Academic Intrigue: 17 Years as UCLA ’ s Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

1. Academic Intrigue: 17 Years as UCLA’s Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Judith L. Smith

2. As an administrator, have you stepped into the stairwell and employed hugger-mugger tactics to get projects accomplished?

3. At UCLA the Dean and Vice Provost: • Leads the Division of Undergraduate Education and is the campus advocate for innovation and excellence in education. • Creates and administers campus-wide academic programs for undergraduates. • Promotes student success through academic advising, peer-learning workshops, and mentoring. • Develops & administers scholarship programs to facilitate key academic experiences.

4. UCLA Undergraduate Profile • 27,000 undergraduates • 27% enter as junior-transfers • 55% female • 22% underrepresented • 85% from California • 56% financial-aid recipients • 32% Pell-grant recipients • 42% first to attend college • 40% English first language Fully 92% of all freshman and transfer matriculates graduate from UCLA. Most Popular Majors: Political Science Psychology Biology Business Economics History Biochemistry Physiology

5. I will share four academic innovations that transformed key aspects of undergraduate education at UCLA.

6. #1 Redesign the lower division curriculum (particularly general education) to promote an increase in student course workload

7. In the 1990’s, UCLA students typically completed three courses (12 units) each of three terms (F, W, S), earning a total of ~36 units over the academic year. But the State expects full-time UC students to complete an average of 15 units per term and 45 units per year. Workload at UCLA was ~ 0.88 of the State expectations; our goal was to meet State expectations and increase workload.

8. Challenges Voiced Academic Advisers: “Most students cannot handle more!” Faculty: “Students need to spend more time on each course not less by taking more courses!” Students: “Coursework at UCLA is harder than at other UC campuses!”

9. Worked with Academic Senate to establish clear workload guidelines and a process to examine workload demands of lower division courses. Confirmed that 1 unit = 3 hours of effort in and out of the classroom. Discovered that many GE courses had been compressed from a semester to a quarter offering. Established guidelines for 5-unit general education courses.

10. Increases in UCLA Student Workload Over Five Years

11. More entering freshmen now graduate in four years (55% to 71%)

12. #2 Establish a signature academic program for freshmen designed to: • 1) facilitate transition to UCLA through yearlong learning communities. • foster an interdisciplinary approach to understanding broad, complex issues of • importance to society. • 3) elevate skills for academic success (writing, critical thinking and oral argument). • provide a culminating experience that challenges freshmen to reflect on and integrate materials mastered in previous quarters.

13. Each Freshman Cluster is a yearlong sequence. FALL Quarter Lecture + Discussion 6 units WINTER Quarter Lecture + Discussion 6 units SPRING Quarter Small Seminars 6 units General Education Credit (18 units) and completion of the second-level writing course

14. Interracial Dynamics in America Sample Interdisciplinary Topics The Global Environment Sex: From Biology to a Gendered Society 1963-74: United States Politics and Culture

15. Interdisciplinary Approach History Law Interracial Dynamics in America Literature Political Science

16. Faculty Concerns Voiced: “Interdisciplinary approaches will be too difficult for freshmen.” “Faculty will not want to teach in teams and doctoral students will not be prepared for TA positions.” “The program will be too costly and take away funds from departments.” “Many freshmen will not want to stay in a yearlong sequence.”

17. Freshman Clusters by the numbers, from 1998 to 2012: Clusters developed………………...16 Freshmen in clusters……………..16,322 Faculty instructors………..……………..117 Graduate student instructors..…..…………372 Evaluations and Program Reviews………………3

18. Major assessment findings for cluster freshmen (N = 4,100) Freshmen are challenged by the interdisciplinary approach but, as seniors, they report that this is one of the “most important” features of their cluster experience. They gain a strong sense of community and make lasting friendships. They report substantial gains in critical thinking, writing and oral presentation skills. They view the spring seminar as the highlight because they can focus on an aspect of the cluster topic that most interests them and complete a creative, culminating project.

19. Major assessment findings for cluster teaching assistants(N=102) T.A.s report “growing” intellectually and being challenged by the demands of interdisciplinary teaching. They report the workload is heavy but note that the teaching is more rewarding than most T.A. teaching. T.A.s enjoy the opportunity to develop and teach their own spring seminars, and they praise the training they receive from the cluster staff to assist them in preparing for this unique opportunity.

20. Major assessment findings for cluster faculty (N=73, 86% tenure-track) 80% of cluster faculty have not taught freshmen; most find them to be bright and eager but not very knowledgeable. They are challenged by the interdisciplinary approach but enjoy team teaching and report learning good teaching skills from the teaching team. Most faculty report that participating in clusters is very time consuming and the “hardest teaching I’ve ever done.” Many also note that it is their “best” and “most satisfying” teachingand leads to new research projects.

21. #3 and #4 Provide capstone experiences for UCLA seniors and establish learning outcomes based on the capstone products

22. Can they be linked? Capstones Learning Outcomes

23. UCLA Capstone Criteria ●a creative, inquiry-based learning experience that deepens the student’s knowledge and integration of the discipline ● an upper-division course (of at least 4 units) preferably taught by tenure-track faculty ● completed individually or by a group, provided each student’s contribution is significant, identifiable and graded ● culminates in a tangible product that can be archived (electronically) by the department for three years ● includes opportunities for students to share capstone projects with peers in class or outside of class

24. The UCLA Capstone Pyramid Honors Thesis Individual Projects: campus research; civic or corporate internship, community-based research; design portfolio; student recitals and art shows Class Projects: seminar with term paper; advanced science lab with at least one student-designed experiment; class productions and group recitals.

25. Complementary Processes Design Capstone Project Set Learning Outcomes Design Capstone Project Set Learning Outcomes http://www.capstones.ucla.edu http://www.learningoutcomes.ucla.edu

26. Neuroscience Major (134 graduated in 2011) Students must complete two terms of research or an advanced laboratory class, working on projects in a small group. • Students should be able to: • generate testable scientific hypotheses and develop a research • plan to test such hypotheses. • work on research projects independently and in small group • settings. • 3) evaluate and discuss primary literature and evaluate the validity • of hypotheses generated by others. • write effectively and demonstrate creative thinking.

27. Statistics Major (28 graduated in 2011) Students work in small groups in the Statistical Consulting Clinic to solve problems posed by clients. • Students will work to solve problems and will: • be able to restate an investigative question in terms of a • statistical model or algorithm. • verbally communicate statistical results clearly to a non- • technical audience. • successfully relate theoretical concepts to a real-world • problem in a written report. • demonstrate the ability to find research literature appropriate to the investigative task.

28. Art Major (62 graduated in 2011) Students complete a studio-based course and create a portfolio of work. • Through required coursework leading to and including the Senior Studio (Art 150), students will demonstrate: • competence in a range of techniques and media. • familiarity with historical precedents for, and issues in, • contemporary art. • understanding of terms and concepts relevant to contemporary art discourse. • ability to effectively articulate analysis of works of art in order • to participate in studio critique.

29. Progress to date… UCLA offers 120 majors: • 58 are now capstone certified majors (~10 in preparation) • all engineering majors • all majors in UCLA’s institutes of the environment and international studies • most majors in the fine arts and performing arts • most small majors in humanities Biggest capstone majors: • History (1,046) • English (1,038) • Electrical Eng (698) • Neuroscience (505) Challenges: • resources • attitudes • expectations

30. History Major (481 graduated in 2011) Students must complete a capstone seminar with paper. Students completing the capstone seminar will be able to: 1) show appropriate mastery of a specialized area of history. 2) show critical understanding of current scholarly concerns, literature and debates. 3) identify and analyze primary sources. 4) design and carry out a research project, drawing on primary sources and appropriate scholarly literature.

31. 2012 UCLA College Senior Survey 66% report completing a capstone-like project

32. 2012 SeniorSurvey Data

33. Implementing a Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan: Linking assessment plans to the Academic Senate eight-year Program Review process Beginning modestly: departments will assess one of their learning outcomes Rolling out the implementation over a six-year period

34. A special thanks to those who have been walking the stairwell with me: Lucy Blackmar Robin Garrell Betty Glick Greg Kendrick Raymond Knapp Jennifer Lindholm