MINUTES

B.C. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES EARTH SCIENCE ARTICULATION COMMITTEE

BUSINESS MEETING, MAY 14, 2007

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
VANCOUVER , B. C

Chair : Robbie Dunlop

PRESENT:

Motion (Mark/Terry) to adopt the agenda: carried (unanimous).

Motion (ML/Tark) to approve the minutes from the 2006 meeting as amended: carried (unanimous).

MATTERS ARISING FROM 2006 MINUTES

1) Liability

Fieldtrip safety issues are the responsibility of individual institutions.

2) Transfer Grid as per APEGBC

The APEGBC course equivalency grid has inaccuracies and not consistent with the BCCAT Transfer Guide.

ACTION: Robbie produced a large paper grid that was reviewed by many participants and blanks were filled in. Robbie will update this grid and post it on the website for further review.

3) Earth Science Articulation Website

The website was created by Robbie and has been very well received and used!

See: http://www.sfu.ca/earth-sciences/links/external/Articulation/Index.htm

CHAIR'S REPORT

We were directed to see the report on the Website.

Comments: Lower or static enrolments in most institutions, except UBC (Robbie).

Grade schemes to be standardized? (Tark)

See Grading Table on Website and submit your Grade Table (Robbie).

INSTITUTIONAL REPORTS

Jennifer Getsinger: Capilano C (written report on Website)

See Report.

Discussion (Jennifer): Geology courses normally do not have high numbers. Advisors from high schools often do not recommend Geology.

Lab versus non – Lab courses. Discussion (Tina): Provincial exams are now optional. The Science 10 Exam requires the teaching of Geology. Schools are no longer able to charge student fee's. Perhaps Mary Lou can help us reach out to high school advisors?

Tark Hamilton: Camosun C.

See Report.

Discussion (Tark): Lower numbers, but high quality students. There is a great new Canadian Sedimentary Geology book. Tark does public talks to generate more interest in Geology. GEOS bulletin board with interesting news events.

Robbie Dunlop: S.F.U. (written report on Website)

See Report.

Discussion (Robbie): The summer Physical Geology has 60 students. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs course has 47 students this summer.

Gary Clohan: C. Rockies (written report submitted)

See Report.

Discussion (Gary): Doom and gloom with both Geography and Geology. Threats of layoffs, low morale.

Leif Burge: Okanagan C (written report on Website)

See Report.

Discussion (Leif): Student numbers: 40 at Kelowna , 24 at Vernon, 15 at Penticton. The college has merged Geography with Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Gordon Weary: Northwest C.C. -Terrace (written report submitted and on Website)

See Report.

There is a new initiative to build a University Transfer Credit component around the School of Exploration and Mining. Also, there is a proposal for a new Associate of Science Degree in Environmental Geoscience. Discussion (Gord): Is there a possibility of having the Mining Exploration Field Assistant (MEFA) field school count towards a ‘First Year Geol Fieldschool'? Is there a possibility of receiving either full transfer credit or partial transfer credit? Would students with an interest in Earth Sciences come ‘up north' to participate in this? Discussion (Dave + others): Yes… articulate the MEFA as open 1xx credit and we will recommend students to take it or build our own fieldtrips or fieldschools around it.

Terry Neufeldt: Trinity Western U (written report on Website)

See Report.

Tim Stokes: Malaspina U-C (written report on Website)

See Report.

Discussion (Tim): There is lower enrolment this year. The new president is viewing high cost Geology courses for possible budget cuts.

Dave Waddington: Douglas C. (written report on Website)

See Report.

John Greenough: UBC–O

Discussion (John): UBC-O has 20% more students this year. Environmental Sciences next year will have a 20-30% increase. The Fipke Center – it is unclear if we will get space. Two million dollars has been slated for research.

ML Bevier: UBC–V (written report submitted and on Website)

See Report.

Discussion (ML): Environmental Science Program moving to this department. There is a need for instructors for numerous courses.

Frank Fowler: Selkirk C. (written report on Website)

See Report.

Stan Dosso: UVIC (written report on Website)

See Report.

Discussion (Stan): There is now a Minor in Ocean Sciences. Overall, numbers have gone down due to lower enrolment in first year courses. All other courses have gone up.

Ed Frey: TRU

See Report.

Mark Smith: Langara C

Discussion (Mark): Geol 2207 (Natural Hazards) gets lots of students and has good articulation. It is being offered instead of Historical Geology.

BCCAT Update by Jennifer Orum

Everything is now available online. Addressing the question of private institutions and out of province articulation. Jennifer was asked to look into how other disciplines transfer their on-line lab courses.

Joint Geography/Geology Transfer Innovations Project

Robbie is w aiting on Dan Smith's (UVic) approval of revised Course Outline.

Descriptive Pathways Project (APEGBC/BCCAT transfer guide)

The transfer grid is being updatedby Robbie. Please submit your information to Robbie.

The New ESAC Website

The members would like Robbie to create a section for new course outlines,aswell as a job bulletin board for sessional positions.

Discussion Items:

(i) What are the essential items for teaching a first year Historical Geology class? This item was put forth by Tark Hamilton, Camosun College.

(ii) Discussion about transfer problems and issues for Historical Geology, Dinosaurs and Paleontology courses. This item was suggested in the minutes of last year's meeting.

Discussion: Suggestion of name change from Historical Geology to ‘Dinosaur Earth'. See UBC's EOS 116.

(iii) How is academic advising for transfer students handled at your institution? Could it be improved (e.g., a formal procedure articulated to students)?

Discussion: Is there a mechanism by which potential university transfer students at your institution are informed about the online BCCAT Transfer Guide? And how to use it? (If not, why not?) Do advisors at your institution go over potential course programs to check that students are taking courses that will transfer?

This item is prompted by MLB (UBC) who handles a lot of requests from students wanting to know what courses they should take at College X that will transfer to Science at UBC, and who seem to have not heard about the Transfer Guide and how to use it.

Discussion (Mary Lou): Lots of questions. What should we do? Suggest taking first full year at college. ½ year transfers present major problems.

Discussion (Jennifer Orum): BCCAT is dynamic and up to date. Students must know and check this.

(iv) How are co-op activities considered for articulation? Are they? Should they be? This item comes from Ed Frey at Thompson Rivers Univeristy.

New Business

Discussion (Dave): We should discuss specific courses in future meetings.

Discussion: We can put specific articulation issues etc. on the website to determine new Agenda Items for 2008.

Future Articulation Meeting Date and Location

May 2008 - UVIC and Camosun

May 2009 – SFU This meeting could possibly be a joint Geography and Geology articulation meeting.

Motion (Robbie/ Mary Lou) to adjourn: carried (unanimous).

Minutes prepared by Gordon Weary (NWCC).