Purpose and Responsibility
The purpose
of the Educational Policy Council is to ensure the
quality of the undergraduate educational program in
order to enable SIUSOM students to become knowledgeable,
competent, caring physicians.
The EPC is
responsible for establishing educational policy for the
School of Medicine and for assuring the quality of the
educational program by:
-
overseeing the conduct of the curriculum;
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carefully and continuously evaluating the structure,
content, purpose and length of the educational
experience;
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proposing, considering and implementing curricular
changes;
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carefully and continuously evaluating the student
assessment process to assure accurate assessment of
knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Organization
Council
Composition
Faculty with
voting privileges on the EPC are appointed three ways.
Six are ex officio and hold their appointments as year
directors of the four years of the curriculum, Chair of
the Student Progress Committee and Doctoring Director.
Seven faculty members are elected by their peers from
constituency groups in an election process defined and
implemented by the Faculty Council. The Faculty Council
appoints one additional faculty member with confirmation
by the Dean. It is intended that Educational Policy
Council composition should reflect a balance among the
curricular interests in the School of Medicine. Faculty
appointed to the Educational Policy Council should have
demonstrated interest, experience and skill in education
and have a broad understanding of all School of Medicine
curriculum segments and evaluative processes. Elected
faculty members serve for staggered three-year terms.
A voting
student member from each class will be elected (four
members) by their classmates and approved by the dean.
Non-voting
ex officio members include the Associate Dean for
Education and Curriculum, the Associate Dean for Student
Affairs, and the Assistant Dean of Student
Affairs-Carbondale.
If any
position entitled to vote is shared between two
individuals the council should decide at the beginning
of the year the number of votes allocated to the
position.
Constituency Representation
Members of
the EPC represent the School of Medicine, rather than
their constituencies. Decisions should be made in the
best interests of the institution’s overall curriculum,
rather than individual constituencies.
Council
Chair
The Chair of
the Educational Policy Council is elected from among its
membership by voting members of the Educational Policy
Council and approved by the Dean for consecutive
two-year terms. The Chair:
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conducts
monthly meetings, scheduling additional meetings as
necessary;
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serves
on and may attend the Curriculum Directors Committee
meetings;
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creates
standing and ad-hoc subcommittees, as needed;
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handles
or delegates additional Council responsibilities as
they arise.
Council
Vice-Chair
The
Vice-Chair of the Educational Policy Council is elected
by the Educational Policy Council for consecutive
two-year terms. The Vice-Chair, in the absence of the
Chair:
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conducts
monthly meetings, scheduling additional meetings as
necessary;
-
handles
or delegates additional Council responsibilities as
they arise.
Staffing
-
In
addition to staff support from the Office of
Education and Curriculum, the chair may designate
additional staff support as appropriate. The Chair
will designate a recorder, either a member of the
council or a designated staff. This person is
responsible for preparing and distributing agendas;
recording, producing and distributing meeting
minutes; preparing reports as requested by the
Council, and handling correspondence and follow-up
necessary to Council business.
Meetings
and Attendance
Regular
meetings are held on the second Monday of each month
from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Lincoln Conference
Room at 801 North Rutledge Street in Springfield and
Lindegren Conference Room 310 in Carbondale. Members
are expected to attend most meetings or to send a proxy
on their behalf. No member/attendee can have more than
one vote. Attendance at half or fewer meetings with no
proxy representation is grounds for replacement.
Procedure
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Meetings
are conducted using modified Roberts’ Rules of
Order.
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Monthly
agendas and minutes are distributed prior to each
meeting.
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A simple
majority of the voting members constitutes a quorum.
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Formal
meeting business may be conducted in lieu of a
quorum, but formal votes will not be taken.
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Any
member of the faculty or student body may ask to
have an issue put on the agenda for discussion.
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All
motions must be seconded before they can be
discussed on the floor.
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All
members of EPC are eligible to make or second a
motion, but ex officio members may not vote.
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Formal
votes are taken and recorded.
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A topic
or issue will not be voted upon the day it is
introduced without the approval of the full Council
or in unusual circumstances.
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Proxy
attendance is permitted and proxy votes are counted
(written proxy from the regular member should be
given to the chair prior to the meeting.
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All
faculty are welcome to attend meetings.
Relationship to Other Committees
The EPC is
responsible for developing policies regarding the
curriculum and for evaluating the curriculum. Curriculum
delivery is more appropriately the responsibility of
curriculum committees who oversee the daily operations
of various curriculum segments. Curriculum year
committees will make reports to the EPC on a regular
basis as part of the regular EPC agenda. These reports
and minutes of curriculum committee meetings will be
forwarded to the EPC chair.
Curriculum Committees
Curriculum
Committees are established for each year of the
curriculum. Each Curriculum Committee shall have an
operating paper that is reviewed and approved by the EPC.
Membership on these committees shall be as described in
the operating papers of the individual curriculum
committees but shall include the Year Director, who
convene(s) the committee; the Course Directors; and the
Doctoring Director.
Amendments to the Operating
Paper
Amendments to the operating paper
can be recommended by any faculty member or student and
approved with a two-thirds majority of voting members
present. Amendments cannot be voted upon at the meeting
at which they are proposed.
Approved by Educational Policy Council 04/09/2001
Revised 03/17/2002
Revised 05/12/2003
Revised 12/06/2006
Revised 01/03/2007
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