Programs Committee: School of Education

The Programs Committee met on the 15 of February. There were three main articles on the agenda. The first of which discussed was a proposal for Dance/Movement Therapy certificate. The program existed in the sixties, and was one of the most popular programs, though it died out when certain faculty left the school. A new, qualified professor, Rena Kornblum has been secured to forward the new program. Ms. Kornblum has thirty years of professional experience as a dance movement therapist. The courses will specialize on creative and expressive movement for the mental health profession. The committee approved the measure with great support and suggested that it would be a very popular program across majors.
The second course proposal was for the course EPS/IS 335 “Globalization and Education.” Its purpose is to examine the impact of globalization of education and compare how political and social aspects impact education between developed and developing country. The course was piloted in the previous semester, and was successful except for too much required readings. Appropriate changes were made and the course was approved by the committee with much excitement. The only debate centered around the ability of freshman to take the class. The course is listed in the 300 level, but will be available for every student especially for students who have not yet entered the education program but are interested in it. The department acknowledged that it will be certain to watch freshmen performance in the class, and make appropriate alterations.
The final article on the agenda was to discuss a School of Education assessment plan. The plan was last updated in June 2003. The committee hopes to increase awareness of the plan, and to increase frequency of updates. The discussion highlighted the need for an assessment plan, because lately there have been different mentions of standards for higher education. As educators are constantly checking what their students are learning, and their own performance, and by creating a public assessment, both students and the community will benefit. The mention of the plan was noted, and the department heads all agreed to take the project on. The meeting closed with a lot of excitement for the future programs and was dismissed.