QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The City University of New York
MEMORANDUM
Office of Academic Affairs
Telephone: (718) 631-6344
Fax: (718) 631-8284
TO:
Dr. Joseph Culkin, Chair
Social Sciences
FROM:
Dr. Karen Steele
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
DATE:
December 3, 2010
SUBJECT:
Administrative Response to LE1 Program Review Action Plan
In a meeting of October 22, 2010, between the chair and faculty for the Liberal Arts and Sciences and
Childhood Education degree program and the senior administration, the program’s action plan was
discussed and strategies for response were proposed.
Present at the meeting were: President Diane Call, Vice President Karen Steele, Associate Dean Arthur
Corradetti, Dr. Joseph Culkin, Dr. Anita Ferdenzi, Dr. Patricia Spradley, and Ms. Renee Rhodd.
In response to the program review report, the external reviewers’ report, and the departmental action plan,
the following areas of future effort will receive administrative support: 1) Institutional Research, 2)
articulation, 3) recruitment, 4) curricular change, 5) linked courses and service learning, and 6) assessment.
A table summarizing actions to be taken and a timeline for each action appears on page 3.
Institutional Research
The administration will ensure that Institutional Research provides clear data, through collaboration with the
corresponding office at Queens College, concerning transfer and graduation numbers for LE1 and LA1
students who continue in education. Through the principal investigator, Academy-level data will be
provided from the Academic Assessment Protocol. Reports on student outcomes will be reported at the
beginning of each semester. The department needs to use these data sets to determine student success
measures and areas of concern that might be addressed through articulation or curricular change.
Articulation
Efforts to address concerns over articulation will take two tacks.
The first involves a concerted effort at the highest levels to ensure productive discussion between
Queensborough and Queens College about the dual/joint program. An initial meeting took place on
December 1 at Queens to address concerns about the effect of the new PLAS requirements on the
curriculum and about the need for consistent communication from Queens about changes in curricular
requirements and practices. At the meeting, it was agreed that a small group of program faculty from each
college will meet to review the curriculum for currency and possible modification. It was also agreed that,
on a periodic basis, a similar meeting as the one on December 1 would occur of program faculty and senior
administrators to ensure broad channels of communication about all aspects of the program.
The second tack involves articulation with other institutions, including those outside CUNY. The
department will need to take a look at tracks at institutions like York College to determine whether there are
other options for aligning curricula. Prior experience with institutions like Adelphi, C.W. Post, and Molloy
has been very positive. Overtures have already been made by Hofstra University; others are welcome and
supported by the administration. The department will need to strategize about ways to make the full array of
options to students more transparent.
Recruitment
The administration is committed to supporting innovative ways to recruit male students to the LE1 program.
These will involve working with Marketing and Admissions, coordinating with the MALES program, and
perhaps revisiting the college’s Web site to make appropriate information more accessible and appealing.
Curricular change
It is the consensus of the department and the external reviewers’ that a capstone experience should be
introduced into the LE1 program, with the following tentative proposals for curricular changes:
1) ED 110 – Move this course to the second semester, perhaps with revised prerequisites, to ensure
that students have the appropriate commitment and maturity to benefit from the course curriculum
2) Philosophy of Education – Introduce this course as a capstone experience, perhaps with a teamteaching model
These potential changes were discussed with Queens College at the meeting on December 1 and were
positively received. A subsequent meeting of program faculty will continue the conversation.
Linked courses and service learning
The administration will support efforts to link sections of ST 100 reserved for education students with EN
101, ideally with a service learning component. The department will need to collaborate with Counseling
and the English department to provide content materials that would help to make the learning community
more beneficial to education students.
Assessment
The Assessment Office will provide administrative support to ensure that course assessment in support of
the next LE1 program review is carried out. Most important are three courses in two departments: HI 127,
HI 128, and MA 303.
Finally, to address concerns and raise overall awareness, the Office of Academic Affairs will explore the
possibility of a CUNY-wide conference on education programs led by the university dean and with the
support of senior and community college provosts, deans, education department heads, and program faculty.
cc:
Dr. Diane Call, Interim President
Dr. Arthur Corradetti, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Dr. Anita Ferdenzi, Social Sciences
Dr. Patricia Spradley, Social Sciences
Ms. Renee Rhodd, Social Sciences
Summary of Actions
Action
Target
Responsible
constituency/individual
Timeline
Data reporting on
student outcomes
(graduation rates,
transfer numbers,
outcomes at
Queens) and
Academy
outcomes
Periodic meeting
with Queens
Two reports each academic year
to program faculty
Institutional Research
(principal investigator):
Anna May Jagoda
Mark Fenster
Victor Fichera
Reports submitted to department in
February 2011 (and at beginning of each
subsequent semester)
Senior administration and select
program faculty
Once a semester (December 1, 2010, and
March 2011)
Program faculty
meeting with
Queens
Curricular
modifications
Select program faculty; review of
entire curriculum for currency;
discussion of capstone experience
Create a capstone experience;
move ED 110 to second semester
New articulations
York, Hofstra
More effective
recruiting
strategies to ensure
more diverse
student population
Creating a
capstone
experience
Prospective male students
Linked courses
and service
learning
More learning communities with
EN 101 and ST 100 with a
service learning component
Course assessment
– program and
department
courses
Course assessment
in support of
program
ED 110
PH 101
SS 110/310/610
Provosts:
Karen Steele
Mary Ann Watch
Department chairs:
Joe Culkin
Mary Bushnell-Greiner
Program faculty:
Anita Ferdenzi
Renee Rhodd
Pat Spradley
OAA and department chair:
Arthur Corradetti
Joe Culkin
Admissions, Marketing,
MALES:
Winston Yarde
Rosemary Zins
Warren Soare
Program faculty:
Anita Ferdenzi
Renee Rhodd
Pat Spradley
Social Science faculty
Department chairs and
program directors:
Joe Culkin
Sheena Gillespie
Jannette Urciuoli
Jo Pantaleo/Meg Tarafdar
Program faculty:
Anita Ferdenzi
Renee Rhodd
Pat Spradley
Department chairs
CUNY education
conference
CUNY faculty audience,
primarily educators; other
members of CUNY community
A culminating, focusing
experience for students at the
program’s end
Specific courses and deadlines at
right
OAA
As needed – first meeting by February
2011
Changes approved by department by
March 2011; submitted to Curriculum
Committee by April; approved by Senate
in May
Negotiations begun by end of spring 2011
New strategies finalized and ready to be
implemented for fall 2011
Curricular change approved by department
by March 2011; submitted to Curriculum
Committee by April; approved by Senate
in May
Discussions in February/ March 2011;
additional linked courses for fall 2011
Assessment completed in spring 2011 and
report submitted to Assessment Office by
end of semester; course assessed every
other year
Spring 2010 – AR 310, CH 120/121, HI
127
Spring 2011 – EN 101/102, HI 128, MA
303
Spring 2012 – BI 140, MU 261
Spring 2013 – PE 711, TH 120
2011-2012