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Council Chamber, Room 3130, William G. Davis Building, UTM
REPORT NUMBER 36 OF THE ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
To the Campus Council,
University of Toronto Mississauga
Your Committee reports that it held a meeting on February 11, 2020 at 4:10 p.m. in the Council Chambers, William G. Davis Building.
Present:
Steven Short (Chair), Laura Taylor (Vice-Chair), Amrita Daniere (Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean), Heather Miller (Vice-Dean, Teaching & Learning), Kent Moore (Vice-Principal, Research), Randy Besco, Brett Beston, Mitchell Bonney, Laura Brown, Amanda Facciol, Ulrich Fekl, Monika Havelka, Shelley Hawrychuk, Sanja Hinic-Frlog, Rosa Hong, Michael Lettieri, Teresa Lobalsamo, Andrew Nicholson, Sara Malhotra, Pascal Michelucci, Diane Matias, Ashley Monks, Lorretta Neebar, Andrea Olive, Andreas Park, Esteban Parra, Chester Scoville, Kayla Sousa, Alison Syme, Mihkel Tombak, Xiaodong Zhu, Samra Zafar
Non-Voting Assessors:
Yen Du (Program and Curriculum Officer), Mark Overton (Dean of Student Affairs)
Regrets:
Ian Orchard (Acting Vice-President & Principal), Fatima Abdelgadir Elkendari, James Allen, Sultan Akif, Patrick Braszak, Alexandru Cioban, Marc Dryer, Miquel Faig, Sherry Fukuzawa, Alexandra Gillespie, Nathan Innocente, Konstantin Khanin, Anna Korteweg, Sebastian Malek, Rhonda McEwen, Diana Raffman, Lindsay Schoenbohm, Andrew Sepielli, Adwet Sharma, Meghan Sutherland, Steve Szigeti, Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, Jaimal Thind, Ziyaad Vahed, Rebecca Wittmann, Xing Wei
In Attendance:
Tracey Bowen (Associate Director, ICCIT), Anne Gaiger (Assistant Director, Employer Relations & Marketing, Career Centre), Yuhong He (Chair, Department of Geography), Shashi Kant (Director, MScSM), Richard Levin (Executive Director and University Registrar), Joseph Minichini (Business Analyst, Registrarial Policy, Enrolment Services), Soo Min Toh (Director, IMI), Veronica Vasquez (Acting Director, International Education Centre), Irene Wiecek (Director, MMPA)
Secretariat:
Cindy Ferencz Hammond (Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council), Alexandra Waters (Governance Coordinator)
The meeting was held in open session.
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members to the meeting and provided a brief Elections update. Elections were underway for the Full-time Undergraduate Student and Administrative Staff constituencies of the UTM Campus Council, and the Teaching Staff, Administrative Staff and Graduate Student constituencies of the Campus Affairs Committee. Voting would close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 14. - International Student Mobility
The Chair invited Mr. Dale Mullings, Assistant Dean, Students & International Initiatives, and Professor Tracey Bowen, Associate Director, Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology (ICCIT), to present. Mr. Mullings reported that the University aimed to increase undergraduate student participation in international learning experiences from 19% in 2016 to 30% by 2022, and had increased needs-based bursary funding from $1 million to $3 million. He highlighted opportunities to expand study abroad experiences, and noted that the University had over 140 partner institutions globally and the International Education Centre (IEC) worked directly with academic departments at UTM to identify program-specific international partners.
Professor Tracey Bowen, Associate Director, ICCIT, reported that ICCIT recently established international opportunities with the University of Sydney and the Queensland University of Technology. These particular institutions had programs that aligned with ICCIT programs, and transfer credits had been identified at each institution. She noted that ICCIT students were guaranteed full-time internship opportunities at the University of Sydney, and they would also have access to courses with embedded experiential learning opportunities at the Queensland University of Technology. Students that participated in these study abroad programs would have unique course codes applied to their transcripts that would identify the courses as international experiences.
In response to a member’s question, Mr. Mullings stated that the international initiatives through the IEC aligned directly with the portfolio of the Vice-President, International. He noted that new partners had been established through that office, and ongoing collaboration occurred to address funding, which was identified as a primary barrier to student participation in international experiences.
In response to a member’s question about the benefits of international experiences, Mr. Mullings stated that a survey would be administered to students who participated to learn about their experiences as well as to those students who withdrew their applications to study abroad so that barriers to participation could be identified.
- Implementation of the Academic Plan
The Chair invited Professor Amrita Daniere, Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean, to present. Professor Daniere stated that the Academic Plan was in its third year of implementation, and reminded members of the themes and goals that emerged from the planning process. She presented members with an overview of the implementation dashboard, which provided a breakdown of goals into manageable objectives that were regularly reported and updated by the Office of the Dean. In particular, she noted that foundational writing courses would be offered in three departments in Fall 2020, the establishment of the work integrated learning Professional Experience Certificate in Digital Media, Communication and Technology in ICCIT, and stated that applications had been submitted for grants that currently funded Career Centre opportunities and new hires. She provided members with an overview of progress on these and other goals, and noted that UTM had taken strides in terms of faculty growth, renewal and diversity, and expressed the potential for increased community outreach based on plans for the future Arts, Culture and Technology Building, which in turn would further advance the goals of the Academic Plan. - Transcript Innovation Initiative
The Chair invited Mr. Richard Levin, Executive Director and University Registrar, and Mr. Joseph Minichini, Business Analyst, Registrarial Policy, to present. Mr. Levin stated that the Transcript Innovation Initiative, which began in November 2018, aimed to develop an accurate, secure and comprehensive transcript was that surmounted the limitations of the traditional paper transcript. He provided an overview of the digital transcript, which used innovative methods to illustrate student learning and achievements, and was developed with enhanced document security measures. The e-transcript would provide a comprehensive depiction of one’s university experience, as it would have the ability to display a broad range of data, such as course descriptions, learning objectives, and participation in experiential learning opportunities. In the future, the e-transcript would also allow for the attachment of additional records, such as the co-curricular record and scholarship records. Document security measures would indicate if the e-transcript had been altered from its original form, and would therefore reduce the circulation of forged transcripts. The e-transcript would support increased international education mobility through the secure exchange of transcripts, and would additionally support graduates’ transitions to work through the display of learning outcomes. Mr. Minichini provided a demonstration of how the digital transcript could be ordered through one’s ACORN account. He indicated that the Steering Committee would accept feedback through the website until the end of 2020.
In response to a member’s question, Mr. Minichini stated that once the e-transcript was received, it could be downloaded a maximum of three times. Once the document was downloaded, there was no limit on the number of times it could be distributed. - Name Change of Academic Unit – Change in the Name of the Department of Geography to the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment.
The Chair invited Professor Yuhong He, Chair, Department of Geography, to present. Professor He stated that the proposed departmental name change would reflect disciplinary developments within the Department, the breadth of experience of its faculty, and would mirror changes in the names of Geography departments across Canada. Consultations were conducted with departmental faculty and staff, undergraduate students, and relevant departments and units, which provided a positive response. The proposed name change would have no impact on undergraduate programs currently offered by the Department. Minimal resource implications included updated signage, and revisions to recruitment materials, the academic calendar, and marketing material.
On motion duly made, seconded and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
THAT the name of the Department of Geography be changed to Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, effective July 1, 2020. - Minor Modification: Master of Science in Sustainability Management (MScSM): Program & Curriculum Changes
The Chair invited Professor Shashi Kant, Director, MScSM, to present. Professor Kant stated that in July 2019, an informal curriculum review of the MScSM program had taken place that yielded the following recommendations:
New Course: SSM2050H, “Special Topics in Sustainability”: Given the fast-paced nature of the field of Sustainability, there was a defined need to ensure programming was continually updated. The Special Topics course would offer this flexibility as the course content would vary with each offering, and provide leading-edge knowledge and skills relevant to the sustainability issues currently faced by society.
New Course: SSM1120H, “Social Dimensions of Sustainability”: Current course offerings explored environmental and economic aspects of sustainability, but no course existed with a direct focus on social sustainability; the introduction of SSM1120H would fill that gap.
New Course: SSM1101Y, “Research Paper II”: SSM1101Y would focus on the application of Social Science and Management to Sustainability. The existing research paper course, SSM1100Y, focused on the application of Science on Sustainability.
Course Name Change: Name change of SSM1100Y, from “Research Paper” to “Research Paper I”, which would differentiate it from the new course, SSM1101Y, “Research Paper II”
Program Requirement Change: Reduction in the number of electives from 6 to 5 to accommodate the proposed required course, SSM1120H, “Social Dimensions of Sustainability”
On motion duly made, seconded and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED,
THAT the course changes and new courses proposed by the Master of Science in Sustainability Management Program, offered by the Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI), recommended by the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean, Professor Amrita Daniere, and described in the proposals dated January 20, 2020, be approved, effective on September 1, 2020.
THAT the program requirement changes as proposed by the Master of Science in Sustainability Management Program, offered by the Institute for Management & Innovation, recommended by the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean, Professor Amrita Daniere, and described in the proposal dated January 20, 2020, be approved, effective September 1, 2020. - Minor Modification: Master of Urban Innovation (MUI): Program & Curriculum Changes
The Chair invited Ms Soo Min Toh, Director, IMI, to present. Ms Toh provided an overview of the proposed curriculum changes:
New Course: MUI1075H, “Digital Cities”: Course would be introduced as a required course, and would replace MUI1070H, “Development Finance”. The course would capitalize on the expertise of new faculty, and act as a foundation for other courses in the subject area.
New Course: MUI1090H, “Technology, Strategy, Policy”: A version of the course was offered by IMI (MMI1090H), and the intention was for IMI and MUI students to participate in the course together. However, it was noted that MUI students would be at a disadvantage compared to IMI students due to their differential backgrounds, knowledge and experience. Course content in MUI1190H would be tailored to MUI students.
Program Requirement Change: Changes to required courses included:
- Removal of MUI1070H; Addition of MUI1075H
- Removal of MMI1090H; Addition of MUI1090H
On motion duly made, seconded and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED,
THAT the new courses proposed by the Master of Urban Innovation, offered by the Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI), recommended by the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean, Professor Amrita Daniere, and described in the proposals dated January 20, 2020, be approved, effective on September 1, 2020.
THAT the program requirement changes as proposed by the Master of Urban Innovation Program, offered by the Institute for Management & Innovation, recommended by the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean, Professor Amrita Daniere, in the proposal dated January 22, 2020, be approved, effective September 1, 2020.
- Minor Modification: Master of Management & Professional Accounting (MMPA): Admission Requirement Change
The Chair invited Ms Irene Wiecek, Director, MMPA, to present. Ms Wiecek stated that a satisfactory score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) was one of the MMPA general admission requirements, however, applicants who graduated from a North American university with high distinction, or with a specific UofT undergraduate program, were exempt from the GMAT requirement. The MMPA program wished to expand the GMAT exemption to any applicant that completed a four-year degree in four years at a North American university. It was believed that the expansion of this exemption would broaden the application pool and attract more Science students. Ms Wiecek noted that comparable programs at IMI, UTSC and Rotman did not require the GMAT.
In response to a member’s question, Ms Weicek confirmed that CGPA would continue to be used as a primary method of assessment for admission into the program.
A member inquired how Science students fared in the program, and questioned if the GMAT would be necessary to confirm their knowledge in business. Ms Weicek stated that Science students would enter in the full two-year program, which was designed for non-business majors.
On motion duly made, seconded and carried,
YOUR COMMITTEE APPROVED,
THAT the proposed changes to the admission requirements for the Master of Management and Professional Accounting (MMPA) Program, offered by the Institute for Management & Innovation, recommended by the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean, Professor Amrita Daniere, in the proposal dated January 21, 2020, be approved, effective September 1, 2020. - Other Business
There was no other business. - Report of the Presidential Assessors
The Chair invited Professor Amrita Daniere, Vice-Principal, Academic & Dean, to present her report. Professor Daniere stated that a proposal to make the Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI) a category A Extra-Departmental Unit (EDU) would be presented at one of the Committee’s upcoming cycles. While IMI was currently an EDU:B, it would be recommended that it be changed to an EDU:A because its size and complexity was similar to one of UTM’s academic departments. She indicated that the proposal would be available to view in the near future.
Professor Daniere additionally reported that a second EDU:A, the Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy (ISUP), would also be presented to the Committee in an upcoming cycle. The unit would serve as a home for new faculty hired as professors of writing, and would also house the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre (RGASC). She noted that the creation of this unit aligned with the President’s priory of re-imagining education. - Report of the Previous Meeting: Report 35 – January 13, 2020
Report number 35, from the meeting of January 13, 2020 was approved. - Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
There was no business arising from the report of the previous meeting. - Date of the Next Meeting – Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 4:10 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 5:33 p.m.
February 13, 2020