RECAST | New Academic Directions 20/21 Workgroups

From: McAvity, David <mcavityd@evergreen.edu>
Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2020 1:50 PM

Dear Colleagues, 

I am writing with information about the New Academic Directions (NAD) implementation and planning work that will be happening this year. As I mentioned at the first faculty meeting of the year, we are taking a phased approach to NAD starting with strategies what will substantially increase enrollment and create a path to financial stability.  Some components will move forward with implementation this year, some will enter a planning phase for implementation starting next year, if/once funding can be identified and plans are developed, and some elements need further design and development either for feasibility analysis or to incorporate feedback from the feasibility team and feedback sessions. 

Faculty input and advice will be a critical piece of the next stage of the NAD.  To that end, we are currently seeking faculty interest for participation on the NAD workgroups listed below.  The highest priority workgroups are noted with an asterisk. 

If you have a particular interest in serving on any of these NAD workgroups, please send an email to JuliA Metzker (metzkerj@evergreen.edu). These workgroups will count towards faculty governance and will be included in a general call for governance opportunities next week. 

We will “kick-off” this next phase of Evergreen’s New Academic Directions at the Curriculum Planning Retreat.  In addition to providing time for workgroups to convene, there will be opportunities for deeper conversation and listening available to all faculty. Please plan to join this launch event on Wednesday, November 4^th 1:00- 4:00 pm.  Details are forthcoming. 

Certificates*  
(implementation) 

Faculty Membership: 5-6 faculty, aiming for one faculty member from each CAT, working with the Standing Committee on the Curriculum, who will play a role.   

Goal: Build capacity to offer high-quality, competitive certificates that bring new students to Evergreen and allow Evergreen students to “stack” credentials as they progress towards matriculation.    

Expectation: Advise the Certificate Programs Implementation team by providing faculty perspective on certificate systems and policy development. Develop a systematic ongoing process for reviewing and approving proposals for certificates and use that process during the year to start 4-8 certificates by Fall 2021.  

Paths of Study*  
(implementation) 

Faculty Membership: CAT Leaders plus 2-3 other interested faculty. 

Goal: Assist the Paths of Study workgroup during the 2020-21 academic year to develop and carry out a plan to fully implement Paths of Study at Evergreen.  This will provide fully integrated academic systems that will improve the awareness of current and prospective students regarding the paths of study available to them and the curricular options within and between Paths.    

Expectation:  CAT Leaders will assist the workgroup with the overall implementation of this project, and particular elements, including:  1) developing and implementing a shared and consistent strategy for coordinating path development and communicating paths to the different audiences for Paths; 2) Assist with crafting a process for developing and approving new paths, retiring existing paths, updating path names and merging paths, and assist with implementation of that process when the details of an undergraduate schools model are clear.   

Holistic Advising – Advising Roles, Structures and Expectations*  
(planning) 

Faculty Membership: 4-5 faculty from among the path convenors  

Goal: Develop a student-centered advising ecosystem that integrates advising for high-quality academic decisions and effectively coordinates delivery of student services in support of holistic student success.   

Expectation: Work collaboratively with IESS, SAL, and other student facing staff to make recommendations for the faculty role in holistic advising. Align advising structures with Paths of Study.   

Holistic Advising – Academic Policy and Practices Review*  
(design and development)  

Faculty Membership: 5-6 faculty, aiming for one faculty member from each CAT.   

Goal: To improve equitable access to learning and credit for students by creating guidelines for faculty to create syllabi, community agreements, and credit policies that are equity-producing, transparent, and promote student success and belonging.  

Expectation: In collaboration with a team of staff, faculty, deans and directors, review policies and practices for developing syllabi, community agreements, and credit policies; to identify barriers to students and to develop guidelines for equitable practices.  

School of Graduate and Professional Studies  
(design and development) 

Faculty Membership: One faculty member from each graduate program and 2-3 other faculty members interested in creating professional studies and workforce development offerings and credentials within this school.  

Goal: To create a proposal for a School of Graduate and Professional Studies that increases enrollment in graduate programs and new professional studies credentialing programs, while realizing resource efficiencies through coordination of administrative and support systems.  

Expectation: In collaboration with a team comprised of graduate faculty, deans, graduate directors and assistant directors to develop a proposal for review by the feasibility team.   

School Design – Undergraduate School(s)  
(design and development)  

Faculty Membership: 5-6 faculty, aiming for one faculty member from each CAT working with the Standing Committee on the Curriculum.  Native Pathways Program and Evergreen Tacoma may develop proposals in coordination with this group. 

Goal: To develop a proposal with timeline for developing, marketing, and launching an undergraduate schools model proposal that is recommended through a faculty vote in Fall 2020 after feasibility analysis and approval by Senior Leadership.  

Expectation: In collaboration with a team of faculty, directors, deans and staff in enrollment services and college relations develop a plan for phased implementation of the schools model by fall 2022.    

Hybrid-Online Learning 
(professional development followed by design and development)  

Faculty Membership: 8-10 Faculty interested in Hybrid-Online Learning   

Goal: Develop capacity among Evergreen faculty to design and deliver high-quality, experiential learning in online and hybrid modalities. Advise on the creation of certificates, coordinated studies programs, and/or course sequences that can be offered in low residency or online modes accessible to part-time or remote students.   Offer 3-4 pilot online courses or programs beginning Fall ‘21. 

Expectation: Complete a funded online teaching certification as part of a community of practice supported by Academic Technologies and the Learning and Teaching Commons. Advise the  certificates workgroup in the development of proposals for certificates that feature low residency options.  Participants will use what they’ve learned, to develop and teach online, hybrid, or low-residency classes or programs during the 2021-2022 academic year.    

Workforce Development  
(design and development, with fall 21 initial pilot, possibly with additional adjunct faculty lines)  

Faculty Membership: 3-4 faculty with an interest in workforce development  
Goal:   Conduct an analysis of state and federal programs that support workforce development, identify funding sources. Connect those programs to Evergreen strengths. As a pilot, develop a set of courses that will address real-time needs for workforce development, looking at statewide data related to workforce, such as those emerging from COVID-19, among other data points. These courses would launch in fall 2021.  

Expectation:   

Develop a proposal for workforce development programs at Evergreen, to include certificate programs and low residency options. Work closely with curriculum team and CAT leaders to develop pilot course proposals and identify faculty needs and resource requirements to start in fall 2021. 

Capstone  
(design and development) 

Faculty Membership: Ideally one faculty from each Path 

Goal: Build upon the capstone work from this summer to further develop capstones as a strategy to improve curricular cohesion for students.    

Expectation: Work collaboratively with faculty in your Path group and capstone stewards from other paths to finalize a capstone proposal for review by Curriculum Area Team (CAT) Leaders and the Student and Academic Life Leadership Team (SAL-LT).  

Curricular Initiatives:  

The following are not formally NAD governance groups. They are included here to signal that faculty groups may come together to develop these curricular components of NAD this year, in the form of curriculum and path planning.  

Psychology Path* 
(design and development, with fall 21 initial pilot, possibly with additional adjunct faculty lines)  

Goal: Develop a path of study in psychology that includes multicultural perspectives to prepare students for human services careers (teaching, psychiatry, human resource professionals, etc) and graduate school in psychology.  The path of study should aim to integrate full- and part-time pathways to degree and include hybrid-online or low residency options.  Collaborate with faculty, CAT leaders, and NAD leadership to craft a proposal for a psychology Path of Study at Evergreen during winter and spring quarter 2021.  

Climate Action and Sustainability 
(design/development and planning, with fall 2022 initial pilot)  
Goal: Create a climate action and sustainability sequence of courses and programs visible in the 2022/2023 curriculum connecting to the path curriculum as outlined in the summer 2020 proposal.  Develop a plan to approach funding sources to fund the proposed Climate Action and Sustainability Center. Adapt the proposal to incorporate feedback from the faculty retreat to incorporate climate science more explicitly as a main thread, appealing to a broader spectrum of students. Consider developing a certificate proposal through the certificate process, and design ways to provide low residency and part-time options that will be accessible to adult students and working professionals with some college and no degree. 

Interdisciplinary Art and Design 
(design/development and planning, with fall 2022 initial pilot) 

Goal: Design an Interdisciplinary Art and Design curriculum for 2022/2023 that integrates design, visual arts, media arts/studies, and computer science. Consider adding technology more explicitly as a main thread of the proposed curriculum, reflecting market analysis that this is an area of high student interest.  Develop a plan to find and approach funding sources to fund the proposed Center for Interdisciplinary Art and Design (and Technology?). Consider developing a certificate proposal through the certificate process, and design ways to provide low residency and part-time options that will be accessible to adult students and working professionals with some college and no degree. 

David McAvity | he-him | Interim Provost and Vice President for Student & Academic Life | The Evergreen State College | 360.867.6400