St. Cloud State University

Core Component 4C:
The organization assesses the usefulness of its curricula to students who will live and work in a global, diverse, and technological society.

St. Cloud State University assesses the usefulness of its curricula to students through accreditation and program review processes, feedback from advisory boards and professional groups, surveys of employers and alumni, and feedback from co-curricular and service learning activities. As documented under Core Component 2A, we are acutely aware of such current trends as the growth of a global economy, changing demographics, and rapid technological development, and have responded accordingly to prepare students for success in a global, diverse, and technological society.

Assessment of Curricula

In addition to accreditation and program review processes (PDF), St. Cloud State University makes numerous internal efforts to assess the usefulness of curricula to students. Learning goals and outcomes are designed to maximize employment potential and practical application for students; many programs are aligned with established standards and best practices in the field of study. Initial employment rates in field of study and success of graduates on such professional exams as the Pre-Professional Skills/Praxis exams, Certified Public Accountants Exam, and the national nursing exam indicate program effectiveness in preparing students for post-graduate employment. Alumni surveys also indicate a high degree of satisfaction with student employment preparation.

The Alumni Office periodically surveys graduates of the institution and these data are made available to faculty members and administrators for their consideration in curricular decision- making (see STAMATS 2005 Alumni Survey in Resource Room). Departments also use employee and alumni data in assessing and changing curricula. Career Services follows up with St. Cloud State University alumni in terms of their employment patterns, which is made available to departments. In addition, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness provides data from NSSE reports and other sources.

Several programs were initiated directly as a result of potential for student employment based on community needs as reflected by feedback from employers and alumni. Examples include the nursing program, the MBA in the Twin Cities, the Masters degree in Environmental and Technological Studies, and the Master’s in Engineering Management with its St. Paul Cohort program.

The St. Cloud State University curriculum provides opportunities, especially in the professional fields, for students to interact with practitioners in the field. Examples include field based experiences for teacher candidates, clinical experiences in the nursing program, internships in business, non-profits, and other organizations, mentorships, and senior projects in many fields. Other activities that promote student interaction with external practitioners include visiting artists programs, field trips to businesses, career fairs, guest speakers, student performances with the St. Cloud Symphony , various festivals, North Plains Performance, and the St. Cloud State University Wind Ensemble. There are also many service learning opportunities directly and indirectly related to courses where students have the opportunity to work with diverse groups in the community.

As assessment plans are fully implemented, learning outcomes will need to be reviewed by advisory boards and practitioners in the field to match to necessary employment competencies. Assessment plans need to incorporate the internship and clinical initiatives by departments to provide relevant real world experience for graduates. The plans should also include ongoing feedback from alumni, employers, professional bodies, and advisory boards which is now part of our formal program review process at the institutional level.

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness is developing survey instruments to be used annually with graduating students to assess their level of satisfaction with their experience at the university. Data from these surveys will be used to evaluate and improve services. Student enrollment patterns and faculty workload trends are used in determining the allocation of faculty lines to departments.

There are also opportunities for grants and partnerships with external constituents. These include the five million dollar Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant from the U.S. Department of Education involving school districts throughout central Minnesota and the National Network for Educational Renewal which partners St. Cloud State University with the St. Cloud School District to improve teacher education. As previously mentioned, in February 2006, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning announced an initiative to fund the conversion of courses to include service learning. These initiatives will provide additional assessment opportunities.

In addition, the incorporation of assessment plans into the curricular/program review process that occurred in 2006 is likely to enhance the assessment culture at St. Cloud State University in that programs will need to document how employer and alumni data are used in designing and revising courses and programs.

In addition to evidence of current data collection from external constituencies, such as alumni, employers, field practitioners, professional advisory boards, and community members, St. Cloud State University needs a systematic process for incorporating assessment data in decision making across all disciplines. There is a need to be active, proactive, and ongoing in working with our external constituencies to strengthen the curriculum. There is also a need to communicate and coordinate the activities from the various colleges, departments, and campus organizations to share best practices and service learning to expand opportunities for all members of the campus community. The university should require feedback from employers, external agencies and alumni as part of self-studies and external reviews completed by programs with no accrediting agency.

Preparation of Students for a Global, Diverse, and Technological Society

Global Education

Global and international education is a distinctive feature of St. Cloud State University’s academic life. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literature actively sponsors and staffs study-abroad programs in France, Germany, and Chile. It has a broad and diverse faculty representing four continents who offer courses in beginning to advanced language study, literature, culture, and foreign language education. The Department of Communication Studies offers an interdisciplinary minor in Intercultural Communication. The College of Business promotes student interest and education in international business through a study abroad program in Germany. The College of Education has provided opportunities for teacher candidates to do student teaching and take course work in other countries, including Sweden, Italy, Costa Rica, Japan, Australia, South America, China, and Mexico. The Political Science department offers a major in International Relations, and History offers interdisciplinary minors in African, East Asian, and Latin American Studies. The Geography and Sociology/Anthropology departments also offer programming that intersects with international and global education. St. Cloud State University also offers semester-long and academic year study abroad programs in Australia, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany (business, engineering, language), Japan (Akita National , Akita International, Daito Bunka, Seinan Gakuin), Poland, South Africa and South Korea (Woosuk, Yonsei). In addition, there are short-term opportunities for study abroad available during Winter Intersession, Spring Break, May Intersession, and both summer session terms. The university is committed to incorporating global education across the curriculum.

Diversity Education

As indicated previously, diversity in St. Cloud State University’s curriculum is a high priority in our educational programming. St. Cloud State University mandates that students take three courses in diversity issues, including one Racial Issues course, as part of its general education requirements. Diversity and Racial Issues courses must meet specified criteria and the curriculum is monitored by the General Education Committee and an independent Racial Issues Committee. These requirements demonstrate the strong tradition of social consciousness among St. Cloud State University faculty, who also broadly incorporate diversity issues into their courses. Many degree programs incorporate diversity and global issues as appropriate to their disciplines into their requirements. The minor in Human Relations and Multicultural Education is the largest in the MnSCU system and the department has a history of leadership in raising campus awareness of diversity and social justice issues. Other examples of strong academic programming in diversity and social justice include Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies, and the unique Masters in Social Responsibility. In addition the Philosophy department offers a minor in Religious Studies, including coursework in comparative religion, and is developing a Jewish Studies program.

Currently St. Cloud State University has three stand alone courses in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Studies: The Gay and Lesbian in Film, LGBT Literature, and Heterosexism. Many other courses include various aspects of GLBT issues in their class content. Development of a minor or certificate program in LGBT Studies is an opportunity for the future.

In several survey areas, St. Cloud State University students exhibited some positive distinctions when compared to selected peer institutions. For example, students were more likely to feel that their experiences at St. Cloud State University helped them to understand people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Students were also more likely to have worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments than students from other master’s universities (NSSE, 2005). This is an encouraging result, as significant resources and personnel have been devoted to improving the diversity climate at St. Cloud State University, including projects such as the Women's Center Respect and Responsibility workshops, diversity and democratic citizenship requirements in the General Education Curriculum, and the CARE initiative.

Faculty and Staff Diversity

St Cloud State University demonstrates its commitment to diversity in a large variety of ways including a clear statement of commitment in the Strategic Plan. Faculty diversity of minorities and females has increased steadily over the past ten years. Formal search procedures require diversity of search committees, search committee training, and a process that implements objectivity, consistency, rationality, and transparency. Searches are overseen by the Office of Affirmative Action to ensure fairness and recruitment outreach. Each institution monitors searches and hiring processes to determine the effectiveness in recruiting faculty and staff, with modifications as appropriate, to enhance the diversity of the pools. The available chart illustrates the significant progress made in diversifying the SCSU workforce.

Faculty	Black	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Caucasian	Unknown	Total Minority	Male	Female	Total
1996	16	35	12	3	529	9	66	394	210	604
1997	16	37	13	2	528	9	68	391	214	605
1998	18	47	11	4	541	12	80	396	237	633
1999	17	50	12	5	560	16	84	402	258	660
2000	21	53	16	5	569	17	95	411	270	681
2001	23	54	18	7	545	23	102	398	272	670
2002	25	59	19	6	546	12	109	406	261	667
2003	25	56	18	6	511	12	105	384	244	628
2004	28	58	20	6	520	13	112	382	263	645
2005	25	68	20	6	529	12	119	388	272	660
2006	27	72	20	7	563	14	126	397	306	703
Net Chge 96-06	11	37	8	4	34	5	60	3	96	99
Net % Chge	68.8%	105.7%	66.7%	133.3%	6.4%	55.6%	90.9%	0.8%	45.7%	16.4%

An analysis of the entire SCSU workforce also illustrates the progress we have made:

SCSU Workforce	Black	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Caucasian	Unknown	Total Minority	Male	Female	Total
1996	25	43	13	6	1097	10	87	628	566	1194
1997	23	45	14	6	1077	9	88	624	550	1174
1998	30	53	13	9	1096	14	105	631	584	1215
1999	28	58	13	11	1130	18	110	642	616	1258
2000	31	63	17	8	1181	20	119	663	657	1320
2001	35	61	19	11	1123	29	126	644	634	1278
2002	36	67	20	8	1128	13	131	676	596	1272
2003	34	63	20	7	1105	15	124	708	536	1244
2004	39	67	23	9	1132	14	138	664	620	1284
2005	37	79	22	9	1173	12	147	683	649	1332
2006	40	78	21	11	1214	15	150	681	698	1379
Net Chge 96-06	15	35	8	5	117	5	63	53	132	185
Net % Chge	60.0%	81.4%	61.5%	83.3%	10.7%	50.0%	72.4%	8.4%	23.3%	15.5%

Educational Technology

Education in and experience with technology are also strengths of St. Cloud State University’s academic life. The fact that technology is one of the five performance indicators within the Strategic Plan with two goals, six objectives, and 20 performance indicators is an indication of the university’s strong commitment. Education in technology and its uses is found through the full range of St. Cloud State University curricula from the use and study of technology in science and engineering to explorations of new media in arts and humanities; from professional applications in business, communications, and education to study of social and cultural effects. Learning Resources and Technology Services provides state of the art support for instruction, research, and practical applications. The Center for Information Media ensures that students develop critical information literacy and competence in the theory and practice of librarianship, education and information technology, instructional systems design, message design and delivery. Research and computer labs are found across campus. The Husky Network enables students, faculty, and staff full access to technology resources at St. Cloud State University. Students can e-mail, maintain a personal file or web space, perform coursework activities, and locate resources. (See also Core Component 2A) St. Cloud State University has made a strong investment in technology to enhance the learning environment for students. The commitment to technology is evident in the Strategic Plan; therefore, budget resources will continue to be provided.

Co-curricular Activities

In addition to academic preparation, St. Cloud State University administrators and faculty members have partnered to support a diverse, global, and technological learning environment in which students experience an up-to-date and pluralistic world of diversity in people, cultures, perspectives, and media. The university requires all students to attend the Respect and Responsibility workshop, has endorsed the Community Anti-Racism Education Initiative, and has sponsored numerous diversity trainings for faculty and staff. Publications such as InSights and Kaleidoscope help to raise campus awareness of diversity and multicultural issues. Over thirty student organizations exist for non-English language groups, students of color, international students, and diverse cultures. The gap in retention rates among marginalized populations is less than one percent, a significant indicator of success in supporting these groups. (See MnSCU data in Resource Room) Finally, all students have widespread access to state-of-the-art computer technology, as detailed earlier in the report.

As part of the overall review of General Education, the General Education Committee continues to review diversity requirements. Key Performance Indicators from the Strategic Plan have been developed for assessment of academic distinction (which includes global curricula), diversity and social justice, and technology on campus.

Many of the challenges facing St. Cloud State University are consistent with other institutions of higher education, particularly attracting and supporting an increasingly diverse student body. Future needs include expansion and/or development of student support services, especially support for domestic English language learners. This should include expanded support for non-traditional students, specifically better orientation to the campus and university services, and short- and long-term child care. St. Cloud State University needs to expand curricular offerings, course delivery options, and online support for distance learners. The two-tiered tuition structure for online and distance learning courses should be studied as an equity/access issue. Greater alignment is needed between general education diversity requirements and global and diverse elements of major/minor curricula. We are proud of the scope of our educational opportunities related to global education as we have provided students with educational experiences in diverse cultures. However, there is a need to make international study opportunities available to a larger percentage of students and to improve the interface between these opportunities, General Education, and major programs of study. St. Cloud State University needs to continue to work to improve its climate for diverse populations. In addition to continuing internal education of faculty, staff, and students and maintaining high expectations for respectful behavior, St. Cloud State University should improve physical access for students with disabilities, specifically, for example, in the science research laboratories.

Assessment data need to be collected, analyzed, and used more systematically to improve student learning with respect to global education, diversity, and technology in the curriculum, as well as to enhance the learning environment such that students experience diversity and advanced technology as a part of their daily campus life.

Support for Student Scholarship and Social Responsibility

St. Cloud State University’s support for student scholarship and social responsibility has been detailed under Core Components 4A and 4B. It should be further noted that policies and procedures currently in place for currency and relevance in faculty credentials and program quality provide assurance of student exposure to current scholarship and social issues of concern. In addition, as students collaborate with faculty on research and applied scholarship projects (see Core Component 4A and exhibits in Resource Room), they gain direct experience with contemporary issues and methods in the acquisition, discovery, and application of knowledge. Finally, the strong curricular and co-curricular opportunities for global, diverse, and technological education and experiences, as indicated above, in themselves promote and support student scholarship, social responsibility, and contemporary awareness in these important areas of preparation.

Evaluation of Core Component 4C

St. Cloud State University makes use of multiple means of assessment to ensure the usefulness of curricula to students and provides strong curricular and co-curricular programming to prepare students for a global, diverse, and technological society.

Strengths: In addition to accreditation and external review processes, St. Cloud State University uses numerous internal methods to assess the usefulness of curricula for students. We provide institutional policies, infrastructure, curriculum and co-curricular programming, including diversity requirements, global education, support services for marginalized populations, strong technology education and support, and a diverse, international environment to prepare students for success in a global economy, a culturally diverse world, and an increasingly technological future.

Current Initiatives: As assessment initiatives move forward, structures and processes for assessing the usefulness of our curricula to students in a global, diverse, and technological society can be expected to improve.

Future Challenges: A significant element in future assessment plans, structures, and processes is the improvement of feedback from employers, external agencies, alumni, professional agencies and other external constituents, to ensure a continuous loop of data collection and curricular revision, to fulfill the promise of excellence and opportunity for our students, and to provide society with well-prepared future workers, citizens, and lifelong learners. Global, national, and state demographics indicate increasing diversity and transnational trends in population and culture. We need to remain abreast of these trends in our enrollment management, planning, resource allocation, curriculum development, and expansion of support services. LGBT education is one example of possible future curricular expansion; non-traditional and ESL students are examples of populations which may require additional support services; and globalization is an example of an area which calls for continued curricular and co-curricular development.