Monday, April 13, 2015
No credit collo?...
Anyone have thoughts on making Collo a zero credit, pass/fail course. (Or perhaps some portion of Collo, e.g., leave it as a one credit course for UHS and FPA freshmen and entering Midways.) Requirements could be adjusted accordingly, though I envision that it would run much as it does now, perhaps with fewer hours required and probably no "class" hours. Consider this an open thread to discuss the possibility. (Really would like feedback. Really doubting you'll provide it. I have hope, though.)
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I think that pass/fail, no credit collo seems like a great idea. While some students may miss the 8 credit hours GPA boost, I don't think most would mind having collo off their transcript if it meant a significant reduction in hours. It also may cut down on overload permits. Maybe you could give non-freshmen the option to take a 30 hr. collo for credit or a 15-20 hr. collo for pass/fail.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if collo ever went back to a mandatory weekly class format, students probably deserve the 1 credit hour.
I agree on the last part. That's why I floated the idea of making it a one credit course for freshmen, etc. With a smaller group of people, (maybe) I could design a course just for them and not have to worry about what the other 3/4 of the class is doing. There are surely 15 weeks worth of useful stuff we could do for incoming students. That would probably deserve a credit hour.
DeleteYes! Please! The collo credit hour really makes a difference when planning classes. When you have to go about getting a permit because Collo puts you over 19, it's a bit tedious. Also, the 8 collective hours (that's almost 3 typical classes) of Collo count towards the Hope 120 cap. That definitely makes a difference between losing Hope (aka textbook money) one semester versus the next (typically senior year). The way Collo is set up now, I wouldn't mind taking it for no credit. In fact, I would prefer it. Especially if modifications (no 'class' hours/ less hours) were made, it would be most advantageous. 10/10 would recommend.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Those concerns are certainly on the radar.
Delete[I'm on mobile and having a hard time getting this to post. Sorry if this shows up 50000 times.]
ReplyDeleteIs there a set number of honors hours that is required for Honors programs? Like, a state- or university-mandated minimum? I feel more like I'm an Honors student in Colloquium than I do in any other Honors class. If it came down to dropping Collo or, say, Women's Studies or Artistic from the Honors curriculum, I feel like Collo offers the most benefit to my development. Ideally, I'd like to have had more choice in my General Education classes (which are satisfied by UHS course sequence) to explore my interests while receiving credit instead of taking additional classes that just waste away at my HOPE hours but don't satisfy any requirements. There are so many more classes I would like to take that simply don't fit in because my Gen Ed courses were chosen for me. So if this is all about credit hours and HOPE and personal development, Collo is not the problem.
Alternatively, if we're determined to cut Collo's credit hours, I would like to be able to simply replace that hour with a class that would allow me to explore my interests in depth. For example, I'm interested in learning Marksmanship and Equestrian skills and have always loved dancing. The university offers 1 credit hour classes for the first two subjects and several 3 credit hour dance classes every semester. If I could substitute one of these classes for Collo (while retaining the service hours requirement and other "be a better person" requirements), I would be ecstatic. I would be able to explore my interests that, while I love my major, are not related to my main area of study (whIle receiving some soet of honors credit, maybe?). And, as we've been saying in Collo for the last two years, I feel I would become a more interesting person.
All that being said, I do think Collo (the actual class meetings) is extremely important for Freshmen and first-year Midways.
There is no national/state/university requirement for number of Honors hours. The National Collegiate Honors Council recommends 25% of total hours be in honors.
DeleteI hope that it's true that Collo makes you feel like an Honors student. I think there is real value in that and I wouldn't want to lose that. In part I'm wondering if we can accomplish that without the credit hour.
In general, I don't think we should view this as an either/or. It's not just about cutting hours or getting to some predetermined number. The goal is to make the whole curriculum as good as it can be. I would certainly like to find ways to give you some more freedom to choose among various classes. Altering Collo would not necessarily affect any decision on that.
I really like the idea of this class being for 0 credit. The 8 collo credits would be so helpful in going towards my major. Since we are getting a scholarship, it isn't too much to ask that we do a program of study, a resume, volunteer work, etc. It is stuff we need to do anyway, and it would fit nicely as a scholarship requirement. I'd love to be able to put those credits to a fun class, which I cannot do at the moment if I don't want to run over the Hope hours before senior year.
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ReplyDeleteI personally love the added GPA boost. I mean, we are already heavily involved and doing great things, so why not get an "A" for it? (: Plus, with the structure of Collo nowadays, it's totally manageable and non-time-consuming. I think that 1 credit per semester is certainly not too much to ask, especially if that class is super easy and you don't even have to attend most things. Now, if we were talking Pre-Hedden Collo, then sign me up for no credit! That shit was hard and not worth it. (: All in all, if you're going to make me do work (even the small amount of work that it is), at least give me an A for it.
ReplyDeleteSo I just wrote this massive, eloquent response imploring you to keep collo for credit, but I wasn't signed into my googly account and it was erased. BAH! So, here's the abbreviated version: Keep it for credit. 1. Making it worth credit is incentivizing, and the experiences (especially collegial) gained while obtaining hours have made a massive impact. 2. The extra hour has helped me as far as semester hours go. If it wasn't for collo I'd have to tack on another 3 or 4 credit hour class to stay above the 15 hour requirement, which means I'd end up taking 17/18 hours a semester. In a department that recommends students take no more than 14. I realize many other students have majors that are equally as difficult and take 19+ credit hours, but tack on responsibilities outside of school (ahh, the joys of having a kiddo)...it adds up. Keep it for credit! Or, better yet, is there any way to let the people that want the credit do what is currently being done, and let people who do not want credit do less?
ReplyDeleteMaybe that wasn't the abbreviated version.