Viking_Yearbook_95

January 12, 1995 Volume 50 Issue 53 Daily Vanguard Jeff Link Senate Examines Four Credit tandard I f the PSU Faculty Senate decides to implement its plan, de­ partments across the campus will join the English department and switch to a four-credit-hour standard for classes. At a senate meeting last Monday, the faculty discussed the advantages, disadvantages, and issues swirling around the conversion for three to four hours. The senate decided to explore changing the standard throughout the university in the fall of 1994. The request to study the plan came from the administration and various departments, said PSU Provost Michael Reardon. "It wouldn't be feasible to implement it this next fall. We're looking at the fall of 1996," said Robert Tufts, registrar. The English department experimented with four-credit classes last term. They surveyed the faculty and students, and a majority support the change, said Shelly Reece, chair of the English department. "From the point of view of the faculty and students, it's thumbs up," Reece said. While some supported the change to a four-hour standard class, the conversion was not without complications that were solved along the way, Reece said. Some of the English department faculty also expressed concern about the scheduling of classes. Ray Mariels, a professor in English said he prefers to teach in two-hour blocks twice a week rather than having three classes a week with a single two-hour block because the two-hour class stands out. Increased productivity for both faculty and students is an advantage for converting to a standard of four credits, according to the Senate. Faculty would teach a total of seven credits instead of nine, meaning a decrease in the number of preparation they would need to complete. Faculty could devote more time to their preparations, said Beatrice Oshika, chair of the University Planning Council. An increase in the hours per class would also reduce the number of classes that all students would need to take each term to graduate. Undergraduates currently need to take five classes a term to achieve the 180 credits required for graduation within four years. With a four-credit-hour standard, undergraduates would only need to take four credits per term. Students would be able to devote more time to each class, Oshika said. "Tm very strongly in favor of it," said Nathan Cogan, a professor of English. "Students have an opportunity to study in depth." Increasing the number of credits for each class would decrease the total number of courses offered each term. There is concern about the trade-off between having substantial class choices and the amount of time spent in class, according to the Senate. The conversion would produce a smoother flow of students toward their degrees because they could focus more on reduced number of classes, according to the Senate. "It would give more curricular coherence... instead of 60 different classes there would be 45 focused classes," Oshika said. Among departments, op­ inion varies concerning how much contact is best between professors and students in a week. Many departments and faculty are concerned about the proposed change. The Senate debated whether or not the conversion to a four hour credit standard should be voluntary or mandatory. A majority of the faculty believes there should be a degree of flexibility in the conversion. "All choices should be left to the discretion of the departments, Oshika said. Senior-level classes offered in tandem with graduate-level courses are another concern, Oshika said. Scheduling night classes has also raised questions. Both faculty and students both agree that a four-hour-long night class is ergonomically unreasonable anc pedagogically unsound. "It's recognized that a four hour night class would have to go on to two nights a week," Tufts said Problems of added con gestion and parking troubles woulc have to be dealt with eventually Tufts added.