COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DISCIPLINE/DEPARTMENT
Center for Teaching and Learning Conference
MEETING NOTES
Prepared By: Sharon Harvey
Facilitators:
Lee Cornell,
Karen LaPlant,
Firasat Khan,
Larry Gottschalk,
Lee Cornell was commissioned by MnSCU to lead a taskforce
to address transfer and collaboration issues for computer-related degrees
within the MnSCU system. He created such a taskforce and met with the
Computer Science and Information Discipline Steering Committee
I. Lee led a discussion on the proposal.
A suggestion was made to replace each occurrence of the word “program” with “degree” in the proposal. This change has been made on the copy at the end of these meeting notes.
Regarding part 1), articulation agreements with non-MnSCU schools can be listed, too. Also, if an articulation agreement has not been reached yet, the statement could read “An articulation agreement with such-and-such college is pending”.
The suggested catalog statement in part 1) a) could list four-year degrees other than computer related ones. For example, a two-year degree in Office Systems may transfer to a four-year business degree.
The suggested catalog statement in part 1) b) would be used if there were no bachelor’s degree match for a two-year degree or if it was not the intent of the two-year degree to prepare students for the completion of a four-year degree.
These statements would be optional for certificate programs, e.g., Internet Web Development.
Perhaps a two-year school would be inclined to expand their offerings in order to aid in an articulation agreement with a four-year school. Also, a four-year school may be inclined to relax some of their requirements or offer more options in an effort to reach an agreement with a neighboring two-year school.
However, no two-year or four-year school would be forced to change their degree requirements or make an articulation agreement with a particular college.
Lee suggested that a time limit of say, seven years, be required from the time students received their two-year degree to the time they finished their four-year degree as defined by a particular articulation agreement. This will give students time to finish their four-year degree if they decide to work for awhile or if they can take only a few courses per year. This also allows schools to modify their articulation agreements after a certain amount of time. Changes within the discipline may require agreements to be modified over time.
Lee cited some statistics from
Since 1998:
-
638 students earned an undergraduate major in computer science.
- 77 students (12%) had previously earned either an AA or an AS.
- Only 15 of the 77 (20%) completed their BS more than five years after the awarding of the AA or AS.
A statement could also be placed in the four-year college catalogs indicating which two-year schools have articulation agreements with them, and suggesting that students check those particular schools for details on their degrees.
This proposal seemed to meet with general approval. Lee will prepare a formal proposal and distribute this to computer faculty. We were encouraged to distribute this proposal as widely as possible.
Firasat Khan passed around a sign up sheet and collected our e-mail addresses.
II. Lee brought up the subject of online courses.
There has been increasing interest in online courses. What should be done about duplicate online courses? Does a MnSCU school need to develop a particular online course if there already exists one within the system?
How do we divvy up the credits between colleges? Maybe they could be divvied up based on zip code.
We can’t compete with online campuses, like the
Perhaps instructors could collaborate on online courses. For example, one credit of the course could go to an instructor to outline a learning plan, one credit to the one who answers student online questions, one or two credits to the one who develops the media portion, etc.
Online courses are similar to independent study classes,
with one instructor needing to deal individually with the students online
or through some other measure.
Lee will also be distributing to computer faculty a
memo he will send to MnSCU along the lines of, “As a discipline,
we are opposed to the duplicity of online courses. We feel that we
can collaborate on this to avoid duplicity of classes.” We would
like MnSCU to approach us as a discipline asking us to establish a collaboration
for
Our meeting adjourned at
COMPUTER
SCIENCE AND INFORMATION
DISCIPLINE STEERING COMMITTEE
PROPOSAL
1) Every 2-year school with a computer-related department/degree should state one of the following in their catalog, for each degree:
a) This degree prepares a student to finish a BS (or BA or BAS) in Computer Science (or some other degree) at the following 4-year colleges:b) This degree does not have an articulation agreement with a 4-year college. [or This degree does not apply to a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.]
2) The 200-or-300-level question will not be addressed. With the block transfer of a 2-year degree, content is all that matters.
3) The articulation agreement should list requirements that the students need to meet for the bachelor’s degree. Equivalencies of courses from the 2-year degree do not need to be listed in this agreement.
4) Individual course equivalencies between 2-year and 4-year schools should be posted on those colleges' web sites, for those students who transfer without having completed a 2-year degree.
Commentary: This proposal allows for a clear and easy transition from a completed 2-year degree to a 4-year degree. Students who are transferring between MnSCU institutions with less than a 2-year degree will have coursework transfers handled on an ad hoc basis. Individual institutions can choose to articulate individual course transfers, as each feels to be most appropriate.
Attached are the notes from the Task Force meeting
and a copy of the BAS agreement between Minnesota West and
Task Force Members
Lee Cornell, MN State,
Sharon Harvey, Normandale
Heather Hohenstein, Vermilion
Jim Richards,
Jim Smieja, MN West