2010 Course Proposal Info
This information is for Summer Sessions and Lifelong Learning faculty.
2010 Course Proposals Due
Download course proposal form (PDF)
- WINTERmester proposals due September 22.
- Summer course proposals due October 5.
- Completed special topics course paperwork due November 20.
September 3, 2009
To: Department Chairs
From: Michelle Bartlett, Director
RE: 2010 Summer Sessions Course Proposals
The fall colors are showing to remind us that Summer Sessions 2009 is over and it is now time to begin the process of planning for 2010. We enjoyed a warm summer with many on-campus activities. Our campus abounded with courses, concerts, lectures, conferences, seminars, movies, the Really Free Market, Whad’Ya Know Show, the third Alaska Book Festival, Fairbanks Shakespeare Theater, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival and so much more. As we close one summer, the planning begins for the next.
There are several initiatives we would like you to incorporate into your department's 2010 planning.
1. WINTERmester 2010, will be offered for the second time January 4-15, 2010. The first WINTERmester in January 2009 saw 177 students enrolled. The 40 below temps did not hinder these determined scholars. Course proposals for WINTERmester must be approved for compression and submitted to the Summer Sessions office by September 22. A WINTERmester course proposal form is included. There is a VERY short window of time to propose and prepare for this new venture. Please contact Summer Sessions with any questions.
2. MAYmester, the two-week session that begins the day after graduation and continues for two weeks (May 17-28, 2010) will be expanded. This is an opportunity to offer a three-credit intensive class before students leave campus for summer employment. Both students and faculty will be limited to one course during each two-week compressed session.
Eight MAYmester courses were offered his past summer with great success. Students loved it because they could take a summer course and still have their summer free to work. Faculty enjoyed the ability to earn in two weeks what would normally be earned in six and still have the opportunity to do summer research as the courses were over before Memorial Day.
3. The first Summer Session of 2010 will be five weeks long due to the additional week of instruction in the spring semester. A waiver has been approved for summer 2010 while the future academic calendars are reviewed. All three-credit courses will meet Monday through Friday, June 1-July 2 so all required instructional time is scheduled. Four-credit courses will continue to be scheduled in the six-week time frame, May 24-June 2, which will overlap MAYmester.
4. New in 2010 will be AUGUSTmester, a two-week compressed format that has been successful in both MAYmester and WINTERmester. This session is right before the start of fall semester so will be an overload for nine-month faculty. Students can return to campus early and get a jump on their fall studies.
5. When planning your 2010 offerings, please make sure to include courses that meet the needs of our students even if there is no apparent faculty member available to teach. For the past five years we have brought in visiting faculty to teach courses that needed to be taught when UAF faculty were unavailable. The bottom line is students’ academic programs should not be hindered because UAF faculty is not available. Check the attached proposed course offering forms. Some courses may be preloaded. These are the ones we know that we will be offering next summer. Please let me know if you need some assistance finding faculty to staff these courses.
Please schedule courses at times that make sense for students. Convenience for the faculty will not be the primary consideration for summer scheduling. Departments also need to offer courses so that students can complete their degrees on time. Too often scheduling conflicts during the fall/spring semesters prevent students from completing their degrees in four years and summer classes can ameliorate that situation.
2010 DATES
- WINTERmester January 4-15
- Summer Sessions Registration begins February 22
- MAYmester May 17-28
- Eleven-week Session June 1 - August 13
- Five-week Session June 1-July 2
- Six-week Session I May 24-July 2
- Six-week Session II July 7 - August 13
- AUGUSTmester August 16-27
Weekend courses have proven to be very popular for trying out new special topics courses and are a way of enticing students to try something new. Your college/school's curriculum council must approve courses scheduled to meet for less than six weeks. All special topics courses must have signed paperwork approval into the Summer Sessions office by November 20. Additional information is contained in the UAF Faculty Senate Academic Course and Degree Procedures Manual.
Make sure you have secured your dean's signature indicating endorsement of your proposals. If you would like to receive the course proposal form as an electronic attachment, please contact our office.
I encourage you to think outside the box as you consider the possibilities for Summer Sessions 2010. Take a look at the enrollment numbers that are attached. We will be calling to set a meeting time to effectively plan for next summer together. As always, I look forward to working with you.
DEADLINES:
- WINTERmester proposals due September 22.
- Summer course proposals due October 5.
- Completed special topics course paperwork due November 20.