At its meeting yesterday, the College Curriculum Council reviewed a pilot program to standardize course evaluation forms throughout the College and discussed concerns about Banner's effect on enrollment-limited courses.
"It's really exciting when the work of the committee results in a concrete decision, and it's even more exciting when the results get moved into action," said Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron of her hopes to have the course evaluation form ready for the end of the semester.
Currently each department designs their own course evaluation forms, which are typically handed out to students at the end of the semester for feedback. The initiative aims to introduce a single course evaluation form that could be used throughout the College and could possibly be incorporated into Banner. Some departments would participate in the pilot program this semester using the generic form designed by the council.
Concerns were raised over the large number of quantitative questions versus those asking students to provide written answers.
Luther Spoehr, a council member and lecturer in the Department of Education, said the committee was looking at "a balance between how many questions you have but also the extent to which they're overlapping."
Two versions of the form - a second draft incorporating more qualitative questions and a revised version of the current form - will be reviewed at the council's April 24 meeting.
The council also discussed strict numerical limits placed on courses with a previously undefined "enrollment-limited" label. The limits were applied for the College's upcoming use of Banner registration, as courses within Banner need to be capped at a defined size to qualify as enrollment-limited.
Members of the Council expressed concerns that students would only pre-register for enrollment-limited courses, hedging their bets on the assumption that they would be unable to join the course the next semester.
"There's a certain aspect - a big aspect - of experimentation," said University Registrar Michael Pesta. "I do think that there is some need to structure. These are things perhaps that the departments had been frustrated with all along. There has to be dialogue (between students and the administration)."
Bergeron stressed the non-binding aspect of pre-registration. "The number of students who pre-register is pretty consistent with the number of students in a class at the end of shopping period - it's just different students," she said.
The council also approved non-Banner-related course enrollment limits and course creation proposals agreed upon at the body's screening subcommittee meeting.
Bergeron also announced at the meeting that the Task Force on Undergraduate Education would hold its first meeting Thursday, April 19.
