Present: K. Kelly, C. Trovato, P. Beeson, T. Waters, S. Lyon, A. Silvestre, S. Sereika, A. Blair, and J. Erlen

Topic Discussion/Action

Call to order The meeting of the Educational Policies Committee was called to order at 12:05 pm by J.A. Erlen.

Approval of minutes The minutes from the meeting of November 27, 2007 were approved.

Upgrade to new version of Blackboard The Committee was briefly apprised of the issues that had been raised by faculty regarding the changeover to the upgraded version of Blackboard beginning with the Spring 2008 term. Some of the issues included: courses older than two years have to be rebuilt; "G" grades need to be cleaned up by the end of the Spring 2008 term as the older technology will no longer be available given the server space required; older courses need to be rebuilt this term even if one is not teaching them; who was responsible for making the change to the new version of Blackboard; the transition was abrupt; reasons why the updated system was adopted; etc. The Committee members did note that the CIDDE staff and the training sessions have been very helpful with this transition. However, there was a need for more lead time, as well as a need to keep the old server operating for longer than this term. The Committee decided to invite Drs. Diane Davis and Nick Laudato from CIDDE to provide additional information about the change to the new version of Blackboard and to have a discussion with them about how to proceed going forward when there are other Blackboard upgrades. J. Erlen will follow-up with CIDDE regarding their availability to attend the February 26, 2008 meeting. (Note: A request was sent to CIDDE and a follow-up e-mail to Committee members that Drs. Davis and Laudato could attend the February 26, 2008 meeting.)

Policy 09-04-06: Advanced Standing Credits K. Kelly raised a question concerning the transfer of credits statement in Policy 09-04-06 Advanced Standing Credits, "The University will not refuse to consider the transfer credit based on the accreditation of the sending institution." P. Beeson explained that the University cannot deny transfer of credits if the school has Middle States accreditation. She continued by saying that courses need to be considered individually to assure that the course meets the same rigorous standards as the University of Pittsburgh and when the credits were earned to assure that the content in courses being transferred is current.

Updates from P. Beeson 1) P. Beeson provided an update on the University Calendar. She noted several issues that have been raised including: a break during the Fall term, reading period, and length of winter break (approximately 2 _ to 3 weeks). If the winter break is extended to 3 weeks, the Spring term will need to extend until early May. K. Kelly is serving as a member of the Calendar Committee. Dr. Beeson is trying to broaden the committee membership. This group will be meeting in early February and have continued discussion during the Spring term.

2) P. Beeson provided an update on the Assessment Process of the general education of the students in the various schools of the University. Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning? This year the University is requiring student learning outcomes for each program. The deans and regional campus presidents will provide a progress report by March 2 to the Provost.

3) P. Beeson provided a hand-out listing the academic planning proposals that were approved by the Provost from October 2006-November 2007. She reviewed the internal process for approval of proposals.

4) P. Beeson noted that articles in the University Chronicle have been focusing on graduate and professional education at the University of Pittsburgh.

Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 pm. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 beginning at noon in Room 826 Cathedral of Learning.

Submitted by,

Judith A. Erlen

Co-chair