Items Referred by Senate

Board of Governors - APPENDIX V - March 26, 1998

FOR APPROVAL

  1. A Reorganization of Continuing Studies, Mediated Learning, and Instructional Technology Resources

    Recommended: Subject to Senate approval (March 20), that the responsibility for the activities of the Division of Continuing Studies and for University-wide instructional technology support be removed from the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning.

    and

    That academic responsibility for the development, offering, and ongoing monitoring of all diploma and certificate programs currently managed by the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning be transferred at the earliest opportunity to the relevant Faculty or Faculties. These programs should be developed and reviewed by Faculty EPCs. Non-credit courses should be coordinated through and offered by Continuing Studies. Enrolment in Certificate and Diploma program courses will be included in Faculty statistics for planning purposes and Enrolment Contingent Funding. Where no Faculty wishes to assume responsibility for a program, it will be discontinued.

    __________________________

    Removal of Continuing Studies and University-wide instructional technology support from the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning will result in the following:

    a) The Western Centre for Continuing Studies will be established as a cost-recovery unit reporting to the Vice-Provost with responsibilities for non-degree-credit courses, the Trois-Pistoles French Immersion Program, and, in cooperation with academic Faculties, certificate and diploma programs (where such programs are not offered solely by the Faculty)

    b) The Instructional Technology Resource Centre (ITRC) will be established within Information and Technology Services (ITS) as a University-wide support service with responsibilities for:

    c) A single position of Coordinator of Summer and Distance Studies will be established, reporting to the Vice-Provost, with the following responsibilities:

    d) Use of the term "Mediated Learning" will be ended and replaced with "Distance Studies" and the responsibilities for Distance Studies will be allocated as follows:

    Background:

    With the creation of the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning (FoCOL) responsibility for the various activities of the Faculty of Part-Time and Continuing Education were reassigned: summer credit courses are now coordinated from the Office of the Registrar; non-degree credit courses, a number of certificate and diploma programs, mediated learning courses, off-campus credit courses, and the Trois-Pistoles French Immersion Program are within the Division of Continuing Studies in the new Faculty of Communications and Open Learning. Finally, the task of developing a university-wide resource for the development and support of applications of information technology to instruction was assigned to FoCOL.

    The experience of the past year suggests that the interests of the Division of Continuing Studies, the Instructional Technology Resource Centre and the new Faculty would be better served if the University wide resources were clearly identified as central functions rather than attached to FoCOL. This assertion derives from the following observations:

    1. An identity problem. On the one hand, the University and the external community find it difficult to understand the rationale for locating the continuing studies operation for the entire University within a single academic Faculty. On the other hand, many members of FoCOL itself are uncomfortable with University-wide support units being associated with the new Faculty; the struggle to establish a clear academic vision and identity provides sufficient challenges without the added puzzle of incorporating these functions.

    2. Budgetary issues. Continuing Studies (CS) was established as a cost-recovery unit but a thorough exploration of the financial operations has revealed that its programs had been heavily subsidized by the University operating budget in recent years. The restructuring of CS in pursuit of a cost-recovery operation has thus proven more challenging than originally anticipated. FoCOL staff have often been drawn away from their primary duties to support of CS activities; CS staff sometimes have been distracted from their urgent responsibilities by the challenge of administrative coordination with FoCOL staff. It would be far less complicated to set and manage budgetary goals for the CS program if it was an independent unit.

    3. Operational issues. The Dean, faculty, and staff of FoCOL are faced with the important challenges of developing a new Faculty with a distinctive mission and vision, nurturing a new undergraduate program, and sustaining three important graduate programs. The functions of Continuing Studies and the Instructional Technology Resource Centre are quite distinct from these central academic objectives, important in their own right but consuming time and energy. The task of successfully reorganizing the operations of CS and the ITRC has proven greater than anticipated and could impede the evolution of the new Faculty.

    4. Mediated Learning. A number of substantial operational problems in the summer of 1997 led to the establishment of an internal review of the unit's operations. Here, as with other operations within CS, major reorganization appears to be required if the operation is to deliver courses effectively to off-campus students and take advantage of modern information technology. Such reorganization will of necessity involve units across campus. It now is clear that such efforts will be difficult to coordinate as long as Mediated Learning is attached to FoCOL.

    The first full year of operation of the new Faculty, with its research and education focus on information and media studies, suggests that its potential contributions to the University may well exceed even original high expectations. Continuing Studies provides Western with a unique and important vehicle to bring the expertise and knowledge of the University to the general and professional community. With the rapid expansion of information technology and connectivity and the decline in interest in the traditional off-campus format, the feasibility and value of distance studies increases. Students and instructors, both on-campus and in distance courses, require innovative and reliable support in the development of information technology applications. The organizational model approved by Senate with the creation of FoCOL, envisaged these diverse functions as elements of a single organization. This vision appeared optimal at the time but developments and experience of the past year suggest that the interests of all would be bettered served by an alternate organizational arrangement.

    Diploma and Certificate programs are an important subset of the Continuing Studies program at Western. They stand out because, although a successful graduate is not granted a degree, they are issued a diploma or certificate that entails a lesser but formal academic credential with the University's imprimatur. In addition, these programs involve a mix of non-credit courses and others that are part of Western's normal undergraduate offerings. Over the years, diploma and certificate programs have been developed in Art Therapy, Women's Issues, Health Promotion, Addiction Studies, Case Management, Palliative Care, and Second Language Instruction. As can be inferred from the program titles Western's Faculties, to a greater or lesser extent, include expertise that is relevant to these programs. However, a close connection of approval and regular review does not exist between Continuing Studies and these certificate and diploma programs. Given that these programs involve the granting of a formal academic credential by the University of Western Ontario, they will be developed and sustained by the relevant Faculty or Faculties to ensure their academic content and quality.

    At a meeting held on February 18,1998, the Council of the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning solidly endorsed the reorganization described above.

  2. Change of the Name of the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning to the Faculty of Information and Media Studies

    Recommended: Subject to Senate approval (March 20), that the name of the Faculty of Communications and Open Learning be changed to the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, effective immediately, given the elimination of the responsibility for the activities of the Division of Continuing Studies and for University-wide instructional technology support.

    Background:

    The change of name of the Faculty was approved by the Council of the Faculty on February 18, following discussions of several possibilities. The Faculty believes that Information and Media Studies accurately and concisely communicates the mission and vision of the new Faculty. It is important that the name change be authorized by Senate and the Board of Governors at the earliest opportunity so that advertisements for faculty recruitment can carry the new Faculty name.

  3. Code of Behavior for Use of Computing Resources and Corporate Data

    Recommended: That the current Policy 1.13 -- Code of Conduct re University Data and Physical Resources -- be withdrawn and replaced by a new Code of Behavior for Use of Computing Resources and Corporate Data shown in Annex 1, as recommended by Senate.

    Background:

    This policy was recommended to Senate by the Senate Committee on Information Technology and Services (SCITS) and, with some amendments, approved by Senate on February 20. The new policy addresses the need seen by SCITS and its Campus Computing Security Subcommittee to clarify the responsibilities of users who have access to the University's computing resources or corporate data, as well as establishing processes by which abuse of the system can be addressed and appeals of disciplinary sanctions can be heard.

    The current policy is attached as Annex 1-A.

FOR INFORMATION

  1. New Operating Principles for Continuing Studies at Western

    Subject to Senate endorsement (March 20, 1998), the following Operating Principles for Continuing Studies will be established.

    A New Set of Operating Principles for Continuing Studies

    1. Continuing Studies operations must be self-funding.

    2. All Continuing Studies courses and programs must have a connection with the academy.

    Background:

    Within the Faculty of Part-Time and Continuing Education, continuing studies programs (non-degree credit courses, including diploma and certificate programs administered by the central University) followed a simple operating principle -- ascertain the needs of the external community and strive to meet them. Pursuit of this principle resulted in the development of a wide range of programs, from special interest courses in music, the arts and social sciences, through basic practical courses in word processing software, to continuing education courses for the professional community. The Faculty was more or less successful in meeting the needs of the community external to the University with these programs and the offerings have expanded to the point that Western in recent years has offered a large number and broad array of courses that speak to the interests and needs of much of London and region. These programs have been supported by a substantial staff complement.

    At the same time, a singular operating imperative to respond to community needs has resulted in the development of a Continuing Studies program that features two troubling characteristics. First, although many of the courses and programs have a connection to Western's faculty and academic programs, many others were developed without the active and/or continuing involvement of the academy. Many offerings are developed and taught by those outside of the University with little or no involvement of members of Western beyond the staff of Continuing Studies. Second, although many programs have generated adequate revenue, overall the continuing studies program has not been self funding and therefore has been heavily subsidized by the University operating budget.

    Western's core educational and research programs cannot afford to subsidize Continuing Studies. Financial issues aside, Western's programs in continuing studies should reflect the interests and expertise of the academy. The following recommendations are intended to recognize these points at the same time as they provide new directions for Continuing Studies at Western that will support and enhance its ability to achieve the valuable objective of serving the wider community through non degree credit and professional development programs that are in tune with the University's broader academic strengths and objectives.

    The adoption of this set of guidelines will inevitably result in a decline in the number and range of Continuing Studies at Western but will assure that those offered will reflect the nature and quality of the activities of the academy and will not draw resources away from the University's core functions.

  2. 1997-98 Winners of The Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching

    The winners of The Edward G. Pleva Award for Excellence in Teaching for 1997-1998: Mark A. Cheetham, Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Arts; Rebecca Coulter, Division of Educational Policy Studies, Faculty of Education; Jane M. Howell, Richard Ivey School of Business, and Don Morrow, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences.

  3. 1997-98 Winner of The Marilyn Robinson Award for Excellence in Teaching

    The winner of The Marilyn Robinson Award for Excellence in Teaching for 1997-98 is Jane E. Leney, Department of French, Faculty of Arts.

  4. 1998-99 Admission Policy and Practices

    Subject to Senate approval (March 20, 1998) the First-Entry Undergraduate Programs Admissions Policy and Practices, as outlined in Annex 2 will be reaffirmed. For two years, the University has maintained the practice of setting first-entry admissions standards of 75% for entering )AC students as the general criterion. This reflects a commitment to achievement rather than enrolment numbers as the basis for setting first-year entry figures.

  5. Rate of Promotion/Tenure and Time to Promotion/Tenure

    A chart detailing the rate of promotion/tenure and time to promotion/tenure by gender is contained in Annex 3.

  6. LLB/BESc Concurrent Degree Program

    A limited enrolment concurrent degree program will be introduced by the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Engineering Science, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, leading to the LLB and the BESc degrees after six years of academic studies. Mechanical Engineering and Law will be listed as a fourth option (Option D) in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Students entering second year Mechanical and Materials Engineering will be eligible to apply for this program in September 1998.

  7. HBA/LLB Concurrent Degree Program

    Subject to Senate approval (March 20, 1998) the Richard Ivey School of Business, in conjunction with the Faculty of Law, will offer a concurrent HBA/LLB program, effective September 1, 1998. The program will be administered jointly by the two HBA/LLB Program Directors.

  8. BSc Honors Program in Computer Science with Software Engineering Specialization

    A Bachelor of Science program in Honors Computer Science with Software Engineering Specialization will be introduced in the Faculty of Science, effective September 1, 1997.

  9. "Communicative Disorders" Program and Courses Renamed "Communication Sciences and Disorders"

    The Preparatory Year program and courses offered by the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Faculty of Health Sciences are to be renamed from "Communicative Disorders" to "Communication Sciences and Disorders" in the academic calendar. The name change for the program and the degree is designed to ensure thoroughness and consistency throughout the preparatory and graduate segments of the program.

  10. Withdrawal of the Post Diploma (Degree Completion) Program in Physical Therapy

    The Post Diploma (Degree Completion) Program in Physical Therapy has been withdrawn. Since the mid 1970s, a degree in Physical Therapy has been a requirement for licensure. The Post Diploma (Degree Completion) program in Physical Therapy was established at UWO in 1976 to enable physiotherapists with diplomas to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy. Since then only 19 students have completed the program. The last intake of students was in 1986 and the last student to graduate did so in 1992. Due to the obvious lack of interest and the diminishing number of diploma holders requesting upgrading, the program is being eliminated.

  11. Report of the Academic Colleague

    The Report on the 239th meeting of the Council of Ontario Universities is contained in Annex 4.

  12. Announcements

    Appointments:

    Faculty of Science
    M. Owen, Associate Dean (Academic Affairs), January 1, 1998 - June 30, 2001

    Faculty of Social Science
    C.A. Creider, Acting Chair, Department of Anthropology, July 1, 1998 - April 30, 1999

    Decanal Selection Committees:

    Selection Committee for a Dean of the Faculty of Arts
    Elected by Senate: K. McQuillan, A. Pearson, S. Pepper
    Elected by Faculty: J. Bell, C. Brown, S. Butler, A. Purdy, T. Rajan
    Ex Officio: W. Bridger, G. Moran (Chair)

    Selection Committee for a Dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
    Elected by Senate: A. Belcastro, N. Petersen, L. Swartzman
    Elected by Faculty: D. Banting, D. Grant, V. Hachinski, M. Karmazyn, R. Kline
    Ex Officio: W. Bridger, G. Moran (Chair)

    Selection Committee for a Dean of the Faculty of Science
    Elected by Senate: J. Floryan, E. Gillese, R. King
    Elected by Faculty: M.E. Fleet, D. Hunter, M-A. Lachance, T. Luke, A. Weedon
    Ex Officio: W. Bridger, G. Moran (Chair)