TO: The Ad Hoc Committee for Innovation in Curriculum and Curriculum Support

FROM: Susan G. Harris

SUBJECT: Minutes of the Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee for Innovation in Curriculum and Curriculum Support on March 1, 2018

The Ad Hoc Committee for Innovation in Curriculum and Curriculum Support of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia met, in open session, at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 1, 2018, in the Board Room of the Rotunda. Jeffrey C. Walker, Chair, presided.

Present: Babur B. Lateef, M.D., James B. Murray Jr., and James V. Reyes

Absent: Frank M. Conner III and Thomas A. DePasquale

Robert M. Blue, Barbara J. Fried, and Margaret F. Riley were also present.

Present as well were Teresa A. Sullivan, Patrick D. Hogan, Thomas C. Katsouleas, Melody S. Bianchetto, Jonathan D. Bowen, Susan G. Harris, Donna P. Henry, Ronald R. Hutchins, Patricia M. Lampkin, W. Thomas Leback, Mark M. Luellen, Debra D. Rinker, Colette Sheehy, and Robert M. Tyler.

Archie L. Holmes Jr. was the presenter.

Mr. Walker opened the meeting. After reviewing the agenda, he said progress on the committee’s projects had been slower than he liked and that the Provost Office had agreed a project manager was needed. After reviewing the efforts underway, he gave the floor to Mr. Holmes.

Deliverables and Next Steps

Mr. Holmes said the Provost Office was working with the faculty to develop a plan for projects that have the most promise. It will be presented at the September meeting. He said the seven questions identified by the committee fall into three broad categories.

Online Education: In 2016, the Provost Office created a task force to survey the University’s online offerings. The effort identified the need to support faculty who want to develop online programs. In response, the University initiated a RFP process to select online program management vendors. This will save time since schools will not have to go through the lengthy RFP process for online program vendors.

Innovative Teaching: The University is ahead of many of its peers. More than 500 faculty have gone through the Course Design Institute. These faculty have applied what they learned to improve their courses. A committee has been created to identify other support needs. The School of Engineering and Applied Science has expressed an interest in partnering with the Center for Teaching Excellence to imbed an educational developer in the school to help faculty improve their teaching. The University will explore online options for the Course Design Institute.

Student Success After Graduation: Three paths need to be addressed: 1) How transcripts can verify specific skills; 2) How the University can provide experiences students can include on resumes; and 3) How the University can help students talk more effectively about their experiences and skills. The Career Center has a number of efforts underway. These include skill courses and Elevate, a program where alumni with arts and humanities degrees talk about the skills and knowledge one gains with these degrees and how to articulate them when applying for jobs.

Committee discussion focused on certificates. The vice rector said president-elect Ryan believes certificates should be issued for skills that are not associated with a degree program. Ms. Sullivan outlined the differences between badges, which identify non-curricular achievements, and certificates, which identify curricular achievements, such as a data science skill pursued by an English major. She said certificates typically have fewer course requirements than minors.

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The meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m.

SGH:wtl

These minutes have been posted to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors website: http://www.virginia.edu/bov/advancementandcommunicationsminutes.html