Some courses are not reviewed by the Council on Academic Affairs, a practice that has drawn concern from the Faculty Senate and will result in an investigation by the CAA.

Workshops and special courses do not go through the CAA for approval. Some Faculty Senate members raised concerns at last Tuesday’s senate meeting that workshops and special courses may not be held to the same standards as regular courses.

Senate Chair Bud Fischer sent CAA Chair Andrew Methven an e-mail last week stating that the situation is a “quality control” issue. Fischer, a biological sciences professor, asked the CAA to investigate the issue and report its findings back to the senate.

Mary Herrington Perry, assistant vice president for academic affairs, told CAA members Thursday that while workshops and special courses don’t go through the CAA, an approval process is in place.

According to the Special Course/Workshop Approval form Perry distributed at the CAA meeting, workshops and special courses must be approved by the chairman of the department in which they originate, the dean of the appropriate college and the vice president for academic affairs. When applicable, the workshop or special course must also be approved by the dean of the Graduate School and or the dean of the School of Adult and Continuing Education.

CAA members discussed some of the underlying issues that are involved in the approval of workshops and special courses.

CAA member Julie Dietz, an associate professor in health studies, said many underlying issues are involved with offering workshops and special courses.

“There are lots of peripheral issues to the whole mess,” she said Thursday. “This is a can of worms of monumental proportions.”

CAA member Tim Shonk, an English professor, said one concern is that some professors may be teaching courses outside of their disciplines.

Dietz agreed that professors teaching outside their areas of expertise could be a problem. She gave a health-journalism class as an example.

Dietz said a health teacher could potentially offer a workshop teaching journalists how to cover health issues. However, she said under the current system, a health teacher would not have to seek the advice of the journalism department to offer such a workshop.

The CAA, at Thursday’s meeting, ultimately decided to make the investigation of the process of approving workshops and special courses an agenda item.

Methven, a biological sciences professor, said the CAA would tackle the broad issue first, and then CAA members could talk to colleagues to “find out what they perceive to be problems.”

Methven also reminded council members that faculty members who are interested in serving on Eastern’s presidential search committee must submit a response to Fischer by today. Applicants must include why they are interested in serving on the committee in their responses.

“Although the CAA does not have a representative directly, there will be three faculty members on the committee,” Methven said. “I would encourage you, if you’re interested, to submit your essay.”