• According to Provost John Pauly, next year all Monday-Wednesday classes will be replaced with Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes in an effort to save classroom space.
• The National Survey for Student Engagement shows that variation in educational quality is more prevalent within institutions than between them.
• Edward Fallone, vice-chair of the Academic Senate, proposed the deadline for final grade entry to be pushed to Tuesday at noon from Monday at noon.

Yesterday's University Academic Senate meeting focused on changes in next fall's class schedule, the Academic Year 2007-'08 Institutional Assessment Data Report and a discussion on changes to the Grade Entry deadline.

Starting in the fall 2009 semester, the university class schedule will no longer offer hour and 15-minute Monday/Wednesday classes, according to Provost John Pauly. These classes will all be replaced with fifty minute long Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes.

Pauly said the reason for the schedule change is simply a lack of space.

"The registrar said if we continue to schedule classes in the way that we have, we will be short classrooms in the upcoming years," he said.

The administration is currently working with different departments that are expressing particular concerns over the changes. Pauly said the university couldn't afford to continuously build new classrooms.

"We're not going for a perfect schedule, but we are going for a schedule that fits the physical limitations we have," Pauly said.

Institutional Assessment

Margaret Bloom, vice provost for undergraduate programs and teaching, gave a report on the Academic Year 2007-'08 Institutional Assessment Data.

Bloom said the National Survey for Student Engagement showed that variation in educational quality is more prevalent within institutions than between them, and 90 percent of the variation in educational quality occurs among individual students on the same campus.

"Certain groups lag behind the general undergraduate population in the extent to which they are immersed in academics and campus activities," Bloom said.

She said first-generation college students and transfer students, who make up 25 percent of Marquette's undergraduate population, are significantly less likely to be engaged than their peers.

Although Marquette students rank high in applying knowledge and skills to appropriate careers or graduate studies and in exercising just, responsible and competent leadership in professional and social contexts, Bloom said there are aspects of assessment the university needs improvement in.

"We are the highest among our Jesuit peers in percentage of our students who graduate from our university without ever having a serious discussion or experience with someone from a different race or culture," Bloom said.

Grade Entry deadline

The meeting concluded with Edward Fallone, vice-chair of the Academic Senate, proposing an amendment to the Grade Entry deadline.

The current system has exams ending on Friday evening. Final grades are then due the following Monday at noon. This gives teachers fewer than three days to grade all of their students' final exams and to calculate final grades, Fallone said.

"If you have such a limited amount of time to grade students, multiple choice tests look pretty good in situations where essay final exams might be more appropriate," Fallone said.

Fallone proposed the deadline for final grade entry be pushed back to Tuesday at noon, an amendment that would give teachers an extra 24 hours to grade exams.

However, the change could mean not giving students forced to withdraw for academic reasons enough time to register for classes if they successfully appeal. Because of such issues, the Grade Entry deadline proposal has been put on hold until the next Academic Senate meeting on Jan. 26, when it will be discussed in greater detail.

Also at Monday's meeting:

 The Senate enacted the termination of five outdated majors and the Master of Arts in Teaching (Spanish) degree. Additionally, it established two new post-Masters' certificates in the College of Nursing.

 Pauly's report began with the presentation of the U.S. Professor of the Year Certificate to acknowledge the nomination of Krista Ratcliffe, chair of the English Department.