From:  Juli Eflin, UCC-Task Force II Chair

Re:      Additional Information about the development of UCC-21

1.  Meeting the Charge to UCC-Task Force II

The original Charge to UCC-Task Force II included the following:

The Task Force is directed to collect a written report from the department chairs in the distribution areas and foundation areas identifying:

1. Strengths and weaknesses of the current core courses in their areas.
2. Suggestions for improvement.

As Chair of UCC-Task Force II, I interpreted this as requiring individual reports from Chairs.  Marilyn Buck was Chair of Senate at that time and the two of us wrote a memo to Chairs asking for reports.  After the memo was sent to Chairs, the authors of the Charge to Task Force II contacted us to inform us that individual reports had not been their intent.  The authors intended that Chairs for the Foundation Courses and Chairs for the Distribution Areas were to meet, discuss and jointly produce a report.

When a group of Chairs were asked about the possibility of meeting to write a report, they clearly and directly said they did not have time to do so.  They saw the request as a duplication of the Second Cycle Assessment completed by the UCC-Subcommittee in 2002.  Further, such a task would have required Chairs to openly and in writing criticize each other's courses.

Chairs have had a considerable impact on the development of UCC-21.  Task Force members have met with departments, curriculum committees, divisions, College Chairs, Division Chairs, and with Chairs individually.  UCC-21 is a better proposed core curriculum because of this consultation.

2.  Chronology of the Development of UCC-21

The following brief chronology of the development of UCC-21 will help show that UCC-Task Force II took its charge seriously.

1. UCC-Task Force I read extensively and discussed the general education and liberal studies literature; from this background, UCC-Task Force I developed the Mission and Goals for a proposed Core Curriculum.
2. The Mission and Goals developed by UCC-Task Force I was given to Task Force II to use, with permission to make changes (UEC, APC, and Senate in fall 2003 and spring 2004).
3. UCC-Task Force II revisited the key articles from Task Force I that led to the Mission and Goals; discussed and decided to accept the work of UCC-Task Force I.  Bibliography will gladly be provide on request.
4. Task Force II reviewed the general education programs at over eighty colleges and universities.  We selected twenty-five programs to review closely.  The following factors were considered:
   
   

5. After discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the general education programs were reviewed, the Task Force was divided into four sub-groups.  Each group independently developed a possible model.
6. We reconvened, discussed all four possible models, combined and reduced until we had two possible models.
7. The Task Force disseminated the two possible models to the entire university community and began a university-wide discussion.
8. The Task Force began the first "Listening Project."  In some colleges, Task Force members met with departments to listen to what faculty liked and did not like about the possible models.  In other colleges, clusters of departments met or entire colleges gathered in one meeting.  The Task Force let colleges decide the kind of meetings to have.
9. Written reports of all meetings were reviewed by the Task Force. From the results of the Listening Project, Task Force II developed one model.
10. A second Listening Project was undertaken.  One finding was that faculty clearly wanted the Task Force to write some guidelines for Departments and the UCC-Subcommittee.  The result was a rough draft of UCC-21.
11. The rough drafts of UCC-21 and the Guidelines were posted on the Core Curriculum webpage for review and comment.
12. Task Force members met with many Chairs, either individually or in divisional meetings (CSH).  Task Force members also met with anyone who made a request.
13. In the fall of 2006, the Task Force finalized the draft of the proposed core curriculum, UCC-21, and examples of the Guidelines.  The Guidelines are to be further developed in consultation with Chairs and departments.
14. September 28, 2006, UCC-Task Force II delivered its report to Senate and posted all the documents on the Core Curriculum webpage: http://www.bsu.edu/academicaffairs/corecurriculum/