The Physical Sciences Task Force met at 9:30 AM Friday, October 15, 1999 in room 2242 at NRG. Members in attendance: Pedigo, Pirnia, Bechtold, Cavalli, Blodgett, Johns, Staff, Potter, Heath, Williams, Becker, Underwood, Smith, Prahovic.
GEO/PSC - ( 1) Paleontology (GEO 2614) needs to be changed to a 4-3-3 class. Submitted the paperwork to the whole task force, where it was approved, then submitted forms to Dean Fonken. They are to be submitted to Dianne Olla of the Curriculum Committee by Friday, Oct. 22. (2) Discussion of portfolios for faculty evaluation and how to prepare them. (3) Bob Blodgett reviewed current ArcView licensing agreements with ACC and the potential for establishing a college-wide supervisor to keep costs down and make the distribution of this software more efficient. (4) Discussion of need to update videos for both GEO 1653 and PSC 1603 ITV classes. Ron Johns will contact Linda Clement about purchasing newer video collections with similar themes. (5) Discussion of current status of environmental technology program, including plans to establish transfer agreements and a relatively standard curriculum between ACC, Palo Alto College in San Antonio, and Universidad Tecnologica in Saltillo. Jan Smith presented a preliminary outline for the survey of potential students. She has agreed to contact Linnea Fletcher to get valuable input on how to implement a new curriculum program. (6) Members agreed to revise current SACS assessment for GEOL 1403. Each will write up three multiple choice questions for each of the following topics: river systems, petrology, groundwater, minerals, and structural geology. A selection of the three best questions from each of these topics, plus three from the currently used topic of plate tectonics, will be chosen at the next meeting. This new list of questions should provide a better evaluation of whether or not students are meeting the desired criteria. (7) Review of core recovered from the Edwards Aquifer monitoring well drilled at NRG. Core recovery was excellent, showing a variety of sedimentological and textural features. There were many oos and ahs.
AST/ENR/PHY - (1) The trial section of PHY 0141 is in the spring schedule at RGC with Jim Heath as instructor. Two inexpensive algebra books were recommended by Jim as texts and approved by the TF. (2) Also, Wall and Wall was approved as the textbook for Applied Physics. (3) The TF Chair asked if all attendees had received and understood the Course Guidelines for physics and astronomy courses. It was noted that these guidelines will be used in the evaluation process this year. (4) The TF also agreed to begin review of Engineering Physics textbooks very early in the spring, because the deadline for entering approved texts for fall will occur by early March. (5) The session was interrupted by Ron Johns, who brought forward a proposal to increase lab hours for GEO 2614 (Paleontology). This proposal was approved after brief discussion.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:50 am.
Submitted by Daryl Pedigo, TF Chair.