The Council on Academic Affairs will discuss and vote on GEG 3000, Geography of Illinois, a possible online course that could be available for the Summer 2012.

Chris Laingen, an assistant geography professor, will be presenting on the course. Laingen received the Increasing Distance Education Access in the Sciences Award grant from the College of Sciences for his proposal to revise the course in the spring of 2011.

“The class has been on the books since about 1970, but has not been taught in about 10 years,” Laingen said.

Laingen has adapted the curriculum so that the courses can be taught online.

Currently, Illinois State University is the only public university in the state that offers a course of this type.

According to the course proposal prepared by Laingen, “The rationale to redevelop the course was to offer it to students from across the state of Illinois, including offering it to those already teaching at the elementary, middle or high school levels for Continuing Professional Development Units.”

For students on campus, the course will count as an elective and count as a geography elective for geography majors.

“Right now it is possible only be offered online as an elective, but if there is the demand it has the potential to be taught on campus,” Laingen said. “We are hoping for a lot of interest, possibly from education majors, and it is important for them to know about the geography of the state they may be teaching in.”

The Council on Academic Affairs will meet today at 2 p.m. in Room 3108 in Blair Hall instead of the Booth Library.

“We changed location because I believe Booth Library has a conflicting prior commitment in our regular space at that time,” said Chris Mitchell, the Council on Academic Affairs chairman.

Janet Fopay is the secretary for the Council on Academic Affairs and the person responsible for making arrangements on where the council will meet.

“Another event came up and I was asked to find another location, so I found Blair Hall,” Fopay said. “Conflicts occur and we move locations, and it is really no big deal.”

Amy Wywialowski can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].