Proposed Charge to Instruction, Curricula
and Advising Committee
on Winter Session Time
Frame
[Submitted to Senate Executive Committee January 2007 by the ICAC]
The Senate Instruction, Curricula, and Advising
Committee
has issued several reports regarding Winter Session [October 2000; March 2004]
which
were approved by the University Senate
These reports and recommendations focused primarily
on
pedagogical issues stemming from offering what are in most cases
3-credit
courses within a highly constricted time frame.
While the Senate recommendations were accepted by the University
Administration, the implementation of these recommendations has varied
greatly
among campuses and schools. Some have
been scrupulous in adhering to the recommendations while others have
virtually
ignored them.
Despite the recognized problems with Winter
Session courses,
there is no doubt that they meet a need and have a potential that is
not always
realized to be a valuable component of the Rutgers
educational experience. As most problems
stem from the current highly restricted time frame in which Winter
Session
courses are offered--for example this year Newark
and Camden
offered a 10-day Winter Session—it is proposed that the Instruction,
Curricula,
and Advising Committee be charged to:
Examine
how other institutions offering intersession
programs have dealt with the time constraint issue and offer
recommendations on
how Rutgers may adapt its programs so
as to
best meet student needs while maintaining acceptable pedagogical
standards.