MOUNT ALLISON UNIVERSITY FACULTY COUNCIL MINUTES Tuesday, November 25 2014, 4pm Dunn 108 Present (37 attendees): Kirsty Bell (secretary), Paul Berry, Steven Black, Robert Campbell (chair), Amanda Cockshutt, Anne Comfort, Terence Craig, Zoe Finkel, Michael Fox, Khash Ghandi, Karen Grant, Lisa Dawn Hamilton, Andrew Hamilton-Wright, Ryan Harley, Eileen Herteis, Rick Hudson, Robert Inglis, James Kalyn, Hannah Lane, David Lieske, Jeff Lilburn, Sandy MacIver, Margaret-Ellen Messinger, Loralea Michaelis, Kyle Nimmrichter, Jeff Ollerhead, Chris Parker, Tim Reiffenstein, Bruce Robertson, Renata Schellenberg, Dave Thomas, Jennifer Tomes, Marc Truitt, Hans vanderleest, Brad Walters, Heather Webster, Andrew Wilson Regrets: Lauren Beck 1. Approval of the agenda Motion to approve the agenda. Approved by M. Truitt, seconded by C. Parker. Approved with no changes. 2. Approval of Faculty Council minutes of October 1, 2014 [attached] Motion to adopt the minutes. Approved by T. Craig, seconded by B. Robertson. Approved. 3. Business arising from the minutes None. 4. Order of the day, 4:15pm Report on recent amalgamation of Accessibility Services and Meighen Centre - Anne Comfort The Director of the Meighen Centre, A. Comfort, reported on the amalgamation of services to students with disabilities. As of this semester (Fall 2014), the Office of Accessibility Services and the Meighen Centre have merged under the Meighen Centre banner. The Meighen Centre will serve all students with learning disabilities (LD), as well as those with other types of disabilities (non-ld). A. Comfort also provided Faculty Council with information on the numbers of students working with the Meighen Centre: the centre has documentation on 110 LD students, 97 of whom are active with the centre; the centre is aware of 115 non-ld students, 85 of whom are active with the centre; of the non-ld students, approximately 50% have mental health conditions, ADHD, are on the autism spectrum, or have temporary disabilities (for example, broken arm). 1
A. Comfort informed Faculty Council about the roles of the following staff members in the Meighen Centre: Anne Comfort is Director and acts as the first point of contact should faculty have questions or concerns; Matt Maston works primarily with students who have non-ld disabilities; Matt Kalichuk is responsible for testing accommodations; Susan Waye is co-ordinator of peer tutoring and note taking. A. Comfort also explained that the Meighen Centre is working towards a standardized test accommodation form, and has centralized note taking and invigilation services through its office. Finally, over the summer, the Meighen Centre worked with other institutions to develop 11 modules on how to support students with disabilities. These modules are available on the website and A. Comfort encourages faculty to use this resource. A. Cockshutt commented that it is a help to have the services amalgamated. 5. Report of the ad hoc committee on a fall break and the academic schedule for 2015-16 Karen Grant and Chris Parker [report attached; schedule to be circulated] K. Grant explained that the ad hoc committee on a fall study break considered a range of options and explored the advantages and disadvantages to introducing a fall break at Mount Allison. The committee circulated a survey to the Mount Allison community earlier this fall and the Registrar looked at models from other universities in order to respond to previous requests by Faculty Council (in the 2013-2014 academic year) to develop a feasible schedule. The current proposed model allows for a fall break while retaining 60 teaching days per term. The proposal is for the break to occur close to Remembrance Day, since student feedback suggested that the break would be more beneficial at that point during the term (rather than at the mid-point of the semester). The winter academic schedule has also been modified so that both terms have the same number of teaching days. The committee requested that Faculty Council consider the proposal in advance of the December 4 th Senate vote on the 2015-2016 academic schedule. C. Parker discussed the models set out in the attached table. Members posed a number of questions regarding the format and the rationale for the committee s recommendation to introduce a fall break. R. Campbell introduced the motion that Faculty Council recommend to Senate that in the 2015-2016 academic year, Mount Allison University introduce a fall study break to be scheduled at or around Remembrance day. Approved by K. Grant, seconded by T. Craig. Subsequent discussion focussed on possible benefits and disadvantages to a fall study break. 2
Concerns included: the difficulty of course planning if the breaks fall in very different points of each semester; the challenges of a condensed semester and the additional pressure this may create at the end of term (with respect to the 10% maximum test grade regulation in the last 5 days of classes, for example); the impact a shortened term may have on the quality of our programming; the lack of empirical evidence to suggest that a fall break has mental health benefits; questions about how students will use the break (for research, writing and course work, or for extracurricular activities). Supporters of the initiative, including the student union, emphasized the mental health benefits of a fall break. In addition, student representatives remarked that education happens both inside and outside the classroom, and that a fall break would also offer students a useful opportunity to catch up. Members asked whether a trial adoption would be appropriate. K. Grant responded that we would then have to be able to assess the success or failure of the trial, and that it would be particularly difficult to measure the relationship between a study break and mental health. K. Grant concluded that it becomes harder to say that we should not have a break when students support the fall break and when it comes down to a difference between 60 and 62 teaching days. In other words, currently, our semesters have 62-63 teaching days. The new proposal allows for 60 teaching days. The ad hoc committee recommends the fall break in order to respond to student requests and to previous requests from Faculty Council and Senate to develop a feasible model. Vote on the motion that Faculty Council recommend to Senate that in the 2015-2016 academic year, Mount Allison University introduce a fall study break to be scheduled at or around Remembrance day. In favour: 8 Against: 11 Abstentions: 6 6. Report on revised guidelines for the President s Research and Creative Activities Fund Karen Grant [attached] The revised guidelines for the President s Research and Creative Activities Fund (PRCA) were pre-circulated. K. Grant noted that the Research and Creative Activities Committee is working on separate guidelines for various funds, and that a separate process applies to the Marjorie Young Bell funds. 3
K. Grant summarized the changes to the PRCA guidelines. One of the major changes is related to eligibility: individuals are eligible to hold a PRCA grant once every 3 years (to coincide with sabbatical leaves cycles). Previously there were no restrictions. Another major change comes under the heading of matching funding: an individual can apply to the PRCA in order to be eligible for matching funds elsewhere. The committee also modified evaluation criteria to take into account the applicant s career stage. Various other guidelines and conditions of the award, including the application deadline, have been made more explicit in the new document. During discussion, members wanted to know if the committee considered giving preference to people who only apply every 3 years, rather than implement this as a firm eligibility criterion. H. vanderleest replied that every year, there are more applicants than available funds. Other members wanted to know why Mount Allison has no fund for publishing subventions. K. Grant is working on proposal to the Marjorie Young Bell committee to fill this gap. The new PRCA guidelines will go to Senate for discussion. 7. Report on syllabus templates from Teaching and Learning - Andrew Hamilton- Wright [attached] The Provost requested that the Teaching and Learning Committee discuss syllabus templates. The committee pre-circulated a report that recommends deferring lengthy discussion pending further investigation. The aim in addressing the topic at this Faculty Council was to gauge faculty opinion. Members stated that it is unclear what problem this request is trying to solve and that faculty should have the freedom to create their own course syllabi. H. vanderleest explained that many universities have a template or a checklist in order to ensure that certain key information is on every syllabus, and that this all the more important given that the syllabus is our contract with students. He proposed that a template allows for consistent information, but still gives faculty the scope to create their own outlines. A. Hamilton-Wright responded that the Teaching and Learning Committee recognizes that developing a template, or even a checklist, is a large endeavour if we are to do it well. He added that the current shortcomings are unclear since the university calendar outlines most regulations. He also stated that the official status of the syllabus at Mount Allison is unclear: is it a contract or not? 4
R. Campbell suggested that the Provost or a dean meet with the Teaching and Learning Committee to present their rationale for syllabus templates. E. Herteis added that PCTC offers syllabus resources. 8. Report from the Chair Due to time constraints, the Chair did not deliver a report. 9. Other business None. 10. Adjournment Meeting adjourned. 5