A SURVEY OF UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULA IN CSD PROGRAMS Rebecca M. Fischer, PhD, CCC-A, LSLS Cert. AVT Melinda L. Richards, PhD, CCC-SLP Middle Tennessee State University And The National Association of Pre-Professional Programs (NAPP) CAPCSD Conference San Antonio, Texas 1 April 2016

RATIONALE  Role of pre-professional programs and NAPP in CSD education  Value of CSD undergraduate degree versus degrees in other disciplines  Focus of undergraduate programs currently and in the future

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES  Importance of current research and technology in informing clinical practice  Effective communication with other professionals and clients  Interprofessional/interdisciplinary approach to education

EXAMINATION OF UNDERGRADUATE CSD PROGRAMS  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2015)  CAPCSD conference proceedings (2008, 2009)  ASHA Board of Directors Audiology Subcommittee (2013)  ASHA Academic Affairs Board (2013, 2015)  ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on Interprofessional Education (IPE) (2013)  ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on Reframing the Professions  Special Interest Groups (SIGs) 10 and 11

“THE ROLE OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS”  Final Report from Academic Affairs Board, June 30, 2015  Represented both ASHA and CAPCSD  AAB charged with examining role and current models of UG programs re:  Speech-language pathology graduate-level education  Audiology graduate level education  Interprofessional education  Shortage of PhD-level faculty and researchers  Support personnel

OBJECTIVES OF THE ACADEMIC AFFAIRS BOARD  Determine whether changes to UG programs are necessary  Give specific details regarding suggested changes  Specify process for implementing changes in UG programs

PURPOSE  Survey UG programs with regard to  Program parameters  UG course offerings within the CSD curricula

METHOD: TWO-PART SURVEY OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS  Examined all UG programs  Part 1. Utilized ASHA’s EdFind website to assess UG programs and capture the following data:  Presence of free-standing UG programs versus UG/G programs  Inclusion of online education option  Accommodation of part-time students  Inclusion of a multicultural component or focus  Opportunities for participation in Study Abroad programs  Presence of a campus NSSLHA Chapter  Numbers of students enrolled  Numbers of graduates

METHOD: TWO-PART SURVEY OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS  Part 2. Examined website of each CSD program in every university included in the study  Total of 256 programs included in the study, Including:  Undergraduate programs that were integrated within graduate programs  Stand-alone, “undergraduate-only” programs  Information on number of required hours in the CSD major  Range of CSD courses offered and their content  Core courses in CSD  Disorders Courses  Other

METHOD  Handling of Missing data  Missing data were marked and excluded from computation

METHOD: COURSE SURVEY  Courses:  We examined six basic or core CSD courses:  Introduction to Communication Disorders  Speech and Hearing Science  Phonetics  Anatomy & Physiology  Language Development  Neuroanatomy & Neurophysiology

METHOD: COURSE SURVEY  Disorders  Language disorders  Speech sound disorders  Voice  Fluency  Adult Disorders  Hearing  Audiology  Aural Rehabilitation  Clinical Procedures and Practicum  Clinical procedures/methods courses  Clinical practica (I and/or II)

METHOD: COURSE SURVEY  Other Topics or Areas  Literacy Studies  AAC  Multicultural Issues  Senior Seminar and/or Capstone Course

FINDINGS OF EDFIND SURVEY (AY )  225 of 260 or 86.5 percent of UG programs also have a masters program in the department or school  35 of the 260 or 13.4 percent of UG programs are stand-alone, “UG – only” programs

UG PROGRAM DELIVERY OPTIONS  255 of 258 or 99 percent of UG programs did NOT offer online education leading to a CSD degree

UG PROGRAM DELIVERY OPTIONS (CONT’D)  163 of 258 or 63 percent of UG programs offer the option of part- time enrollment

MULTICULTURAL FOCUS  35 of 258, or13.5 percent of programs offer a multicultural focus

STUDY-ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE  41 of 258, or 15.8 percent offer the opportunity to study abroad

NSSLHA CHAPTERS  221 of 258 or 85.6 percent of UG programs have NSSLHA Chapters

GROWTH IN CSD PROGRAMS ( ) FROM COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS (CSD) EDUCATION SURVEY DATA REPORTS (ASHA, 2014) Undergraduate Level  Total UG enrollment 44,527 (extrapolated) in , growth of 28.6% over  10,921 UG degrees granted in CSD in , 9% increase over degrees awarded in Graduate Level  12.9% growth from 15,150 to 17,099 in SLP programs  4% increase from 2480 to 2579 in clinical doctoral programs  8.9% increase from 897 to 977 in doctoral programs

RESULTS OF EDFIND SURVEY ( )  Total Undergraduate Enrollment 36,278  Total UG Degrees Granted in CSD 9,828

AAB REPORT:  Previous look at 86 representative institutions of 262 total programs  Evaluated pre-requisite courses and CSD coursework required for masters programs  Found that most masters programs required social, behavioral, biological, and physical science courses, and basic courses in:  Phonetics  Anatomy and physiology  Speech and hearing science  Speech and language development

DATA FROM SPRING, 2016 STUDY, BASIC CSD COURSES:  Examined curricula from all 256 undergraduate programs:  Hearing & Speech Science – 220 of 256, or 85.9 percent  Phonetics – 242 of 256, or 94.5 percent  Anatomy & Physiology – 235 or 256, or 91.7 percent  Speech & Language Development – 246 of 256, or 96 percent

OTHER COURSE TYPES REPORTED...  Courses covering specific disorders  Language disorders (children): 215 of 256 (83.9%)  Speech-sound disorders: 218 of 256 (85%)  Voice: 70 of 256 (27.3%)  Fluency: 73 of 256 (28.5%)  Adult (Neurogenic) Disorders – 78 of 256 (30.4%)

AUDIOLOGY  Ear and Hearing  Audiology – 244 of 256 (95.3%)  Aural Rehabilitation – 195 of 256 (76%)

CLINICAL EXPERIENCES  Clinical Procedures and Practicum  Clinical procedures (Clinical Methods) – 179 of 256 (69.9%)  Clinical practica (I and/or II)  One semester only – 124 of 256 (48.4%)  Multiple semesters – 46 of 256 (17.9%)

“ODDS AND ENDS” – OTHER COURSE OPPORTUNITIES  Other opportunities  Literacy Studies – 26 of 256 (10%)  AAC – 33 of 256 (12.8%)  Multicultural Issues – 69 of 256 (26.9%)  Senior Seminar and/or Capstone course – 68 of 256 (26.5%)

TOTAL REQUIRED CREDIT HOURS  Required CSD course credits ranged from credits  Mean = 42 credits

RECOMMENDATIONS & CHALLENGES: AAB REPORT  Conclusions and Recommendations-  1)Focus on all aspects of human communication with emphasis on STEM and behavioral sciences  2) prepare students for a variety of career paths  3) UG education should foster collaboration and interprofessional attitudes  4) Prioritize resources for preparation of graduate education in CSD and reflect bet practices in teaching and learning

RECOMMENDATIONS & CHALLENGES: IMPOSE MORE RIGOR  Programs have adopted a variety of selection criteria  Admission prior to taking CSD courses  Admission after completing core courses  Admission prior to practicum  Range of GPA requirements  2.4 to 3.0

RECOMMENDATIONS & CHALLENGES: ADOPT A MORE SCIENCE-BASED APPROACH  We may believe we need a more STEM/science approach  However, many students not interested---lack confidence to do even basic science and math!

RECOMMENDATIONS & CHALLENGES: EXPOSE STUDENTS TO THE CULTURE OF SCIENCE (AND LIBERAL ARTS???)  Many students are science- and math-adverse!  Two options:  Incorporate science outside CSD curriculum\  Incorporate scientific principles within CSD curriculum  UG research opportunities

RECOMMENDATIONS & CHALLENGES: PREPARE STUDENTS FOR A VARIETY OF CAREER PATHS  Focus of curricula is on CSD-based careers

RECOMMENDATIONS & CHALLENGES: DEVELOP CULTURAL COMPETENCE  Both multicultural experiences and study abroad opportunities need to be expanded at the UG level

RECOMMENDATIONS & CHALLENGES: POLITICAL & EDUCATIONAL PRESSURE ON UG PROGRAMS

REFERENCES  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2007) education summit, “The subject is change”: Creating a vision for the future education of speech-language pathologists, New Orleans, LA. Retrieved from  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2015). ASHA’s envisioned future: Retrieved from  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2014). Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Education Survey data reports (2014). Trend data academic years 2008–2009 through 2012–2013. Retrieved from  Institute of Medicine Global Forum on Health Professions Education. (2013, May). Interprofessional education for collaboration: Learning how to improve health from interprofessional models across the continuum of education to practice—Workshop summary. Retrieved from Collaboration.aspx.  Mashie, J., & Lucks Mendel, L. (2005). Audiology education summit update, annual meeting of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Retrieved from  Scudder, R., Aarts, N., Golper, L. A., & Groher, M. (2009). Models of undergraduate education, annual meeting of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Newport Beach, CA. Retrieved from  Wilcox, K. (2008). The future of undergraduate education, annual meeting of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Palm Harbor, FL. Retrieved from

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  Kathryn Blankenship, Ph.D.  Tammy Walker, Executive Aide  Madison Clark, UG student  Katie Glass, UG student  Shelby Mang,. UG student