Academic Plan 2011-2015 (PDF 524kB) - SUNY Empire State College

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SUNY Empire State College: Academic Plan 2011 - 2015 11• Collegewide Residencies, Faculty Institutes and Other Academic Initiatives: Groups of facultyaround the college also develop residencies for students across the college. College approval forthese learning experiences is provided by the Office of Academic Affairs. Faculty also may clusterinto affinity groups, or propose other academic initiatives within or across areas of study.• Sample Degrees: Sample degrees formalized in agreements or posted in materials aredeveloped by faculty and approved by deans and OCAR.• Center for Distance Learning, The Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies, Center forInternational Programs and School for Graduate Studies: Some educational centers developmore structured degree programs. There is greater attention to curricular coherence withinthese offerings, and the responsibility for planning these initiatives lies with faculty committees,associate deans and deans.• Areas of Study, New Degrees, Certificates: The existing subcommittee of the Committeeon Undergraduate Studies and Policies (CUSP) responsible for program assessment (CUSP-PA) should become a standing governance committee charged with the review of newundergraduate AOS proposals (or significant revisions), undergraduate certificate proposalsand the college’s approach to program outcomes assessment at the undergraduate level.Membership should include representatives from each area of study, as well as representativesfrom the directors of academic review (DAR) and from the directors of academic support (DAS).The Graduate Studies and Policies Committee (GSPC) will continue to serve this purpose at thegraduate level. Issues of overlap and joint responsibility should be reviewed and coordinatedbetween these committees where appropriate. The provost/vice president for academic affairsalso will seek input on academic program initiatives from deans and faculty chairs, recognizingthe value of input from the educational centers of the college. CUSP will retain responsibility forundergraduate academic policies.New degree certificates, programs and partnershipsCertificatesExternal scanning indicates that adult learners, particularly in these economic times, may be interestedin shorter programs, such as certificates or other milestones on the way to the degree (see Eduventuresresearch, stackable certificates from Massachusetts and Ohio). While recent efforts to advancecertificates have predominantly focused on the graduate level, the academic plan endorses thedevelopment of academic certificates at the undergraduate level.Professional doctoratesA specific need at the graduate level relating to the lack of professional doctorates in the state of NewYork has been identified. Scanning has indicated that many adults in New York state are going out ofstate or to private institutions to pursue these degrees. The Academic Planning Task Force supportsthe exploratory work currently underway to pursue collaborative degrees with other institutions withspecific identified audiences.
12 SUNY Empire State College: Academic Plan 2011 - 2015Acceleration and combined undergraduate/graduate educationThe academic plan supports efforts within the college to accelerate degree completion, for thosestudents who are identified to have the potential to successfully move from undergraduate to graduatelevel study. Efforts should focus on formally creating opportunities for identified undergraduatestudents to take dual-enrollment studies with approval and review by graduate program faculty.Collaboration with other colleges and sectorsIn light of diminishing state support, institutions of higher education must begin to work acrossboundaries. Where possible, SUNY Empire State College should play a lead role in collaboration. Thecollege has a strong history in collaborating with community colleges, and could build on that historywith stronger faculty-to-faculty collaboration and more disciplinary-specific pathways programs. We areexperts in adult degree completion, and developments with the Open University could promote greaterformal coordination between SUNY and CUNY institutions, with corporate and community partners, aswell as international partnerships and foreign language development.Prior learning assessmentEmpire State College, from its long tradition of recognizing that learning can occur from nontraditionalsources, is viewed as a leader in the field of prior learning assessment (PLA). While the individualassessment of student learning should remain central and supported by sufficient resources, developingadditional generic evaluations in targeted areas such as health care, business, the arts, and humanservices, would increase visibility and partnerships with professional groups and organizations, andopen more opportunities for earlier degree completion. The time and resources required to developand maintain current generics could offset the time and resources required to replicate the individualevaluation process across individual centers and students. (See also Theme B, Goal Three)Objective A1.2: Identify criteria for new academic program developmentFinally, in order to create a framework for academic program development and support, the academicplan seeks to establish criteria for new academic programs. These criteria are intended to assuretransparency and equity in the development of new programs, and are intended to be applied acrossthe college to any new program at any academic level, whether it is at the undergraduate, registered,area-of-study level, the certificate level, or a proposed new graduate program or certificate.Six criteria are proposed to constitute a framework for support of academic program development. Aproposal for academic program development will receive favorable attention to the extent that it:1. advances or is consistent with the college’s mission and core values2. supports the college’s strategic plan and other major college and SUNY initiatives and mandates3. represents a growth area or economic opportunity4. integrates effectively with other curricular areas and is conducive to interdisciplinary approachesto program and curriculum development5. reflects and builds on the expertise of our faculty6. serves students’ needs for increasingly diverse programmatic options
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Academic Plan 2011-2015 (PDF 524kB) - SUNY Empire State College

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