QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The City University of New York
MEMORANDUM
Office of Academic Affairs
Telephone: (718) 631-6344
Fax: (718) 631-8284
TO:
Dr. Lisa Mertz, Program Director
Massage Therapy
FROM:
Dr. Karen Steele
Vice President for Academic Affairs
DATE:
December 8, 2010
SUBJECT:
Massage Therapy – Administrative Response to Action Plan
At a meeting on November 8, 2010, the following administrative and program representatives discussed the
action plan developed in response to last year’s program review and site visit reports:
Present: Diane Call, Arthur Corradetti, Virginia Cowen, Aaron Krac, Isabella Lizzul, Lisa Mertz, and Karen
Steele
The administrative response to the program’s action plan is summarized around five primary issues: 1)
orientations and open houses, 2) advisement, 3) marketing, 4) assessment, and 5) science placement.
Orientations and open houses
It is essential that orientation sessions and open houses occur for each incoming group and prospective
students because of the important need they serve to educate students about the massage therapy program
and to make requirements as transparent as possible.
Orientation sessions should take place late in the spring semester, well in advance of college cutoffs for
application and registration. These sessions should be coordinated and hosted by the program faculty, but
the appropriate freshman coordinator should be invited to attend to ensure that students are aware of the
coordinator as a resource for additional advisement and registration.
In addition to orientation sessions geared specifically for students matriculated in the program, open houses
should also be hosted in the spring semester so that prospective students can find out from program faculty
what the program involves and specific requirements of which they should be aware.
To carry out both orientation sessions and open houses, program faculty need to coordinate with the
Admissions Office director, Winston Yarde, who can provide regular updates on applicants, both first-time
and transfer students, and with Susan Curtis to ensure that orientations and open houses, as much as is
feasible, do not conflict with Academy events, though Academy events should in no way preempt
orientation for massage therapy students.
Advisement
The issue of advisement of program students is a most serious one. To this end, it is agreed that the program
faculty members should develop a comprehensive plan for the advisement of massage therapy students,
including dissemination of information and protocol to the Health Science Academy through the faculty
coordinator and freshman coordinator.
Since program faculty members have decided that summer advisement should take place in the Academic
Advisement Center, the planning for advisement should include a clear and seamless hand-off of students to
the Academic Advisement Center.
To ensure that advisement is effective, responsibilities are clear, and the hand-off for the summer is
seamless, a meeting should be convened with the director, Brian Kerr, and the program director, Lisa Mertz,
to discuss the plan and to clarify the timeline for hand-off, program requirements, and any other information
advisers will need to advise effectively during the summer.
The comprehensive advisement plan is due February 15, 2011.
Marketing
A thorough marketing initiative involves several aspects and is intended to attract more adult learners and to
ensure that all students are consistently given accurate and complete information.
Web site
Program faculty members should completely reevaluate the program Web site to update and improve
content and to ensure that Internet searches find the massage therapy program. All changes should be
channeled through Virginia Cowen, who is responsible for Web content for the program, and the
department Web coordinator, Peter Marchitello, who in turn will work with Dave Moretti to achieve an
attractive look and effect for the presentation of the program.
Student Handbook
There is consensus that the program’s Student Handbook needs to be revised and expanded. Any revisions
should be consistent with the content posted on the updated Web site.
Promotional materials
All promotional materials like brochures should be updated and made consistent with the look and content
both of the program Web site and Student Handbook. Program faculty members should work with the
Marketing department to achieve an attractive look and appropriate branding for the program. Since the
immediate past Marketing director has already left, program faculty should consult with Vice President
Rosemary Zins to find out with whom they should confer about any promotional materials.
Assessment
The assessment schedule included in the action plan is a comprehensive, integrated, and sustained one and
should be adhered to over the next five years as a model for future assessment efforts. Since progression
through the massage therapy program relies so heavily on achievement of appropriate competencies,
assessment efforts can be instrumental in identifying problem areas. Program faculty are also encouraged to
look beyond the department at other supporting departments and their assessment efforts, as student
competencies in basic skills and biology, for example, are central to success in the program.
Science placement examination
Action to be taken on deciding on and implementing a science placement examination is scheduled for next
year. This allows time for much-needed discussion with the Department of Biological Sciences and Geology
and with the Nursing Department, which has handled a similar challenge, about potential examinations
available and ways to implement.
cc:
Dr. Diane Call, President
Dr. Arthur Corradetti, Associate Dean, Accreditation, Assessment, and Institutional Effectiveness
Dr. Aaron Krac, Chair, Health, Physical Education, and Dance
Dr. Virginia Cowen, Massage Therapy program
Dr. Isabella Lizzul, Massage Therapy program
Summary of Actions
Actions
Offer orientation
sessions
Offer open houses
Conduct planning
meeting(s)
Develop advisement
plan
Modify program
Web site
Expand and revise
student handbook
Redesign
promotional
materials
Assess five courses
Develop rubrics for
all program courses
Target(s)
2 sessions for incoming
students
2 sessions for prospective
students
Meeting(s) to discuss the
details of the hand-off of
advisement responsibilities
Development of a
comprehensive advisement
plan, including materials for
use by faculty, advisers, and
students
Accurate and
comprehensive program
information; Internet
searches that find program
Development of a new and
comprehensive student
handbook with content
consistent with Web site
content
Promotional materials
consistent with look and
content of handbook and
Web site
Complete course assessment
reports for BI 330, HA 102,
HA 203, BI 331, HA 104
Design and finalize a
learning outcomes rubric for
all program courses
Responsible
party/individual(s)
Program faculty
Coordinate with:
Winston Yarde
Susan Curtis
Faculty coordinator
Freshman coordinator
Program faculty
Timeline
Sessions scheduled
for late spring
Sessions scheduled in
mid-spring semester
Coordinate with:
Winston Yarde
Susan Curtis
Lisa Mertz
Brian Kerr
Meeting(s) concluded
by mid-January
Program faculty
February 15
Coordinate with:
Faculty coordinator
Freshman coordinator
Virginia Cowen
Pete Marchitello
Dave Moretti
Modifications
completed by end of
spring 2011 semester
Program faculty
Marketing
Modifications
completed by end of
spring 2011 semester
Program faculty
Marketing
Modifications
completed by end of
spring 2011 semester
Program faculty
Completed by May
2011; adhere to
assessment schedule
each succeeding year
Resources:
OAA faculty fellow
Assessment Web site
Program faculty
Resources:
OAA faculty fellow
Assessment Web site
Completed by May
2011
Update and revise all
course syllabuses
Review course
outlines of all
program adjuncts
Review course
assessments from
supporting
departments (e.g.,
Basic Skills and
Biology)
Review all program course
syllabuses for accurate and
up-to-date content and
official syllabus components
Confirm consistent course
outline components across
all courses taught by
adjuncts; where
inconsistencies are found,
take corrective action
Begin to summarize results
and issues from course
assessment reports from
supporting departments in
consideration of course and
programmatic change and in
preparation for next
program review
Conduct meetings
with Biology faculty
and Nursing faculty
Explore possibilities of
instituting a science
placement test
Review literature of
the field on
instruments available
Choose a science
placement instrument
Narrow selection of possible
instruments to several
choices
Review choices of
instruments and decide on
test to implement
Program faculty
Resources:
OAA faculty fellow
Assessment Web site
Program faculty
Completed by May
2011
Completed by May
2011
Resources:
OAA faculty fellow
Assessment Web site
Program faculty
Coordinate with:
Supporting departments
(inter-departmental
discussion is encouraged)
Begin in 2011-12
(Basic Skills and
Biology) and review
broader array of
courses each year
until next program
review
Resources:
OAA faculty fellow
Assessment Web site
Program faculty
Spring 2011 semester
Coordinate meetings with:
Biology faculty
Nursing faculty
Program faculty
Spring 2011 semester
Program faculty and
Biology faculty
Decision in 2011-12;
implement in fall
2012