Academics Advisory Committee

Committee Charges Charge 1 What methods, processes, and analyses are needed to improve course scheduling each semester and academic year to efficiently move students through successful completion of academic programs? (Please consider the various modes of delivery and duration of courses in your analysis.) In addition to course scheduling, what other actions/processes could be improved to increase the persistence, retention, and graduation of students? Charge 1

Committee Charges Charge 2 What methods and processes must be utilized to promote greater innovation in the development of new programs, including the recombination of existing programs, while shortening the time it takes to make them available to students? What methods and processes are needed to complete a cost-benefit analysis of programs, estimate their future potential, and assess their viability? Charge 2

Committee Process After being given the charges, I asked each committee member to consider them and send me their thoughts, ideas, and proposals. This generated 58 comments (totaling about 4100 words). I took the comments, grouped them by general category and topic, and used the common threads to set the agendas for the next 6 meetings (each of which were 2-3 hours).

Committee Process After each meeting I summarized the discussion on a committee Bb forum, either posting draft recommendations where there was consensus or noting where a discussion didn’t lead anywhere. Committee members continued discussing and refining those topics via Bb between meetings, and also used the forum to suggest new discussion items.

Committee Process At the last two meetings the draft recommendations were brought up for full committee votes. Out of the 9 draft recommendations, 8 were approved (in some cases after major revisions) by the committee. The final report included the approved recommendations, the original list of topics, an outline of other discussions, and a list of documents referred to by the committee. It was approved by a committee vote and submitted on November 6th.

Some of the Documents Used by the Committee The 2014 SE Retention Study SE Preliminary Enrollment Report, Fall 2015 Retention/Graduation Task Force Report SE Comparison Report, Fall 2015 OSHRE standards for awarding baccalaureate degrees Sample 4-year course sequences for various majors DFW Rates for IETV courses Documents relating to IETV (submitted by Dr. Fridley)

Committee Recommendations Automated graduation and general education audits via CampusConnect. Each degree should have one or more suggested four- year degree plans. That academic departments review prerequisites on current offerings, both in terms of in-area content and skills needed from the general education program. Pilot expansion of EARs to 1000/2000 level courses, together with tracking of the extra work required to help decide if the pilot should be continued.

Committee Recommendations Have students declare the campus to which they belong during enrollment, both to improve that data and to simplify online course offerings. Establish a full-time Institutional Research Position. Have the Academic and General Education Councils consider a “themed” approach to general education. Establish a standing “Southeastern Innovations Team” to help identify and evaluate ways to improve existing programs and help develop new program proposals.