Michelle Norton
Staff Writer
In the midst of an audit sparked by allegations of "dummy" courses at the University of Houston, the Commission of Colleges released a report reaffirming the University of Houston's accreditation to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
SACS is an organization composed of voluntary representatives from southern universities. As one of the many regional associations of colleges and schools, its primary focus is on the institutional effectiveness of its member universities.
Twenty-five representatives from SACS evaluated UH according to predetermined guidelines last year. When the evaluations were compiled into an initial report last May, a concern, according to Interim Provost George Magner, was the "possibility of graduate students enrolling in 'dummy' courses."
Following the release of the report, allegations of such courses appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 19, as well in the Houston Chronicle. Columnist Lydia Lum of the Houston Chronicle defined "dummy" courses as classes "that have no formal rules about attendance, no specific expectations of work and no basis for determining grades."
In response to the allegations, 50 members of the UH Graduate English Society called for the elimination of such courses and the reduction of full-time status to six hours.
Arthur Vailas, vice president for research and vice provost for graduate studies, and Magner said they initiated a two-part study in response to the allegations that interviewed students, faculty, and administration. This was followed by a random telephone survey of graduate students that were currently enrolled in individualized study.
The results of the study, according to a news release by UH President/UH-System Chancellor Arthur K. Smith, showed that out of the 419 people interviewed, 30.6 percent felt that they had been enrolled in a "dummy" course.
"The findings clearly indicated that we do have a problem here, that further investigations must be undertaken to determine its precise nature and scope and that some immediate corrective actions are required," Smith said.
Calling for more investigation into the problem, Smith then initiated a review by the Office of Internal Audit with an anticipated due date of March 15.
He also called for academic deans, department chairs and directors of graduate programs to certify that their departments are in compliance with university policies governing graduate courses and faculty workload.
The certification information has not yet been released by the office of the Vice President for Research and Vice Provost for Graduate Studies.
In response to the call for hour reduction by the GES, the Graduate Professional Studies Council has changed the full-time minimum status requirement for master's students to nine semester credit hours from 12 in the fall and spring. The required hours for doctoral students will be maintained at nine, with only six hours necessary in the summer.
The release of the final report on Jan. 8 by the Commission on Colleges, following a vote, omitted the initial allegation.
Smith said he did not believe that the commission had sufficient evidence to support their claim. "The committee removed the allegation from the final report because it was based on anecdotal evidence."
While excluding the allegations of graduate "dummy" courses, the final report did include nine recommendations focused on program evaluation and assessment.
Magner said that he had expected the recommendations to appear.
"They basically want us to implement a program that allows us to evaluate ourselves in terms of effectiveness. UH has established an Institute of Effectiveness in response to such a need."
With the report requesting a follow-up from UH due by Oct. 1, Magner stressed the positive implications of the assessment. "The reaffirmation adds a dimension to UH that speaks for the students, faculty and programs."
Smith said he agreed. "When a respected association like the SACS could not find sufficient evidence to support claims of "dummy" courses it causes the public to stand up and take notice."