The Council on Academic Affairs will vote on 11 proposals for changes in classes and revisions of minors at their first meeting of the spring semester.

Of the 11 proposals, two focus on the revision of classes in the department of health studies, and three focus on course revision in department of communication studies.

There are also two proposals for the addition of new courses.

One of the possible new courses to be added in the fall of 2011 is a health studies course titled “classroom and behind-the-wheel teaching methods for driver education.”

According to proposal 11-12: “This course is designed to provide the prospective driver education teacher with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully conduct classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction, provide a safe learning environment while doing so and evaluate new driver performance. Learning activities will focus on preparing the prospective driver educator to conduct activities which develop vehicle operational skills for a novice driver.”

The other new course for discussion is a geology course, titled “geology of national parks,” which could possibly be available in the spring 2012 semester.

According to proposal 11-16, the course would “explore the interesting features and sweeping landscapes that make the national park system the pride of America. From a scientific perspective, students will become familiar with the geologic phenomena existing in the national parks and gain a better appreciation of their creation and importance. Learning about these natural wonders will be facilitated by lecture, videos, virtual field trips, lab work and a field trip.”

The final four proposals focus on the revision of majors and minors. The majors and minors up for revision are the geology major and minor as well as the earth science minor.

When asked why the sudden increase in the council’s agenda, Larry White, CAA chair, said, “This is pretty typical for this time of year;it takes a while for the proposals to get through the approval ‘pipeline’ and the subcommittees try to have a clean slate by the end of spring term.”

The CAA will meet in Booth Library from 2-4 p.m. on Thursday.

White said because of the few things to be added to next week’s agenda, he predicts there will not be an “in person” meeting, but rather an online meeting, or there may not be one at all.

“It’s going to be a busy a semester, we will probably start seeing more proposals as the semester continues,” White said.

White also encourages students to keep track if they see one of their programs on the agenda, because even if it is a minor change, it still may affect students, he said.

Amy Wywialowski can be reached at 581-2812 or alwywialowski@eiu.edu.