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Town Meeting for Students

Join Sunny Manivannan, President of the Student Government Association, and Berkey Dean John Orr for a town meeting to discuss the latest developments in undergraduate studies and how they will benefit students. Topics include curricular innovations, changes in humanities and arts requirements, and recommendations for improving depth and breadth components. Don't miss this opportunity to have your voice heard!

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Town Meeting for Students

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  1. Town Meetingfor Students December 6, 2006

  2. Sunny Manivannan President Student Government Association

  3. President Berkey

  4. Dean John Orr

  5. Undergraduate Directions, Innovations • Modest growth in numbers of students • Modest growth in majors, including: • Environmental Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Liberal Arts and Engineering, Environmental Studies • Curricular innovations: • Humanities and Arts (Sufficiency) • First Year experience • Writing/Communications • General Education • Accommodation of a wider range of student backgrounds and majors Undergraduate Studies

  6. Areas to focus on today • Changes in the Humanities and Arts Degree Requirement (“Sufficiency”) • Innovations in the First Year Experience • Writing across the curriculum Undergraduate Studies

  7. The “Sufficiency” at Present • An all-purpose general education requirement • In the humanities and arts (or technical area) • Six courses in one area • All depth, no breadth required • Individually-supervised papers, projects, performances Undergraduate Studies

  8. Strengths and Weaknesses • Inquiry-based character • Student ownership and intellectual independence • Opportunity for substantial depth • Coherence of course sequences unclear • Perceived as inflexible, Inconsistent • Little opportunity for breadth • Burden of advising individual projects Undergraduate Studies

  9. Recommendations • Add Breadth and Depth Components to the courses • Offer Inquiry Seminars and Practicums instead of independent study projects • For non-technical majors, replace the Technical Sufficiency with distribution requirements Undergraduate Studies

  10. Depth Component • Select three courses in a focused thematic area • Complete at least one course at the 2000 level or above • Culminate with an inquiry seminar or practicum Undergraduate Studies

  11. Breadth Component Select at least one course from two of the following three intellectual clusters: • art/art history, drama/theatre, and music • languages, literature, and writing/rhetoric • history, philosophy and religion Undergraduate Studies

  12. Summary of Changes • Still consists of six 1/3U activities: • 5 courses with at least one in a different area than the others (depth and breadth) • Ends with a group seminar or practicum rather than an individual project/paper • Still allows satisfaction of the requirement by language courses or performance activities Undergraduate Studies

  13. Multiple Pathways • Inquiry Seminars • History, Literature, Philosophy, Music, etc. • Inquiry Practicums • Drama/Theatre, Music, Visual Arts • Foreign Languages • Practicum or Seminar Undergraduate Studies

  14. The First Year • Why are we considering changes to the first year academic activities? • To make the first year more like the rest of the WPI experience • Engaging for the students • Involved with the world outside the classroom • Project-based • Team-based • And to help the students make the transition to this type of learning Undergraduate Studies

  15. WPI Learning Outcomes • Have a base of knowledge in mathematics, science, and humanistic studies. • Have mastered fundamental concepts and methods in their principal areas of study. • Understand and employ current technological tools. • Be effective in oral, written and visual communication. • Function effectively both individually and on teams. • Be able to identify, analyze, and solve problems creatively through sustained critical investigation. • Be able to make connections between disciplines and to integrate information from multiple sources. • Be aware of how their decisions affect and are affected by other individuals separated by time, space, and culture. • Be aware of personal, societal, and professional ethical standards. • Have the skills, diligence, and commitment to excellence needed to engage in lifelong learning. Undergraduate Studies

  16. Program Description—Overview • A semester-long project-based learning activity through A and B terms (1/3U each term) • Taken with 2 existing courses each term • Follow-on sequences of courses oriented toward the majors to be offered for first year students in C and D terms. Undergraduate Studies

  17. Possible Activity Titles • Feeding the world (biology and social science) • Powering the world (engineering or physics and social science) • Designing life (biology, Humanities (ethics, philosophy)) • Protecting the world from terrorism (engineering, social science, humanities) • Can the whole world become the developed world? (engineering, science, social science) Undergraduate Studies

  18. Scheduling and Delivery Format A combination of student-instructor meeting formats including some or all of the following: • Large group meetings with faculty • Seminar meetings with approximately 25 students (not more) • Student team meetings, some of which are held with faculty, staff, and/or assistants Undergraduate Studies

  19. Implementation Schedule • Pilot Program, Fall 2007, voluntary • About 150 students, 2 or 3 topics • Expand to About 300 students, Fall 2008 • All students, Fall 2009 Undergraduate Studies

  20. Writing Across the Curriculum Committee Charge To examine the role of writing in undergraduate education and to identify strategies, programs, and staffing needs to enhance the development of student writing abilities. Undergraduate Studies

  21. Premises for Program Design • Part of a college education is to develop as a writer, whatever one’s starting point. • Writing involves awareness of purpose, audience, and conventions. • “Freshman Composition” courses have limitations • Growth in writing takes place over time as students do different types of writing for various purposes and audiences and receive feedback on it. • Therefore, we look to the four-year curriculum to identify opportunities for students to develop as writers. Undergraduate Studies

  22. WPI’s Writing Program First Sophomore Junior Senior Year Year Year Year First Year Experience Writing in the Major MQP IQP HUA Inquiry Seminar and 5 courses Guided reflection on writing strategies and on similarities and differences in purpose, audience, and conventions. Undergraduate Studies

  23. Thank You Undergraduate Studies

  24. Kristin Tichenor Associate Vice President Enrollment Management

  25. SAT Optional Admissions Policy

  26. SAT Discussion Timeline August 2005 – Rankings Commission Report January 2006 – CAP appoints subcommittee April 2006 – College Board Validity Study August 2006 – CSRDE National Retention Study September 2006 – Food for Thought Luncheon November 2006 – Discussion at Faculty Meeting

  27. CAP Subcommittee Findings • Most test-optional colleges receive SAT scores from 75 – 85% of applicants • Colleges report significant increases in applications and selectivity • Applications from women and under-represented minorities increase greatly • Academic quality of class increases

  28. “Back when kids just got a good night’s sleep and took the SAT, it was a leveler that helped you find the diamond in the rough. Now that most of the great scores are from affluent kids with lots of preparation, it just increases the gap between the haves and the have-nots”. Steve Syverson Dean of Admissions Lawrence University

  29. Over 700 SAT-optional colleges and universities . . .

  30. Case Study: Bates College • 20 year study of landmark decision • 33% increase in applications in 1st 5 yrs • Applications doubled over 20 years • First yr GPA of non-submitters was .05 lower than submitters • Junior yr GPA was virtually identical • Graduation rates differed by .1%

  31. “We educators have created a culture in which parents spend thousands on mind steroids to help their kids score 50 points higher.” Robert Weisbuch President, Drew University “Worshipping False Gods”

  32. SAT Research: WPI • Admission decisions favor performance (grades, courses, RIC) over aptitude (SAT) • College Board Validity Study found HS GPA was most predictive (.59) and SAT was least predictive (.55) of Frosh GPA

  33. Retention Rates and Median SAT Scores

  34. Recommendation to CAP • Pilot study for students entering Fall ’07 • Applicants offered choice to submit SAT or alternate measure of academic aptitude • All enrolling students asked to submit SATs for advising purposes and for study • Five year review of grades, retention and graduation rates and admissions impact

  35. “We’re raising a generation of kids trained to please adults…That’s the big difference with this generation. They’re being judged and graded and analyzed and assessed at every turn.” Marilee Jones Dean of Admissions MIT

  36. Questions???

  37. Christopher Hardwick Vice President Marketing and Communication

  38. What is Marketing & Communications? • In simplest terms, we’re story tellers… about our faculty about our students about our alumni about what makes WPI a special place.

  39. Our Ultimate Goals: Communications • Raising profile of WPI • Communicating strengths, points of differentiation Marketing • Helping attract increasing numbers of visitors, inquiries, applicants, recruiters, research funding sources, contributions

  40. …Through Range of Communications Initiatives Thought Leadership Alumni Communications Research Communications Public Relations

  41. ...And Marketing Initiatives WEB/Interactive Marketing Enrollment Marketing Development Communications Business Development

  42. Specific Focus on New Media & Web Communications

  43. Specific Focus on New Media & Web Communications

  44. Closing Thoughts • We’re all ambassadors for WPI • Send us your stories: hardwick@wpi.edu THANK YOU!

  45. Janet RichardsonVice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life

  46. What’s New in Student Life: A Look at Future Construction Projects at WPI

  47. Overview of Projects • WPI’s Newest Residence Hall • Creation of a Pub Style Restaurant • Development of a Recreation Complex

  48. Residence Hall Construction • Apartment style residence • Full kitchens and living rooms • 66% single rooms • 34% double rooms • Compartmentalized bathrooms • Tech suites for project work • 232 beds; air conditioned; wired; parking

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