strategic action intiatives

University-Wide

General Education Program

Active Learning and Civic Engagement Through UW Oshkosh General Education Program

General education model that emphasizes problem-based instruction, service learning, student-faculty interaction and civic engagement.

2002: Theme-Based Inquiry Seminars (TBIS) were expanded beyond the Department of English to include interdisciplinary studies and environmental studies. Problem-Based Inquiry Seminars (PBIS) were approved for implementation in fall 2003. The interdisciplinary course option was used to incorporate service learning into preexisting courses. The Odyssey Program’s reading was incorporated into the introductory speech course.

2003: The PBIS were taught for the first time and expanded to include more courses. Administrative units were established to give the two types of inquiry seminars greater visibility. Status: Ongoing

2006: General Education has instituted PBIS, which in now termed WBIS (Writing Based Inquiry Seminar) and PBIS. There were directives that these programs were to turn in assessment plans within about three years following their implementation.

WBIS, in 2005, turned in an assessment model that assessed 202 essays from about 10 percent of all WBIS students. This assessment was based on the six traits rubric. The IA budget was submitted to pay for this program; the results of which are pending.

The FSCASL (Faculty Senate Committee on the Assessment of Student Learning) in partnership with the APGES subcommittee of the APC instituted a standardized assessment from ETS/MAPP (spring 2006) in math and writing effectiveness. The results were provided to APGES. APGES is in the process of developing outcomes based on the 2006 assessment to affect improvement or awareness and more understanding of General Education.

2007: The Liberal Education Initiative, which is directed on campus by the Liberal Education Reform Team (LERT), is modeled after AAC&U’s national Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) campaign. Based upon the reaccreditation recommendations of the Higher Learning Commission, the initial focus of LERT will be on reforming the University’s General Education Program and developing a campuswide assessment plan to measure student learning outcomes. The broader Liberal Education Initiative will thus replace General Education Program on the list of University-wide Strategic Action Initiatives.

Student Compact

Personalized Services and Development Programs for Each Student

Integration of advising, assessment and career development services into a seamless educational experience. Students will have a personalized curricular, career and development plan in place by the end of their first year.

2002: The Oshkosh Student Association approved differential tuition to fund this compact for the next four years, with first-year funding at $500,000 and second-year funding at $1 million. A director of academic advising was hired; an advisory committee was formed. A proposal for an Academic Resource Center, representing a collaboration of academic and learning support services, was developed.

2003: We learned how to begin to implement the compact. The first funds were distributed and additional staff was hired, including:

2004: We moved from the proposal and developmental stage to the implementation stage of using differential tuition to support several components of the Student Compact through:

The wide-ranging, comprehensive proposal that originally comprised the UW Oshkosh Student Compact was replaced by a more focused program concentrating on the campus resources that most directly influence students’ academic achievement and career success. The services targeted for additional funding include academic advising, career counseling, academic tutoring, and other academic support services, such as Supplemental Instruction. UW Oshkosh students agreed to provide additional funding to bolster these services through Differential Tuition.

In 2006 - 2007, all of the units directly impacted by Differential Tuition (Undergraduate Advising Resource Center, Center for Academic Resources, Reading/Study Center, Writing Center, Mathematics Lab, Career Services and the Counseling Center) performed a comprehensive evaluation of their programs and presented the results of that evaluation to the student Differential Tuition Finance Committee (DTFC). Based on that evaluation, the DTFC recommended, and the Student Assembly and Senate agreed, to reauthorize Differential Tuition on a rolling horizon basis. The evaluation highlighted the following accomplishments, among others, all made possible by Differential Tuition:

Faculty Compact

Initiative to foster faculty development activities.

2002: With financial support from the UW Oshkosh Faculty Compact, the UW Oshkosh Faculty Development Board and the UW System Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID), a Teaching and Learning Program was established and a coordinator was appointed. The Teaching and Learning Program provides a centralized mechanism for support, mentoring and information sharing on pedagogical issues in an attempt to improve instruction campuswide. It also supports the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL).

2003: During the 2003-2004 academic year, the Faculty Compact supported faculty development initiatives, such as the Teaching and Learning Program, the Faculty Development Research Program and the Student Faculty Collaborative Research Program. The compact will continue to provide the general framework for all initiatives designed to foster faculty development issues at UW Oshkosh. Status: Ongoing

2004: During the 2004-2005 academic year, the Faculty Compact continued to support the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program, which organized a number of activities leading up to the weeklong Provost’s Summit on Teaching and Learning in September 2005. The Faculty Compact also helped support the Faculty Development Board, the Office of International Education and the University Honors Program.

2006: During the 2005-2006 academic year, additional base funding was provided for the Office of International Education and University Honors Program. In addition, considerable one-time funds were made available to support a variety of college-based initiatives and the Center for the Scholarship of Teachings over the course of the next two years.

2007: With the successful opening of the Center for Scholarly Teaching, the Faculty Compact has been revised and replaced by the broader category of Faculty Development on the list of University-wide Strategic Action Initiatives. Last year, the amount of money assigned to faculty promotions was significantly increased. This year, the chancellor, the provost and the deans have contributed funds to support a plan to reward productive full professors with a pay raise after eight years in rank. Combined with the existing Faculty Development and Salary Equity programs, this will provide the best faculty support package in the UW System.

Environmental Studies

Creation of an Environmental Studies Community Resource Center.

2002: A director was hired for the new environmental studies major. No direct progress on the center was made due to lack of funding. Status: Ongoing

2004: The Environmental Studies Community Resource Center is being retired as a University-wide initiative. Efforts to develop programs in Environmental Studies and Aquatic Studies will be continued through a new COLS initiative known as the Center for Aquatic Studies.

Key Operational Plans

Initiative to develop, refine and align our human, academic, physical and financial resources to support the Governing Ideas and the Strategic Action Initiatives.

These key plans are:

Graduate and Undergraduate Cross-College Collaboration

The colleges are looking for opportunities to develop distinctiveness by building on existing or newly launched programs and to promote collaborations and partnerships among the colleges along the lines of community engagement, globalization, engaged learning and student excellence.