Organizationwide Change Initiatives for Creating an Academic Master Plan

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Organization-wide Change Initiatives for Creating
an Academic Master Plan

• Dr. Frank Wetta and Dr. Daniel Duffy
• Ocean County College
• AACUs Network for Academic Renewal Conference
• November 13, 2004

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Objectives

• To discuss organization-wide change initiatives
  creating an academic master plan and academic
  advising plan
• To outline, through a case-study approach,
  strategies for strengthening Intentional
  Learner outcomes of becoming empowered,
  informed, and responsible.
• To introduce an action research approach to
  describe the cycles of the change process.

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Greater Expectations

• Panel calls for higher education to help students
  become Intentional Learners who are
• Empowered through the mastery of intellectual and
  practical skills,
• Informed by knowledge about the natural and
  social worlds and about forms of inquiry to these
  studies, and
• Responsible for their personal actions and for
  civic values.

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Greater Expectations

• Report called for college students to become
  Intentional Learners who can
• Adapt to new environments,
• Integrate knowledge from different sources, and
• Continue learning throughout their lives.

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Purpose of the Academic Master Plan

• Guide faculty and administration as they seek to
• Ensure that the academic mission, goals, and
  success strategies connect to OCCs values,
  vision, mission, and strategic planning,
• Translate the college mission into effective
  programs, and
• Set priorities for the use of college resources.

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The Academic Mission

• Academic Affairs will provide an educational
  environment of distinction for the Intentional
  Learner. We commit ourselves to
• Creating high quality instructional and cultural
  programs for a diverse population,
• Preparing students for a rewarding life,
• Developing informed and engaged citizens, and
• Encouraging lifelong learning and personal growth.

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The Academic Goals

• Academic Affairs, through the Academic Master
  Plan, seeks to create Intentional Learners...
  through the following goals
• A. Provide a challenging, coherent, and
  integrated curriculum for both transfer and
  career students.
• B. Establish a shared commitment to high and
  meaningful educational and ethical standards for
  students, faculty, and administration.

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The Academic Goals

• Academic Affairs, through the Academic Master
  Plan, seeks to create Intentional Learners...
  through the following goals
• C. Prepare students for success as they transfer
  to other educational institutions, or enter the
  workforce.
• D. Encourage lifelong learning.
• E. Develop a responsive culture based on
  assessment, review, and accountability.

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The Academic Strategies

• The Academic Strategies necessary to accomplish
  each goal are as follows
• Goal A. Challenging, coherent and integrated
  curriculum
• Develop required College Experience modules,
• Ensure continuing curriculum review,
• Initiate Writing across the Curriculum and
  Writing to Learn pilot programs,
• Promote experiential learning opportunities,
• Initiate reviews of mathematics and English
  programs,
• Enhance online course development and delivery,
  and
• Develop learning-focused budget priorities.

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The Academic Strategies

• The Academic Strategies necessary to accomplish
  each goal are as follows
• Goal B. Establish shared commitment
• Collaborate with public school administrators and
  faculty,
• Expand professional development activities,
• Develop a faculty-mentoring-faculty program,
• Initiate orientation and professional development
  programs for adjunct and new faculty,
• Nurture a culture of faculty professional
  development,
• Encourage, support, and recognize faculty and/or
  administrative technology initiatives, and
• Create a plan for academic leadership
  development.

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The Academic Strategies

• The Academic Strategies necessary to accomplish
  each goal are as follows
• Goal C. Prepare students for success
• Incorporate college-level reading, writing,
  speaking, research, and information literacy
  appropriate to the discipline in all courses,
• Create a coherent and effective system of
  academic advising for both full-time and
  part-time students,
• Review, systematize, and enhance the current
  procedures for awarding educational credit for
  prior life experience,
• Define basic student information technology
  competencies, and establish an information
  technology graduation requirement based on these
  competencies.

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The Academic Strategies

• The Academic Strategies necessary to accomplish
  each goal are as follows
• Goal D. Encourage lifelong learning
• Promote activities sponsored by the OCC Center
  for Peace, Genocide, and Holocaust Studies, and
  the Office of International Education.

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The Academic Strategies

• The Academic Strategies necessary to accomplish
  each goal are as follows
• Goal E. Develop a Responsive Culture
• Introduce various classroom assessment
  techniques,
• Establish a college-wide Faculty-Administrative
  Classroom Design Committee focusing on emerging
  classroom technologies,
• Develop a system for assessment of organizational
  effectiveness in Academic Affairs,
• Develop a comprehensive system to assess each
  strategy in the Academic Master Plan to ensure
  accountability and follow-up.

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A Case StudyImproving the Academic Advising
Process

• Plan, implement, and analyze an academic advising
  initiative, strengthening collaboration
• The academic advising process encourages student
  interaction with faculty and administrators in
  the exploration of academic plans, clarification
  of educational requirements, and selection of
  suitable courses (Burton Wellington, 1998 CAS,
  1998 Grites Gordon, 2000).

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Action Research Approach to Cycles of Change

• Cycle I Assess (Sept 2002-Dec 2002)
• Conducting Reconnaisance
• Engaging in an Organizational Scan
• Administering Noel-Levitz SSI and IPS Surveys

Cycle I Outcomes Understanding Context of the
Study Identifying the Problem Statement Establishi
ng Baseline Assessment
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Action Research Approach to Cycles of Change

• Cycle II Plan (Plan 2003-April 2003)
• Co-Chair Academic Advising Taskforce
• Creating Academic Advising Survey
• Administering Academic Advising Survey

Cycle II Outcomes Fostering of Systematic
Inquiry Strengthening of Collaborative Problem
Identification and Problem Solving Initiating
Organizational Border Blurring
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Action Research Approach to Cycles of Change

• Cycle III Act (May 2003-Sept 2003)
• Analyzing Quantitative and Qualitative Data
• Targeting Faculty and Adminstrator Follow Through
  Interventions
• Facilitating Academic Advising Task Force
  Priorities

Cycle III Outcomes Creating Cross-Tabulations
Among Variables Analyzing Faculty Responses to
Open-Ended Questions Developing Academic Advising
Professional Development Program
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Action Research Approach to Cycles of Change

• Cycle IV Observe and Evaluate (Oct 2003-Dec
  2003)
• Conducting and Analyzing Faculty Interviews
• Furthering Faculty Suggestions as Academic
  Advising Initiatives
• Developing Academic Advising Professional
  Development Program

Cycle IV Outcomes Implementing Faculty
Suggestions Creating The Students Role
document Developing and Implementing Academic
Advising Professional Development Proposal
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Lessons Learned

• Organization-wide change efforts require academic
  and student affairs collaboration from both the
  top-down and bottom-up,
• Action research methodology promotes individual
  and organizational change,
• A systematic approach to continuous improvement
  strengthens interdepartmental processes and
  enhances communication, and
• Discussion and sharing of knowledge can support
  learning and building relationships to facilitate
  improvement and change.

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The Learning Students Need for the 21st Century

• Faculty across the country are beginning to
  adopt new practices
• that raise the level of student engagement,
  effort, and achievement.
• Greater Expectations