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21 Standard Four: Academic Programs Description Curry’s Academic Programs provide a wide range of professional and liberal arts educational experiences to its undergraduate, continued education, and graduate students. Since the mid‐ 1990’s, Curry has more than doubled the size of the student body while growing and evolving its academic programs. Development and refinement of its curriculum has been enhanced with increasing attention to effectiveness and data‐driven decision‐making. xlvii The College’s portfolio now includes 20 majors, four graduate programs, and 66 minors and concentrations. Since the last NEASC visit, new programs advanced by faculty initiative include two new graduate programs (Master of Business Administration and Master of Clinical Nurse Leader), four new majors, and three new minors and concentrations. Each new program has advanced through the departmental level to the faculty at large through the oversight process described below. Such review addresses the coherence of new program goals, structures, and content and the extent to which expectations and evidence of student learning match that of existing programs. Across all programs, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, student achievement and evidence of attainment of program goals increasingly guide curricular developments and revisions as part of an ongoing process of program improvement. Undergraduate Programs and Majors At the undergraduate level, Curry’s 20 majors lead to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in recognized fields of study. The highest enrolled majors in Fall 2010 (see Data First form) were, in order of their size: Nursing, Management, Criminal Justice, Communication, Psychology, Education (including those in Child, Youth and Community and licensure majors in Elementary, Special Education, and Early Childhood), Community Health and Wellness, Graphic Design, and Information Technology. Programs in Sociology, Biology, English, Environmental Science, Integrated Liberal Studies, Philosophy, Politics and History, and Visual Arts constitute the remaining majors. Enrollment management data describes the enrollment and persistence rates of students within the above programs. xlviii New program development has taken place within the context of a continuing liberal arts foundation that undergirds and supports all College majors and the College mission. Collegewide discussions about Curry’s mission, its liberal arts focus and core values have been stimulated through the General Education reform process that began in Fall 2009. (This is discussed more fully in the General Education section.) Oversight and review of the academic programs reside with the Faculty, who initiate program changes at the departmental level. The 20 academic majors reside within 11 departments/ divisions, represented on the Academic Affairs Organizational Chart. xlix Additional academic units that oversee curricular offerings include: Academic Enrichment, First Year Studies, Honors, and the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL). Proposed curricular changes are brought forward by the department or program to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC), following a process described in the Integrity in the Award of Credit section. Since the last Curry College 2012 Self-Study Standard Four
22 NEASC visit in 2002, the organizational framework of oversight for the academic programs has remained unchanged. Curry’s Division of Continuing Education at both Milton and Plymouth campuses offers many of the same programs as those offered in the traditional day program and draws upon the same faculty for instruction. The curricular structures and program oversight are also the same, and quality control processes are led by College department chairs and program coordinators. More than 1,100 undergraduate students and almost 400 graduate students enroll in courses and programs through Continuing and Graduate Studies. Curry’s Plymouth campus currently serves approximately 520 of those students, 450 undergraduates and 70 graduate students. Continuing Education enrollments have seen significant but fluctuating increases over the last ten years. Changes since the last NEASC visit include the closings of both the Worcester and Chicopee sites and the consolidation of offerings, based on enrollment and growth projections for programs aligned with Curry’s mission. Consolidations and program eliminations were planned to assure opportunities for program completion by currently enrolled students. Curriculum oversight at the department/program level for the College is increasingly guided by an orientation grounded in evidence of student learning. The E‐series captures each academic area’s articulation, evaluation, reflection and re‐design of offerings at the course, program and institutional level. Programs are at varying stages of integrating evidence into the process of curricular assessment and redesign; and faculty work reflects an understanding that all program planning must be grounded in an understanding of what and how students are learning. Program learning outcomes can be seen on the web l and are described in greater detail in the E‐series. Examples in the E‐series, along with catalog descriptions of program goals and structure, articulate the coherence of each program. Academic planning and review based on evidence of student learning has been supported by a recently developed uniform planning process across all academic units. A planning partnership between the Academic Dean’s Office and the academic areas includes the use of a common template for academic program planning. Program reports submitted from all academic areas evaluate program goals, strengths, and weaknesses and explicitly use learning outcomes assessment information to inform the academic planning and improvement process. li Additionally, comprehensive departmental self‐studies were completed in Psychology, the Program for Advancement of Learning, and the Library in 2010‐2011, with reviews of Honors and Communication scheduled for the next cycle. lii Many of the recent curricular changes in majors, minors and concentrations resulted from careful review of programs, their intended outcomes, and the learning activities and strategies that lead to those outcomes. Examples of these changes and review processes include: • Communication o Established new selective cohort program, Communication Scholars. o Added concentrations in Film, Corporate, and Relational Communication. o Aligned multiple section offerings of COM1010 with common learning goals. Curry College 2012 Self-Study Standard Four
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Page 3 and 4: ii III. Institutional Characteristi
Page 5 and 6: iv 12. List all programs accredited
Page 7 and 8: vi CHIEF INSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS Fun
Page 9 and 10: viii Academic Dean’s Office coord
Page 11 and 12: x assessment learning goals and mea
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Page 17 and 18: 4 Of these multiple efforts, Strate
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Page 23 and 24: 10 writing sequence xxv ; and stand
Page 25 and 26: 12 • Offer distinctive, relevant,
Page 27 and 28: 14 Standard Three: Organization and
Page 29 and 30: 16 policy and planning and peer fac
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Page 37 and 38: 24 Increased opportunity for study
Page 39 and 40: 26 • MACJ: Police Career Incentiv
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Page 47 and 48: 34 • Recent purchase of Atomic Le
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Page 55 and 56: 42 Standard Five: Faculty Descripti
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Page 73 and 74: 60 Staffing within Student Services
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Page 77 and 78: 64 continue to hear from students o
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72 the Appraisal section. Students
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74 faculty “selectors,” each re
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76 technological environment. The C
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84 Standard Nine: Financial Resourc
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86 of May 31, 2011 with the majorit
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88 gradually developed a culture of
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90 making that provides for suffici
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92 requirements. As described withi
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94 Standard Eleven: Integrity Descr
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96 available; it also appears in ga
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98 consider developing and implemen
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100 ix Mission Statement Survey in
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102 cvi First Year activities in wo
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