Prerequisite Implementation Committee Summary – December 2, 2005
Present: Paul Halloran, Cynthia Thornburgh, Dan Findley, Kurt Simonds, Cecelia Guinee, Laura Massey, Amy Kelly, Linda Bastian, Len Anderson, Mary Severson, Karen Jolly, Marilyn Marshall, Mary Lane Stevens, Linda Gettman, Loretta Goldy, Nancy Casciato, Theresa Love, Diane Mulligan, Reine Thomas, Porter Raper
Subgroups reporting:
Curriculum: Proposed that two faculty (one from DE, one from Gen Ed) take on curriculum research during the winter term to investigate the potential design of outcomes/courses which could be offered at the DE level to help prepare students for Gen Ed coursework. Areas of interest included academic literacy (introducing social sciences, general humanities, for example), learning communities, and information literacy. This investigative research would lead to actual course design in the spring of ’06. Other thoughts:
- Ensure ENL is included in best practices study
- Mini-kick-off at spring in-service day
Communication:
- Proposed sending an email to SAC chairs asking about interest in their discipline teaching a 100-level course.
- Suggested finding out pre-existing channels/connections the college has to communicate prereq change to key stakeholders.
- Came up with a moniker for the prereq move for students: “It’s about success.”
- Information/marketing video
- 1 page informational document: “what’s happening with prerequisites at PCC?
- Additional communication with SACs
Student Services: Communication to students needs to start very soon, with admissions letters, MyPCC, and through advising. A letter drafted to increase awareness about the prereq move will go out from the leadership in mid-January (we went over the content of the letter with the entire group). Other ideas included:
- Anticipate increase need for placement testing
- Anticipate increase in # of transcripts needed to be evaluated
- Research how other CCs handle transfer transcripts and course/pre-req overrides
- Research # of students coming to PCC with prior credits
Research: There was an expectation that the Psychology department’s move to prerequisites would give us worries about the number of students affected; however, this turned out not to be the case. The research staff are still working on the estimated number of students, and thus the estimated number of new sections needed. The IE office will provide the committee with a one-term snapshot of the students to better understand the specific population impacted.
Winter term meetings:
- Friday, February 3rd, 9-11, room 202 at Central
- Friday, March 3rd, 9-11, room 205 at Central