The Council of Academic Affairs Thursday recognized a suspicion about course proposals for Technology-Enhanced and Delivered Courses.

The concern is that course objectives may have changed as a result of becoming technology-delivered courses, and therefore should be reviewed by CAA. The council wants to ensure that a course taught over the Internet teaches the same skills that its respective in-class course teaches.

“We must make sure courses can be taught over the Internet effectively,” said Julie Dietz, associate professor of health studies. “And we will give the same requirements for these courses.”

Members of the council worried that proposals would be made to dictate instructional methods and force instructors to teach in a style that they feel to be less effective.

Dietz assured the CAA that limiting instructors was not the intention of the course proposal review, but it was instead meant to simply “ensure that the integrity of the course has been kept the same.”

The council was also concerned that final exams were not being given in technology-delivered courses.

“The instructors that I have talked to do not give finals,” Dietz said.

According to Eastern’s Internal Governing Policy, “the final examination shall be a part of the evaluation of a student’s performance and shall be given in each course.”

The only exception occurs when a department chair waives the requirement because he or she feels that it is unnecessary to give a final exam. However, that request must be approved by the college’s dean.

CAA has not decided to review the course proposals, but will make a decision on the issue at next Thursday’s meeting.

In other business, the council has asked department deans and chairs to review classes that have requirements and should be flagged prior to registration.

Flagging is a way to enforce prerequisites by informing a student, while they are in the PAWS or Touch Tone registration system, that they have not met the proper requirements to register for a certain class.

“Right now, nothing prevents students from registering for a course that they have not met the prerequisites for. The only chance is if a faculty member happens to catch the error,” said CAA Chair Andrew Methven, a biological sciences professor.

The large number of prerequisites has made flagging a difficult task to get started. In an attempt to lessen the amount of prerequisites that will be flagged, CAA has asked each department to rate which classes should be flagged.

The council also announced that students planning on graduating under exceptionality must apply for graduation by March 20.

Exceptionality allows students within 12 credit hours of completing their degrees to participate in commencement.

All other students must register for graduation by the first two weeks of the semester that they plan on completing their degrees in.