British Columbia Earth Science Articulation Committee Meeting – May 28, 2009

University of Victoria

Minutes

1. Introduction:

Stan Dosso and Kimberly Smith-Jones from the University of Victoria 's School of Earth and Ocean Sciences welcomed the delegates. The meeting was called to order by Steve Earle at 9:00 am.

Present:

Regrets: Robbie Dunlop (SFU), TRU

2. MOTION: Adopt the agenda: (Tark/Terry) – carried

3. MOTION: Approve minutes from 2008 meeting: (Dave/Stan) – carried

4. Matters arising from the minutes:

a. Robbie is pursuing the revised transfer grid for posting on the BCCAT website (see item 5d. below).

b. Core and supplementary outcomes for geology to be updated online and discussed next year.

c. There was a discussion about grading schemes and scaling grades.

ACTION ITEM: Everyone should submit their grading scales to Robbie for inclusion on the website.

5. Chair's report (Steve Earle):

a. Robbie is a new Post-secondary Faculty Representative to the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer. She has placed links to BCCAT reports on the website.

b. There is an opening for the System Liaison Person on the Articulation Committee

ACTION ITEM: Please forward suggestions for suitable candidates to Robbie.

c. Discussion of information posted on the website on field trip liability. There is a need to be proactive. Waivers, while known to “not stand up in court”, are nevertheless part of due diligence by an instructor.

ACTION ITEM: Mark Smith is working on an online version of a generic field trip waiver for the website.

d. Robbie is coordinating with Mike Winseman at BCCAT to reformat and repost our transfer grid on the BCCAT website.

MOTION: Accept the Chair's Report: (Kevin/Dave) – carried.

6. Discussion items:

a. Articulation and Transfer of Remote and Web-based Science Lab Curriculum, a BCcampus Project. (Note: discussion of this item was delayed until after the Institutional Reports due to the late arrival of Penny Le Couteur, but it is minuted as per its order in the Agenda). Penny Le Couteur ( plecoute@capilanou.ca ) is writing a discussion paper for BCcampus on developing a set of guidelines for non-face-to-face science labs in physics, chemistry, biology, geology, after which a forum will be held to OK their adoption at the provincial level. She is completing a literature review, a discussion paper for circulation by end of June 2009, and draft guidelines by the end of September 2009. There was discussion of types of lab exercises (e.g., online data sets, lab kits, borrowed equipment, remotely-controlled equipment) and a request for input.

MOTION: That the BC Earth Science Articulation Committee recognizes the importance of developing criteria to evaluate remote and web-based laboratory portions of science courses for articulation purposes and thus supports the BCcampus applied research project “Articulation and Transfer of Remote and Web-based Science Lab Curriculum”: (Penny/Mary Lou) – carried.

b. Lab manuals. Jenny asked for information on a new one-term lab book for physical geology. The ensuing discussion centred on the availability of custom printings of parts of existing lab manuals from publishers such as Pearson. Some publishers even allow you to add your own sections.

7. Institutional reports (in order of presentation): Most of the reports are posted on the website and that information is not repeated here unless there was significant discussion.

ACTION ITEM: Please email your report to Robbie for posting on the website if you have not already done so.

The following additional notes were taken by Mary Lou during the oral reports:

UBC (Mary Lou Bevier) Ground will be broken for a new building in early 2010 and the building will be ready for occupancy in 2012. Members of the Articulation Committee had the following suggestions for outdoor exhibits to be associated with the new building: things for kids to climb on, large feldspar or zeolite crystals (lots of holes for climbing in the latter), additional outcrop peels (e.g., the existing ‘jelly roll'), a glass elevator with a vertical stratigraphic section visible all the way up, and an outdoor stratigraphic section and/or outcrops that can be mapped.

Kwantlen Polytechnical University (John Martin) Enrollment is down a little. A Minor in Geography is now offered. John will be on Ed Leave in 2009-2010 to complete a groundwater research project. Twins Micah (Latin for ‘twinkle') and Jasper (Persian for ‘guardian of treasure'; also John's grandfather's name) Martin were born on June 5, 2008 – congratulations!

Capilano University (Jenny Getsinger) Fall 2009 may be Jenny's last time teaching at Capilano. Dileep Athaide may come back from Ed Leave for a year to teach Natural Disasters.

Camosun College (Tark Hamilton) Geology is taught within the Chemistry department. For the first time this year, Mineralogy was taught to 16 students and Petrology to 14 students; both courses were successful.

Selkirk College (Frank Fowler) Across the college enrollments are down, so less sections of required university transfer courses in science (e.g., calculus) are being offered. Geology courses thus lose students due to scheduling challenges/course conflicts.

Douglas College (Dave Waddington) Saf Kakar and Des Wilson have retired. Ed Frey was hired as Lab Technician. Scheduling conflicts have caused some enrollment decreases such as in Natural Hazards, and alternate days/times are being tried out. Ed Frey and Mike Wilson both received awards this year.

SFU (Kevin Cameron) Field Geology II and III (EASC 306 and EASC 406, respectively) are moving to summer term to avoid the problem of marks coming in late for graduation. They will still be held at the normal dates (May and summer, respectively). The university is imposing a new scheduling policy starting in Summer 2009 which may cause scheduling problems with the other departments in Science in the fall, when there are more courses offered.

Trinity Western University (Terry Neufeldt) There were no course changes. Eleven (11) students enrolled in physical geology with an evening lab. The Dean may integrate the environmental program with geography and geology.

Langara College (Katrina Erdos) Enrollment is stable for first year courses and down a little for second year courses. A new scheduling protocol (two 2-hr blocks) has been implemented across the college, which may impact science enrollment (especially courses with longer labs).

Okanagan College (Terence Day) The merged Department of Geography & Earth and Environmental Sciences has 5 full-time faculty. A new building will be completed over the summer at the Kelowna campus. They offer a diploma program in Environmental Studies and two innovative international field courses. An upcoming challenge will be the switch to a schedule wherein the fall term starts prior to Labour Day.

Northwest Community College (Gordon Weary) An Associate of Science degree in Environmental Geosciences will be offered starting in fall 2009. First year geology will be offered at the Terrace campus in fall 2009! Two Applied Certificates (each a 1 year program) are proposed in “Environmental Geostudies” and in “Geostudies”. Students completing one or more of these certificates should be employable in government or industry jobs.

UVic (Stan Dosso) In August 2008 the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences moved into the Bob Wright Centre. Over the past several years SEOS has carried out a thorough review of its undergraduate programs, with the goal of improving/updating content with a greater emphasis on an Earth Systems Science approach, simplifying combined programs with other departments, and increasing flexibility and student choice. E nrollment has increased except in 3 rd year elective courses.

UBC-Okanagan (Dave Scott) The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences has 9 faculty of which 3 are in “geology”. By choosing appropriate electives, students can take almost enough courses to register for the Environmental Geoscience option with APEGBC. A new Minor in Earth and Environmental Sciences is now offered to Arts students. At UBC-O, a student does not have to declare their major until 4 th year.

Vancouver Island University (Steve Earle) Overall enrollment has doubled due to splitting the lecture and lab components in 1 st year. There are 7-8 enrolled in the Minor program in Earth Science. A BSc Double Minor in Geography and Earth Science has been developed. Discussions are ongoing with Geography about offering a Major in Earth Science with an emphasis on environmental geoscience, but more courses would need to be developed and there is no funding.

TRU-Open Learning Division (Steve Earle) Two online geology courses are offered. Students can start any time of the year and they are allowed 6 months to finish a course.

8. New Business: Discussion of how separating lecture and lab components of 1 st year courses affects students who transfer was deferred to “over lunch time” and was not minuted. Otherwise there was no new business.

9. Next Year's Meeting: Next year's meeting will be held in May (date to be determined) at Douglas College .

10. Election of Chair: Robbie was retained as Chair by unanimous acclamation.

11. MOTION to adjourn: (John/Mary Lou) – carried. 12:30pm.

Minutes prepared by Mary Lou Bevier.

Addendum to Minutes:

Off on the field trip – May 28, 2009