Report of the Executive Committee

September 2010

Course Credit Resolution

Over the past two years the University has considered the potential to move to a 4-credit curriculum, with conversations spearheaded by multiple groups, including the Senate's Ad Hoc Committee on 4-Credit Courses and Curricula; the Inter-committee on 4-Credit Curriculum; and earlier contributions from the Dean's Council and the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee. Minutes from these meetings and other useful materials regarding this subject are on the Faculty Senate website at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/4-Credit_Courses_4-Credit_Curricula.htm. Given these thoughtful deliberations, the FSEC wishes to provide some closure and direction to faculty considering curricular change.

Whereas,

Each department or program's faculty are responsible for the quality of the curriculum it delivers and for the decision regarding what the role of 4-credit and 3-credit courses would play in the educational quality and outcomes delivered to students;

And Whereas,

The Senate, as representative of the faculty, is charged with responsibility to assure the academic quality of any programs proposed or delivered,

Be It Resolved That:

The Faculty Senate shall not pursue a uniform, University-wide 4-credit curricular model of education as a goal at this time. However, the Faculty Senate encourages all faculty to continue considering 4-credit options in relation to the goals appropriate to their disciplines or interdisciplinary collaborations.

The Faculty Senate encourages all faculty pursuing different credit options to evaluate their programs regarding effects on student learning (breadth and depth), impact of potential changes on other programs, neutral impact on faculty workload, and other dimensions (e.g., Academic Plan of URI and broader goals).

The Faculty Senate charges the University College and General Education (UCGE) committee with developing a proposal for a revised program of General Education that meets University accreditation standards and student learning outcomes while providing sufficient flexibility to allow for courses that have varied credit-hours.

Proposals to change curricula will continue to be reviewed through established procedures from departments and college curriculum committees, with review by the Senate's Curricular Affairs Committee (CAC) and UCGE as appropriate. The Faculty Senate expects this established process will assure that courses deliver academic content consistent with and proportional to the number of credits assigned to each course and that potential conflicts with other programs are actively identified and addressed.