Program Proposals

• College of Education
• College of Health & Human Services
• College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics

• Program List #1
• Program List #2
• Program List #3

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

Single Subject Teacher Preparation Program - Bilingual Authorization

Justification:

To address the new mandates of the California Commission of Teaching Credentialing (CCTC) for the Bilingual Authorization (previously called the BCLAD Emphasis), the Bilingual and Multicultural Education Department (BMED) proposes the following changes.
Note: Decrease in units required

Summary of Changes:

*Delete three required BCLAD Emphasis Courses (from Existing Program):

Rationale: EDBM 171 is proposed for deletion due to lack of student enrollment. The key concepts covered in this course will be incorporated in a new course, EDBM 175, Pedagogy and Academic Language Skills in Spanish for Bilingual Educators. This course also addresses the key concepts in ENGL 1 lOA. The content in ANTH 101 will be addressed through the following courses: ETHN 100, and ETHN 11 0 or ETHN 131. The ETHN studies course coupled with EDBM 117 and EDBM 118 broaden the understanding of language and culture for the target community as specified by CCTC.

*Proposed required courses for the Bilingual Authorization:

Rationale: EDBM 172 and EDBM 175 address the CCTC requirements that students enroll in a methodology course taught in the primary language of the target community. The ETHN studies courses, as noted above, address the requirement that students have a broad and in·depth understanding of the target community.

*Change in languages authorized by department:
The old program followed the BCLAD document which stated that for Cantonese, Mandarin, Khmer, Korean and Filipino BCLAD Emphasis; passage of the CCTC BCLAD Examination Test 5 (Culture of Emphasis) AND passage of the CTC BCLAD Examination Test 6 (Language of Emphasis), or other CTC approved assessments were required.
The new program will follow the Bilingual Authorization standards which state that students have to complete methodology courses in the target language. BMED does not have the faculty to fulfill this requirement for the above languages. Students speaking one of the above languages can obtain a bilingual authorization through CCTC.

*Hours of approved work in the target language:
The old program followed the BCLAD document which states that documentation of 60 hours of approved work in the target language community is required.
The new program will follow the Bilingual Authorization standards which allows for the 60 hours of approved work in the target language community to be completed through student teaching and field experiences.

Multiple Subjects Teacher Preparation Program - Bilingual Authorization

Justification:

To address the new mandates of the California Commission of Teaching Credentialing (CCTC) for the Bilingual Authorization (previously called the BCLAD Emphasis), the Bilingual and Multicultural Education Department (BMED) proposes the following changes.

 Note: Decrease in units required

Summary of Changes:
*Delete three required BCLAD Emphasis Courses (from Existing Program):

• EDBM 171 Bilingualism in the Classroom
• EN GL IIOA Linguistic and English Language
• ANTH 101 Cultural Diversity or equivalent

Rationale: EDBM 171 is proposed for deletion due to lack of student enrollment. The key concepts covered in this course will be incorporated in a new course, EDBM 175, Pedagogy and Academic Language Skills in Spanish for Bilingual Educators. This course also addresses the key concepts in ENGL II OA. The content in ANTH 101 will be addressed through the following courses: ETHN 100, and ETHN 110 or ETHN 131. The ETHN studies course coupled with EDBM 117 and EDBM 118 broaden the understanding of language and culture for the target community as specified by CCTC.

*Proposed required courses for the Bilingual Authorization:

• ED BM 172 Introduction to Hmong Literacy (Hmong candidates)
• EDBM 175 Pedagogy and Academic Language Skills in Spanish for Bilingual Educators (Spanish candidates)
• ETHN 100 Ethnic America (Spanish and Hmong candidates)
• ETHN 110 The Asian American Experience (Hmong candidates)
• ETHN 131 La Raza Studies (Spanish candidates)

Rationale: EDBM 172 and EDBM 175 address the CCTC requirements that students enroll in a methodology course taught in the primary language of the target community. The ETHN studies courses, as noted above, address the requirement that students have a broad and in-depth understanding of the target community.

*Change in languages authorized by department:
The old program followed the BCLAD document which stated that for Cantonese, Mandarin, Khmer, Korean and Filipino BCLAD Emphasis; passage of the CCTC BCLAD Examination Test 5 (Culture of Emphasis) AND passage of the CTC BCLAD Examination Test 6 (Language of Emphasis), or other CTC approved assessments were required.
The new program will follow the Bilingual Authorization standards which state that students have to complete methodology courses in the target language. BMED does not have the faculty to fulfill this requirement for the above languages. Students speaking one of the above languages can obtain a bilingual authorization through CCTC.

*Hours of approved work in the target language:
The old program followed the BCLAD document which states that documentation of 60 hours of approved work in the target language community is required.
The new program will follow the Bilingual Authorization standards which allows for the 60 hours of approved work in the target language community to be completed through student teaching and field experiences.

NON-SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

Undergraduate Nursing Program

Justification:

Removing an "or" out of the catalog in the "Current Approved Pre-Clinical Courses." The Division of Nursing is requesting that BIO 39 and CHEM 5 be added as options to the required preclinical courses for the nursing major. The two courses were created for nursing majors and satisfy the required components. The total units should be to 29 (from 25) for the total required pre-clinical units

Post Master's School Nurse Credential Program

Justification:

The Division of Nursing Graduate Program requests that the Post Master's School Nurse Credential Program be modified to replace NURS 209 Advanced Role Development with NURS 215 Community Health Services and Policy. NURS 215 is aligned to fulfill the credentialing requirements of the School Nurse Services Credential by meeting the following Program Standards: (4) Preparation to Promote Student Health and Wellness Program, (5) The Sociocultural Context of School Nursing Program, and (7) Preparation For Health Management Responsibilities Within the School Setting.

SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES

MS in Biological Sciences

Justification:

Summary of Changes:

• Increase the number of BIO 299 units and BIO 500 units that can count toward the Master of Science degree
• Change the name of the Biological Conservation concentration to  “Ecology, Evolution and Conservation”
• Change the required courses and course offerings in the new Ecology, Evolution and Conservation concentration
• Change the required courses in the Molecular and Cellular Biology concentration
• Delete BIO 292 (Biological Concepts) course that was previously required of students in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation and students with no concentration

Increase in BIO 299 and 500 units.  The Department proposes an increase in the number of BIO 299 (Problems in Biological Sciences) units that may be counted toward the degree.  Currently, four units of BIO 299 can be counted toward the MS degree.  We propose to increase the number of BIO 299 units that can be counted toward the MS degree from four to six.  Students in the graduate program routinely complete six or more units of BIO 299 during their program but receive insufficient degree credit for this work. The proposed increase in units more accurately reflects the actual time and effort a graduate student in the Department dedicates to their thesis research.  We anticipate that the increase in BIO 299 units that may be counted toward the degree will decrease time to graduation for many of our MS students. 
In addition, the Department proposes to increase the number of BIO 500 (Master’s Thesis) units that may be counted toward the degree.  Currently, two units of BIO 500 can be counted toward the MS degree.  We propose to increase the number of BIO 500 units from two to four.  The proposed increase more accurately reflects the actual time and effort a graduate student in the Department dedicates to writing their thesis.  With these changes and a revision of course requirements (see below), the number of additional units required in each concentration will decrease from 23 to 16.

Change of name, course requirements, and course offerings in the Biological Conservation concentration. We are proposing a revision of the current Biological Conservation concentration in the MS degree program.  This proposed program change is intended to allow students to devote more time to their research (i.e., increased BIO 299 units) and to better serve the interests of students and faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences.  We propose 1) a name change in the concentration to Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, and 2) a concomitant change in the required coursework to align with the concentration’s broader scope.  As part of this process, the Department is proposing to streamline the current course offerings in the concentration by combining several courses and deleting others. This proposed program change will result in a decrease in the number of courses that students are required to take.  This will result in a net decrease in departmental resources that are allocated to graduate courses.

Change of course requirements in the Molecular and Cellular Biology concentration. We are proposing a reduction of the course requirements for the Molecular and Cellular Biology concentration in the MS degree program.  This reduction in course requirements is intended to allow students to devote more time to their research (i.e., increased BIO 299 units).  This proposed program change will result in a decrease in the number of courses that students are required to take but increase the number of units for research.  This will result in a net decrease in departmental resources that are allocated to graduate courses.

Deletion of BIO 292 (Biological Concepts). BIO 292 (Biological Concepts) is proposed for deletion because the key concepts covered in this course will be incorporated in the revised course offerings under the new Ecology, Evolution and Conservation concentration.

These Master’s degree curricular changes are comparable to graduate course, research, and thesis unit requirements in other Biological Sciences MS degree programs at our sister CSU institutions.

BA and BS in Biological Sciences

Justification:

The biological sciences encompasses a set of dynamic and rapidly changing disciplines including the health sciences, organismal biology, ecology, evolution, and molecular/cellular biology. Until recently, our program was designed in the "old school" format, which treated these fields as largely separate and free-standing. However, it has become increasing clear, particularly in the past 10 years, that this approach is increasingly at odds with the way the discipline is taught at other major universities, and is unable to adequately prepare our students for the evolving job market. In particular, major advances in the field of molecular biology have infused the other fields in the discipline to such an extent that a substantive response is critical for our program to remain current and relevant. Therefore, the Department of Biological Sciences is proposing a major curriculum restructuring and revision, a process that has not taken place in over 30 years.

At the heart of the revision was the idea that student learning outcomes should drive all curricular changes. To revise and update these, we engaged in a "backward design" process that identified the current trends in the various disciplines, the major themes that span them, and the needs of employers who hire our students and graduate programs and professional schools that provide them post-baccalaureate training. Throughout this process, the faculty in the Department engaged in thoughtful discussions and generated what they felt was a solid set of student learning outcomes that was current, focused, and flexible enough to accommodate changes in the field for at least several years.

This process was initiated with the revision of the lower division major's curriculum (Bio 1 & Bio 2), which were implemented in the 2006-2007 academic year. The current proposal outlines six concentrations, five of which are modified from the existing concentrations and one of which is proposed as a new concentration (Biomedical Sciences). Unlike the current curriculum, the revised concentrations share a minimal upper division core (6 units proposed in new program vs. 16 in existing upper division core). However, the intent is not to lose coverage of diverse content areas in Biology, but rather cover each content area within the context of the concentrations. The Department has developed benchmark SLOs for students at the introductory (recognition, identification and appreciation), intermediate (incorporate, interpret and analyze), and mastery levels (apply, synthesize, and design). All students will be expected to achieve the intermediate level in all subject areas; however students will achieve mastery of only a subset of the SLOs, depending on their concentration. The ultimate goal of this process is to scaffold SLOs to promote a working understanding of the major concepts in the Biological Sciences at different levels of complexity.

Central to the curriculum revisions is the idea that key concepts (SLOs) do not need to be defined by a course per se, but rather can be taught in the context of a different subdiscipline within the Biological Sciences. As a Department, we feel that the relevance of courses to the students' area of primary interest while still covering the SLOs that the department values will be a huge benefit to our students. What this means for students is that they have the opportunity to take a course that will not only develop skills that will be highly relevant to their careers, but also will cover the SLOs that the Department of Biological Sciences values as part of the curriculum for the major. Furthermore, by framing our curriculum based on SLOs, we are better able to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum in achieving the desired outcomes.

The changes proposed in this revision will achieve three outcomes. First, the curriculum represents an updating of courses and content from the current curriculum. The Department of Biological Sciences has added evolutionary processes, the relationship between structure and function and the importance of cell biology as key content areas within the biological sciences curriculum. Second, we have reduced the number of units in all existing concentrations by aligning learning outcomes to reduce redundancy in upper division courses (no changes are proposed in the lower division core at this point). Finally, by restructuring some of the core course requirements and required courses within concentrations, we will increase the efficiency of the curriculum. Despite the apparent increase in the number of courses offered by the Department of Biological Sciences, the overall number of WTU required for the new program will not change relative to the number of WTU required to teach the existing program. Therefore, this is a neutral exchange resource-wise. We anticipate being able to increase the number of FTES generated from an average of 680 FTES per semester to approximately 740 FTES. However, if we need to limit FTES, we can cap courses at lower numbers.