2012 Middle States Accreditation Report Review

1. 2012 Middle States AccreditationReport Review Chapter 6: Intellectual Rigor Standards 11 & 13 Chapter 7: An Education for the 21st Century Standard 12

2. MSCHE Accreditation Mission-based Decennial self-study Compliance and improvement 14 Standards Characteristics of Excellence Emphasis on results instead of processes

3. 2011-2012 Timeline • Fall 2011 • Campus comment on self-study draft • Evaluation team Chair reviews draft • Dr. Javier Cevallos • President, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania • November 2nd - 4th: Dr. Cevallos makes preliminary campus visit • Final self-study report prepared • Preparation of electronic document repository • Spring 2012 • Final report sent to team (6 wks. prior to visit) • April 1st – 4th : Team visit and report • Institution response

4. Organization of Self-Study Comprehensive Model • 14 Standards grouped into 8 chapters • Chapter 1: Institutional Excellence • Chapter 2: Institutional Vitality • Chapter 3: Institutional Leadership and Governance • Chapter 4: A Learner-Centered Campus • Chapter 5: A Vibrant Faculty • Chapter 6: Intellectual Rigor • Chapter 7: An Education for the 21st Century • Chapter 8: A Culture of Continuous Improvement

5. Intellectual RigorStandard Description Standard 11: Educational Offerings • The institution’s educational offerings display academic content, rigor, and coherence appropriate to its higher education mission. The institution identifies student learning goals and objectives for its educational offerings. Standard 13: Related Educational Activities • The institution’s programs or activities that are characterized by particular content, focus, location, mode of delivery, or sponsorship meet appropriate standards.

6. Frank Byrne (Chair) Susan Camp FehmiDamkaci Jennifer Kagan Raihan Khan Fritz Messere Jim Nichols Jerry Oberst Yvonne Petrella David Vampola Nicolas Treviso Work Group Members

7. Input/Data Sources Reviewed • Academic Affairs annual reports • Undergraduate and graduate catalogs • Program accreditation reports • Program self study reports • SQL final report • General Education task force reports • International education reports • Carnegie Community Engagement Classification application • Library usage data • McNair Scholar reports

8. General Findings • SUNY Oswego boasts a distinctive curriculum borne out of our mission • Expansion over the past several years to meet the changing needs and demands of our students. • The growing curriculum offered through Extended Learning, the Office of International Education, and other related educational offerings largely reflects our Engaging Challenge: Sesquicentennial Plan and thus far seems to be serving the future needs of our students and the broader community as well.

9. General Findings • Assessment of our curriculum has been greatly enhanced over the past five years. A culture of continuous assessment exists across most of the campus.

10. Recommendations • Evaluate the suitability and viability of our current mix of majors/programs: • majors/programs • general education requirements • other programs such as experiential and distance learning

11. Recommendations • Develop more comprehensive and ongoing assessment practices in the Division of Graduate Studies. • Mission, programs, curriculum • Retention and placement • Implement richer assessment of the placement of our graduates.

12. Questions or Comments?

13. An Education for the 21st CenturyStandard Description Standard 12 • The institution’s curricula are designed so that students acquire and demonstrate college-level proficiency in general education and essential skills, including at least oral and written communication, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis and reasoning, and technological competency.

14. Jessica Hester (Chair) Michelle Bandla Mary Beth Bell Bob Casper Mark Cole Tom Ingram Chris LaLonde Josh McKeown Rhonda Mandel Cathy Santos Work Group Members

15. Input/Data Sources Reviewed • Undergraduate catalog • General Education web site • General Education assessment reports • SQL task force report • Task Force on Re-creating General Education • GE21 Task Force initial report and survey summary • Library annual reports • Academic Affairs annual reports • Carnegie Community Engagement Classification application

16. General Findings • General Education at Oswego speaks to the strategic directions that help shape the institution. • vitality in the range of offerings • rigor in upper-level course work • seeking solutions with a multi-disciplinary perspective • a commitment to diversity and global awareness. • mastery of basic skills and exposure to a breadth of intellectual experiences.

17. General Findings • We have seen improvements in the GE curriculum, due to assessment, but still have areas that need improvement, such as SQL. • We need better communication and focus on the findings and recommendations of GE assessments. • SUNY Oswego has adopted a reflective and inclusive process for general education design that incorporates best practices and the assessment results of our current General Education program.

18. Recommendations • Integrate the SQL committee recommendations into long term planning discussions. • Incorporate the work done by the Task Force on Re-creating General Education into future assessments and restructurings of local General Education requirements. • Improve the communication of assessment results back to the departments and instructors.

19. Recommendations • Make transparent the logic of general education to faculty and students alike. For a general education curriculum to be effective, students need to understand the value of it, rather than see these courses as a burden. • Encourage efforts to expand General Education course offerings related to civic engagement, sustainability and the arts.

20. Questions or Comments?