Educational Policy Committee

The CBS Educational Policy Committee (EPC) is a constitutionally authorized committee whose general charge is to oversee the educational endeavors of the College and acts advisory to the Dean.  (See the Excerpt from the CBS Constitution at the end of this document.)

The Committee is a resource for steering the College in its curricular activities.  With this in mind, the Committee’s time should be spent on forward-looking, proactive planning as well as providing course and program approvals from departments. It is expected that the EPC’s analyses, reviews, and discussions of educational issues will lead to proactive recommendations from EPC to bring about positive change both at the College and University level.

In the past number of years, the time of the Committee has been overwhelmed by the details of its responsibilities, so the following changes are recommended:

Priorities for the Education Policy Committee

With time the ultimate limitation in all this Committee can accomplish, the following priorities should guide the Committee’s work:

1. Annually, the Committee should look at undergraduate education issues that have been raised by the faculty, students, or staff of the College or by groups in the larger University in the past year and decide which issues it will concentrate on in the current year.  As appropriate, the Committee should set up subcommittees to research issues and bring recommendations to the Committee.
2. Annually, the Committee should look at undergraduate issues it believes to be important or on the horizon and decide which of these issues it will concentrate on in the current year. 
3. On a monthly basis, the Committee should review courses and programs presented to it for approval, however, the more routine course approvals and minor program changes will be dealt with by either the Associate Dean or by a small subcommittee assigned to work on just these approvals. EPC should be sent reports by the Associate Dean or subcommittee about the approvals, but EPC should spend its time discussing larger issues such as how the course fits with programs and the College vision, not details like correct number of characters in the name, appropriateness of prerequisites, proper filling out of the form, etc.
4. As required by events, the Committee must be ready to react to changes in University policies, programs, or procedures with the goal to maintain and promote educational excellence in the College and University.
5. As needed, the Committee should appoint subcommittees to perform specific tasks or to gather the information and write recommendations for the Committee to consider.
6. The work of the EPC will be chronicled in a Meeting Summary written by the secretary of the Committee and reviewed and approved by two of its members.  The summary will be forwarded to the Committee but not be an item of business.

Issues addressed by the CBS Educational Policy Committee

Academic Oversight of CBS courses and curriculum

1. Analysis, review, and approval of new undergraduate courses and changes to existing courses.
2. Analysis, review, and approval of CBS Major and Minor programs
3. Review the process of analysis, review, and approval of courses and programs.
4. Suggestions to departments/College of new courses/programs to consider for filling perceived holes in our  curriculum.
5. Evaluation and promotion of directed research
6. Analysis and action on logistical Issues relating to courses

• Use of appropriate course designators
• Information for class schedules
• Course scheduling
• Policies for low enrollment courses
• Cross-listed courses

Academic Oversight of CBS Undergraduate Student Life

1. Admission

   • Review of entrance/transfer requirements

   • Evaluation of dated credits & other problems for returning students

   • Evaluation of credit for similar courses

   • Appropriate allotment of Advanced Placement credit for introductory courses

   • Problems associated with increasing student number

2. Roles of student services
3. Faculty mentoring of students
4. Review of student surveys
5. Review of teaching evaluations (both general review of the process, “forms”, timing, and participation, and aggregate review of instructional success in the College.)

Promotion of Excellence in Undergraduate Education in CBS

1. Discussions of College programs, policies, and events that affect CBS undergrads
   • Honors program
   • Research opportunities
   • Internship opportunities
   • Faculty workload
   • Student-body size
   • Faculty recruitment/searches, retirement 
2. Discussions of university programs and policies that affect CBS undergrads
   • Effects of other units scheduling exams outside of class time
   • Discussion of changes in University policy:  minimum credit rule, CLE requirements, etc
   • Grade distribution
   • Residency requirements
   • Examination of the relationship of CBS courses to biology-oriented courses from other units (Women’s Studies, Anthropology, etc.)
3. Communicating with other CBS committees and groups to promote excellence in undergraduate teaching
4. Discussions of how instructional improvement of instructional faculty/staff can be promoted and achieved through program offerings, professional development activities, and teaching assignments.

Excerpt from the CBS Constitution concerning the role of the Educational Policy Committee:

B. Educational Policy Committee

The duties of the Educational Policy Committee shall be to:

a. Review continuously immediate and long-range goals of the College with reference to academic matters. The resources required to implement these goals should be communicated to the Dean and the Consultative Committee.

b. Deal with all curricular matters associated with the institutional goals of the College and its responsibilities to other academic units. Routine curricular matters may be delegated to appointed subcommittees. Curricular matters include the approval of new courses, approval for dropping a course, changes in the graduation requirements of the College, and changes in major requirements within the College.

c. Appoint such subcommittees as are essential to achieve these objectives.

One faculty member shall be selected by each department of the College to serve on this committee for a term of three years. Two undergraduate student members shall be named by the College of Biological Sciences Student Board. Two graduate students shall be selected from the College.  The collegiately budgeted academic administrative/professional staff shall elect one representative. The non-faculty members shall serve for one year but can be reelected for additional terms.

The Director of the General Biology Program, the Assistant or Associate Dean responsible for undergraduate affairs, the Director of Student Services, and the Director of Instructional Services shall be non-voting members of the committee. In instances where the Directors of Undergraduate Studies of the departments in the College are not serving as faculty representatives, those individuals shall be invited to participate as non-voting members. The chairman of the committee shall be elected each year by the committee from among its voting faculty members.  The chair may appoint other persons to serve on this committee as non-voting members.