SJSU Capacity and Preparatory
Review Report
Essay 2: SJSU Capacity with Respect to Achieving
Educational Objectives
Through Core Functions
Introduction
San José State University (SJSU) develops and sustains
general education, undergraduate, graduate, credential, and academic
certificate programs that provide solid educational foundations in many
fields. The eight colleges offer 69 Bachelor’s degrees with 81
formal concentrations (noted on the diploma), 65 Master’s degrees
with 29 formal concentrations, and 17 Certificates. Additional degrees
include one recently approved joint doctorate (another is in progress).
Extended Studies offers 15 Certificate programs primarily to post-graduate
professionals. SJSU provides an array of online courses and programs,
lifelong learning opportunities, community service learning experiences,
and support programs tailored to varied constituencies. Undergraduate
classes have an average size of 26 and the undergraduate student to
faculty ratio is between 17 and 18 to 1.
This essay provides illustrative examples of three domains in which
SJSU fulfills its mission: (1) teaching and learning; (2) scholarship
and creative activity; and (3) support for student learning.
Teaching and Learning (CFRs 2.1,
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.7)
Curricular Development
SJSU has an elaborate set of quality control measures, grounded in
many university policies, to ensure that the curricular goals of Standard
2 are met. Details are addressed in committee
discussions related to Standard 2. In essence, new program proposals
typically originate with department faculty, are approved at the College
and decanal level, are then reviewed by a university-wide Senate operating
committee - Undergraduate Studies or Graduate Studies and Research -
and ultimately are recommended to the Provost by the Curriculum and
Research policy committee of the Senate. The Provost submits programs
to the CSU Chancellor for final authorization. New degrees, but not
concentrations or specializations, must be approved by CSU Trustees
for addition to the Academic Master Plan before implementation and,
in many cases, must be approved by the California Post-secondary Education
Commission (CPEC) as well as WASC through its substantive
change review process. At each stage there is opportunity to evaluate
curricular currency, prerequisite structure, resource and facility support,
student and societal demand, faculty competencies, and congruence with
the missions and goals of the Colleges and the University as a whole.
Proposed programs emerge within the context of College Academic Planning
Councils that review program and staffing needs and prepare annual and
longer-term plans to meet those needs. This provides inter-departmental
integration, ensures that faculty and staff recruitment needs are consistent
with college and university goals, and produces a coherent summary of
planning documents for administrative review. Details on academic planning
can be found in the Portfolio section of this report on Program
Planning and Alignment
of Resources. Examples of internal and external efforts to ensure
curricular currency and quality include:
Internal Control and Review of Curricular Quality
- The Curriculum
and Research Committee (C&R), in addition to approving new
programs, addresses gaps or inconsistencies in approval and review
processes, including formal Program Planning. For example, the committee
recently responded to a concern about library resources by crafting
a new university policy stating that all requests for new programs
and permanent courses must include an analysis of library needs, developed
jointly by Library and department faculty.
- SJSU programs are reviewed about every five years (under CSU mandate)
in the Program Planning
Process. This includes self-study, evaluation by an outside consultant
and/or accrediting body, reviews by a college committee, the Dean,
the Senate Program Planning Committee, and a concluding review with
recommendations for action by the Provost. It is within Program Planning
that departments are to specify student learning goals and the strategies
used to assess effectiveness in achieving those goals. The Program
Planning Committee implements the planning process and makes recommendations
to C&R for proposed changes in policy, guidelines and related
matters.
- The Assessment
Committee acts as liaison among Undergraduate Studies (where the
Director of Assessment is housed), departments and colleges, and Senate.
It seeks input on assessment practices and recommends to C&R plans
for campus-wide assessment goals. In consultation with Program Planning,
the Assessment Committee develops plans to measure on a regular basis
the overall effectiveness and utility of the assessment process with
regard to student learning, cost effectiveness (including faculty
and staff time), and university morale.
- The Articulation
Office, reporting to Undergraduate Studies, acts as liaison between
SJSU faculty and the state’s 100+ community colleges on formal
course equivalencies at the lower division. Community Colleges authorize
award of college credit for their courses and the GE category satisfied;
however, whether a given course is deemed valid as a substitute for
a CSU course in a major is determined separately by each CSU campus.
Formal reviews of major course equivalency articulations are conducted
at least biennially. Articulation is critical for advising the approximately
70% of SJSU undergraduates who enter as Community College transfers.
Major revisions in articulation, including common lower-division core
programs in all majors, are under discussion at statewide levels.
- General Education Core and advanced GE courses go through a detailed
planning and review process. Prior to approval of a new GE course,
faculty submit a proposal, including learning objectives and an assessment
plan. Following review, the Board
of General Studies (the Board) gives an initial 2-year certification
to approved courses. Faculty must collect data on student performance
related to learning objectives. The Board subsequently grants courses
continuing certification for up to four more years depending on the
results of the 2-year assessment (General Education Assessment). Existing
courses are reviewed every four years at which time the Board receives
a report on assessment methods and student performance related to
learning objectives. This report includes course modifications made
based on assessment of student learning – closing the assessment
feedback loop. (See data
element 7.1 for an example of discipline based assessment.)
External Control and Review of Curricular Quality
- Beyond its internal reviews SJSU has 35 degree and certificate
programs under professional accreditation
(e.g. Business, Education, Engineering, Nursing, etc.) It is SJSU’s
intent that all programs for which a recognized accreditation body
exists shall seek accreditation, and with rare exception all in fact
are and have been accredited, often with distinction where authorized
by the agency. SJSU’s Business programs, for example, under
the American Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools
of Business – International, are among the select one-quarter
of all business schools in the US that meet AACSB standards.
- The U.S. News and World Report’s 2003-04 annual survey (copyrighted;
available for inspection upon request) of public universities “...whose
highest degree is a Bachelor’s or Master’s...” ranked
SJSU’s College of Engineering 14th overall and 6th among public
institutions in the Western U.S. The report ranked Electrical Engineering
11th overall and 2nd among public universities. Computer Engineering
ranked 5th and 2nd among public institutions. SJSU provides more engineering,
science, and business graduates to Silicon Valley companies than any
other US college or university.
Learning Expectations
The SJSU Catalog
describes degrees, courses, admission and graduation requirements, and
other policies and procedures. General learning goals are in college
and department mission statements. Course syllabi provide specific
course requirements and expectations, and are updated as course descriptions
are reviewed at least biennially for the catalog. Many university policies
address instructional issues. For example, a set of policies
in the area of general education has been developed and a specific Senate
policy governs the content and structure of syllabi.
The Board of General Studies also oversees the implementation
and modification of assessment of general education learning goals.
Program Innovations
Upon his arrival Provost Goodman introduced many initiatives to enhance
the academic environment for both faculty and students. These are organized
and described in the Academic
Division Mission Statement. For example, an Academic Innovation
Model (AIM)
supports faculty in directing a larger portion of their time and energy
toward innovations in teaching, scholarship and service. Other examples
of enhancements of the teaching/learning environment include:
- SJSU Classes
are to be offered on-site at NASA-Ames at the NASA Research Park Metropolitan
Technology Center and the Space Technology Center.
- An international studies initiative, launched to expand existing
programs, resulted in a new International and Extended Studies (IES)
unit that oversees global and international activities. A study abroad
program provides an opportunity to earn credit as students integrate
experiences in other countries with their work at SJSU (which is now
affiliated with the American Council on Education (ACE) International
Collaborative). The IES web site publicizes international activities,
helps faculty and departments structure unique agreements with international
organizations, provides ESL instruction
and promotes international studies on campus. Also, a new BA in Global
Studies developed within the Global
Studies Initiative has now been approved by the CSU Chancellor's
Office, the Trustees and the California Post Secondary Education Commission,
and will be implemented in fall 2004.
- Distance Learning. The campus offers over 50 courses each semester
online through eCampus, which
began
in 1997 and now has over 5000 students enrolled in courses that
offer at least part of the curriculum online. This includes an online
Master’s in Occupational Therapy in its fifth year, as well
as online programs in Transportation Management and in Library and
Information Science. Quality of online courses is maintained through
normal university quality control procedures.
- Service Learning. Several programs, including the SJSU Center for
Service Learning (CSL),
help faculty members integrate service learning into the curriculum.
Service learning, while working to meet community needs, is aligned
with the mission and goals of SJSU by enabling students to apply their
knowledge and skills in the service of society, to develop multicultural
perspectives, and to become active participants in the community.
The program is well supported through AmeriCorps funding, The Health
Trust, and other sources. One activity that is especially well received
by students is Project SHINE, an ESL tutoring program for older immigrants.
These and other innovations illustrate SJSU’s capacity to ensure
the quality of students’ education and to expand opportunities
for student learning.
Scholarship and Creative Activity Section (CFRs 2.8.
2.9)
SJSU faculty are responsible for an average 15 weighted teaching units
(WTUs) per semester, where one WTU is 1 lecture hour/week (with variations
for activities or labs). Tenured and tenure track faculty teach 12 WTUs,
with 3 WTUs for committee work and advising. For those who teach 3 unit
courses, this is a four course load each semester. This, plus advising,
committee work, and university service is demanding. Still, faculty
engage in scholarly and creative activity in many settings on and off
campus, ranging from the Moss
Landing Marine Laboratory and anthropological
research on Silicon Valley businesses to collaborative
relationships with NASA-Ames for the study of Mars.
Faculty research, scholarship and creative work required in the Retention,
Tenure and Promotion (RTP)
process is supported
in a variety of ways. Funded activities at SJSU in support of student
learning include grants and awards for basic research, training opportunities,
service learning, and applied research including contracts with deliverables.
Many resources help faculty develop and expand their scholarship, including
grant workshops, assigned time for grant writing, and professional leaves,
including both sabbaticals and difference-in-pay leaves. A "GRIF"
(grant-related instructional faculty) program allows faculty with large
grants to have salaries augmented through those grants. Teacher-scholars
in each college take part in a Teacher-Scholar Institute each year.
There are faculty-members-in-residence positions for the scholarship
of teaching, in recognition of the expanded "Boyer" definition
of scholarship. The university recognizes research activity through
an annual Presidential Scholar award. A National Science Foundation
survey of Academic R&D Expenditures ranks
San José State University # 192 (out of 641 institutions
surveyed) in total science and engineering R&D expenditures. In
FY 2002-03, San José State University Foundation
received $41,700,000 in extramural contracts and grants to support research,
training, and other sponsored activities. Additionally:
- The SJSU Foundation
communicates grant information, manages research funds, and helps
faculty develop and complete proposals. The Global Studies Initiative
(GSI) offers information on international scholarly opportunities.
A variety of mentoring systems assist faculty. For example, the Graduate
Studies office and the Foundation provide seed money to help faculty
seek grants. Individual colleges also provide some re-assigned time
for research and for proposal development.
- A new site at the NASA - Ames Research Park (NRP) will greatly
facilitate faculty research. The Metropolitan Technology Center (MTC),
developed in a partnership between NASA-Ames and SJSU, will include
research, education, and economic development programs, along with
housing for faculty and students. Community colleges, the University
of California, and corporations will collaborate with SJSU in offering
engineering, science, and biotechnology programs in this world-class
facility. CSU seed funding of $500,000 has already been leveraged
to secure an additional $10,000,000 in external programmatic funding
over the next one to ten years for support of nanotechnology, biotechnology
and the information technology mission at NASA. Students will access
new curricula in cutting-edge laboratories, and participate in internships,
scientific expeditions and apprenticeships via the MTC. For details
see the MTC report (December
2003).
Support for Student Learning Section (CFRs 2.10,
2.11)
SJSU is an 80% commuter campus with 43% of all students aged 25 or
over. SJSU students work while they attend school. NSSE data recently
showed that SJSU senior students spent significantly more hours at their
off-campus work (16-20 hours on average) than students at comparable
CSU institutions (NSSE 2002 Means
Summary Report). Many international students need unique support,
as do those for whom college is not a family tradition, and/or for whom
English is not the native language (up to 60% of undergraduates).
The campus has responded to such diverse needs with a variety of programs
to support success, some of which are discussed in the Student
Development and Success segment of the Portfolio. A new, overnight,
mandated Freshman Orientation
program was developed jointly by Academic Affairs and Students Affairs
because SJSU believes that success begins with a supportive program
in a student’s first year. To this end also, the Metropolitan
University Scholar’s Experience (MUSE),
begun in 2002, provides freshmen with an opportunity to interact with
faculty in small 16 student seminars. The two MUSE strategies to achieve
higher retention rates and long term academic success are: (1) to establish
a strong foundation for a student to be a successful university level
student and scholar; and (2) to acclimate students to both the intellectual
and social activities of university life. A MUSE assessment committee
is now evaluating GPA’s, semester retention rates, satisfaction
indices, and other measures of the first two years of MUSE classes.
The initial data are positive, and more detailed analyses will be available
for the Educational Effectiveness review.
A parallel Peer Mentor Program (about 32 trained undergraduate students)
to support students in MUSE classes, and a Peer Mentor Center, are available
to help freshmen make the transition from high school. Mentors consult
with individual students, work with MUSE professors and classes, and
serve as advisors to students (any students) who drop into the Peer
Mentor Center.
The International Programs and Services (IPS) unit serves international
students, e.g., helping integrate Muskie and Woodrow Wilson Fellows
into campus life while providing advising on visa requirements, employment,
and family emergencies. The Academic Services unit hosts an Academic
Support Program for Increased Retention in Education (ASPIRE)
and a Learning Assistance Resource Center (LARC),
along with intensive advisement for initial freshman registration.
The Division of Student
Affairs, in collaboration with Academic Affairs, provides many services
and programs to enhance the quality of student life and to complement
academic work. Student Affairs offers basic support such as housing,
emergency health
care, information about healthy lifestyles, and counseling
services. The Student
Life and Leadership Program along with the Career
Center help students prepare for careers. Students with special
needs get support from the Disability
Resource Center. Other programs within Student Affairs designed
to enhance students’ experiences include the Student
Union; the Associated
Students organization; and the Mosaic Cross-Cultural Center (MOSAIC).
New facilities as well support student needs. Within the new Library
is the Emma E. Legg Adaptive Technology Center with 45 computers that
provide learning support for a wide variety of student disabilities.
In addition, through the office of Graduate
Studies and Research many opportunities are made available to those
seeking a masters degree. This review only touches on the wide range
of educational and developmental opportunities available to students
on the SJSU campus. A glimpse of how one extraordinary recent SJSU graduate
took advantage of a wide range of these supports and opportunities is
provided through a profile
constructed from an interview at the close of the 03-04 academic year.
Summary
In summary, SJSU clearly has manifested its capacity to develop and
sustain high quality curricula, with appropriate attention to prerequisites,
student support programs in both Academic Affairs and Student Affairs,
systematic program review, facilities development, and innovative teaching
by outstanding faculty. Faculty scholarly achievements and their ongoing
research and creative activity are evidenced by external accreditations,
by a steadily increasing influx of extramural funding, through recognition
in national evaluations, and through the usual indices of publication
and presentations. SJSU has reached out creatively to develop such new
teaching/learning venues as the Metropolitan Technology Center, the
Social Policy and Research Institute, the Global Studies Initiative,
the King Library, online courses and degree programs, and unusual collaborations
among the colleges (a combined Engineering/Business degree, and a new
combined Biotechnology/Business degree). SJSU without question has the
capacity to be a powerful educational environment in every sense of
the word. In the Educational Effectiveness review we will seek to document
the degree to which this capacity has been effectively utilized.
Resources to support the full range of SJSU’s endeavors at the
quality levels the campus insists upon are increasingly problematic
under the state budget crisis. It is clear that close attention need
be paid in coming years to the alignment of resources and campus priorities.
Throughout this Capacity and Preparatory Review, reference is made to
the need for clearer procedures to be carried out under broad campus
consensus, to ensure that quality is maintained should resources slip,
even if this maintenance of quality should entail some level of cutback
in enrollment and/or curricular variety. While growth has traditionally
been the trigger for enhanced funding from the state, SJSU must recognize
that hard and carefully thought-out decisions, reached in an environment
of cooperation and active collaboration, could be required to guarantee
that the quality of teaching and learning, faculty scholarship, and
proper support for students remains at the top of the university’s
priority list - and that resources are allocated in accord with those
priorities.
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WASC Standard 2
The institution achieves its institutional purposes and attains its
educational objectives through the core functions of teaching and learning,scholarship
and creative activity, and support for student learning. It demonstrates
that these core functions are performed effectively and that they support
one another in the institution’s efforts to attain educational
effectiveness.
WASC Categories Under Standard 2
- Teaching and Learning
- Scholarship and Creative Activity
- Support for Student Learning
Criteria for Review addressed in Essay
2
Teaching and Learning
- CFR 2.1 - Educational Programs
- CFR 2.2 - Graduation Requirements
- CFR 2.3 - Curricular Programs
- CFR 2.4 - Learning and Student Attainment
- CFR 2.7 - Program Review
Scholarship and Creative
Activity
- CFR 2.8 - Scholarship and Innovation
- CFR 2.9 - Scholarship, Teaching, Learning, Service
Support for Student Learning
- CFR 2.10 - Student Assessment
- CFR 2.11 - Co-curricular Programs
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