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39 need for consistent expectations when providing individualized student learning experiences in math courses and within residence halls. Projection Undergraduate Programs, Majors, Minors and Concentrations Curry endorses four commitments as central guiding principles for academic program development and the improvement of academic quality. Initiatives should be: 1) faculty led, 2) evidence‐based, 3) assessable, and 4) strategically connected to other college efforts. Projections for next steps build on these principles in several key areas to advance new programs and curricular renewal. • Continue to increase the strength of the Academic Program Planning process and the ongoing use of data to inform curricular development. • Utilize enrollment management data to identify new programs for potential development such as additional cohort programs for high achieving students. • Continue multi‐tiered strategies to increase communication and information literacy from first year to senior year. • Systematize and advance the process of gathering feedback and placement information from alumni to inform curricular planning. • Continue to provide additional support for departmental budget planning and alignment of academic planning with budget development. General Education Curry will design and deliver a new General Education curriculum that will provide a fluid framework within which ongoing change, assessment, and re‐alignment will become the norm. The most important steps for the next phase of reform are to: • Approve the new General Education core with a multi‐year implementation plan and articulated process for ongoing assessment and review. • Communicate General Education learning outcomes to students more visibly—across print, online publications, and course materials. Graduate Programs The College will: • Identify new Graduate Program(s) to develop based on market analysis, faculty expertise, and institutional capacity. • Provide increased technological support for students and faculty involved in web‐based instruction and increased infrastructure to develop technology‐infused offerings. • Increase gathering of data from employers to evaluate graduates’ skills and knowledge. • Continue to review and address student support at the Plymouth campus. Integrity in the Award of Credit Curry, through its Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and related campus units, will: • Complete the work of the UCC subcommittee to develop and assess common criteria across programs for credit awarded for non‐traditional courses. Curry College 2012 Self-Study Standard Four
40 • Develop a system to assess the implementation of agreed upon campus‐wide standards to qualify for leveling at the 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 undergraduate course levels. • Increase consistency in the award of credit as tied to learning outcomes for internships. Learning Outcomes Assessment The College, building on the many initiatives currently underway, will: • Achieve and document sustained progress on learning outcomes assessment at the institutional, programmatic, and course levels, including increased departmental and institution‐wide utilization of assessment information to improve instruction and outcomes. • Launch and support focused projects advancing new areas of learning outcomes assessment activity, based upon LOAC‐designated priorities. • Increase internal sharing of outcomes, evidence, and actions within and across academic areas, and between and among academic and student affairs and other relevant divisions and/or departments. Institutional Effectiveness The introduction of departmental academic planning has been a significant and necessary step to increase the level of data‐driven planning across all programs. With increased visibility of the planning process, Curry has progressed in aligning key information from strategic enrollment management and student learning outcomes assessment with academic program planning. Concurrently, both have been integrated more closely with recruitment/retention efforts and the budgeting process. This process bridges the long‐standing traditions of individualized attention and high touch support of students with a data‐driven examination of student learning within cohorts and resource allocations based on data‐informed planning. This framing seeks to maintain the values of Curry’s history while strategically assessing, building, and revising programs based on evidence of impact and effectiveness. Intentional connections to external best practices in higher education such as the AAC&U’s LEAP initiative further guide institutional prioritization and planning. Whether through high impact practices to influence retention, the Essential Learning Outcomes to guide General Education, or state requirements for certification programs in Education and Nursing, Curry has significantly increased its connectedness to externally‐promulgated standards and benchmarked data. Faculty regularly attend higher education conferences outside their disciplines (NEEAN, AAC&U, Teaching Profession, NEFDC, POD, among others) for external referencing; various task force efforts (e.g. First Year Experience, General Education, and Hybrid Course Development) included extensive environmental scans of best practices and relevant higher education research in their reports and recommendations. More importantly, as multiple areas have gained experience and comfort with a data‐driven, externally referenced inquiry framework, changes to programs, processes, and perspectives have emerged. Curry College 2012 Self-Study Standard Four
Page 1 and 2: Curry College Self-Study Report Jan
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
Page 13 and 14: xii Significant program expansion w
Page 15 and 16: 2 accessible in multiple locations:
Page 17 and 18: 4 Of these multiple efforts, Strate
Page 19 and 20: 6 the College’s Mission Statement
Page 21 and 22: 8 academic units. In addition, the
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
Page 31 and 32: 18 The College demonstrates a stron
Page 33 and 34: 20 process of reviewing their self
Page 35 and 36: 22 NEASC visit in 2002, the organiz
Page 37 and 38: 24 Increased opportunity for study
Page 39 and 40: 26 • MACJ: Police Career Incentiv
Page 41 and 42: 28 submitted to the department chai
Page 43 and 44: 30 Table 4.1: Progress Summary of L
Page 45 and 46: 32 management data helps department
Page 47 and 48: 34 • Recent purchase of Atomic Le
Page 49 and 50: 36 cohort model; similar completion
Page 51: 38 with enhanced online support for
Page 55 and 56: 42 Standard Five: Faculty Descripti
Page 57 and 58: 44 Part‐time faculty teaching loa
Page 59 and 60: 46 attendance. xcvii Faculty are al
Page 61 and 62: 48 articulated only for full‐time
Page 63 and 64: 50 initiatives to move the College
Page 65 and 66: 52 Advisors actively participate in
Page 67 and 68: 54 Standard Six: Students With a lo
Page 69 and 70: 56 class members by cohort, allowin
Page 71 and 72: 58 programs are described in detail
Page 73 and 74: 60 Staffing within Student Services
Page 75 and 76: 62 College has placed a priority on
Page 77 and 78: 64 continue to hear from students o
Page 79 and 80: 66 structures and supports for dive
Page 81 and 82: 68 systematic oversight for what ar
Page 83 and 84: 70 The curriculum and student learn
Page 85 and 86: 72 the Appraisal section. Students
Page 87 and 88: 74 faculty “selectors,” each re
Page 89 and 90: 76 technological environment. The C
Page 91 and 92: 78 Standard Eight: Physical and Tec
Page 93 and 94: 80 Facilities are constructed and m
Page 95 and 96: 82 technology through hosted applic
Page 97 and 98: 84 Standard Nine: Financial Resourc
Page 99 and 100: 86 of May 31, 2011 with the majorit
Page 101 and 102: 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
Page 113 and 114:
100 ix Mission Statement Survey in
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102 cvi First Year activities in wo
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