KPU senate passes pathway to nursing degrees, approves new micro-credentials

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s senate approved a pathway for students pursuing a health-care assistant certificate to transition into nursing degree programs during a meeting on March 31.

The motion proposed changes to the level of credits in the certificate from vocational to undergraduate so students can more efficiently receive admission into KPU’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and bachelor of psychiatric nursing (BPN) programs.

KPU reserves three seats each in the BSN and BPN programs for KPU graduates of the health-care assistant program, but very few have accessed these seats, likely due to the programs requiring 15 to 21 credits of undergraduate coursework, according to the meeting’s agenda.

Graduates in the heath-care assistant program would have to spend additional time and money taking undergraduate-level classes on top of other prerequisites to gain admission into the two bachelor programs, the document noted.

Nursing instructor Sonayna Rana said this pathway can help address critical staffing shortages in the health-care system.

“They’re an untapped pool to gain entry into these programs,” Rana said. “We have a lot of students who are very interested in wanting to upskill and pursue nursing, and we’re hoping to build that capacity here within [the] Faculty of Health.”

Graduates must complete the full health-care assistant program to be eligible for the undergraduate credits.

The senate also approved a micro-credential in introduction to concepts in applied behaviour analysis in K-12 schools.

Although the micro-crediential’s content of applied behaviour analysis is already taught within KPU’s EDAS 2121 course, some school districts have started “requesting students quantify skills in this practice area to gain continuing and/or regular employment,” the meeting’s agenda read.

The micro-crediential aims to give students the opportunity to “provide evidence of introductory skill level” in applied behaviour analysis.

The senate also approved micro-credientials in brewing, brewing science, business of brewing, and beer sensory evaluation. The four micro-credientials are based on courses in the diploma of brewing and brewery operations, providing students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in the industry without committing to the two-year diploma, the agenda noted.

The senate also revised KPU’s bachelor of arts framework to allow the CREE 1100 Introduction to Plains Cree Language and Culture course count towards language requirements, as well as to allow particular geography courses — GEOG 1102, GEOG 2310, GEOG 2320, GEOG 2390, and GEOG 2400 — apply towards the science requirement. The final amendment was to require three English credits at the 1200 level or higher, all of which have a writing-intensive designation.

The senate also approved the launch of the new bachelor of arts honours program for English majors, effective Sept. 1.

It also approved changes to the minor in economics as well as programs within the Faculty of Arts and their associated courses, which goes into effect Sept. 1, pending determination by the B.C. government’s Degree Quality Assessment Board. These programs are the bachelor of arts, major in English; bachelor of arts, major in creative writing; associate of arts in creative writing; minor in creative writing; and bachelor of fine arts, visual arts.

The senate appointed faculty members Valerie Warren, Afshin Doustmohammadi, Paul Leigh, Lindsay Passmore, Justin Molander, and Mandeep Pannu as well as student Anson Fong to the search advisory committee for the next Melville School of Business dean.

Members of the senate also appointed faculty members Lindsay Norris, Jimmy Choi, Mary Androsiuk, Erin Ashenhurst, Joanna Zanda, and Mark Pritchard to the search advisory committee for the next associate dean of the Wilson School of Design. At the time of the meeting, no student had been identified for this committee. 

The senate approved a list of new, revised, and discontinued courses, which goes into effect this fall. There were eight discontinued applied communications courses and 11 revised courses: four in economics, two in biology, two in political science, one in nursing, one in anthropology, and one in psychology.

The new courses on the list were BIOL 1150 Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BIOL 1250 Human Anatomy and Physiology II from the biology department, ENTR 3800 Social Entrepreneurship from the entrepreneurial leadership discipline, and DESN 3500 AI for Productivity in Design from the Wilson School of Design.

Associate Vice-President Enrolment Services Registrar Nadia Henwood, who is also the secretary of the senate, presented a notice that the senate will elect a vice-chair from within its voting membership at the next meeting. The senate also approved lists of graduates.

The next senate meeting is on April 28 at 4:00 pm in the KPU Surrey Cedar Board Room. For more information, visit www.kpu.ca/senate.