This January 2006 Institute was designed to bring faculty, staff, students, and administrators together to focus on enhancing student learning and developing a sense of belonging to SJSU to foster student success. From this page you can access:
Curriculum Integration - Integrative learning planned at three levels: Student Learning Integration Plan (vertical); Integrated SJSU Studies (horizontal); and Leadership Minor (co-curricular and curricular).
Learning Assessment - Student learning assessment that is coordinated, communicated to students and campus with resources aligned.
Advising - Effective advising using technology to build capacity and promote faculty-student interactions.
Investment in Faculty - Invest in increasing the number of faculty, reallocate work to optimize student success (student assistants, student advising, student learning opportunities, e.g., faculty research, student clubs, service learning) focus on diversity (AVP position, conference, recruitment plan, teaching post doctoral program) and initiate capital campaign.
Community & Connections - Well-communicated program of activities to help students feel connected and contribute to community in a place that is aesthetically pleasing with effective technology.
Service Quality - A coordinated, comprehensive Student Services Center with a single point of contact and referral to experts as appropriate with a functional facility and effective use of technology.
In addition, DVDs are available from Dorothy Poole for the following presentations:
Inclusive Excellence (Damon Williams)
Student Success - Strengths and Challenges (Student Panel)
Liberal Education & SJSU Journey to Educated Person (Annette Nellen)
Achieving Student Success at SJSU: Creating Conditions that Matter at SJSU (Sharon Willey)
The San José State University (SJSU) Achieving Greater Expectations Institute was designed to provide an active and collaborative learning opportunity for six teams of approximately 60 faculty, administrators, staff, and student members engaged in campus planning related to student engagement, inclusion and achievement. The Institute focused on enhancing student learning and developing a sense of belonging to SJSU to foster student success.
The impetus for the SJSU Achieving Greater Expectations Institute came from attending the American Association of Colleges & University s (AAC&U) Achieving Greater Expectations Institute in Summer 2005. A team of five individuals from SJSU attended the AAC&U event to work on developing plans for expanding the First Year Experience program to the entire campus as called for in the strategic planning goal. This team valued their experience of attending plenaries, small group discussions and team meetings which provided dedicated time away from campus to work on a specific goal. Because of their positive experience, they proposed a similar event for SJSU, which was supported by the president and provost.
Participants in the SJSU Achieving Greater Expectations Institute were expected to develop ideas and/or refine plans related to the strategies, actions, and measures needed to achieve Vision 2010. Each team s charter focused on a specific goal area from Vision & Goals 2010 related to fostering student success.
Enhancing Academic Quality
Enriching the Student Experience
Improving the Campus Work Environment & Infrastructure
Participants received reading assignments in advance to prepare for the Institute. The reading materials provided a context summarizing the issues facing higher education; information profiling SJSU; best practices related to student success; and other topics such as: academic challenge; student-faculty interactions; active and collaborative learning; integrative learning; inclusive excellence; and building community.
During the Institute, the agenda combined daily plenary sessions (sharing information about the rising expectations in higher education, student learning and the SJSU experience) with facilitated interest group sessions for more in-depth discussion and reflection about a topic related to student success. There was also dedicated team time culminating in team presentations of proposed plans and action items. Each team s presentation addressed the question: How will you help ensure successful change to achieve Vision 2010?
The SJSU Achieving Greater Expectations Institute yielded information that was thought provoking and provided a convincing call to action for improvement. The team presentations included bold, new, creative ideas to transform San José State into a university of choice. These ideas (listed below) are being inserted into the strategic planning work of the University Planning Council for consideration, refinement and implementation.
Integrative learning planned at three levels: Student Learning Integration Plan (vertical); Integrated SJSU Studies (horizontal); and Leadership Minor (co-curricular and curricular).
Student learning assessment that is coordinated, communicated to students and campus-wide with resources aligned.
Effective advising using technology to build capacity and promote faculty-student interactions.
Investment in increasing the number of faculty, reallocation of work to optimize student success (student assistants, student advising, student learning opportunities, e.g., faculty research, student clubs, service learning) a focus on diversity (AVP position, conference, recruitment plan, teaching post doctoral program) and initiation of a capital campaign.
Well-communicated program of activities to help students feel connected and provide opportunity to contribute to community in a place that is aesthetically pleasing with effective technology.
A coordinated, comprehensive Student Services Center with a single point of contact and referral to experts as appropriate with a functional facility and effective use of techn
Next Steps
At the start of the Institute, participants were asked to define
student success and to project the secret to SJSU's success in
achieving Vision 2010. SJSU's success was described as a transformative
experience, a shared vision that elicited leadership, change,
commitment, priorities and a continual process for improvement. Student
success was defined by assessment methods and included measures such as
retention, graduation, and satisfaction with career.
At the close of the Institute, participants were asked to complete a
survey. Both closed-ended and open-ended questions were used to elicit
an evaluation of the Institute. This Institute evaluation data will be
helpful in planning the next Institute.
Most Institute participants (80%) completed the survey. The survey used
a scale of 1 for strongly agree to 5 for strongly disagree to rate the
effectiveness of items such as reading material, location,
registration, plenary session, FIGS, etc. The overall quantitative
consensus regarding the Institute was extremely positive. All
respondents indicated that they strongly agreed/agreed (ratings of 1 or
2) that the Institute was a positive experience.
In addition to the quantitative ratings, participants provided
qualitative feedback using written comments. The overall qualitative
feedback was also very positive, including references to the value of
the plenaries, FIGS and team time. I am inspired! wrote one
participant which was also echoed by several others, and another shared
I enjoyed this institute so much and I'm proud and excited to be a part
of this paradigm shift for vision 2010! Participants reflected on the
opportunity to work together as a group, learn more about the
university and work across divisions. This is the best training
experience of my professional career. I have learned more about the
university in three days than working independently ever could
accomplish. The planning, process, and experience of this gathering has
given me new motivation for student success! The organization of the
Institute was also highlighted, with one individual noting that it was
the most effectively organized and planned conference I have attended
in more than ten years. Positive feedback about the site was also
shared by participants as well as an appreciation that the SJSU
president and provost stayed for all three days.
The primary concerns noted by participants related to the make-up of
the teams, calling for a higher level of student participation as well
as more staff who were not MPP and more representative racial
demographics. In reference to institute participants, one individual
wrote This group or any group needs to truly represent the diversity
of campus.
Several actions are being taken as a result of the Institute. The new
ideas (developed by the teams) are being inserted into the strategic
planning work of the University Planning Council for consideration,
refinement and implementation.
