From: acarlsen@art-sci.edel.edu [mailto:acarlsen@UDel.Edu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 9:14 PM
To: Hastings, Steven E
Cc: Conrad, Catherine M.; Shenkle, Cynthia W.; Quinci, Carolyn E; Cowperthwait, Amy Lynn; Pugh, Diane L
Subject: Re: Nursing Students Not Being Able to Have NURS/THEA 214 Count Towards University Breadth

Hello Steve,

Respectfully have to disagree here.

We would be glad to talk to you or Eric or anyone else on this issue.

Bottom line is that NURS/THEA 214, HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATION:UDSP is the only Arts and Humanities course that now lives in the School of Nursing and by this ruling, the university is not only not encouraging, but making it very difficult, if not impossible, for UD nurses to take this course. A course that many believe will help them to become better health care providers.

This course came about by different departments, schools, and colleges working outside their own silos to collaborate and come up with new ideas to address existing problems. New partnerships that are beginning to bear fruit because of this interdisciplinary coupling.

NURS/THEA 214 Healthcare Communications is a true cross-credited course that needs instructors in both nursing and in theatre to work. I do not have the medical background nor does Amy Cowperthwait have the theatre experience to instruct this class alone.

De-cross-listing the course will remove the course from the College of Health Sciences, where we feel this program needs to live. And I do not want to end run around the rule because we do have other courses to come in our Healthcare Theatre (HT) program and we do not want to limit or exclude any group from taking these courses.

I also believe the rule that your committee made here was meant to encourage departments to do what this course/program is actually doing. In my opinion, I believe that we need to make sure that the university is not impeding this interdisciplinary work, and instead, is encouraging it.

We started HT in the fall of 2009 with four undergraduates taking an Independent course and continued it in the spring of 2011. In the fall (and spring of 2012) of 2011 we created an experimental 214 course and in the fall of 2012, that course became permanent.

If we count this semester's undergraduates, 84 students have "graduated" and received our Healthcare Theatre's Certificate of Achievement.

The attached will give you an idea of where we are now.

Sincerely,

Allan

Allan Carlsen
Assistant Professor of Theatre
Undergraduate Theatre Advisor and Coordinator
Director, HEALTHCARE THEATRE
University of Delaware
Department of Theatre
413 Academy Street
Newark, DE 19716
acarlsen@udel.edu
302 831-1084
302 831-3673 fax

On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 8:35 AM, Hastings, Steven E <hastings@udel.edu> wrote:

Allen – I was on the committee that formulated these rules and agree with this one. It is not keeping with the spirit of “breadth” for Nursing majors to take a course that is considered a Nursing course.

I am copying Eric Rise, who chaired the committee, to see if he wants to weigh in.

The simple solution is to de-cross-list the course with Nursing.

Sorry I cannot be more help.

Steve

Steven E. Hastings, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Chair

Chair, UD Undergraduate Studies Committee
Applied Economics and Statistics
University of Delaware
209 Townsend Hall
Newark, DE 19716
Email: hastings@udel.edu
Office: 302-831-1318
Fax: 302-831-1665
Web Page: http://ag.udel.edu/frec/faculty/hastings.htm

From: acarlsen@art-sci.edel.edu [mailto:acarlsen@UDel.Edu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 8:17 AM

To: Hastings, Steven E
Cc: Conrad, Catherine M.; Shenkle, Cynthia W.; Quinci, Carolyn E; Cowperthwait, Amy Lynn; Pugh, Diane L

Subject: Re: Nursing Students Not Being Able to Have NURS/THEA 214 Count Towards University Breadth

Hello Steve,

Thank you for your response.

I believe that the following requirement which was set by the university senate in the fall of 2010, is the one in question:

Students cannot take courses in their major department (or courses cross-listed with their major department) and count them toward University Breadth.

Allan

On Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 9:47 AM, Hastings, Steven E <hastings@udel.edu> wrote:

Allan – thanks for your inquiry. First, let’s be clear – there is no Group A, B , C , or D designations in the University Breadth categories. Those designations are used by the College of Arts and Sciences only.

Next, please let me know exactly what regulation is preventing your students form taking this course as a Creative Arts and Humanities course.

I will get back to you promptly.

Steve

Steven E. Hastings, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Chair

From: acarlsen@art-sci.edel.edu [mailto:acarlsen@UDel.Edu]

Sent: Friday, November 08, 2013 1:31 AM
To: Hastings, Steven E
Cc: Conrad, Catherine M.; Shenkle, Cynthia W.; Quinci, Carolyn E; Cowperthwait, Amy Lynn; Pugh, Diane L
Subject: Nursing Students Not Being Able to Have NURS/THEA 214 Count Towards University Breadth

Hello Dr. Hastings,

Catherine Conrad from Undergraduate Academic Services in the College of Arts and Sciences suggested that I contact you with my inquiry regarding the above.

Our new Healthcare Theatre program received permanent status for NURS/THEA 214, HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATION:UDSP in the fall of 2012. This interdisciplinary course was created through a collaborative effort between the School of Nursing, the Department of Theatre, the College of Health Sciences, and the College of Arts and Sciences. Because the original idea sprang from an idea to further assist in the training and education of nurses here at our university, and because this program would also utilize the Theatre Department to accomplish this, it was important that the School of Nursing (and the College of Health Sciences) own the course. So the course was approved through the School of Nursing. Since the nature of this course was performance based, actors simulating patients so health care providers could be tested and evaluated, the course would not fall into the C breadth category, but instead it would be in the Arts and Humanities category. Our College of Arts and Sciences agreed and it became a Group A. So now, the School of Nursing had their first (and only) Group A course.

This course was of great value to the nursing school and to their nursing students. By taking this course the students would learn much about their work ahead in the health care and they would also learn about their own communication skills.

We have just found out that according to the current university breadth requirement rules, nursing students can not take this course and have it count towards their Group A requirement.

So while we created this course specifically for the nurses in the School of Nursing, the university rules are basically prohibiting this from happening.

Amy Cowperthwait from the School of Nursing and I would be glad to have an opportunity to present our case before you and/or your committee to address our concerns with the university breadth requirements and how it applies to our interdisciplinary Healthcare Theatre course.

Sincerely,

Allan Carlsen