Announcements & Reminders
Announcements
Don't Reinvent the Wheel—Link to the Catalog!
The online Cal Poly Catalog will soon be ready for department webmasters to link directly to their courses and academic programs. The online catalog is the official catalog, supersedes the printed version, and is kept up to date reflecting new courses, course changes and curriculum substitutions.
Please use the online curriculum displays and course descriptions rather than creating your own versions.
More detailed information will be emailed to department chairs, heads, and administrative support coordinators. If you have questions, please contact Kay Jensen, catalog editor.
New USCP Criteria
A new set of criteria for USCP courses was adopted by the Academic Senate and approved by the president in February 2009.
Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies Major Available
The BA degree program in Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies (LAES) is jointly offered by the colleges of Liberal Arts and Engineering. This program prepares students for a wide range of innovative careers in emerging professional fields that combine skills and interests in engineering, the arts, technology, and culture, and also prepares them for further study in graduate school. This program is open to all students at Cal Poly.
The curriculum allows LAES students, in collaboration with students from all other Cal Poly majors, to participate in development teams working on national and international technology and culture projects. To further prepare students for work with diverse teams that include participants from across the globe, the program requires students to spend three to six months studying and/or working abroad.
Graduates of the LAES program receive a solid foundation in engineering and scientific principles as well as a cultural appreciation that supports them in careers requiring significant levels of technical and cultural fluency. For more information , see the LAES program overview or visit the Liberal Arts & Engineering Studies website.
Reminders
Diversity Learning Objectives
Diversity Learning Objectives (DLOs) were adopted by the Academic Senate and approved by the president in March 2008. The DLOs need not be addressed in every class or activity, but academic programs are individually responsible for ensuring that their students achieve them by the time that they graduate.
Textbook Affordability
We all recognize that many students struggle to afford a college education - even in the California State University, where fees are low relative to other American four-year institutions. A significant student cost is for course materials, including textbooks. An August 2008 report by the California State Auditor found, among other things, that
- Textbook costs have risen at higher rates than have the median household income, and at higher rates than student fees.
- CSU students spent an average of $812 on textbooks in academic year 2007-08, which was roughly 23 percent of the total for both mandatory fees and textbooks.
Please take reasonable steps to keep costs as low as possible for our students. Here are three things you can do:
- submit your textbook adoption information to the bookstore by the due dates, to make certain that the bookstore can obtain as many used books as possible and purchase books back from students at higher prices.
- consider price in the textbook adoption process and, without compromising the quality of the education students receive or essential academic freedom, consider adopting less costly textbooks wherever possible.
- consider adopting textbooks that are not bundled with supplementary products, unless all the components are required for the course.
Experimental (X-) courses have gone away
Continuous Course Review is available for the (relatively) rapid review of new course proposals between catalog cycles. Temporary courses may be offered under generic numbers such as 270, 271, 470, 471, 570, 571.
Final Exam Dates
Instructors may not change the dates on which they hold finals without prior approval from their dean and notification of University Scheduling. View the final exams policy.
Conversion of a WU grade to a W is no longer possible
And a WU counts as an F. Warn your students that they should routinely check on-line before the end of the add-drop period to ensure they are enrolled in the correct classes. It is their responsibility to drop classes in which they do not wish to remain enrolled. View the Academic Senate Resolution on WU Grades.
Student Academic Services Provides Valuable Resources
Studend Academic Services (SAS) offers a variety of resources upon which students can draw to improve their academic performance, particularly when they first enter Cal Poly. The resources include:
- First Year Seminars
- Study Skills Seminars
- Study Sessions
- Supplemental Workshops
- Tutorial Referrals