Strategic Plan (Revised and approved November 2014)
Blue text (bold) indicates updates – September 2015
Northern Arizona University
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
5-Year Strategic Plan 2013 - 2018
PREFACE
From 2008 - 2012, CSD was able to meet many of its strategic goals and objectives. This new 5-year Strategic Plan provides updated goals as well as a revised plan that CSD will be addressing in 2013-18.
Northern Arizona University Mission:
Provide an outstanding undergraduate residential education strengthened by important research, graduate and professional programs and a responsive distance learning network delivering programs throughout Arizona.
College of Health and Human Services Mission:
The College of Health and Human Services is committed to furthering the health and wellbeing of the citizens of Arizona, the University community, and society at large by preparing health professionals who are highly skilled practitioners.
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Mission:
Advance the knowledge and practice in human communication and its disorders; to prepare our students to lead in the professions of Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology; and to enable all individuals to communicate, read and write, think and learn in order to succeed in a changing world.
THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS CORE VALUES
Learning Centered: We foster the acquisition of knowledge and skills by integrating problem-based teaching and learning, evidence-based practice, and critical thinking across the curriculum to promote continuous student improvement.
Excellence: We pursue excellence within the classroom, laboratory and clinical setting.
Diversity: Our teaching, learning and research is guided by the cultural and linguistic diversity of our region and nation.
Integrity: We hold high standards of character and integrity as the foundation for ethical professional conduct.
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STRATEGIC GOAL ALIGNMENT WITH ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
CSD’s faculty approved the following five strategic Goals which are aligned with CAA accreditation standards.
Standard 1.0 Administrative Structure and Governance
Standard 2.0 Faculty
Standard 2.1 All faculty members, including all individuals providing clinical education, are qualified and competent by virtue of their education, experience, and professional credentials to provide academic and clinical education assigned by the program.
Standard 2.2 The number of full-time doctoral-level faculty in speech-language pathology, audiology, and speech, language, and hearing sciences and other full-and part-time faculty is sufficient to meet the teaching, research, and service needs of the program and the expectations of the institution. The institution provides stable support and resources for the program’s faculty.
Goal 2.2: Fill current faculty vacancies
Objectives:
O: 2.2.a. Hire a full time tenure track academic Audiology faculty member
(9 month) to fill the vacancy due to retirement at the end of the 2012-13
academic year. Met with two hires: Dr. O’neil Guthrie & Dr. Ishan Bhatt
O: 2.2.b. Hire one full time (9 month) clinical faculty member. Met: Dr. Fé
Murray
Standard 3.0 Curriculum
Standard 3.1 The curriculum (academic and clinical education) is consistent with the mission and goals of the program and prepares students in the full breadth and depth of scope of practice in Speech-Language Pathology.
Goal 3.1.: Enhance the department’s significant contribution to community engagement and mission of the university.
Objectives:
O: 3.1.a. Grow and graduate working professionals with a sense of social
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responsibility and place in the community. Met and ongoing. Through academic coursework and clinical assignments, students are provided opportunities to share their expertise in the community. This is accomplished through inservice trainings, community screenings, professional presentations and grant writing at the community, state and national levels. Accomplishments: Through a funded ASHA Multicultural
Project, students will provide in-service training to teachers and other preschool staff within the Alaska Arctic Circle via web video conferencing.
Other in-services are ongoing at regional sites, e.g. Arizona Walapai reservation; Hopi reservation.
O: 3.1.b. Enhance the program’s ability to provide bilingual clinical services.
Met and Ongoing.
Students providing services in bilingual environments:
1) Bilingual client receiving bilingual services under bilingual supervisor in
CSD Clinic; 2) students providing services under bilingual supervision; 2
students are providing services in bilingual context on Navajo Nation
reservation (Yvonne Yee); student providing bilingual services in southern
Arizona (LEND Project: Jesirae Juarez).
Strategies:
S: 3.1.a. Foster every student’s desire to present a project at a local state or
national forum. Ongoing. During the reporting period, 11 students
participated in faculty sponsored research and presented posters at the
ASHA national convention in Atlanta; 9 students presented posters at the
Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
S: 3.1.b. Establish relationships in the community for bilingual resources
which can be accessed as clinical support for conducting or
supervising bilingual assessment and treatment resources. Ongoing. a) The department has started a list of bilingual speech-language
pathologists who could independently conduct bilingual assessments and
interventions and b) the department would like to expand our bilingual
training by teaching our students to work with interpreters
and how to train interpreters.
Standard 3.2. Academic and clinical education reflects current knowledge and skills, technology and scope of practice. The curriculum is regularly reviewed and updated.
The diversity of society is reflected throughout the curriculum.
Goal 3.2.: Provide state-of-the art academic and clinical learning experiences that (a) incorporate case-based learning approaches, (b) infuse content about cultural and linguistic influences and are (c) based on evidence-based practice to graduate “highest quality providers” of speech-language pathology services.
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Objectives:
O: 3.2.a. Annually review the curriculum relative to current scope of practice
and coverage of knowledge and skill competencies. Met and ongoing.
The CSD Curriculum committee reviewed all course syllabi. The following changes were proposed: a) a stand alone AAC course should be developed and required for all students, b) all disorder courses will include relevant multicultural information, c) reducing the Stuttering course credits from 3 to 2 could still cover the knowledge and skill competencies of the disorder; d) the Stuttering course title should be updated to Fluency: Diagnosis and Treatment and e) the course title for the Voice Disorders should be changed to Voice and Resonance Disorders.
The proposed curriculum changes were approved through the Graduate
College Curriculum Committee.
O: 3.2.b. Courses will incorporate case-based teaching and learning
approaches, and will consider the evidence to support evaluation and
treatment approaches. Ongoing. The CSD Department endorses the use
of case-based approaches to teaching and learning (CBL). To that end, all
instructors continued to incorporate the use of CBL instructional
approaches and support the use of scholarly evidence in all aspects of
clinical service.
O: 3.2.c. All courses will incorporate information regarding the influence of
cultural and linguistic diversity on communication. Met and ongoing. a)
The CSD Department embraces the cultural and linguistic diversity of the
region and following review of all syllabi, cultural and linguist diversity
content was infused across the curriculum. This content is reflected in the course syllabi. b) a new elective course offering, “bilingual language development and disorders” was developed and will be offered as an elective in spring of the 2012-13 academic year.
O: 3.2.d. All disorder courses will provide information regarding the use of
augmentative and alternative communication in evaluation and
treatment . Met and Ongoing. a) A 1 credit AAC course was added to the curriculum as a required course for all students. The 1-credit course
includes AAC research and ethical considerations in AAC evaluation and
service decisions. B) All course syllabi were reviewed; many of the
disorder courses include content related to augmentative and alternative
communication as it pertains to the disorder.
O:3.2.e instructors will use technology for, learning, supervision and service
delivery
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O: 3.2.f.
Monitor national trends relative to the Clinical Doctorate in Speech-
Language Pathology. Ongoing
Strategies:
S: 3.2.a. Recommend modifications to the curriculum where appropriate The
CSD Curriculum Committee proposed: a) development of a 1-credit AAC
course, b) reduction of the Stuttering course credits from 3 to 2, c) change
title of the Stuttering course to Fluency: Diagnosis and Treatment and d)
change title of Voice Disorders course to Voice and Resonance Disorders.
S: 3.2.b. All faculty members will facilitate the use of Case-Based Learning
(CBL) across the curriculum. Ongoing
S: 3.2.c. All faculty members will facilitate implementation of evidence-based
practice throughout the academic coursework and clinical training.
Ongoing.
S: 3.2.d. All faculty will present current multicultural information across the
curriculum.
Standard 4.0 Students
Ongoing.
Standard 4.2 The program makes reasonable adaptations in curriculum, policies, and procedures to accommodate differences among individual students.
Goal 4.2: Recruit diverse students into the program. NAU actively recruits applicants who are culturally and linguistically diverse. In particular, the department encourages bilingual applicants who are speakers of regionally important languages to apply to our master’s degree program.
Objectives:
O: 4.2.a. Foster existing relationships with SLPs for referrals of diverse
students. Ongoing. SLPs in the community and region often have
knowledge of diverse students currently working as support personnel
and wish to obtain a master’s degree in Clinical Speech-Language
Pathology. These professionals encourage the prospective students to
seek information about our master’s degree program.
O: 4.2.b. Develop recruitment plan and materials. Ongoing. A recruitment
plan was developed in cooperation with the Graduate College’s marketing
expert. Recruitment materials were developed and continue to be
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distributed by the Graduate College at various SLP recruitment fairs. An
internal grant was acquired through the Graduate College to upgrade our
and program track flyers.
Strategies:
S: 4.2.a. Use university resources to recruit diverse students. Ongoing.
Native
American students in the undergraduate SST program or from the
Community were recruited to participate in a Native American mentoring
program. As part of the program, five SST students enrolled in
undergraduate pre-requisite coursework. They were mentored through
their coursework by Native American SLP professionals who were funded
through an external foundation grant to tutor the students. The goal is to
prepare these Native American students to enter our graduate program.
Continuation funding will be sought in 2014-2015.
S: 4.2.b Add a link on the CSD website the flyer; post on Facebook page;
distribute at career fairs; contact SST advisors or NAU freshman or
sophomore advisors; obtain referrals through the Native American Center
S: 4.2.c. Scholarship funding sources for Native American students have been
identified through the Graduate College:
(1) McNair Scholars List
(2) Gates Millenium Scholars
S: 4.2.d. CSD wrote a component of the large scale grant ($3M) to be
submitted to the Ottens Foundation.
S: 4.2.e. Provide reservation-based practicum opportunities with diverse
populations. Met/Ongoing. Two students are currently placed in
reservation-based practica.
S: 4.2.f. Encourage projects on diversity topics to be presented at university,
state, and national forums
S: 4.2.g. Provide opportunities to be mentored by diverse professionals
S: 4.2.h. Distribute recruitment materials. Met and ongoing. Recruitment
materials were developed and are annually distributed by the Graduate
College at various NAU recruitment fairs and by email distributions to SLP
supervisors and district special education directors.
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Standard 5.0 Assessment
Standard 5.1 The program conducts ongoing and systematic formative and summative assessment of the performance of its current students.
Goal 5.1 The students will pass a comprehensive exam designed by the faculty as a requirement for graduation from the program.
Objectives:
O: 5.1.a. In studying and preparing for the comprehensive exam, the students
will be better prepared to pass the Praxis exam. Met. The proposed
comprehensive exam which must be passed prior to graduation was
approved by the Graduate College Curriculum Committee for
implementation in 2014 entering Summers-Only and Full Time Classes.
O: 5.1.b. The program’s overall Praxis pass rate will improve due to increased
test preparation. The pass rate will be 90% after first taking and 100% by
graduation. Met/Ongoing. The Praxis pass rates for both the Summers-
Only students and the full time students in 2013-14- was – for the first
time ever -- 100%.
Strategies:
S: 5.1.a. The faculty will create a comprehensive exam that the students must
pass in order to graduate from the program. Full time students will take
the comprehensive exam after spring break and before the end of their
fifth semester (practicum 3). Summers-Only students will take the
exam at the end of Summer Session II of the 3 rd summer.
Standard 6.0 Program Resources
Standard 6.3 The program’s equipment and educational/clinical materials are appropriate and sufficient to achieve the program’s mission and goals. The program equipment is calibrated and the educational/clinical materials are updated as determined by the clinical faculty who supervise in the clinic. New materials are
purchased from class fees associated with clinical practicum.
Goal 6.3 Increase the resources available to the department.
Objectives:
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O: 6.3.a. Increase funding support through internal and external sources at
the local, state, and national levels. Ongoing. Faculty are encouraged to submit grants to internal or external agencies. Multiple new funding sources for the CSD Department this year include: a) The
2010-2013 funding through a partnership with the Arizona Department of
Education (ADE) is now complete. The ADE is again partnering with the
CSD Department (Lindstedt) for 2013-14; b) Bhatt submitted a proposal to the Faculty Grants Program proposal : Phenotyping Noise Induced
Hearing Loss with Audiometry and Distortion-Product Otoacoustic
Emissions; c) ASHA Multicultural Projects grant (Harmon) to provide inservice training via video conferencing to preschool educators in the
Arctic Circle; Ottens Foundation Grant (King) to fund Native American tutoring/mentoring of Native American undergraduates and recruit them as applicants to the graduate program; ASHFoundation grant (Sosa) to examine speech-sound production of infants and toddlers; Veterans
Affairs contract (Skelton) to evaluate the hearing of veterans;
Department of Economic Security contract (Farinella) to conduct communication evaluations; R03 NIH grant (Sosa) on Improving the
Prognosis and Diagnosis for Preschoolers with Speech Sound Disorders.
2013-14 Farinella DES: Evaluations
2013-14 Harmon ASHA Multicultural Projects grant: Inservice training for educators above the Arctic Circle
2013-14 Isaki NAU PGP: Concussions in Athletes: Football players and Women’s Soccer players
2013-14 King Ottens: Mentoring/Recruiting Native American
Students to the CSD Graduate Program
2013-14 Lindstedt Increasing Capacity in Speech-Language-Pathology
Personnel in Arizona Schools
2013-14 Skelton Veterans Evaluation Service; National Park Service;
Flagstaff Firefighters
2013-14 Sosa ASHFoundation: Caregiver-infant communicative interaction during play; NIDCD R03: The use of lexicalphonological profiling to predict short-term speech sound normalization.
2014-15 Lindstedt ADE: Preparing Highly Qualified and Diverse SLPs to
Work in Arizona Schools
2014-15 Sosa NIDCD R03: The use of lexical-phonological profiling to predict short-term speech sound normalization
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O: 6.3.b.
Increase the department resources through a Program Fee :
Met/Implemented/ongoing. According to Arizona Board of Regents regulations, 14% of the program fee will be used for scholarships and 86% will be returned to the department as discretionary funding. CSD may make recommendations to Financial Aid regarding who they’d like to receive Program Fee scholarships. These must be submitted before July of each year.
O: 6.3.c. Increase CSD department space to include (a) designated classroom
space, (b) graduate student office space and (c) new research labs.
Not
approved. A decision at the Dean’s office resulted in turning Room 337
into cubicles that were assigned to different departments. CSD received
two cubicles, one for graduate students and another for part time
supervisors. Subsequently, one cubicle was assigned to the NIH grant
(Sosa) and the other was assigned to both graduate students and part
time supervisors. Two CSD space needs are a) space for a second
audiology suite and b) space for a proper lab for Sosa NIH grant. A CHHS
space committee was formed with a “space rep” from each
department. In January 2014, the committee conducted a space audit of
all CHHS space in Bldg 66, Nursing and Rolle Activity Center. This
information will be used to make recommendations regarding space use.
Elise Lindstedt was appointed chair of the space committee.
O:6.3.d. Acquire a new audiology clinical/lab space. Met. CSD acquired
classroom 320 which was reclassified by central administration as a lab.
O: 6.3.e. Increase department resources for clinical rotation sites.
Met/Ongoing. CSD acquired many new clinical sites. As a result, there
are more sites than the graduate clinicians can serve. Also, the NAU
Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic has acquired many new referrals and a
waiting list has been created.
O: 6.3.f. Increase community awareness and expand access to clinical services.
Ongoing. 2012-2013 activities to increase community awareness were: a)
1 st annual fundraiser, contracts with Veterans Affairs, National Park
Service, National Forest Service, Coconino County Fire Department,
Flagstaff Fire Department, relationships established with an otolaryngologist and neuro-otologist, contracts with the Department of
Economic Security, the Hozhoni Foundation and Heritage School
(Williams); periodic free screenings to the community. A new partnership will be sought with the NAU School of Music to establish a Hearing
Conservation Program and recruit subjects for Dr. Bhatt’s audiology research. Drs. King and Murray will be contacting the College of
Education for possible collaboration.
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O: 6.3.g. Monitor the development and marketing of Electronic Health Records
(EHR) systems. Gather pricing and suitability information and prepare for
adoption, purchase and implementation of a system prior to 2016.
Ongoing. CSD is exploring OptimisPT (with local Flagstaff rep), Practice
Perfect and others.
Strategies:
S: 6.3.a. Facilitate faculty grant submissions at all levels. Ongoing.
Several new initiatives have been launched by CHHS and NAU to facilitate grant
submissions at all levels: a) CHHS has started a summer support program
to fund a) article writing, b) data gathering or c) proposal submissions;
NAU has initiated a) FGP Faculty Grants Program and b) Pilot Faculty
Projects to encourage publication and proposal submissions.
Outcomes:
Harmon submitted NIH R03; Isaki submitted 2 articles; Harmon submitted
2 articles; Sosa submitted 1 article.
S: 6.3.b. (See O: 6.3.c. above) Propose the designation of a vacated lab on the
3 rd floor as CSD space to be reconfigured into spaces for a) designated instructional lab, b) research lab and c) graduate assistants space.
(See O: 6.3.c. above for update)
S: 6.3.c. Foster relationships with Arizona professionals to increase the
resources to the department. Ongoing. The Speech-Language-Hearing
Clinic invites speakers to teach special topics and share their expertise
within the Department coursework and during clinical rounds. They are
also invited to special workshops offered by the Department. Fé Murray
has started a CSD Facebook page. She has posted photos and updates on
CSD events.
S: 6.3.d. Explore the appropriateness and purchase of an Electronic Health
Record system. Continuing.
(See O: 6.3.f above) The Clinic Director, clinical audiologist and department chair are exploring the appropriateness and cost of multiple EHR systems for possible adoption by the Department.
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