online instruction."  Scott replied that yes we need distinction because we continue to offer telecourses and non-online multimedia courses. A motion was made to change the meeting days and times to the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays. The motion was seconded and approved.
    

2. Online Evaluation Discussion
   
   Jan reported that LPC agreed to the 1 hour review limit but they added that faculty may have more time based on mutual agreement. Pam asked if faculty have the right to say no to more time, suggesting that faculty sit down and give a tour, and Jan replied in the affirmative. Scott added that these rules are made for protecting unfair evaluations. Pam made the comparison that regular course evaluations do not require the handing over of all course materials, whereas online courses pose the problem of total course access. Minta asked for clarification exactly what is handed over in regular classes and Pam responded just the syllabus. Jan asked if the committee is okay with LPC's suggested changes and everyone agreed.
    
3. Final Draft of Streamlined Distance Education Curriculum Proposal Process

   Wanda passed out copies of the revised flow chart/proposal process. Wanda/Jan pointed out the following changes:

   • changed title "New to Chabot's Distance Education" to "First-Time Instructors (have NOT previously taught online at Chabot"
   • Changed very first item from "Faculty" to "Instructor" because faculty includes counselors.
   • Added "Checklist signed off 2 wks Prior to..." to the end of the Fast Track.
   • Added "Preliminary Evaluation"  to "Checklist signed off 2 wks..." for first-time instructors (4th to last item).

   Jan said Nolly asked us to send any revisions to Kaaren. Jan added that we still have to revise the curriculum handbook to reflect these changes. Minta asked if the second-to-last item, "Final Evaluation by the 5th week of class" is the same thing as the evaluation process being developed by the faculty association, and Jan clarified that they are separate. Rick asked do we continue to have instructor come back after the semester has begun. Pam stated that with the current process, the instructor goes off on their own. Lynn added that comments from the formative evaluation only go to the instructor - should they be part of this new process? Wanda suggested that we specify which formative evaluation changes be required and which be recommended. Scott suggested that we make it a request for faculty to come back to the committee. Lynn added that many instructors are bypassing process. Rick suggested that we archive the recommendations. Minta added that many instructors new to teaching online realize a few weeks into the session issues they they need weren't aware of and could benefit from a discussion for suggestions to deal with the issue(s). Motion made to change 2nd-to-last item on flow chart from "Final Evaluation" to "Followup Evaluation by the 5th week of class." Wanda will update the flow chart and email the file to Minta to post. Rick summarized that we need to do what is in the best interest of the students. Rick will ask Richard to come back, and will ask Nolly to attend meetings to be aware of these issues.

   Jan reiterated that we need to incorporate new processes into Guidelines for DE cur review by the end of the semester, such as adding deadlines for when they need to be submitted. Minta displayed the DECSC portion of the curriculum handbook on the website, and did not see anything specific enough that required changes. Scott suggested that we have a 2006-07 link on the website. We need to put the dates on the forms. Jan suggested that for now we put in the handbook consult the website for further details, but in the future we need to add more details to the handbook. Committee agreed on the following: The deadline to submit proposals to the DECSC chair is the second Monday in September for courses to be offered in the spring, and the second Monday in February for courses to be offered in the summer or fall.
    

4. Selection of DE Chair for 2006-07
   
   Nominations were suggested, but no one volunteered.
    
5. Final Meeting Agenda Items
   
   Next and final meeting of the year is Tuesday, May 16.

Minutes taken by Minta.