PROGRAM MODIFICATION PROPOSAL College: [ College of Humanities ] Department: [Linguistics/TESL ]

Transcription

1 Program Modification Proposal, Page 1 of 9 PROGRAM MODIFICATION PROPOSAL College: [ College of Humanities ] Department: [Linguistics/TESL ] 1. Program: [ M.A. in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language), Department of Linguistics/TESL] 2. Nature of Request: (Check all that apply) [ ] Delete Program [X] Change Program Requirements with No Change in Total Units in Program [ ] Increase Total Units in Program ( From: [ ] To: [ ]) [ ] Decrease Total Units in Program ( From: [ ] To: [ ]) [ ] Change Total Units to Degree ( From: [ ] To: [ ]) [ ] Change in GE Requirements (Describe Below) [ ] [ X] Other: (Describe below) [ X ] Clarify catalog language pertaining to M.A. in TESL admission requirements for international students. [X] Add LING 595 A-Z as a new elective course. 3. Date of Proposed Implementation: (Semester/Year): [Fall] / [2017] 4. Brief Summary of the Proposed Program Modification: (Insert below) [ X ] LING 506 in lieu of LING 402 for M.A. students in TESL. LING 506 course proposal is being submitted simultaneously. [ X ] Add LING 698D as a culminating experience for TESL M.A. students to replace the comprehensive exam and thesis requirement. LING 698D course proposal is being submitted simultaneously. [ X ] Add LING 595 A-Z Selected Topics as an elective graduate course. LING 595 A-Z course proposal is being submitted simultaneously. [ X] Clarify language pertaining to M.A. admission requirements for international students. 5. Catalog Entry: (Attach current and proposed catalog copy) 6. Justification for Request: (Attach) 7. Estimate of Impact of Resources within Department, for other Departments and the University: (Attach) (See Resource List) 8. Goals and Measurable Student Learning Outcomes for Program: (Attach ) 9. Methods of Assessment for Measurable Student Learning Outcomes: (Attach) A. Assessment Tools

2 Program Modification Proposal, Page 2 of 9 B. Describe the procedure the dept/program will use to ensure the faculty will be involved in the assessment process. (Refer to the University s policy on assessment.) 10. Record of Consultation: (Normally all consultation should be with a department chair or program coordinator. If more space is needed attach statement and supporting memoranda.) Department Date: Dept/College: Chair/Program Coordinator Concur (Y/N) [ 10/18/2016 ] [ English/Humanities ] [ Kent Baxter ] [ Y ] [ 10/18/2016 ] [ MCLL/Humanities] [ Brian Castronovo] [ Y ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 11. Approvals: Department Chair/Program Ana Sánchez-Muñoz [ 11/02/2016 ] Coordinator: Date: College (Dean or Associate Dean): Date: [ ] Educational Policies Committee: Date: [ ] Graduate Studies Committee: Date: [ ] Provost: Date: [ ]

3 Program Modification Proposal, Page 3 of 9 5. CATALOG COPY This proposed modification will require small changes in several areas. To make these changes clear, we have grouped old copy (as it appears on the current catalog available at the following link: with new copy for each small change: 5.a. Old Copy A. General Admission Requirements for the M.A. Degree in TESL Students should consult the Graduate Programs section of this Catalog for the University requirements. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 2.85 in the last 60 units of their B.A. degree work and satisfy the University requirements for Graduate Admission. Students who have GPAs below 3.0 will be required to take the GRE and achieve at least one score at the 50th percentile or higher. A satisfactory GRE score must be submitted within 18 months of admission. International students must have a minimum TOEFL score of 563 (paper-based) or 223 (computer-based) or 85 (Internet-based), or an IELTS score of 7. Students requiring the GRE or who have not fulfilled the Foreign Language Component (see below) will be admitted as conditionally classified. 5.a. New Copy: A. General Admission Requirements for the M.A. Degree in TESL Students should consult the Graduate Programs section of this Catalog for the University requirements. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 2.85 in the last 60 units of their B.A. degree work and satisfy the University requirements for Graduate Admission. Students who have GPAs below 3.0 will be required to take the GRE and achieve at least one score at the 50th percentile or higher. A satisfactory GRE score must be submitted within 18 months of admission. Speakers of languages other than English who hold postsecondary degrees from non-english speaking institutions must have a minimum TOEFL score of 563 (paper-based) or 223 (computer-based) or 85 (Internetbased), or an IELTS score of 7. Students requiring the GRE or who have not fulfilled the Foreign Language Component (see below) will be admitted as conditionally classified. 5.b. Old Copy B. Academic Standards 2. Additional Regulations for the M.A. Degree in TESL a. Students will be disqualified from the TESL M.A. program if they do not pass the comprehensive exam on their second attempt.

4 Program Modification Proposal, Page 4 of 9 b. No grade below B- can be counted in the formal program. Any grade of C+ or lower must be repeated. If the student does not receive a grade of B- or better on the second attempt, the student will be disqualified from the M.A. in TESL program. University regulations allow graduate students to repeat only up to 6 units. The repeat grade will appear on the transcript. Students must request approval to repeat a course using the Course Repeat Request Form from the graduate advisor in advance of enrolling in the course. 5.b. New Copy B. Academic Standards 2. Additional Regulations for the M.A. Degree in TESL a. Students will be disqualified from the TESL M.A. program if they do not pass the graduate project on their second attempt. b. No grade below B- can be counted in the formal program. Any grade of C+ or lower must be repeated. If the student does not receive a grade of B- or better on the second attempt, the student will be disqualified from the M.A. in TESL program. University regulations allow graduate students to repeat only up to 6 units. The repeat grade will appear on the transcript. Students must request approval to repeat a course using the Course Repeat Request Form from the graduate advisor in advance of enrolling in the course. 5.c. Old Copy: C. Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in TESL 1. Required Core Courses (30 units) LING 402 Phonetics and Phonology (3) LING 502 Seminar in Research on Second Language Acquisition (3) LING 510 Foundational Concepts in Linguistics (3) LING 517 Foundational Concepts of Language Development and Acquisition (3) LING 520 Issues in ESL Reading and Writing (3) LING 521 Issues in ESL Listening and Speaking (3) LING 525 English Structures for ESL/EFL Teaching (3) LING 530 Introduction to TESL (3) LING 555 TESL Practicum (3) LING 568 TESL Testing and Assessment (3) 5.c. New Copy: C. Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in TESL Candidates completing the program leading to an M.A. degree in TESL will have a fundamental understanding of the core areas in TESL at an advanced level. 1. Required Core Courses (30 units) LING 502 Seminar in Research on Second Language Acquisition (3)

5 Program Modification Proposal, Page 5 of 9 LING 506 Foundational Concepts of Phonetics and Phonology (3) LING 510 Foundational Concepts in Linguistics (3) LING 517 Foundational Concepts of Language Development and Acquisition (3) LING 520 Issues in ESL Reading and Writing (3) LING 521 Issues in ESL Listening and Speaking (3) LING 525 English Structures for ESL/EFL Teaching (3) LING 530 Introduction to TESL (3) LING 555 TESL Practicum (3) LING 568 TESL Testing and Assessment (3) 5.d. Old Copy: Partial list: EED 577 Language Arts Instruction and English Language Development (3) EED/SED 626 Literacy Instruction for English Learners K-12 (3) LING 403 Introduction to Morphology (3) LING 404 Syntax (3) LING 408 Semantics and Pragmatics (3) LING 411 Introduction to Historical Linguistics (3) LING 427 Languages in Contact (3) LING 447 Bilingualism in the U.S. (3) LING 500 Seminar in Phonetics (3) LING 501 Seminar in Phonology (3) LING 503 Seminar in Cognitive Linguistics (3) LING 505 Seminar in Discourse Analysis (3) LING 515 Survey of Applied Linguistics (3) LING 541 Seminar in Sociolinguistics (3) LING 566 Research Methods for Linguistics (3) LING 578 English for Specific Purposes (3) LING 604 Acoustic and Instrumental Phonetics (3) SED 514 Computers in the Instructional Program (3) SED 625ESL Theory and Research in Teaching ESL in Multilingual Classrooms (3) For additional electives in other disciplines, see the advisor or the chair. 5.d. New Copy: Partial list: EED 577 Language Arts Instruction and English Language Development (3) EED/SED 626 Literacy Instruction for English Learners K-12 (3) LING 403 Introduction to Morphology (3) LING 404 Syntax (3) LING 408 Semantics and Pragmatics (3) LING 411 Introduction to Historical Linguistics (3)

6 Program Modification Proposal, Page 6 of 9 LING 427 Languages in Contact (3) LING 447 Bilingualism in the U.S. (3) LING 500 Seminar in Phonetics (3) LING 501 Seminar in Phonology (3) LING 503 Seminar in Cognitive Linguistics (3) LING 505 Seminar in Discourse Analysis (3) LING 515 Survey of Applied Linguistics (3) LING 541 Seminar in Sociolinguistics (3) LING 566 Research Methods for Linguistics (3) LING 578 English for Specific Purposes (3) LING 595 A-Z Selected Topics (3) LING 604 Acoustic and Instrumental Phonetics (3) SED 514 Computers in the Instructional Program (3) SED 625ESL Theory and Research in Teaching ESL in Multilingual Classrooms (3) For additional electives in other disciplines, see the advisor or the chair. 5.e. Old Copy: 4. Culminating Experience (3 units) M.A. degree candidates in TESL complete their degrees by taking a comprehensive exam. Students will enroll in LING 697 Directed Comprehensive Studies in the semester during which they plan to take the examination. Students on probation or who have remaining incompletes, or who have not completed the foreign language component, will not be permitted to take the examination. Students who fail the examination on the first attempt will be required to register for the examination again the following semester. Students who fail the comprehensive examination a second time are disqualified from the M.A. in TESL program. These 3 units of culminating experience are part of the degree count. 5.e. New Copy 4. Culminating Experience (3 units) In order to complete the M.A. degree in TESL, graduate students submit a graduate project, which is comprehensive in nature. Graduate students work on the different components of this project throughout the program; the final project is publicly presented during their last/graduating semester. Graduate Project Students during their last semester will enroll in LING 698D. Students on probation or who have remaining incompletes, or who have not completed the foreign language component, will not be permitted to present their final graduate project. Students who fail the graduate project on the first attempt will be required to register LING 698D again the following semester. Students who

7 Program Modification Proposal, Page 7 of 9 fail the graduate project a second time are disqualified from the M.A. in TESL degree program. These 3 units of culminating experience are part of the degree count. Total Units Required for the M.A. Degree: JUSTIFICATION FOR REQUEST 6.a. Justification for change of course requirement LING 506 to replace LING 402: Students in the M.A. TESL program have to take a Phonology and Phonetics course as part of their core requirements. The Department of Linguistics/TESL created and approved a graduate level course: LING 506- Foundational Concepts of Phonetics and Phonology for M.A. students to satisfy this requirement (a course proposal for LING 506 is being submitted simultaneous with this program modification proposal). LING 506 will replace LING 402, an undergraduate Phonology and Phonetics course, as the latter is intended for undergraduate students majoring in Linguistics. Having LING 506 as a required course rather than LING 402 will alleviate over enrollment issues while also allowing more flexibility for graduate students to be able to take other 400-level courses as electives. 6.b. Justification to change the culminating experience requirement and to add LING 698D: We are seeking to change the requirements to graduate with an M.A. degree in TESL from the previous option (students had to take a comprehensive exam) to a comprehensive graduate project. There are two main reasons that justify this request. One is related to resources and the other to assessment. (1) Assessment: Faculty have been raising concerns over the ability of students to demonstrate the program s SLOs with current comprehensive exams. Many of us in the in the Linguistics/TESL Department have long been discussing ways to make the culminating experience a more fruitful professionalizing experience for our students. (2) Resources: We have an increasing number of TESL graduate students. Having three faculty members read each exam puts a heavy burden on the TESL faculty in a very short period of time. Due to both the resources and the assessment issues that we face with our current option (i.e. comprehensive exam), the LING/TESL Department is proposing a graduate project as a culminating experience for students in the M.A. in TESL. This final graduate project is comprehensive in nature. Students will work on the different requirements of the project throughout their graduate program and the project is finalized and presented in LING 698D (which is being submitted simultaneous with this program modification proposal). The course will be offered as a C-classification and would cap at 18, like other graduate seminars. The graduate project as culminating experience together with the proposal of LING 698D is something that has developed out of several years of thinking and discussion about this issue.

8 Program Modification Proposal, Page 8 of 9 We believe that it will offer our students a valuable culminating experience option that will be deeply relevant to their professional lives. We are requesting early implementation of the proposed changes to be effective in Fall 2017 for the reasons explained above. Namely, grading the comprehensive exam places an unfair burden on the TESL faculty; and most importantly there are assessment concerns about the way the comprehensive exams are functioning at the moment. 6.c. Justification for adding LING 595 A-Z Selected Topics The Linguistics/TESL program currently has no selected topics series at the graduate level. This course will serve as an elective course on an advanced topic for M.A. students in Linguistics and/or TESL. It will give students an in-depth study of a topic under the direction of a faculty member who has a specialization on such topic. The course builds on the other core courses in the relevant M.A. program. This selected topics course will allow for a variety of topics of faculty members interests to be offered for intensive study by students. It will allow for our program to accommodate courses that do not fit into our existing categories, and more importantly, it creates a space to expose our students to emerging areas of study in the field. In doing so, we will be adding depth, breadth, and diversity to our program. 6.d. Justification for clarifying language related to international students: We are seeking to clarify who is required to take the TOEFL exam in order to be admitted into the M.A. TESL program. In order to avoid different interpretations of the word international, we want to clarify that regardless of citizenship or visa status, non-native speakers of English whose undergraduate degree was completed in a non-english speaking institution will have to pass the TOEFL /IELTS examination to demonstrate adequate English skills. 7. ESTIMATE OF IMPACT ON RESOURCES The culminating experience can be run as a C-5 graduate seminar, meaning that one professor can teach up to 18 students for three units. As a C-5 seminar, it is also far more flexible than the S-classified Directed Comprehensive Studies units; enrollment can fluctuate by as much as six students (that is, the course can run with anywhere between twelve and eighteen students) without causing havoc in relation to scheduling faculty workload. Our graduate programs have been growing significantly (we are the second largest in the college in numbers of graduate students). Given current growth trends, we anticipate that LING 698D will fill to eighteen students most semesters. Should there be a slight enrollment deficit, the Department is prepared to absorb this deficit by slightly reducing the overall number of graduate courses offered each semester (currently we are running between eight to ten graduate courses each semester, plus the comprehensive exam and the thesis in the M.A. in Linguistics option). Because this course can run as a C-factor seminar rather than an S-factor course, and because it will be a requirement for graduation, we anticipate that it will save the department and the college a great deal of money in the long run. For example, over the course of an academic year, the cost for twenty students to write a thesis in an S-factor course is somewhere around $50,000.

9 Program Modification Proposal, Page 9 of 9 Running two sections of 698D (one in fall and one in spring) will cost about half of that, even factoring in replacement and FTES make-up costs. This should have no impact on other departments as it is expected to serve only students in the TESL M.A. program. 8. GOALS AND MEASURABLE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR PROGRAM: Student Learning Outcomes of the Graduate Program in TESL: 1. A basic knowledge of linguistic theory in phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax. 2. A solid knowledge of TESL theory and methodology. 3. An understanding of how theories of language structure and theories of language in context and pedagogy can be applied in teaching language. 4. The ability to read, analyze and critically evaluate research and demonstrate a high level of critical thinking and problem solving. 5. Skills in the design of TESL testing and assessment as well as TESL curriculum development. 9. METHODS OF ASSESSMENT FOR MEASURABLE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES A. Assessment Tools The Department currently assesses M.A. Program SLOs with the students comprehensive exams. Once the proposed modification is in place, the Department intends to use the Graduate Projects to that purpose. The tools will include research proposals, reports, short and long essays, participation in conference planning activities, oral presentations. B. Describe the procedure the department/program will use to ensure that faculty will be involved in the assessment process: Faculty in the Linguistics/TESL Department is currently involved in all aspects of the assessment process: faculty members collect data from student work, develop and apply rubrics, and evaluate results to determine whether further action is needed. This is expected to continue once the proposed curriculum modification goes into effect.