Engagement for Academic and Professional Success Strengths: •
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Addresses the results of the campus survey, the student focus group, and the employer focus group. Also NSEE (active and collaborative learning; writing; thinking; speaking effectively) Addresses weaknesses revealed in Gen Ed assessments and in high DFW rate courses Provides bookend experiences for students in UNIV 1010 and 4010 Focuses on engagement, especially important in Gen Ed Emphasizes both within the class and beyond the class experiences Should improve first year success/retention Should improve career placement for graduates; Help them in interviews For faculty – address the new emphasis on faculty engagement for tenure Helps with undeclared sophomores—broader exposure to where they are going earlier Ties to Quest for Student Success Impacts student learning in UNIV 1010, Gen Ed, and seniors Combines two popular ideas of Academic Engagement and Career Ties to best practices in portfolios, engagement, High impact practices; FLCs ePortfolio provides students with a technological advantage when moving into career Weaknesses: •
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Relies heavily on U1010 instructors-­‐-­‐mainly adjunct based Scope could be too large/overly ambitious (3 comments) Some majors already provide 4010 content within their courses ePortfolio platforms already on campus Should emphasize active learning more Measureable outcomes? Faculty learning communities have not been fully embraced General Conversation: •
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How do you find a way to think of this as a program with coherence? What connects UNIV 1010, Gen Ed, and UNIV 4010? Is it engagement, BTC experiences, both? We would need to think of a catchy (and simple) way to describe this. Could have ePortfolio introduced in a course(s) other than UNIV 1010 If using UNIV 1010 need full-­‐time faculty involved Could use existing capstones in place of UNIV 4010 Like Professional Success in the name How do you get students to commit to completion of their ePortfolios? Would you need to incentivize students to participate in the program? Could you make ePortfolio an admissions component? Could include summer activity and ask them to update their profile before the Fall Make ePortfolio required and what goes in it Could have service, experiences from class, research tabs with self-­‐reflection segments; use as a journal experience Who would administer the start-­‐up, training, counseling for students? Where is the active learning and what are the expectations from students? •
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What is the expectation from faculty and how do we get them to participate? Faculty development is a critical need. Must have plan for this and incentives Portfolios are useful for assessment Multi-­‐faceted idea: advising; beyond the classroom experiences; and faculty training are included Suggested emphasis on ePortfolio to reach Engagement for Academic and Professional Success; ePortfolio is the tool of QEP Academic Engagement in Gen Ed Strengths: •
Addresses weaknesses revealed in Gen Ed assessments and in high DFW rate courses •
Addresses the faculty survey •
Ties to student focus groups regarding gen ed, NSEE (active and collaborative learning; writing; thinking; speaking effectively); ties to student retention survey increasing relevance of courses; •
Has a clear and limited focus •
Redesign process is already in place and showing promise •
If we include UNIV 1010, this could be academic engagement in the freshman year •
Impacts student learning in freshman / sophomores vulnerable to retention issues •
Ties to Quest for Student Success •
Ties to best practices in engagement, High impact practices, FLCs •
Scope is doable •
Would help students AND faculty advance through professional development in engagement practices Weaknesses: •
11 courses have already been through or are going through the redesign process, and other courses will be added to the process before the QEP is implemented; however, there are many different versions of some Gen Ed courses (large lectures, small classes, online, hybrid), and each of these types of a particular course might need to be redesigned in different ways •
Does not directly address the survey / focus group results focusing on career readiness—but could through college orientations as a co-­‐curricular activity and/or redesign UNIV 1010 •
Would require significant faculty development and buy-­‐in •
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Faculty learning communities have not been fully embraced Many adjuncts and FTT teach gen ed courses so it would require constant professional development and incentives General Conversation: • Could add ePortfolio to this • Full-­‐time faculty could rotate through gen ed • Could phase in professional skills • Could phase into upper level courses Connecting College to Career Strengths: •
Addresses survey results •
Addresses employer focus groups •
Would help students see the relevance of their course work •
Help with undeclared •
Ties to Quest for Student Success •
Impacts student learning in U1010 and in some majors •
Ties to employer focus group, student focus groups; freshman retention •
Ties to best practices in portfolios, engagement, High impact practices; •
Intern office reinstated •
Could serve as a guide for students (and parents) to understand opportunities within their chosen fields/departments Weaknesses: •
Much of the focus is not on freshmen-­‐-­‐where we are having the most difficulty with student success •
Too much career focus in freshman year is not necessarily a good thing-­‐-­‐students change majors, etc. •
UNIV 1010 only mandatory for undeclared •
Curriculum development for junior / senior seminars is large in scope—but could phase in •
Need ENGL buy in and many are taught by adjuncts and FTT General Conversation: • Connect them to the future not a job. Change title to future skills or professionalism not career.