CCSC Top 5 Priorities Committee

Name: Nicole Allicock

Date: February 14th, 2016
General Topic: Academics
Objective: The objective of the CCSC is to reexamine and restructure parts of undergraduate
academic programming in the hopes of reducing academics-related student stress.
Methods:

Allowing Double Counting for Double Majors and Concentrators

o Columbia students often elect to follow a course of study in more than one
discipline. This might manifest in a double major, double concentration, or some
other combination. These students are thus tasked with taking on an increased
courseload. Currently, completion of a particular course may no longer satisfy a
requirement in more than one department. High levels of academic stress in
Columbia College in part arise from the amount of homework, the number of
exams, and the amount of preparation involved for each class a student takes. In
an EPPC survey1, 81% of Columbia College students said that academic work
contributes to their stress very much or to a large extent. If students who elect
to double major can only do so by completing each major wholly separately and
individually, regardless of overlap, they end up taking a much heavier courseload,
thereby inducing heavier amounts stress. If students had the opportunity to use
certain classes to satisfy more than one requirement and effectively reduce their
courseload, student stress levels would significant decrease and student
satisfaction with their Columbia College experience would increase.

1 https://columbiaspectator.com/sites/default/files/05-05-14%20WEB.pdf

Allowing Students to P/D/F Two Semesters of the Total Four Required for the Global
Core/Science Requirement
o Students will be able to engage more in academic exploration if they are able to
utilize the Pass/D/Fail option for Global Core and Science Requirement (GC/SR)
classes. One of the stated purposes of the P/D/F grading option is "to encourage
students to take courses of interest to them outside of the field of specialization"
(P/D/F website). Since a student cannot P/D/F any course after the first course
towards their major, only students whose GC/SR class is "outside their field of
specialization" could use this grading option. Currently, many students are steered
towards subjects/courses they are either already familiar with or take with a
concern only for the grade they will earn. Having the P/D/F option for GC/SR
classes will encourage students to utilize the true purpose of P/D/F and take
courses of interest to them. Having the P/D/F option will relieve some of the
undue stress caused by these courses (particularly because they necessarily fall
outside of a student's comfort zone) while not lessening the quality of student
engagement with the class.

Administrative Acknowledgement of Stress-Perpetuating Aspects of Culture

o There is a tendency among Columbia students to take more classes than is
necessary to meet requirements for graduation. Students need to be made better
aware of Columbias academic expectations. Dissemination of information by the
Deans regarding academic expectations as well as the feasibility of taking four
classes a semester (with high school or other credits), would help shift our
academic culture in the right direction.