2003 Action Plan - Priorities
Recruitment & Retention of Students | Undergraduate Experience | Graduate Experience and Research | Academic Programs & Faculty | Connection to the Greater Community | Infrastructure/Support Improvement
Undergraduate Experience
Strengthening Student Learning
Learning Communities
Freshmen Learning Communities will continue
to expand to serve 800 students for fall 2003. Retention data
from fall 1999 and 2000 has been analyzed for guidance on improvements.
Advanced Learning Communities will be continued.
Gateway Courses
Examination of large-enrollment courses in
which students historically have earned a high number of W,
D, or F
grades will continue. Various learning enhancement strategies
will be piloted in some of these gatekeeper courses in order
to transform them into gateway courses and hence increase retention
rates.
Plus/Minus Grading
A policy that allows plus/minus grading will be advocated to
the Board of Regents. With the conversion of the Student Information
Systems to GoSOLAR, technical barriers to implementation of
a plus/minus system have been eliminated. In addition to making
student GPAs a more accurate reflection of student accomplishment,
plus/minus grading has a salutary effect on grade inflation.
Student Learning Outcomes
There will be further development
of student learning outcomes for both General Education and
majors. Appointment of a Senior Faculty Associate for Student
Learning
Outcomes has brought a continuing focus to this initiative.
All departments will continue to refine outcomes for their
majors.
Academic Program Review includes examination of student learning
outcomes for programs to which a department contributes. Pilots
for learning outcomes based on high standards will continue
to be developed in biology, English, history, and mathematics
as
part of a national project. In addition, performance assessments
for admission to the university as freshmen or transfer students
developed in conjunction with four two-year and three other
four-year System institutions will be piloted at selected high
schools.
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