key operational plans

Academic Program and Student Outcomes Assessment Plan

2007 Updates

Priorities will shift in the Academic Program and Student Outcomes Assessment Plan in the coming year, in light of the reaccreditation recommendations of the Higher Learning Commission, the unveiling of the Liberal Education Initiative and the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), and the funding for the University’s Growth Agenda. General Education reform and development of a University-wide student outcomes assessment plan are issues that need to be addressed immediately. Both areas will be among the issues examined by the Liberal Education Reform Team (LERT).

Accomplishments and Priorities

In addition to the Liberal Education Initiative and the VSA, the colleges will continue to review the Cross-College Strategic Initiatives (Engaged Learning, Globalization and Diversity, Community Engagement, and Student Excellence) established earlier. These efforts were considerably advanced in 2006-2007 through the two-year funding by 12 academic initiatives, including lab and clinical simulation programs in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science Healthcare Emphases in Letters and Science, outreach and collaborative programs in Education and Human Services, a Family Business Center for the College of Business, a collaborative sustainability program between Letters and Science and Business and a campuswide Center for Scholarly Teaching.

Efforts also have been made to address the University’s six major challenges. In terms of the Student Profile, plans are underway to develop both a high school-to-university transition program and a first-year experience program. The Faculty Profile already has been enhanced by the hiring of more than 20 new faculty members for 2007-2008, and will improve even more with the projected hiring of 30 more for 2008-2009. The challenge of Curriculum Structure, Program Planning and Program Review will be addressed by developing a modified program review process and, as mentioned earlier, LERT will focus on General Education reform and student outcomes assessment. Private fundraising through the Capital Campaign has increased future opportunities for student/faculty collaborative research and the number of student scholarships. As for Graduate Studies, the number of graduate students has increased this year, and the new administrative structure of the division offers the promise of renewed vitality. Finally, in terms of expanding Outreach, Adult Access, Community Engagement, and Summer Session programs, great strides have been made in terms of developing the Bachelor of Applied Studies degree, renewed funding for the Graduation Project and the hiring of an interim director for the Center for New Learning and a new AVC for the Division of Lifelong Learning and Community Engagement. Even more progress will be expected of the division now that the University has received state funding for its Growth Agenda.

Assessment

The revised plan will be sent to student, faculty and academic staff governance groups and the proper administrative bodies for review during the upcoming calendar year. This annual review of our existing academic programs and student outcomes assessment, as well as any planning priorities developed over the course of the year, will facilitate the assessment of progress toward priorities and future planning.

Executive Summary, September 2006
Introduction

As a key part of the University’s operational planning, the Academic Program and Student Outcomes Assessment Plan is a thorough review of our University’s existing academic structures, program array, academic planning needs and assumptions, and student outcome assessment processes. The review process will include students, faculty, academic staff and administrator input during fall 2005 and the entire 2006 calendar year. Two important goals of this review are to: 1) evaluate progress toward the four cross-college strategic initiatives; and 2) set new academic programming priorities for the next five years that will help us to continue making progress on these initiatives. This review of our existing academic programs and student outcome assessment, and the planning priorities that are developed over the course of the next year, will serve as a launching point for an annual review process that will facilitate assessment of progress toward priorities and future planning.

This document provides background information necessary for initiating this planning process.

Review of Cross-College Strategic Initiatives

The four Colleges of the University, as a result of the strategic planning process, identified four strategic initiatives that their individual plans and mission have in common. The four initiatives allow cross-college activities while maintaining the distinctive character of each College’s faculty, staff, students and curriculum.

Engaged Learning
Each of the Colleges is committed to providing an environment of engaged learning, one in which faculty include students as partners in the learning and discovery process.

Globalization and Diversity
All four Colleges recognize the importance of having a global perspective: an understanding of countries and cultures beyond the borders of the United States as well as an appreciation of the diverse cultures resident in our country.

Community Engagement
The Colleges recognize the University’s obligation to assist state, local, public and private entities in achieving goals that benefit the common good through student and faculty involvement.

Student Excellence
Finally, our Colleges recognize that student excellence is not simply defined by grades but also includes a wide variety of knowledge, skills, abilities and experiences and are committed to helping student achieve this broader definition of excellence.

Review of College Actions toward Implementing
Strategic Initiatives

Each of the Colleges and units across campus has made progress toward these four strategic initiatives. All Colleges have increased student engagement learning opportunities, such as internships, field study, research projects, and the integration of applied projects into courses. Globalization and diversity efforts of the Colleges include international programs within the colleges, study abroad programs, student exchange programs, and courses offered in both diverse national locations and international locations. All Colleges have worked to increase the level of engagement within the community by faculty and students. In each College there are examples of projects, research, seminars, and courses addressing the needs of the local and regional communities. Community members have been invited to various symposia on campus and are involved as guest speakers in these events. Finally, the Colleges have taken steps to define, encourage, and recognize student excellence by raising expectations for student performance and professionalism, advancing assessment and accreditation of programs, and increasing expectations for passing professional exams and licensure requirements.

Campus Challenges

Six campus challenges that may impede our progress toward the cross-college strategic initiatives have been identified.

Changing Student Profile: Implications for Recruitment, Retention, and Mix
The first challenge concerns the changing student profile resulting from: 1) competitive pressures from other UW campuses; and 2) demographic demands (a slightly smaller pool of high school students from the counties that currently supply most of our students, a declining number of majority students, and an increasing number of students of color). Data suggest that we are the first choice of only 39% of students who apply to UW Oshkosh. It will continue to be difficult to attain a healthy mix of students as long as we are not the campus of first choice for many who enroll here. In addition, it continues to be a challenge to maintain and increase the scholarship support necessary to attract and retain high quality, low-income, and international students.
                                                                                               
Changing Faculty Profile: Implications for Recruitment, Retention, and Mix
Several trends have profound implications for the Faculty and Academic Staff profile over the next five years. The professional Colleges anticipate challenges due to an aging workforce and declining numbers of terminally qualified faculty. All Colleges are affected by the increase in faculty in dual-career relationships, the need to diversify faculty, and the shift in commitment away from the University toward the professional disciplines. The University is challenged to make thoughtful decisions about the appropriate mix of faculty and instructional academic staff, how to compete in hiring terminally qualified candidates, and how to meet their changing needs once employed (retention). Maintaining competitive salaries, professional development funds, and student quality are key issues in ensuring healthy morale among faculty and academic staff of all the Colleges.

Curriculum Structure, Program Planning, and Program Review
While we have a solid program review process in place, the University is challenged to institutionalize mechanisms for integrating program review and student outcomes assessment in a way that encourages and supports periodic holistic review of programs and activities offered on campus. Assessment and review processes are needed for the General Education Program, certificate programs, and degree completion programs. We are also challenged to advance our understanding of student experiences outside the classroom (e.g., internships, clinical experiences, residence hall and student life), and the implications of these experiences for student learning. It is important to review the role of on-line courses and on-line programs within our program mix and to modify existing processes to accommodate this delivery mechanism. Finally, more consistent processes for oversight of collaborative agreements with outside agencies and institutions are needed.

Financial Support
Reduced state support for the University System has created significant challenges for our campus in several ways. First, salaries for faculty and staff continue to lag behind our peer group, and this has made recruitment and retention of faculty more difficult. Second, it has resulted in termination of some programs and delays in equipment repair/replacement. Third, it has required us to cut significantly the number of courses offered in some majors.  Fourth, it has hindered the development of new programs. Finally, our history, until just four years ago, of not raising many funds from private sources affects our ability to offer competitive scholarships. We must find alternative revenue sources to support existing programs and to develop new ones.

Graduate Studies
Graduate Studies includes fourteen active and vibrant degree programs as well as graduate certificates and post-master's offerings. While Graduate Studies continues to enroll more students than any other comprehensive campus in the Wisconsin System, enrollment numbers have begun to taper off. More attention must be paid to long-term planning based upon student and University needs. The changing face of the regulatory environment for public school teachers is likely to have a significant impact on graduate enrollments.

Outreach, Adult Access, Community Engagement, and Summer Session
An impediment to the growth of these programs is campus readiness to serve nontraditional students; faculty involvement, student services, course scheduling, and the compensation structure for teaching pose problems for growth. The delivery of credit and non-credit education to adults will require more coordination and integration into the fabric of the University.