Stony-Brook-University-Campus-Plan

MEMORANDUM To: Alexander N Cartwright, Provost, State University of New York Elise Newkirk-Kotfila, Director of Applied Learning, State University of New York From: Nancy S Goroff, Associate Provost , Integration of Research, Education, and Professional Development, Stony Brook University Marianna Savoca, Director, Career Center, Stony Brook University CC: Dennis N Assanis, Provost, Stony Brook University Subject: SUNY Applied Learning Campus Plan Parts II-IV Date: April 15, 2016 CAMPUS PLAN PART II: DATA ACQUISITION & REPORTING Q1: Share your campus plan for data collection and reporting Specify how your campus will collect data on number and type of Applied Learning activities Stony Brook has already identified an initial list of Applied Learning activities at the undergraduate and graduate levels Courses that meet SUNY Applied Learning criteria and how they fit into the taxonomy of Applied Learning types will be stored in PeopleSoft At the undergraduate level, the more than 400 courses that meet SUNY Applied Learning criteria are those that have been approved to meet the general education Experiential Learning (EXP+) options These courses are already identified in PeopleSoft, and as the curriculum review committee approves additional courses to fulfill EXP+, they are tagged in PeopleSoft During 2015-16, programs sponsoring these courses were asked to place each of these courses into the SUNY taxonomy of Applied Learning types (civic engagement, service learning, research, etc.) At the graduate level, an initial list of over 550 courses relevant to Applied Learning (e.g dissertation and thesis courses, clinical medical education, etc.) was identified centrally in January 2016 and circulated to graduate program directors in the Graduate School, School of Professional Development, and health science areas These programs certified which courses met the SUNY Applied Learning criteria and how they fit into the taxonomy of Applied Learning types Undergraduate Applied Learning course lists will be maintained through the EXP+ approval process When new graduate courses are added, they will likewise be identified as Applied Learning courses and classified in PeopleSoft, as appropriate Following compilation of Applied Learning activities in PeopleSoft, Stony Brook will prepare a baseline analysis of participation in these activities to identify meaningful variations in participation by various demographic characteristics Such analysis can, for example, help determine the effectiveness of future interventions designed to increase access to Applied Learning A recent analysis of biology majors participating in undergraduate research courses, for example, found that the proportion of BIO majors from underrepresented ethnic minorities that have participated in independent research increased from 3.6% (12 of 337 students) in spring 2010 to 9.1% (41 of 451) in spring 2016 Similarly, the proportion of Pell grant-eligible students that have participated in research increased from 3.0% (20 of 672) to 8.9% (65 of 728) for these same two semesters, respectively By way of contrast, the overall participation of Biology majors in research was 5.4% (107 of 1991) and 10.5% (215 of 2040) for these two semesters The increase among all demographics, and especially among disadvantaged students, indicates the effectiveness of recent measures taken by the BIO program to engage new students in research Extension of this sort of analysis through a more broad-based examination will improve access to participation in Applied Learning In 2013, the SBU Academic Assessment Task Force developed a university-wide strategy for the implementation of assessment plans for all academic programs and courses, including those that contain Applied Learning activities The recommendations required the articulation of learning outcomes and goals for all programs and courses, and the development of appropriate metrics to demonstrate that the students were indeed learning what we wanted them to learn The implementation of these assessment plans is ongoing and is considered to be part of faculty responsibilities regarding learning activities Q2: What is your campus plan for designating activities/sections/courses/programs as having or requiring approved Applied Learning activities? Undergraduate Applied Learning activities (known as “EXP+” at Stony Brook) are designated as such through shared governance Since EXP+ is one of nineteen learning outcomes of the Stony Brook Curriculum (undergraduate general education curriculum), the review and approval process follows the same steps as other proposals for the Stony Brook Curriculum Through a collaborative discussion, the faculty and administration defined the learning outcomes and standards for experiential learning Among these standards is the notion that all experiences among faculty and students will be founded on a common contract See link for the learning outcomes, standards, and the contract: http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/bulletin/current/policiesandregulations/degree_requirements/EXPplus.php Based on these common standards, departments develop proposals to designate individual courses or clusters of courses as EXP+ After being endorsed by the department faculty, these proposals are vetted by the college level curriculum committees, which are populated with a representative group of faculty across the constituent departments or academic units Upon approval by the curriculum committee, the courses or programs receive preliminary approval and are forwarded to the provostial level Stony Brook Curriculum Certification Committee Upon review, the courses or programs are designated as “EXP+” and visibly notated as such in the course catalog and other university publications There are also instances in which students may achieve the learning outcomes of EXP+ through an activity that is outside the confines of a regular course An example of this might be an activity that a student has independently identified in the community to work with a faculty mentor, or an ad hoc activity identified by a faculty member to accompany a course for a single semester For these instances, the faculty have designated via shared governance a zero-credit course in each department (consistently numbered “444,” e.g., SOC 444) that allows flexibility for faculty and students to engage in active learning without necessarily seeking approval from the curriculum committee The zero credit 444 courses can be paired with a credit-bearing course, thereby allowing the faculty the freedom to experiment with adding experiential learning components to an existing course Graduate programs and courses are, by design, rich with Applied Learning activities, more so than undergraduate programs At Stony Brook, the procedures for approval of graduate courses vary by college The curricula for programs in medicine and the health professions are handled by the appropriate colleges, according to the standards of their accrediting bodies, and all such programs include required Applied Learning experiences, especially clinical training All academic graduate programs and their courses are proposed and designed by the departments in collaboration with the Graduate School and the respective college dean The programs themselves are approved via shared governance by a Graduate Council, which includes elected faculty and staff from across the university as well ex officio staff and the leadership of the Graduate School Additions or revisions to the inventory of courses in each program are proposed and developed by departments based on the learning objectives of the programs and approved by the respective department chair and college dean before being implemented by Page  2   the Graduate School in accordance with the program objectives Like the undergraduate courses, new graduate courses will be identified as Applied Learning at the time they are added to the curriculum Q3: What is your plan for using these data to measure student success and institutional outcomes (such as persistence, retention, graduation rate, student engagement, student employability)? Given the complexity and variability of students’ academic experiences (as well as non-academic factors), the link between any single academic experience and any of the usual quantitative measures of student success and institutional outcomes may be somewhat tenuous Further, isolation of the Applied Learning experience from other factors complicates assessment of the impact of a student’s involvement in Applied Learning/experiential education through simple indicators or metrics Consequently, Stony Brook plans to explore a variety of ways in which an Applied Learning experience has an effect on the student’s academic performance and subsequent career experience, taking into account the confounding factors that may mitigate this relationship Examples include academic major, career goals, level of motivation for and commitment to an Applied Learning experience, personality, financial need, work schedules, and other social and personal factors Since, at Stony Brook, participation in Applied Learning is voluntary, getting a relevant control group to measure effects on the usual quantitative measures of student success and institutional outcomes is complicated by possible relevant differences between participants and non-participants However, statistical controls for those variables likely to affect this relationship (like the ones indicated above) might be helpful in an initial exploration In addition, some appropriate qualitative measures, such as surveys/interviews of the participating students in terms of their perception of the benefits and costs of participating in an Applied Learning experience, and how it has affected their academic performance and their career goals, would be extremely valuable A follow-up survey/interview of these students as alumni on how their participation in an experiential education activity played a role in their post-Stony Brook career would be of exceptional value in assessing the effect of participation in Applied Learning The knowledge gained from the quantitative and qualitative analyses suggested above could be used to modify, if necessary, the type(s) of Applied Learning experiences provided for Stony Brook students It could also be used to provide guidance to students as to which Applied Learning activity would be most appropriate for them Over the course of the next year, Stony Brook will conduct an inventory of current assessment data and practices germane to Applied Learning activities and also modify its existing first destination survey to include a question about Applied Learning, as described below Accredited academic programs in many instances already collect robust information about the quality of Applied Learning and its contributions to post-graduation outcomes For instance, the accredited nursing programs conduct alumni focus groups, accredited engineering programs collect information from employers and alumni, and medical and dental programs carefully track their graduates through intern, residency, and career placement The undergraduate Biology program’s exit survey of majors over the past years has revealed that students who participated in undergraduate research greatly value the experience These assessment practices will be collected, and the resulting information pooled to learn more about the specific programmatic Applied Learning experiences and the overall offerings on campus The University’s first-destination survey of graduates will be modified in time for the next administration (Class of 2016) to include an open-ended question about Applied Learning experiences at Stony Brook and their value following graduation From an analysis of these responses, a closed-choice response question will be fashioned for the Class of 2017 survey to track impact Over the long-term, Stony Brook plans to examine post-graduation outcomes after more time has elapsed, such as after a or 10-year period to determine if perceived value or contribution of Applied Learning experiences in degree programs changes as students move through further education and their careers Page  3   CAMPUS PLAN PART III: FACULTY ENGAGEMENT Stony Brook faculty are currently engaged in experiential learning at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, often at a very high level, though there are ways that we can broaden and increase this involvement Q1: Provide an overview of current faculty responsibilities regarding oversight and assessment of approved Applied Learning activities What is your process for approval of new or customized facultyinitiated activity? Experiential Learning is integrated into educational programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels At the undergraduate level Experiential Learning (EXP+) is an important component of Stony Brook's new general education requirements, the Stony Brook Curriculum or SBC The faculty members of the SBC Committee are responsible for ensuring that the learning outcomes of EXP+ courses satisfy the experiential learning standards of the SBC, which follow guidelines developed by the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) Faculty teaching EXP+ courses must include the learning outcomes on course syllabi and are responsible for delivery of those outcomes A standardized contract has been developed to provide consistency and structure for all approved Applied Learning activities The contract, which is completed by the student with guidance from the faculty advisor, incorporates best practices for experiential learning, including: planning; reflection before, during and after the activity; mentoring, feedback and assessment It requires signatures from the faculty advisor, site supervisor, and Undergraduate Director to ensure that all parties agree upon goals, expectations and procedures before the experience begins This EXP+ contract was designed to be useful across the many different experiential learning activities available to undergraduates at Stony Brook Experiential learning has always been a key component of Stony Brook’s twenty-five accredited Bachelor degree programs These programs are in Engineering (8), Education (11), Health Technology and Management (4), Nursing (1), and Social Work (1) The accreditation agencies mandate experiential learning and assessment of learning outcomes as part of the regular accreditation process Faculty in these programs are responsible for oversight of accreditation activities In areas that not face regular professional accreditation, experiential learning is often included in the form of undergraduate internship or research opportunities that may contribute to the major We also have a very active Career Center that provides internship opportunities across a wide range of fields Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs, which are approved Applied Learning activities within the SUNY system, also provide experiential learning opportunities The process of establishing a new study abroad program begins at the department level, with the approval of the department chair Once the program details are submitted and approved by the International Academic Program advisory committee, the Dean, and SUNY Administration, the Office of International Academic Programs supports the faculty, their travel expenses and stipend An advisor will be assigned to the program and will assist the faculty member with reviewing applications, scheduling classes, orientation, itinerary arrangements, international health insurance, housing, lodging and local transportation All expenses are paid from IAP’s budget In addition and to encourage the further development of new Applied Learning activities at the undergraduate level, we have created a zero-credit course (#444) that carries EXP+ certification This course may be attached to any existing course during semesters when it includes a substantial, structured experiential component In addition, students engaging in a substantial, structured, non-credit-bearing experience that is not covered by existing EXP+ certified courses may, with supervision by an academic advisor, enroll in 444 to fulfill EXP+ The standardized EXP+ contract is used by all students enrolled in 444 to ensure consistency and standards while encouraging faculty-led and student-led innovation While experiential learning is a central part of graduate education at Stony Brook, engagement and processes for oversight and assessment vary by field, with more formalized practices in STEM than in humanities and arts programs As with undergraduate education, professionally accredited fields have the most formalized structure There are accredited graduate programs in Clinical Psychology, Education, Medicine, Health Technology, Nursing, and Social Work, and faculty are responsible for oversight of the accreditation process in these fields Page  4   More generally, graduate faculty engage in experiential learning through their teaching responsibilities in research or professional graduate programs and are intimately engaged in experiential learning through their role advising/mentoring graduate students in theses and dissertations In addition, faculty direct and mentor many research activities for graduate students beyond those focused on a thesis project, including mentoring /supervising graduate students employed as research assistants and as teaching assistants In many fields, industry internships are supervised by graduate faculty Graduate faculty also supervise students in international research activities (e.g., Madagascar, Turkana Basin) Q2: Describe how faculty who currently oversee these approved activities are supported What supports (such as events, workshops, other professional development, compensation) will your campus provide? In accredited areas where faculty engagement in experiential learning is more formalized, this engagement is considered to be a basic faculty responsibility In other areas, faculty may be recognized for their mentoring and direction of undergraduate Applied Learning, but it is less formalized We need to develop a strategy to support faculty who engage students in individualized Applied Learning experiences that are not directly related to the major (e.g., psychology major who wants to an internship in marketing) At present, such students will acquire faculty sponsorship independently and enroll in EXT 488, the Career Center’s general internship course While this mechanism will allow us to track experiential learning, there is no direct support for faculty who oversee these experiences Mentoring of graduate students is a factor considered in promotion and tenure cases, but support and professional development for graduate faculty in their supervision of students varies greatly by field; as with undergraduate education, it is more formalized in STEM than in humanities and arts programs In STEM fields, it is widely understood that graduate students aid faculty research productivity and so there are benefits to faculty who supervise students, but for humanities and arts faculty, there is more of a price and less direct benefit from such mentoring The sharing of research and best practices with faculty who wish to become involved can be improved beyond the occasional training provided in accredited areas, through the Study Abroad Office, and through the Career Center We plan to develop workshops on experiential learning to serve this purpose The EXP+ contract is designed to help faculty understand and implement the expectations and standards for Applied Learning courses across our curriculum Our faculty who engage as mentors for students’ experiential learning activities greatly impact the students’ lives For example, studying abroad is frequently a defining moment in a young person’s life regardless of where the student studies and for how long But faculty are inadequately compensated for such engagement We are exploring ways to generate revenue to support both direct compensation and/or indirect compensations through travel or research funding for faculty supervision Q3: What is your campus plan for acknowledging engaged faculty? Most fundamentally, we must formalize and collect data on the various forms of faculty engagement that now occur informally outside of the accredited areas We need to find revenue to reward faculty engagement in experiential learning, including in study abroad programs; we need to raise the profile of this engagement through directly targeted mentoring awards Mentoring should also be formally added to promotion and tenure guidelines, either as a component of Research, Teaching and Service or as an independent category We will initiate consideration of this recommendation in the appropriate governance bodies Page  5   There are Provostial and College level awards to recognize excellence in faculty mentoring of students, and engagement in experiential learning is a component of these awards Certainly, the teaching, research, and service components of faculty service are recognized and rewarded in promotion and tenure, but not equally so, and there is room for improvement in how we recognize and support faculty engagement in experiential learning The Graduate School recognizes excellence in mentoring by faculty members with an annual award; excellent Graduate Program Directors are also recognized with an annual award These awards are presented at a wellattended, high profile event each spring At the graduate level, faculty in STEM areas often view the collaborative research process with graduate students as an engine of productivity, so there is general enthusiasm for mentoring graduate students We need to address the costs associated with mentoring graduate students in humanities and arts programs, where graduate students not often benefit faculty productivity We are developing a plan to provide conference or research travel support for faculty and the students they mentor Page  6   CAMPUS PLAN PART IV: STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Q1: Provide an overview of the supports offered to students who are interested in taking approved Applied Learning activities How can students currently navigate approved activity offerings? What is your process for approval of new or customized student-initiated activity? Overview of Supports Offered to Students All academic departments provide opportunities and support for both undergraduates and graduate students interested in Applied Learning At the undergraduate level, EXP+ courses include a wide variety of options in every department, including faculty mentored research, internships, undergraduate teaching assistantships, service-learning projects, and the 444 course designator, which allows for adding an experiential component to a regular course All EXP+ courses can be easily identified through our searchable PeopleSoft database At the graduate level, experiential learning is inherent to most graduate programs Each student receives individualized advising and support from faculty mentors or the graduate program director in identifying experiential options that complement their degree programs Student affairs and academic service departments also provide support for Applied Learning activities The Career Center is a centralized unit providing services to all students, undergraduates and graduates, all majors and schools, and all career intentions The Center has staff dedicated to employer outreach, bringing major national and international organizations to recruit interns from SBU at both undergraduate and graduate levels Career Center staff work closely with employers who wish to create internship programs and works with faculty to screen internships for quality The Center promotes opportunities for Applied Learning through a cutting-edge recruitment system, Handshake, four Job & Internship Fairs each semester, industry-focused networking events, diversity recruitment initiatives, alumni-student programming, and visits to classes and student organization meetings Students have access to Handshake from the moment they matriculate in either an undergraduate or graduate program, and it gives them access to internships, co-ops, and some research opportunities Career Center counselors work with students on preparation (search strategies, networking, written communication [resume, cover letters, and essays], and interview skills) through individual and group sessions The Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URECA) promotes opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research on campus and with SBU’s research partners URECA guides students in the process of applying for research opportunities, how to find mentors, and get published URECA offers small travel grants and summer funding for students doing faculty-mentored research and connections to externally funded programs The office holds an annual undergraduate research fair each year that highlights undergraduate research, actively attended across disciplines Other administrative units providing support for experiential learning within smaller cohorts of students include the WISE program (Women In Science & Engineering), the Honors College, and the CSTEP/AMP Program Large numbers of students are able to fulfill their EXP+ requirements by working with the Undergraduate Colleges, University Scholars Program and Academic and Transfer Advising Services How Students Currently Navigate Approved Activity Offerings At the graduate level, as students progress through their programs, they work closely with their faculty advisors, who provide mentoring and advising, helping them navigate offerings At the undergraduate level, students may access all EXP+ courses easily through PeopleSoft For students who wish to create an independent internship experience, each department has a primary point of contact, either a specific faculty designee or the Undergraduate Program Director Undergraduates who wish to receive academic Page  7   credit for an internship experience outside their major department may use the Career Center’s EXT 488 designator, as long as the opportunity is approved and supported by a faculty mentor Process for Approval of New or Customized Student-Initiated Activity At the graduate level, students would work with their faculty mentors to develop customized Applied Learning activities At the undergraduate level, students may propose new opportunities and obtain permission from the appropriate faculty mentor to enroll in the appropriate 488 internship course or 444 course to get credit for the activity If a proposed internship is outside a student’s major department, they may use the EXT 488 designator, with prior approval and direct advising from a faculty mentor Q2: Describe how approved Applied Learning activities are promoted to and shared with students How is information about Applied Learning activities built into the orientation or advising process? Applied Learning activities are vigorously promoted to current and prospective students in a myriad of ways at Stony Brook The opportunity to participate in research and Applied Learning is one of the university’s major draws for high achieving students Research activities are promoted in the university’s admissions materials, programming for admitted students, and in a number of outreach activities targeting students throughout the K-12 pipeline Both new freshmen and transfer students are exposed to potential Applied Learning activities through Orientation and 101 courses Advisors in the undergraduate colleges provide information on Applied Learning opportunities specific to the themes of their colleges Undergraduate College Fellows, part of a mentored leadership program among incoming freshmen, also participate in orientation and share their experiences The curriculum for the First Year Seminar 101 “Introduction to Stony Brook” for freshmen includes information on Applied Learning opportunities, and the transfer student equivalent, ADV 101, covers ways to get involved on campus, an overview of EXP+ credit, and an introduction to the Career Center Undergraduate students have access on an on-going basis to the EXP+ framework through a searchable database of over 400 courses that presently satisfy the EXP+ aspect of the Stony Brook Curriculum Undergraduate advisors advise students on their options for EXP+ and refer them to faculty or resources like the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URECA), and the Career Center Individual academic departments emphasize the opportunities to research through their websites, programs and workshops, and oneon-one advising For example, the Undergraduate Biology program offers an Entering Research workshop, which is promoted by emails to students within the major and includes instruction on how to write a compelling letter of introduction to a potential faculty member Similarly the College of Business and the Program in Public Health have robust websites pointing students to College-sponsored opportunities Graduate students are primarily oriented through their graduate programs, although TAs and RAs undergo a central, in-person orientation on teaching and research norms Graduate student research experiences are promoted differently in each graduate program, with some programs guiding students through a series of lab rotations in order to find the best fit, some have a series of seminars that offer a glimpse of different types of research conducted by their faculty, while others offer more individualized one-on-one advising from faculty to connect students with projects Additionally the Graduate Career Association works closely with the Office for the Integration of Research, Education, and Professional Development (IREP) and the Career Center to organize professional development activities for graduate students, such as the PhD Career Ladders Program The Study Abroad office, Career Center and IREP Office regularly reach out to students throughout the year through information sessions, online databases and websites, regular email newsletters, workshops, and one-onone advising about specific Applied Learning opportunities and internships Page  8   The Career Center connects students with internships and other opportunities through advising, its online portal, Handshake, four Job & Internship Fairs each semester, and a corporate interviewing program, which brings employers to campus to interview students for real opportunities Presently the Career Center also offers a creditbearing career planning course, CAR 210, through which students learn to research careers, integrate selfknowledge with potential paths, identify experiential opportunities, and present themselves effectively as candidates, in writing and in person The IREP Office promotes auxiliary courses, workshops and opportunities that support undergraduate and graduate student Applied Learning, such as courses on research writing, workshops on grant and proposal writing, applying for fellowships, and research training opportunities Q3: What is your campus plan for formally incorporating student feedback into each approved Applied Learning activity? What process does or will a student follow if they have a grievance with an offcampus site? Incorporating student feedback has been a hallmark of accredited programs in the Health Sciences, the Professional Education Program, and the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences, where every student placed in an internship/clinical/student teaching/department capstone project completes an evaluation Focus groups and town hall meetings have also been used to collect student feedback Several departments have industrial advisory boards whose members support experiential learning projects and provide feedback to faculty University-wide standards for the EXP+ aspect of the Stony Brook curriculum are based on national standards set by the National Society for Experiential Education, and include assessment and evaluation of Applied Learning activities It is expected that students will complete evaluations of their experiences, either through the standardized electronic course evaluation form for EXP+ courses, or through the internship evaluation forms for individual projects Our long-term goal is to create an online portal or web-based tool that will handle the EXP+ contract, push out evaluations to students and supervisors, and make the data available to undergraduate program directors for review At the graduate level a pilot survey, covering graduate students’ impressions of the mentoring they receive, the climate in their academic department, and how well they felt their time at Stony Brook prepared them for their career, was deployed this year Our goal is to launch the official version of the survey this coming year, and deploy it to a sampling of graduate students every three years With respect to grievance policies, every program has standard processes in place for student grievances, and students enrolled in an approved Applied Learning activity off-site would be able to follow these procedures Student representatives at the undergraduate and graduate levels are included in all governance committees, including the panels that consider student grievances In addition, there is a Problem Resolution Statement for online learners: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/onlineed/student We intend to improve the visibility of these procedures and will explore the possibility of adding a notation to the syllabi of EXP+ courses and Blackboard sites Q4: What is your campus plan for including students in the continued improvement of existing Applied Learning activities and development of new Applied Learning activities? In addition to student feedback about their individual applied learning activities, student representatives from both the Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate Council are included on the Applied Learning Task Force Page  9   Stony Brook University Applied Learning Campus Report, Parts V-VII Part V Feasibility Study Do you currently measure any impacts of campus-approved applied learning on the local community and workforce? If so, what impacts you measure and what methods you employ? Stony Brook University has not conducted a comprehensive, systematic analysis of the impacts of campus-approved applied learning on the local community and workforce We have, however, gathered substantial information that offers insights into the local impacts of applied learning The Office of the Vice President of Economic Development (OVPED) manages internship programs in which undergraduate and graduate students engage in paid applied learning activities From 2014-2016, 348 student interns were placed in the 50 incubator companies overseen by OVPED; of these 94 were hired, indicating that the incubator internship program has had a positive effect on the local workforce Cumulatively since inception in 1990s, the Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence (SPIR) program, which is also overseen by OVPED, has placed and supported more than 4,000 student interns (primarily engineering) with local companies to perform projects The cost of these internships is shared with the companies (SBU 35%/company 65%) We not have exact data on workforce impact for SPIR, but anecdotally we know that many of these companies hired those interns, even if they had indicated they were not hiring prior to the start of the project The sheer volume of repeat customers for these internship programs (30-50%) indicates that participating businesses are very satisfied with the quality of the interns and the overall experience with SBU We conclude that these programs contribute significantly to the workforce and economic development on Long Island In addition, like many campuses with a Federal Work Study Program, Stony Brook University is required, through the Job Locator Development program, to measure the economic impact of student workers by reporting annually the number of students employed in off-campus jobs and the wages they earn The Career Center follows guidelines established by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) to help foster the eight competencies associated with career readiness: (1) critical thinking/problem solving, (2) oral/ written communication, (3) teamwork/collaboration, (4) digital technology, (5) leadership, (6) professionalism/work ethic, (7) career management, (8) global/intercultural fluency The Career Center administers two undergraduate internship courses (EXT 288 and EXT 488) for students completing internships for academic credit outside their home departments It uses a data management system, Handshake, to facilitate the gathering and storage of feedback from on-site supervisors regarding the quality and value of the internship experience, both for students and for sponsor businesses and organizations The Career Center also engages in numerous activities to cultivate and sustain local partnerships, including four Job & Internship Fairs each semester, industry-focused networking events, and alumni-student programming These events offer an informal opportunity to gather information regarding the impact of applied learning activities on the local community and workforce Many applied learning experiences are administered through academic departments All undergraduate students who receive academic credit for an applied learning experience must enroll in an approved EXP+ certified course To enroll in such courses students, faculty mentors and on-site supervisors (when applicable) must complete the EXP+ contract, which requires pre-reflection and goal setting, as well as mid-term and final evaluations from the student, faculty mentor, and on-site supervisor These evaluations offer some insight into the value of the internship for the sponsoring organization, but they tend to focus on the student’s performance and learning; they not address larger questions regarding the impact of applied learning on the local community and workforce Applied learning is a key component of Stony Brook’s twenty-five accredited Bachelor degree programs in: Engineering (8), Education (11), Health Technology and Management (4), Nursing (1), and Social Work (1) These programs keep rigorous data on applied learning activities, which are integral to their curricula and accreditation For example, all professionally accredited certificate and degree-bearing programs within SHTM track employment rates of recent graduates This is mandated either by accreditation standards or as a requirement for the annual reporting of programmatic outcomes Based on your work on the Applied Learning Initiative to date, please describe the opportunities and challenges the campus would face in including approved applied learning activities as a local graduation requirement Please describe implications for general student learning outcomes, advising, staff and fiscal implications, and other relevant information In 2009, Stony Brook University embarked upon a major revision of its General Education requirements The Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) was designed through an extensive multi-year process of collaboration among students, faculty and administrators One of the four guiding principles shaping the development of a new General Education curriculum was a desire to promote applied learning To this end, the SBC includes as one of its nineteen learning outcomes “Apply Knowledge and Skills Beyond the Classroom” (EXP+) EXP+ is one of four objectives included in the section of SBC that requires students to "Pursue Deeper Understanding" (PDU); the others are Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA+); Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS+); and STEM+ Students are required to satisfy three of the four objectives in PDU; thus the new SBC encourages students to engage in applied learning but does not require every student to so in order to graduate Opportunities for applied learning at Stony Brook (including research and scholarly activity, service learning, study abroad, performance and creative activity, internship, field work, and teaching and training assistantships) abound, and have increased since the implementation of the SBC in the fall of 2014 The SBC planning committee estimated in 2012, before implementation of the SBC, that roughly 3,500 students per year engaged in experiential education (“Gen Ed Final Report,” August 20, 2012.pdf, page 3) This was a rough estimate based on course titles and enrollments, without taking account of students enrolled in multiple applied learning courses With an undergraduate enrollment of over 17,000 (16,000 full time), the committee did not consider it feasible at that time to make applied learning a graduation requirement for all undergraduate students The committee identified several major obstacles: inadequate facilities and placement opportunities; not enough mentors/supervisors for expansion of applied learning experiences; and, therefore, the risk of delayed graduation for students As we continue to assess the implementation of the new SBC, we have determined that these major barriers to making applied learning a local graduation requirement still exist Additional challenges include: limited access to transportation; financial burden of paying tuition for applied learning courses during the summer; limited technical resources to manage a campus-wide requirement; limited faculty and administrative oversight to ensure meaningful learning experiences; managing legal requirements, including liability insurance, contractual processes, and workers’ compensation We also wish to emphasize that applied learning is an integral part of a graduate student’s experience at Stony Brook University Virtually all graduate degree programs require a research project, thesis, or dissertation, with a small number of exceptions As you will read in the collaboration plan below, several graduate departments are included in our model Part VI—Collaboration Plan Please provide an overview of the various types of on and off campus collaborators / facilitators who engage in Applied Learning Be sure to list the roles and responsibilities of each These may include business /corporate /non-profit / state, and other host/facilitators THE STONY BROOK MODEL OF EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION Stony Brook University has a strong network of campus collaborators representing every college and school, as well as centralized academic support and student services units involved in the procurement and support of applied learning experiences at the undergraduate and graduate levels Following is a graphic representation of Stony Brook’s Experiential Learning community: Figure 1: Stony Brook University’s Model of Experiential Education PROCURING APPLIED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES The lifecycle of an applied learning experience begins with the procurement of an opportunity Several campus entities actively pursue and create applied learning experiences by developing relationships with external stakeholders, including businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and the nonprofit sector A table is included in the appendix section that depicts departments/units that actively develop new applied learning relationships and the type of applied learning experiences for each We included students in the matrix, as they, too, have the ability to create new relationships and new opportunities for themselves and for their peers VETTING APPLIED LEARNING EXPERIENCES Applied learning opportunities with external partners must be vetted against campus standards Stony Brook has adopted the Principles of Effective & Ethical Practice from the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) as its standard for all courses with EXP+ designation All colleges and schools have procedures to vet new applied learning experiences: College of Arts & Sciences, College of Engineering & Applied Sciences, College of Business, School of Journalism, School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences, The Graduate School, School of Professional Development, School of Health, Technology and Management, School of Nursing, School of Social Welfare, School of Medicine, and the new School of Pharmacy The Career Center has a rigorous system in place to vet external partners that recruit students for applied learning opportunities, including unpaid/paid internships The Office of International Academic Programs (IAP) establishes and coordinates numerous opportunities for study, research and internships abroad The vetting process ensures that all approved applied learning activities meet University and NSEE standards for learning objectives, number of hours, reflection, monitoring and feedback, etc The SBC Curriculum Committee reviews and approves new courses presented for EXP+ certification SUPPORT FOR APPLIED LEARNING EXPERIENCES Every approved, credit-bearing applied learning experience – on or off campus, domestic or international – must have a faculty sponsor whose role is to ensure the quality of the experience, to discuss learning objectives with the student(s), to monitor and provide advisement/support during the experience, and to assess and evaluate the student’s learning outcomes Additional support services are provided for undergraduate students in need and for those in specialized programs For example, the Office of Student Financial Aid Services identifies students qualified for need-based experiences such as Community Service Federal Work Study and the JFEW SUNY Scholars Program in International Relations & Global Affairs, and University Advancement and Alumni Relations support undergraduate summer research experiences such as Explorations in STEM, the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition and other opportunities administered and supported by the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URECA) The Honors College, EOP/AIM, University Scholars, and the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program provide specialized academic support and advising for targeted cohorts of undergraduate students Several programs form part of the Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) initiative to support the academic and research experiences of students from communities underrepresented in STEM The Collegiate Science and Technology Entrance Program (CSTEP), the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), and GeoPrep, for example, feature applied learning opportunities including: summer residential programs for credit that include academic enrichment and research experience; funded research experiences; and internship placements on the university campus The Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) coordinates several programs that support (with funding from federal agencies such as NSF and NIH) high-quality applied learning experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups pursuing STEM degrees For example, the SBU Initiative for Maximizing Student Development: Maximizing Excellence in Research for Graduate Education (IMSD-MERGE) program has an undergraduate track (for students interested in pursuing a PhD degree) and a graduate track (for students in a biological and biomedical doctoral program at SBU) Undergraduate Scholars participate in a paid research internship during their junior and senior years Both undergraduate and graduate Scholars participate in academic enrichment and professional development activities, including peer mentoring programs The LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate (for masters students), the National GEM Consortium (for masters and doctoral students) and AGEP-T FRAME (for doctoral students) provide funding opportunities to enhance research productivity and technical skills for graduate students from communities underrepresented in STEM The Career Center and the Office for the Integration of Research, Education and Professional Development (IREP) provide professional development activities throughout the year for both undergraduates and graduate students in all disciplines The External Fellowships Advisor (within the IREP Office) helps undergraduate and graduate students to identify and obtain sources of funding, such as the Gilman and Fulbright Scholarships, to support applied learning experiences abroad Additionally, the Office of Institutional Research, Planning & Effectiveness provides all reporting and analyses for Stony Brook’s applied learning initiatives OFF-CAMPUS COLLABORATORS There are literally thousands of off-campus partners who provide applied learning experiences for Stony Brook students Partnerships range from small start-ups in our four incubators sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Economic Development, to the New York State Small Business Development Center, to mid-size companies, non-profit agencies, and school districts, to our research partners Brookhaven National Lab, the US Department of Energy, and Cold Spring Harbor Labs, to large healthcare systems and multinational corporations in the downstate Long Island/New York City region, and international partners across the globe Off-campus relationships are stewarded by several campus stakeholders, including the Career Center’s Employer Engagement Team, Academic Clinical Rotation and Teacher Placement Coordinators, the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE), Office of the Vice President for Economic Development (OVPED), International Academic Programs (IAP), and individual faculty members, with occasional help and referrals from the Office of Government Relations, the Office of Community Relations, Corporate & Foundation Relations within University Advancement, and the Office of Alumni Relations Off-campus applied learning opportunities are supported in several ways The Office of the Vice President for Research plays a significant role in the stewardship of relationships with grant-making entities such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Energy, and others IAP works with its international university partners to provide scholarships for Stony Brook students to participate in Study Abroad programs, some of which include an internship or research component These partner universities cover student expenses including housing and travel The OVPED works with local industry partners to maintain an active internship program for which the cost is shared (SBU 35%/company 65%) As mentioned earlier, since inception in 1990s, OVPED has placed and supported more than 4,000 student interns (primarily engineering) with companies through the Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence (SPIR) program alone Describe any existing methods used to support intentional and reciprocal relationships on and off campus List the offices or structures on campus currently supporting these relationships Relationship development and stewardship of applied learning experiences are supported by all stakeholders represented in models above, plus Corporate & Foundation Relations within University Advancement, and the Offices of Alumni Relations, Government Relations, and Community Relations Examples of relationship stewardship include: ● The Career Center’s Employer Engagement unit develops and deploys an annual communications plan for employers as well as phone and in-person meetings with priority organizations The Career Center offers multiple opportunities for employers to visit campus for recruitment, including internship fairs, on-campus interviews, company informationals and meet-ups, and brings targeted employers to student organization meetings and career-related student events Close to 500 organizations participate in Career Center recruitment programs annually, not to mention the literally thousands of employers available to students through its online portal, Handshake The Career Center has also helped to cultivate a growing number of on-campus internships, which offer high-quality applied learning experiences for students while also providing a qualified workforce to support departmental and university operations across different divisions ● Most of the Academic Colleges have external advisory boards which engage key alumni and other external partners around the skills and abilities our graduates will need to be competitive in the workplace, and provide opportunities for students, such as internships and senior design projects ● The OVPED oversees several programs that strengthen local businesses For example, the SPIR program, which uses a unique shared funding model for research, joint projects, and student internships, has worked with nearly 500 New York State companies during its 25 years In addition, OVPED also oversees the Research and Development Park as well as our Start Up New York Initiative, which boost New York’s economy by attracting high tech startups and venture capital to the region, while infusing student talent into the corporate growth model 8 ● Academic programs requiring clinical and teacher placements, such as Medicine, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dentistry, and Teacher Preparation Programs, maintain strong relationships with clinical training partners and regularly assess employer satisfaction and student clinical experiences Describe how your campus engages new community partners Given the number and variety of campus entities engaging external partners, Stony Brook’s approach is decentralized and uniquely configured to each unit Potential employer partners who serve as sponsors of internships, clinical and teacher placements, senior design projects, and full time recruitment have many options to connect with the university, through the Career Center, the SPIR program, I-STEM, WISE, iCREATE (formerly the Innovation Lab), Advancement & Alumni Relations, and individual academic departments Faculty research often serves to establish connections with community partners, which in turn can lead to opportunities for student involvement in applied learning activities Potential partners are invited to participate in community engagement events sponsored by the university, including faculty development opportunities, educational speakers, and service learning projects hosted by academic support units, academic departments, the Career Center, the Office of Community Relations, Office of Alumni Relations, the Women’s Leadership Council, and the Division of Student Affairs Community partners conduct information sessions, serve on panel presentations, and participate in recruiting events, prevention programs, review committees, etc Educational outreach involves a number of Stony Brook entities making connections with and for K-12 partners to promote college as an attainable and affordable option, introduce underrepresented students from target school districts to Stony Brook and encourage teachers and counselors to participate in professional development activities (e.g., Institute for STEM Education) All of these activities serve to engage new partners in applied learning International partners are engaged through IAP under the auspices of the Vice Provost for Global Affairs Faculty and staff have created, and continue to support, overseas opportunities for study, research, and internships abroad through international partnerships such as the Turkana Basin Institute in Northern Kenya, Center ValBio in Madagascar, the Global Health Institute and the new partnership with the Organization for Tropical Studies in Central America A group of externally focused stakeholders meets several times each year to exchange information, share referrals, and plan strategy for joint outreach to external partners with shared interests, and represent each other’s interests during meetings and events While Stony Brook University is largely decentralized, we are not silo-ed, and enjoy great relationships among our varied and diverse entities 9 Part VII Graduation Requirement Based on the data reported to SUNY System Administration in Parts I-VI of campus plans, will your campus include approved applied learning activities as a local graduation requirement? The vast majority of graduate students must complete some form of applied learning (such as independent research, field study, teaching, clinical placement, internship) in order to earn their degrees Stony Brook University strongly encourages undergraduate students to engage in applied learning throughout their academic careers As mentioned earlier, the new Stony Brook Curriculum gives students a strong incentive by including applied learning as one of its nineteen learning objectives, but does not require every student to complete EXP+ in order to graduate A report prepared by the Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness and Planning (see table below) indicates that just over half of SBU students complete at least one approved applied learning experience during their undergraduate career Bachelor's Recipients Completing at least one EXP+ course 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Graduates 3,882 3,799 3,886 3,902 Completed an EXP+ Course 2,144 2,066 2,111 2,254 Percent Completing an EXP+ Course 55.2% 54.4% 54.3% 57.8% Total Courses 5,212 5,072 5,389 5,521 Courses per Graduate 1.34 1.34 1.39 1.41 *Note: Includes transfer courses (n=40 for all cohorts combined) 2015-16 3,952 2,280 57.7% 5,626 1.42 Based on this data, we have determined that it is not feasible at this time to require all students to complete an approved applied learning experience as a requirement for graduation The data indicates, however, that since implementation of the SBC in 2014 there has been a small but significant increase in the total number of EXP+ certified course offered, and in the percentage of students completing EXP+ courses We expect this trend to continue since the first class entering under the SBC will graduate in 2017-2018 and most students choose to take EXP+ certified courses during their final two years of study We will continue to monitor the data closely and revisit the question of making applied learning a graduation requirement as the availability of courses and student participation increase Describe the specific reasons for this decision Please note which governance bodies and other campus stakeholders were consulted in the process and have approved the decision, including student governance 10 There was broad participation from across campus in the creation and implementation of the SBC (including EXP+) A group of students, faculty and administrators participated in a two-day retreat devoted to devising the guiding principles of the SBC The Undergraduate Council (UGC), which includes undergraduate and graduate student representatives, and faculty representatives from across the university, discussed the new SBC (including EXP+) at several meetings during 2011 The UGC expressed concerns about the burdens of making EXP+ a graduation requirement, but noted: “If Stony Brook decides to implement an experiential learning requirement, it should be prepared to invest whatever resources will be necessary to so” (UGC minutes 12-6-2011) The final version of the SBC, including applied learning as strongly recommended but not required, was approved by the UGC, the Faculty Senate and the Graduate Council The decision to strongly encourage but not require applied learning for graduation was based upon several concerns raised during the SBC creation process: financial and transportation burdens for students; potential for delayed graduation; additional workload, without compensation, for faculty supervising applied learning activities; inadequate space in laboratories and local companies and organizations to accommodate additional applied learning activities; lack of efficient software to manage the EXP+ contract and data In addition, legal constraints, as more and more employers require internship contracts and liability insurance, create a very costly requirement The recent passage of the Excelsior Scholarship Program has made it even more difficult to require applied learning as a graduation requirement since it decreases the university’s financial resources making it difficult to deliver resource-intensive applied learning opportunities If your campus plans to move forward with a graduation requirement, which approved applied learning activities will be required? How will the requirement be verified, and who will oversee the requirement? When will the requirement become effective? We not plan to make applied learning a graduation requirement for all students at this time, but we continue to assess the possibility of making it a requirement in the future If your campus does not plan to make approved applied learning activities a graduation requirement, what is your plan for sustaining current and future applied learning work? The SBC Implementation Group meets every week and the Experiential Learning Working Group meets every semester to promote the expansion of applied learning opportunities at Stony Brook and to ensure that all activities meet the highest standards for experiential education (as defined by NSEE) Ongoing efforts include: Professional development programming for faculty to provide guidance and successful examples of how to develop applied learning activities, foster community 11 partnerships, and incorporate applied learning into existing courses, especially in the humanities and social sciences Work to create new incentives and rewards to acknowledge (and increase) faculty mentoring of applied learning activities Expand financial aid opportunities to make applied learning accessible to students with financial need through: a) internal funding (e.g., summer research funding from the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities program); b) external partnerships (international partnerships established by IAP; grants (e.g., PSEG Explorations in STEM program); and c) external fellowships (e.g., the Gilman International Scholarship) We continue to seek new grants to support student research and to expand outreach and advising for external fellowships (through the IREP Office) The Career Center works directly with faculty and programs at their request to develop new internship and service learning experiences The Center will continue to grow the number of internship opportunities across industries and develop structured applied learning programs, with a particular focus on expansion of diversity initiatives Expand study, research and internship opportunities abroad, including Stony Brook programs at the Turkana Basin Institute in Northern Kenya, Center ValBio in Madagascar, the Global Health Institute, the new partnership with the Organization for Tropical Studies in Central America, and continue efforts by IAP to expand international partners for study and research abroad Increase dissemination of information to students regarding opportunities for, and value of, applied learning experiences Possible communication strategies include: expand advising; create website (housed as part of IREP website) devoted to Experiential Learning with resources and information for faculty, students and community partners; establish annual showcase of, and awards for, applied learning projects (beyond research) Appendix: 12