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Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes January 8, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - December 4, 2025
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Review
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda January 8, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - December 4, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

General Education Subcommittee Minutes January 8, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - December 4, 2025
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Adjourn: 9:30 am

Educational Policies Committee Minutes January 8, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - December 4, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Center for Civic Excellence
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:25 pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda January 8, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - December 4, 2025
• R401 - Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• UCC and EPC Handbook updates
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

General Education Subcommittee Agenda, January 8, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - December 4, 2025
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Depth Courses and Engineering Discussion
• Additional Items
• Adjourn: 9:30 am

A Suite Of Thermal Switches For Surviving Extreme Thermal Environments In Space, Matthew I. Ralphs, Matt Jensen, Alexis Eames, Matt Sinfield

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Thermal switches are a key enabling technology for spacecraft operating in extreme thermal environments. Whether surviving the lunar night, managing intermittent high-power loads from deep space communication systems, or dealing with other extreme thermal environments, high-performance thermal switches allow critical missions to operate beyond conventional thermal design limits. This paper presents the development, testing, and performance of a suite of passive thermal switches designed for both spacecraft- and subsystem-level thermal control. The suite includes: (1) traditional in-line switch placed between sensitive components and radiators; (2) compact designs suitable for integration into standard bolted joint interfaces to modulate the conductance between …

Faculty Senate Agenda January 5, 2026, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call To Order
• Approval of Minutes December 1, 2025
• Approval of Amended Minutes November 3, 2025
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Reports
• Council on Teacher Education
• Scholarship Annual Report
• University Studies Report
• 3:50 Old Business
• 3:55 New Business
• Commencement
• 4:00 Information
• EPC Report - December 4, 2025
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Community Science For Enigmatic Ecosystems: Using Ebird To Assess Avian Biodiversity On Glaciers And Snowfields, William E. Brooks, Jordan Boersma, Neil Paprocki, Peter Wimberger, Scott Hotaling

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Mountain glaciers and snowfields are rapidly receding because of climate warming. Species living in these habitats remain poorly studied, likely because of the remoteness and ruggedness of their terrain. We leveraged community science data from eBird—an online database of bird observations from around the world—to characterize bird use of mountain glaciers and snowfields. We estimated total bird biodiversity and preference for glaciers and snowfields over nearby, ice-adjacent habitats. We used field notes from eBird users and breeding codes to extend our data set to include insight into habitat usage and behavior. Finally, we compared our community-science approach to previous studies …

From Fragments To Cohesion: Developing A Sustainable Online Course For Foundational Information Literacy Instruction, Katie Strand, Shawn Hall, Lara Petersen, Sara Szobody

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

This poster session will discuss the strategies we employed to build a sustainable online learning program and the lessons we learned along the way. We will address common challenges associated with maintaining and updating online learning resources, highlighting the logistics and ongoing commitment required. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how to create an effective and sustainable online learning program that enhances student engagement and success. By sharing our experiences and outcomes, we hope to inspire other academic libraries to rethink their online learning strategies and embrace innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of their students.

Rethinking Behavior - Winter 2026, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Winter 2026, Volume 9, Issue 2

Summary Of Beaver And Iron Counties’ Water Conservation And Provisioning Strategies, Lisa Welsh, Joanna Endter-Wada, Burdette Barker, Bethany Neilson, Anna Mcentire, Melissa Stamp, Brian Steed

Reports

This report focuses on water conservation and provisioning strategies that both Beaver and Iron Counties are pursuing to help meet their citizens’ current and future water needs and to contribute to statewide water conservation efforts. It primarily relies on publicly available data from state, county, conservancy district, and city databases, plans, and documents. The purposes of this document are to provide regional context for understanding water use in Beaver and Iron Counties and to describe water conservation strategies that can influence the trajectories of their future water use. 

In both Beaver and Iron Counties, agriculture remains the primary user of …

Development Of A High-Doppler Shift Optical Simulator To Test Femtosecond-Level Optical Time-Frequency Transfer, Matthew S. Bigelow, Kyle W. Martin, Nolan Matthews, Benjamin K. Stuhl, Richard Gonzales, Alexandre De Pinho E Braga, John Elgin, Kimberly A. Frey

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

We have developed an optical simulator to test real-time optical two-way time–frequency transfer at the femtosecond level capable of simulating relative motion between two linked optical clock nodes up to Mach 1.8 with no moving parts. The technique is enabled by artificially Doppler shifting femtosecond pulses from auxiliary stabilized optical frequency combs. These pulses are exchanged between the nodes to simulate the Doppler shifts observed from a changing optical path length. We can continuously scan the simulated velocity from 14 to 620 m s⁻¹ while simultaneously measuring velocity-dependent clock shifts at much higher velocities than previously recorded. This system …

Enhancing Student Engagement In Numerical Methods: The Impact Of Alternative Grading Practices, Vivek Singhal, Kenan Baltaci, Oai Ha

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

Student engagement is critical for achieving positive academic and social outcomes. However, maintaining high engagement levels in challenging math-based courses like numerical methods can be difficult. This study addresses this challenge by implementing two assessment-based strategies: a bonus point self-assessment rubric and peer evaluations. These interventions aim to incentivize engagement and reward essential skills such as effort and teamwork, which are often overlooked by traditional grading systems but are crucial for success beyond the classroom. While existing research highlights the potential benefits of self-assessments and peer evaluations, there is limited evidence …

Virtual Teaching During Covid-19: Attitudes, Abilities, And Educational Needs Of Cooperative Extension Staff, Kathryn Yerxa, Kayla L. Parsons, Jennifer Lobley

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

This study aimed to 1) identify the attitudes and abilities of Cooperative Extension staff regarding the delivery of virtual educational programming based on their characteristics and 2) identify professional development priorities to effectively deliver programming virtually. We disseminated an adapted Faculty Readiness to Teach Online questionnaire to Cooperative Extension staff via Qualtrics. Mean and standard deviation were calculated from complete surveys (n = 67) for each virtual programming competency in the self-reported attitude and ability sections, categorized by position type, years of teaching, and program area. We conducted a MANCOVA to …

Coaching Undergraduates, A Conceptual And Practical Guide, Anna Carissa Rozzo

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

The overall aim of this paper is to provide a holistic orientation to the practice of person-centered coaching while providing tangible methods that faculty and advisors in higher education may be able to integrate into their professional practices. This conceptual paper explores the theoretical and practical intersections of coaching and teaching, presenting a flexible modality to support student-centered learning. The author provides readers with general guidance and templates for goal setting, problem solving, and assessment that practitioners may adapt to their own contexts.

Coaching Graduate Students Through Early Childhood Focused Community-Engaged Learning: Graduate Student Perspectives And Course Design, Sarah Tulane, Shirlene Call Law

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

Community-engaged learning (CEL) in graduate-level coursework contributes to professional development and growth. CEL course design requires intentional and time-intensive planning. A graduate-level child development course was designed for CEL using the following process: needs assessment, training for community education, preparing materials, practicing with feedback, presenting to an authentic audience, and reflection on the experience. Students created presentations for authentic parent audiences based on a needs assessment of parent interest in child development topics. Reflections from four students in the course were analyzed using a general thematic analysis technique. Three themes emerged. …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 9, Issue 2, Fall 2025

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Fall 2025 issue (Volume 9, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

This issue of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence brings together articles that highlight approaches for engaging students and broader communities through teaching, coaching, and assessment in higher education. The contributions examine community-engaged learning in graduate coursework, the use of coaching practices to support student-centered teaching and advising, Cooperative Extension staff readiness for virtual instruction, and alternative assessment strategies aimed at increasing engagement and reducing anxiety in challenging STEM courses. Collectively, the articles …

The Influence Of Early Detection And Intervention Providers' Actions And Communication On Parental Emotions And Early Intervention Engagement After A Child Is Diagnosed With Hearing Loss: A Scoping Review, Charlene M. Watson, D. Ellen Rick, Jillian Ingratta, Patti-Jo Sullivan, Xurong Zhao, Sheila Moodie

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Despite well-intentioned early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs, parents receiving a newborn hearing loss diagnosis often experience distress, uncertainty, and fear, which can impact their readiness to engage in early intervention. The communication and support provided by clinicians in early hearing detection and intervention play a critical role in helping families navigate emotions, overcome barriers, and actively participate in EHDI programs. The purpose of this scoping review is to advance our knowledge of the following: For parents who have a newborn newly diagnosed with hearing loss, how do the actions/behaviors and communication (or lack thereof) of EHDI providers influence …

Geographic And Sociodemographic Disparities In Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Adherence, Amanda Pavan, Anton Kvit, Michael Van Skiba, Analise Ristic, Kirsten R. Coverstone

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Early identification and intervention are crucial to minimizing impacts of congenital hearing loss. Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs recommend newborn hearing screening before one month of age and a diagnostic audiologic evaluation before three months for infants who do not pass the screening. However, not all infants meet these benchmarks, as geographic and sociodemographic factors may influence adherence.

Addresses of primary contacts and audiology clinics were geocoded to calculate drive times to the nearest clinic in 10-minute intervals for infants born in Minnesota between 2019 and 2021. Birth location, NICU admittance, and sociodemographic characteristics were also analyzed. Random …

Readability Of Spanish Language Early Intervention Materials For Children Who Are D/Deaf And Hard Of Hearing, Torri Ann Woodruff-Gautherin

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

This paper discusses how accessibility to information may be limited for families and considers why this is of a critical concern for families using Spanish. To look at accessibility of materials online, six search terms were used in the Google search engine. Ninety-one unique websites were included for readability analysis (43 written in English and 48 written in Spanish). Readability was assessed for English materials using Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL; mean=12.83, sd=2.737) and Flesh-Kincaid Ease of Reading Score (FKERS; mean=35.602, sd=15.651). FKGL scores were consistent with prior work (Woodruff & Cienkowski, 2021). For materials written in Spanish readability was assessed …

Fine And Gross Motor Skills Assessment, From A Caregiver's Perspective, In Children With Hearing Loss Using A Modified Ages And Stages Questionnaire (Asq-3), Steven M. Doettl, Patrick N. Plyler, Erin Plyler, Kelly R. Yeager, Leeann Hutker, Ginger Tallmadge, Aspen Gutknecht, Amy Becker

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference on ASQ-3 (Ages and Stages Questionnaire version 3) Gross (ASQ G) and Fine (ASQ F) Motor scores between children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and children with normal hearing.

Methods: Data was gathered from the ASQ-3 as reported by parents/caregivers of 61 children (28 normal hearing children and 33 children with SNHL) ages 6-36 months. Results were averaged across the participants for both groups. Independent sample t-Tests were used to assess for any statistically significant difference in the ASQ scores between groups. Chi-square analysis …

From Policy To Practice In Deaf Education: American Sign Language And Spoken English Outcomes Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children In Kansas, Jena Mcdaniel, Shreyas Teegala, Rebecca Maloney, Angie Walker, Mary S. Dietrich, Matthew L. Hall, Leah C. Geer, Julie Bustos

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: In the context of the recent expectation for state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs to track language milestones of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children, we examine how to leverage statewide assessment programs for improving language outcomes of DHH children. We present the degree to which DHH children in Kansas are meeting their language milestones for American Sign Language (ASL) and English and the influence of two measurement features.

Method: Performance on the ASL/English Language Milestones for 198 children who were DHH (aged 1 to 8) was analyzed for attainment of age-expected language skills and …

Factors Affecting Timely Intervention For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing: Perceptions Of Texas Early Intervention Providers, Julianna C. Wanek, Sandy K. Bowen

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of early childhood intervention (ECI) professionals concerning timely intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) in Texas. The data for this study was collected through semi-structured, qualitative interviews of 10 ECI practitioners in Texas. Interview data analysis followed the six-phase framework of Thematic Analysis. The data collected identified three major themes: (a) roles and responsibilities, (b) family attributes and experiences, and (c) “deaf” is different. Overall, the findings reveal that the referral and service process for infants and toddlers who are DHH in Texas …

Journal Of Early Hearing Detection And Intervention: Volume 10 Issue 2, Pages 1-80

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

Civic Center Curriculum Committee Agenda December 19, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

1. Welcome and introductions

2. Administrative and Faculty Governance Structure

a. Administrative Group & Office of Data & Analysis

b. Curriculum Committee

i. Responsibilities

ii. Ad Hoc Working Groups

c. Governance Advisory Committee/DH Taskforce

3. Immediate Tasks Ahead

a. Vote on and approve course titles and course descriptions for classes going live AY 26-27 (1/5 - 1/9), no later than January 14.

b. 1) Discuss, 2) finalize and 3) approve items for new courses developments no later than February 1.

Civc Curriculum Committee Minutes December 19, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• New Business  
• Administrative and Faculty Governance Structure 
• Ad Hoc Committees 
• Project Timeline 
• Additional Items 
• Adjourn: 10:02 am 

Academic Standards Subcommittee Minutes December 18, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Welcome and approval of November 20, 2025 minutes
• Topic 1: Proposed Academic Grievance Policy rewrite
• Topic 2: Proposal to add Bachelor of Applied Sciences (BAS) academic degree requirements
• Topic 3: Information Item

Geolocation Algorithms And On-Orbit Calibration For Atmospheric Waves Experiment, Eric Mckinney, Keith Blonquist, Zack Hatfield, Connor Waite, Brooke Wursten, Pedro Sevilla, Ludger Scherliess, Harri Latvakoski, Greg Cantwell

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

1 - Overview

• Motivation: Atmospheric gravity waves can degrade navigation, tracking, communications, and geolocation system signals. They can also affect satellite/debris orbit and reentry predictions.
• NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) is currently on ISS measuring atmospheric gravity waves in the OH airglow layer at ~87 km altitude
• Impact: Improved space weather understanding, estimation, and forecasting

Return Of Ospree: In Situ Spectroscopic Measurements During Atmospheric Reentry, Ashwin P. Rao, Jack D. Crespo, Paolo Valentini, Vanessa J. Murray, Erin I. Vaughan, Zach Davis, Robert Alviani, Marat Kulakhmetov

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) measurements of the reentry shock layer can provide invaluable information about the dynamic aerothermal chemistry during atmospheric reentry and yield critical data needed to improve fluid dynamics modeling of reentry systems. On 28 February 2025, the Air Force Research Laboratory successfully executed the Optical Sensing of Plasmas in the ReEntry Environment (OSPREE) experiment using Varda Space Industries’ W-2 hypersonic test-bed vehicle, obtaining in situ shock-layer radiative emission measurements during reentry from an altitude of 105 km down through 50 km, encompassing a range of Mach numbers between 29.5 and 15.0. We present a summary of the …