Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Program Collaboration and Transfer
Computer and Information Systems Discipline/Department
PROPOSED AGENDA FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Hinckley, MN

Miscellaneous Talking Points

My own inclination for the collaboration/transfer process is that attempting to transfer courses on a one-to-one basis makes about as much sense as trying to translate something from Spanish into English on a word-by-word basis. Instead, we want to look at entire programs and see how those 2-year programs can blend easily into a 4-year program. An excellent (although perhaps not perfect) model would be the B.A.S. articulation agreement that MSU has with Minnesota West.

In looking at transfer issues, our highest priority should be to provide a seamless transition for those students who have completed a 2-year degree at a MnSCU school and who are now looking to move to a 4-year MnSCU school. This is not to say that students who transfer from a 2-year school after 1 year are not important, but I think our highest priority should be to accommodate the students who have completed the 2-year program. (This same rationale would mean a "lesser" priority for students transferring from a 4-year school to a 2-year school, from one 4-year school to another, etc.)

The 2-year faculty generally have an excellent understanding of the requirements of the business community in terms of employment opportunities for the graduate of a 2-year school. It does not make sense to disrupt this excellence in order to facilitate transfer. Instead, we should be looking at how a particular group of upper-division courses can be identified that, when coupled with the 2-year degree, will constitute an appropriate 4-year major.

One-to-one course transfers may be needed for transfers which do not involve students who have completed a 2-year program. This information is generally already available at the various MnSCU institutions. It should be consolidated in a single location, with Web access.

The October meeting notes posed the question: Is it a lack of trust of the quality that is preventing system-wide agreements? I do not believe that this is the case. I would suggest, though, that some people do not clearly understand the mission of the 2-year and 4-year programs. As a result, there is a lack of understanding relative to the expected content of various courses.

Also from the October meeting: Is the ACM standard curriculum for a four-year computer science degree something that should be implemented partly at the 2 year and partly at the 4 year institutions? My response to this is a resounding, "No." This is not designed for a 2-year school and to force the 2-year schools into this model makes no sense.

The ideas from the April meeting seemed grand at the time, but I think that they are generally not something that can be implemented. For example, is there any chance at all that all of the MnSCU departments could agree on which courses would be 3-credits and which would be 4-credits? I think that we need to simply focus on solutions that can be implemented.

If we are going to have a central website that would provide all students with comprehensive transfer information, WHICH WE SHOULD HAVE, then there is going to be a need to fund a position that will take care of maintaining and updating this information.

 

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Program Collaboration and Transfer
POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Department/Discipline Lead Faculty Facilitator

Reports To: Office of the Chancellor, Program Transfer and Collaboration Liaison

Position Responsibilities:

1. Keep abreast of transfer issues/problems within the department/discipline.
2. Develop a plan for addressing identified transfer issues and lead in the accomplishment of the plan.
3. Conduct research on transfer issues/problems and disseminate research findings as necessary.
4. Establish and maintain communications with Minnesota State College and University faculty within the department/discipline and the Office of the Chancellor.
5. Develop and gather curriculum resources (e.g., course outlines) and discipline/department benchmarks that are made accessible via the web to Minnesota State College and University faculty.¹
6. Develop agendas for the department/discipline meetings.
7. Encourage Minnesota State College and University two-year college and state university faculty participation and attendance at department/discipline meetings.
8. Organize and facilitate the department/discipline meetings.
9. Keep accurate records/notes of the department/discipline meetings.
10. Act as monitor of the department/discipline listserv.
11. Provide a written monthly progress report to the Office of the Chancellor and a final progress report on or before June 30, 2004; provide oral reports on the same as necessary.
12. Other duties as assigned by the Program Transfer and Collaboration Liaison.

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Cornell's Notes

¹ I do not believe that this is practical. (It is a great idea ... just not practical.)