Undergraduate Curriculum Committee

Meeting Minutes Wednesday 11/02/2005

Attending:  Cassie Alexander, Ken Baldauf, Ann Ford, Steve Leach, Betty Stanton, Robert van Engelen, David Whalley, Alec Yasinsac

Suggestion to create charter for UCC on departmental web pages

Equipment Committee did this last year at http://www.cs.fsu.edu/resources/ .

All agreed it seems that the only way for a committee to maintain "memory" from one year to the next is to publish to the Dept Web site in this manner.   Ann will work on this, Ken will assist with web placements.

COP 3331 as pre-req for COT 4420

Several people have brought up the idea that it does not make sense to have COP 3331, Object Oriented Analysis and Design, be a pre-requisite for COT 4420, Theory of Computation.  Steve will prepare the forms needed to change the pre-req listing to read only MAD 3105 (discrete math II) as the pre-req and eliminate COP 3331.  Note MAD 3105 already is a pre-req for 4420 and is retained.

Proposal to allow CS majors to take Biology instead of Physics

Students currently take PHY2048C (5 cr), Corequisite: MAC 2311, lab; PHY2049C (5 cr), Corequisite: MAC 2312, lab; LS Nat Sci for majors (3 cr)

Suggested biology courses are
BSC2010 (3 cr) and BSC2010L (1 cr) BIO SCI I
2010 has a co-req of CHM1045C (4 cr with lab)
BSC2011 (3 cr) and BSC2011L (1 cr) BIO SCI II

Information from Bulletin
-------------------------
BSC 2010. Biological Science I (3). Corequisites or prerequisites: BSC 2010L; CHM 1045C. Basic chemistry, energetics, metabolism, and cellular organization; molecular genetics and information flow; animal and plant function.

BSC 2010L. Biological Science I Laboratory (1). Corequisite or
prerequisite: CHM 1045C. Corequisite: BSC 2010. This laboratory furnishes tools and techniques used to visualize, quantify, analyze biological phenomena, including experimental design and execution, recording of data, and graphic and statistical analysis of data.

BSC 2011. Biological Science II (3). Prerequisites: BSC 2010/2010L. Reproduction and development, transmission (Mendelian) genetics, population biology, ecology, and evolution.

BSC 2011L. Animal Diversity Laboratory (2). Prerequisites: BSC 2010/2010L. Introduction to animals, sponges, cnidarians, flatworms and pseudocoelomates, annelids, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms, and chordates.

CHM 1045C. General Chemistry I (4). Prerequisite: MAC 1105 ("C-" or
better.) Topics in this course include chemical symbols, formulas and equations; the states of matter; electronic structure and bonding; and introduction to chemical laboratory practice. Course consists of lectures, recitations, and laboratory (must sign up for CHM 1045L to select meeting time.)

CHM 1045L. General Chemistry I Laboratory (0). Laboratory, three (3) hours per week. Corequisite: CHM 1045C. Safety goggles and a scientific calculator are required for every class.


ABET requires 12 hours, college requires 7 hours of nat sci.  Should be no problem with ABET. 

ABET criteria for computing is at
http://www.abet.org/Linked%20Documents-UPDATE/Criteria%20and%20PP/05-06-
CAC%20Criteria.pdf
See page 3 for math and science requirement, quoted here:
"IV-12. The curriculum must include at least 12 semester hours of science.
IV-13. Course work in science must include the equivalent of a two-semester sequence in a laboratory science for science or engineering majors.
IV-14. Science course work additional to that specified in Standard IV-13 must be in science courses or courses that enhance the student's ability to apply the scientific method."

Dave W.: discuss now however we may wish to decide on the commitment to allow this after talking to the Biology chair about an undergraduate major in computational biology

Discussion:

• must vote on this issue at full faculty meeting next week
• would be geared towards possible computational biology major, which the Dean strongly supports, and would be a joint major between CS and Biology.  Biology has more majors than any other department (1300?) and CS could benefit from this.
• would also attract and retain students interested in life sciences, where there is a great deal of research funding; might attract more women into the CS department
• advisors report that we do lose students who do not want to take physics and would prefer to take other sciences
• Alec expressed concern that the core CS major may be at risk in the long term if it became too close to the proposed multi-disciplinary major and suggested that we seek an interim solution, such as a certificate agreement between CS and Biology, until the new program is in place.
• ABET does not require physics for CS major programs
• external review at UM a few years ago criticized lack of flexibility in science requirements; for example, UM now allows Physics, Biology or Chemistry to meet the 12 hour ABET requirement
• Another possibility here is to also allow a Chemistry sequence instead of physics
• Dave W. will meet with Bio chair to discuss potential benefits to both departments and possible agreements to require Bio majors to take CS courses

Program flowchart

Ken prepared a flowchart for the new program as of fall 2006 (which was approved by full faculty vote February 2005). 
Note that the "old" version of CDA 3101 will be offered one last time, in fall 2006.  Advisors note that students find it very hard to take COP 4530 and CDA 3101 at the same time.

COP 3331 Object Oriented Analysis and Design  and COP 3252 Internet Applications Programming with Java

The new version of 3331 includes 5 week Java portion.  Because of this, it does not make sense for COP 3252 to start assuming no Java background at all.  Steve Leach proposed we make COP 3331 a pre-req for COP 3252.  Only majors take 3252, nonmajors take a different Java class, so this will not affect nonmajors.  Must vote on this at next CS faculty meeting.

New classes to attract more students

Ken noted that the list prepared by Steve and Ann last spring is very CS major/tech oriented.  Ken pointed out that we need to attract nonmajors to get big enrollments.  Several course ideas were discussed on that direction:

• web development (advanced literacy is already serving this need)
• a media course, music, graphics, videos, etc.; Ken is going to work up ideas for this course
• an introductory security course, possibly 1 credit hour; Alec is going to work on ideas for this course. possibly at 2000 level, advisors point out that nonmajors look for 3000 and 4000 level electives they need to fulfill college requirements  so that may be preferable.  Alec says IT is already working on a course like this so we need to get it on the books under CS soon.
• creating computer games

Advanced Literacy as an included course in the minor.

Not for science majors.  Committee agreed to accept this.  Needs vote at full faculty meeting next week.

Propose COP 3502 Introduction to Computer Science to fulfill the Natural Science requirement of the college of A&S.

Pending proposal from Daniel Chang; will discuss in future.

Three course sequence for nonmajors

Literacy, Advanced Literacy, then CGS 3066 Introduction to Internet Technology.  Ken will talk about this with Burt Walsh.

goal: to attract more students, might even attract some into the CS major

Comment: enrollment in MIS is down severely, have 7 new students this term.  Students are going to IT instead.

These topics deferred to future meetings

- offering of COP 2721 Intro to Database Systems and Internet systems

Prepared by A.  Ford, November 2, 2005