Answers to Questions from the NACEP Accreditation Team

C1 

QUESTION: Econ 207 not listed in the catalog:

This class is no longer offered by the university and therefore by CAPP.  It was still shown on the web site because updates had not been completed when accreditation materials were submitted.  The web site update process has been changed university-wide, and the CAPP office now has access and permission to update the web site without having to go through another office, as was the case until the very recent past.  If you go back to our web site, you will note the changes; this class is now gone.

QUESTION: Math 171/Japnese 248/Phy 107 each have prereqs not offered by CAPP:

Math 171 is the first course in the math sequence that the math department believes could be taken by well-prepared high school students.  Its prerequisites are the university equivalent of algebra courses that are taken in high schools. In addition, CAPP students (and all students enrolling in any UW System campus) must take the state placement exam before enrolling in this class, as stated in the course description on the CAPP web site (arrangements for the test are made by the CAPP teachers):

Mathematics  171 Calculus I    (MA)                         4 units
Real valued functions of a single variable.  Concept of derivative, antiderivative, and definite integral.  Differentiation and applications, including optimization and curve-sketching.  Emphasis on problem solving, approximation, data analysis, visualization.  A graphics programmable calculator is required.  Prerequisite:  Mathematics 108 or 104 and 106 with grade(s) of C or above or 4 years of college preparatory mathematics and a satisfactory score on a placement examination [emphasis added].

and as stated in the university bulletin for all students:

Mathematics  171 Calculus I  
 Real valued functions of a single variable. Concept of derivative, antiderivative, and definite integral. Differentiation and applications, including optimization and curve-sketching. Emphasis on problem solving, approximation, data analysis, visualization. A graphics programmable calculator is required. Prerequisite: Mathematics 108 or 104 and 106 with grade(s) of C or  better or 4 years of college preparatory mathematics and a satisfactory score on a placement examination[emphasis added]. (Fall-Spring) 

Note that the course description is the same in both cases!

The placement exam referenced here is the University of Wisconsin System.  The test is given at a variety of locations, and is referenced at the UW Oshkosh Testing Services web site:  http://www.uwosh.edu/testing/testlinks/uwplacementtests.php

“UW System Placement Testing:  As a rule, all incoming freshmen and some transfer students are required to take the English and Math Placement tests prior to registering at UW Oshkosh. Optional Placement Tests are available in French, Spanish and German.”   

The description of the UW System math placement test can be found at http://www.testing.wisc.edu/math%20test.html.  All UW System campuses offer two kinds of courses that math departments offer to students who are not well-prepared in math but appear to be ready for college in other aspects.  One type of course is remedial, and although credit toward semester totals and semester grade point is granted for these (Math 100 and 103), credit for graduation is not granted.  The other courses which are listed as prerequisites for Math 171, Math 104 and 106 or 108 (which is a combination of 104 and 106), do receive graduation credit. Students must earn at least a C in those courses on campus, while CAPP students must have the permission of the CAPP calculus teacher at their school AND the correct score on the placement exam.   Therefore, the prerequisites for Math 171 are not offered through CAPP.

Japanese 248: Please see the University Bulletin descriptions below.  
Currently, the only school district that offers Japanese through CAPP, the Menasha Joint School District, teaches Japanese, as well as several other languages, from kindergarten through 12th grade.  Students who take 248 must have the equivalent of 210.  They will have had the equivalent of the University’s Japanese 110 and 111 during their previous years in the Menasha schools.   

Japanese 210:  Intermediate Japanese I

This is a four-credit course which serves as a continuation of the first-year, introductory courses in spoken and written Japanese. Will count toward the Bachelor of Arts language requirement and General Education-Humanities: Foreign Language requirement. Prerequisite: Japanese 111.

Japanese 211: Intermediate Japanese II

This is a four-credit course which serves as a continuation of the third term intermediate course in spoken and written Japanese. Prerequisite: Japanese 210.

Japanese 248 Fourth Semester Japanese for CAPP Programs

This is a five-credit course which is an intensive two-semester course taught at high schools affiliated with the CAPP program featuring development of intermediate conversational skills and reading and writing skills through the study of the Japanese Language and other appropriate materials. This course is a substitute for Japanese 211. Prerequisites: Equivalent of Japanese 210.

Using numbers 248 vs. 211:  It has been at least ten years since the 248 number has been in place, and it was originally proposed because the on-campus courses were confusing for campuses receiving our separate numbers (203/207 and 204/208, one being grammar and the other conversation).  Newer languages (Japanese, Arabic and Chinese) use 210 and 211 to replace the older numbering system for Spanish, French and German.  The CAP program works within whatever parameters are set by the department.

Physics 107:  This class can be taken by freshmen who have the equivalent of Math 108 (they will have scored at that level on the previously mentioned math placement test).  Please see the descriptions below (the first is from the CAPP web site and the second is from the University  Bulletin).

Physics/Astronomy 107 General Physics (5 units)
A survey of mechanics and properties of matter. Recommended for liberal arts majors and pre-professionals. Not recommended for physics majors and minors and pre-engineers. Prerequisite: Mathematics 108 or equivalent.

Physics/Astronomy 107 1-5 units (crs.) General Physics (NS)
A survey of mechanics and properties of matter. Recommended for liberal arts majors and pre-professionals. Not recommended for physics majors and minors and pre-engineers. Prerequisite: Mathematics 108 or equivalent. (4+2) (Fall)

QUESTION: Please describe the [course] approval process [for CAPP classes]: 

Because CAPP classes are UW Oshkosh courses, there is no separate approval process for them.  The classes offered through CAPP are previously approved university courses.  With the exception of the various foreign language courses numbered 248, no class has ever been proposed with even a different number for CAPP.  The following path is followed for course approval at this University:

Department Chair(s)
College Division Chair (Letters & Science Divisions – Math /Science, Fine and Performing Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences)
College Curriculum Committee Chair
Dean of the College  
Academic Policies General Education Subcommittee Chair (if course is proposed for general education)
Academic Policy Committee
Provost and Vice Chancellor
Chancellor

Please see Course Action Routing Sheet (Form A), the routing form for curricular proposals, at http://www.uwosh.edu/provost/curriculum_forms/index.php

This form is used for new university courses.  As explained earlier, ALL CAPP courses are already approved UW Oshkosh courses, and they have all been approved through this process. 

C3
QUESTION:  Campus syllabus requirements: 

Each department within the College of Letters and Science has its own process; the syllabi approval process is completely decentralized.  All syllabi are stored in a folder on the shared drive on the College of Letters and Science server.  Other than that, there is no monitoring of syllabi across the college or university.  Liaisons do allow their adjuncts to include things that are specific to their own class.  For example, the chemistry syllabi you see

QUESTION:  How are CAPP syllabi reviewed and checked for updating: 

Faculty liaisons from each department are responsible for making sure that material in each syllabus is in line with on campus department requirements.  Again, each department on campus is responsible for its own syllabi, and the department and the CAPP office rely on department liaisons for ensuring that the CAPP syllabus is acceptable to the department.

Furthermore, according to university guidelines, every time a new course is proposed, a syllabus is attached to that course proposal. CAPP has not, from the time that we began teaching UW Oshkosh courses in the high schools rather than on campus (in other words, since the 1970’s),  taught any course except those that are already offered on campus and have been through the University’s regular course approval process. High school adjuncts teach our courses with variances as allowed by the department liaison only .  This is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Therefore, we do not expect to need a separate approval process for CAPP. If, at some future date, an adjunct and a liaison decide to propose a course, the campus process would need to be followed. In reality, however, this is very unlikely.

 If you would like to see our campus course approval process, please see the process as outlined in the Faculty Academic Handbook  http://www.uwosh.edu/provost/handbook/documents/2008FacStaffHndbk.pdf     The forms are found at http://www.uwosh.edu/provost/curriculum_forms/index.php ; see Course Action Routing Sheet (Form A) particularly at the link shown in C2.  NOTE THAT A SYLLABUS MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE ROUTING FORM, AND IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE BASIS OF APPROVAL BY THE VARIOUS LEVELS INVOLVED. Note also the many levels of approval required, from Originator/Department chair to the Chancellor.

Syllabi that show that CAPP courses and campus courses are the same (literally, in several cases) are:  Calculus 171 (high school) and Math 171 (UW Oshkosh); Chemistry 105 (high school) and Chem 105 (UW Oshkosh); Music 219 (high school) and Music 219 (UW Oshkosh); and English 101 (high school) and WBIS 101 (UW Oshkosh).

• Variances between the university and high school syllabi are allowed, as stated above, by the program whenever the campus department liaison approves these variances.  
• Course title and grade level variances on different syllabi are probably overlooked by the department liaison.  We do not have one liaison overseeing all schools in many cases, and even when there is one (for example, English has numerous liaisons whereas biology has one), it is likely that the idiosyncrasies of each school are allowed. We deal with many different school districts and with different schools within some districts.  If this is an issue that the accreditation team feels is important, we could use some advice on how other programs make sure that each school has consistent syllabi.
• The philosophy syllabus that you referenced with the instructor (the adjunct at a local Catholic high school) who describes the course as being “Directed by” himself is, again, approved by the campus Philosophy Department.  It is simply Dr. Mannebach’s (the high school teacher) way of describing how he views his role as a teacher/facilitator, and our campus liaison and his department finds designation and the syllabus to be quite acceptable.
• The length of terms varies because the length of the term at our member high school varies, depending upon whether the high school has trimester, quarter, standard block, skinny block, A/B days, or a host of additional varieties in scheduling.  Block scheduling, as is typical across the nation, differs from school district to school district.  In Wisconsin, high schools schedules vary as long as they meet the state minimums.  Similarly, our campus  courses are offered in varying terms as well:  we have 14 week courses, 17 week courses, three week courses, and four and eight week courses.  We are the ONLY campus in the UW system with a 14-week schedule (with 60 minute classes) as our basic scheduling block; most others have 50 minute classes in a 15, 16 or 17 week format.  We are also the only campus that offers the three week interim opportunity, in January and in May, at no additional tuition cost. This does not even take into consideration our Center for New Learning program, which offers on-line courses and off campus courses designed for adults in a wide variety of times and formats.  Once again, these differences and variances are worked out between the department and the high school.  Our liaisons have, since the inception of CAPP, worked this out on a collegial basis, between the high school adjunct and the department liaison. 

UW System policy states that “There should be at least 800 minutes (or equivalent) of instructional time per credit hour.”  (UWS Gen 4.B.1)  This rule applies to any UW class, no matter where it is taught.  Because CAPP classes do involve more minutes of teaching time, CAPP classes clearly meet this standard.

In summary, ALL CAPP courses are THE SAME as those taught on campus; although at times they may appear different, the differences are only superficial .  The liaison is the front line representative of the university and its department, assuring that college level learning is the same on campus as it is for CAPP students in the high schools.  High school students do have the advantage of additional face/seat time because they are in classes longer (typically, five days a week as opposed to the three days a week students on campus are in a class) and therefore, our liaisons do allow additional material to be present on a syllabus.  If additional topics do not always look the same, it is because the high school teacher has cleared this with the liaison. 

An example of this is our English 101/Writing-Based Inquiry classes.  If you look at English 101, as listed above, you will see that the course is Theme-Based.  Ms. Hutchinson’s theme is The Relationship of Nature to the Modern World.  Because we as a campus use a theme-based, or writing-based, approach to first-year composition, all sections of our on campus classes (which have a different numbering and designation; more about that in a moment) have a different theme, as do our CAPP composition classes.  The corresponding department syllabus selected is WBIS 101, uses the theme of Food, Culture and Environment.  The two have different titles but adhere to the English department’s rules for WBIS.

When the English Department first decided to use a theme-based approach to first-year composition, the decision was made to leave the CAPP classes designated as English 101 because many CAPP students choose campuses outside UW System.  Within UW System, WBIS is accepted as College English I.  WBIS 101 (or 188) is the same as English 101, although the title and the number do not appear to be the same. 

The English Department has a web page for  CAPP instructors.   Both the department faculty liaisons and the Director of Composition work with the high school adjuncts to ensure both quality and consistency with the classes on campus.

F1 
QUESTION:  3-5 actual sample applications

Applications have been scanned in and can be found here. 

QUESTION:  Program policies provided to CE instructors

Program policies are provided to teachers in a variety of ways:

• First, policies relating to instructor requirements are sent to potential instructors as part of the application process.  See the document Adjunct Instructor Application Process. These policies are based on the UW System policy referenced under F1 in the Accreditation Report. 
• Once approval is in place, adjuncts receive, annually, reminders of policies and practices found in the New adjunct materials file; see especially the Adjunct Instructor Information.
• Department approval is based on the information provided in the Instructor Application Process referenced above. 

Note:  CAPP does not have a policy manual for our high school adjuncts or for department faculty liaisons (although we have had a student handbook for a number of years).  This type of information is disseminated in a variety of ways, most notably through the folder each adjunct receives at the beginning of every school year.  The accreditation process has led us to believe that creation of such a manual is a good idea. We could include policies ranging from the UW System policy to local department policies and policies for students.

QUESTION:  Departmental criteria for adjunct instructors

Departments select adjunct instructors for CAPP on the same basis that on campus instructors are selected for the same course.  Please see the following:

• Some materials sent to potential instructor are located here.

Course or term not indicated:  At this time, we do not include that information in the letter of acceptance because we sign a contract each summer with each school for each year.  Please see a sample contract at…..These contracts outline the courses that are taught and the terms in which they are taught.

F2
Training and orientation in course curriculum, assessment criteria, course philosophy and CEP Administrative requirements.

• Question:  Administrative policy guides:   Please see F1 above. 
• Question:  Sample training materials:  We do not publish separate agenda for each break out session of our spring workshop, but if this is deemed necessary, we would do so.  Please see the following training materials:
• Agenda from workshops 2007 and 2008 
• Critical thinking materials from 2007.  This work is a result of Professor Heike Alberts’ attendance at a University of Wisconsin System on Teaching and Learning.  She put it together for faculty and CAPP colleagues.
• Differences between high school and college for adjuncts to use with their students.
• Teachers and faculty liaisons ARE required to attend the spring workshop, although the rare teachers (and liaisons) who do not come have not been severely penalized because it is impossible to schedule a day so that everyone in 35+ institutions and almost as many academic departments can attend.  We use the word “invited” in our announcement of the seminar to be polite! However, last year we told teachers that they would not receive their $200.00 stipend if they did not attend because this is part of the contract they all sign; see the adjunct contract in
• Liaison faculty and high school adjuncts work together on curriculum development and professional development.  See materials from
• Spanish
• Chemistry
• Math
• English -- The document for English is the content page from the Desire to Learn [D2L] site for CAPP WBIS teachers.  It is put together by the Director of Composition in the English Department for WBIS adjuncts and faculty.
• Question:  Database:  The program does not keep a data base of who attends what breakouts at each workshops.  We did report the number of participants at each of the last three years’ workshops

F3

• Question: Collegial interaction: 
• Annual professional development:  The annual workshop is highlighted in F2.  Materials above are from several workshops. 
• Evaluation forms:  Please see the two site visit forms, indicating one-on-one collegial interaction.
• Course Evaluation – describes rationale for continuing the course; done annually
• Course Report – describes site visit; done annually

• Question:  Seminar announcements
• Note:  CAPP ‘s seminar agenda does not go into detail for each breakout session, but if this is needed for accreditation, we will be glad to do so.  It is likely that we will put together a more detailed agenda for the 2009 seminar.

S1

• Question: Confusing terminology
• We will fix this in the next version of the handbook.  We have long included a comparison between CAPP and AP because there are so many questions asked about it by parents and students, as well as principals and counselors.

S2

• Question:  Sample syllabi:
• Please see C3 for  sample syllabi
• Please see for syllabi from all course areas

A1 

• Question: Standards of achievement/Assessment
• Examples are shown in
• Faculty liaisons review syllabi when they are originally submitted by adjuncts.
• Not sure what is meant by “reviewed for completion.”  Because this refers to C3, please see C3 for information on syllabi and the review process at UW Oshkosh. 

A2

• Question: Annual evaluation for grading standards  
• We can not locate the Faculty Review Form on the NACEP web site.  We have included, in our original report, statements from department chairs stating that this is done every year. Please see
• Our faculty report does not specifically address student assessment each year.  As stated in A1, faculty review syllabi when they are originally submitted by adjuncts.

A3 

• Question: Students assessed using same methods?
• Please see C3 as explained above.
• Examples should be found in A1.