Accomplishments

At Michigan Tech, as at many institutions, curricula, instructional goals, and instructional methods are changing. Departmental self-studies [2.6] reveal that many departments have improved their curricula, and added critical thinking, integration of knowledge across classes, and written and oral communication to their lists of goals. One way Michigan Tech has tried to improve student learning is to reduce class or section sizes, initially in first- and second-year courses, then in senior capstone courses. This has generally succeeded; compared to 1988, we now have both smaller and more sections serving somewhat fewer students (see Figures 7 and 8).

FIGURE 7. Frequency of Section Sizes in Undergraduate Classes.

Source: Institutional Analysis

FIGURE 8. Section Sizes by Level in Undergraduate Classes.

Source: Institutional Analysis

However, class sizes in some departments still exceed departmentally determined optimum size.

Cooperative learning, team-based learning, computer-assisted instruction, multimedia instruction, WWW pages, and e-mail are changing the nature of the classroom. Class notes provided by faculty on their WWW pages free students to think more in class. E-mail facilitates rapid communication. Instructors have found that students who are hesitant to ask questions in class may be willing to do so on e-mail. Faculty are also more sensitive to assessment, and many use informal weekly and mid-term assessments to adjust teaching styles and content.

Of course, not all Michigan Tech faculty take advantage of new opportunities for diverse approaches to instruction that might improve student learning. One of the goals of the new Center for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Development is to help faculty learn and become adept users of new teaching methods and tools (see "Continuous Improvement") so we can meet our ambitious goals.

Accomplishments in undergraduate education can be measured by both inputs and outputs. Curriculum, academic support, and administrative support initiatives and programs constitute inputs, and assessment of student achievement, retention, graduation, and placement constitute outputs. Both show Michigan Tech's students are achieving the purposes of their undergraduate education.

Curriculum Review and Revision

As documented in the Undergraduate Catalog[1.3A], Michigan Tech's Colleges and Schools offer comprehensive, diverse, coherent, and relevant undergraduate curricula, which enable students to master a rigorous body of knowledge as well as the intellectual and communication skills they need to become leaders in a complex and changing world. Continuing accreditation by specialized accrediting agencies, including ABET and SAF, provides assurance that they meet established disciplinary criteria. The University also has an objective in its strategic plan for the development of a formal review process for all undergraduate programs which do not fall within the preview of specialized accrediting agencies.

For a complete list of accredited programs, see Appendix 3. In addition, in 1998/99, the School of Business and Economics enters its third year of candidacy for accreditation of its BS in Business Administration by the AACSB.

A comprehensive internal program evaluation was conducted by all academic departments in 1996/97, and results are reported in their departmental self-studies [2.6]. A summary review of undergraduate program accomplishments is provided in Appendix 6, Goal 1.1 and in the Goal 1.1 Committee Report [6.2B1].

Since 1988, significant revisions and innovation in undergraduate curricula have improved the quality of our programs. Departments have developed orientation courses to help students plan their careers as scholars and professionals and capstone courses to integrate and assess accumulated disciplinary knowledge. Many courses in the major now explicitly emphasize communications, critical thinking, problem assessment techniques, teamwork, and/or interdisciplinary perspectives. New efforts are being made to include undergraduates in research, a University objective under Goal 1.1. Student computing laboratories and multimedia classrooms are providing opportunities for computer-enhanced instruction. Finally, new degree options have been added to respond to student interests and career opportunities. Given the considerable demand for new resources that accompanies new programs, we have been careful to develop those which meet our mission and clearly identified needs and which can be efficiently supported within the context of existing programs. Examples of these accomplishments include:

• major curriculum revisions in Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Geological Engineering and Sciences (in process), Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics (in process) and Biological Sciences;
  
  
• new engineering courses in Creative Problem Solving, 3-D Visualization, and Engineering for the Environment;
  
  
• new or improved first year programs in Chemistry and Mathematical Sciences;
  
  
• a senior Honors Program in Biological Sciences that is centered on undergraduate involvement in research;
  
  
• review of 18 disciplines in Humanities, that resulted in changes, additions, or deletions of 57 courses;
  
  
• five new cross-disciplinary courses, consolidation of lower-division courses, and enhancement of upper-division courses in Social Sciences;
  
  
• a total redesign of School of Business and Economics undergraduate curriculum to link technology and business functions and enter candidacy for AACSB accreditation;
  
  
• a new three term capstone sequence in 1993 and a new baccalaureate degree in Applied Ecology in 1997 in the School of Forestry and Wood Products; and
  
  
• a new BS degree in Engineering Technology in 1994 and an Associate Degree in Chemical Engineering Technology in 1997 in the School of Technology.

Michigan Tech's General Education program, established in 1985 and monitored by the Committee on General Education, was discussed in Chapter 1, Response to Concern 5. A more detailed history and evaluation are available in the General Education Self-Study [2.6I1] and a special report prepared by the Goal 1.1 Committee [6.2B1]. The General Education program comprises 64 of the approximately 192 credits required for graduation; these are outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog [1.3A, p. 189ff]. Accomplishments since 1988 include the development of five new thematic clusters — social and technological change, psychology, international business, Japanese studies, and organizational behavior — sets of upper-division courses which integrate in-depth learning across the curriculum. General Education will be discussed below in "Continuous Improvement."

Academic Advising

Because academic advising is a critical academic support system for students, we will discuss it separately here. Each academic department is responsible for its own system of advising, and faculty involvement varies by department. While a few units—Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics, School of Business and Economics—have a full-time professional staff advisor position, most have faculty advisors and some use alumni and corporate role models to support advising. The TQE Advising Improves Retention Team found that staff advisors often refer students to individual faculty members for advice about careers or graduate school and that students seek advice on their own from faculty members. Student Affairs supports academic advisors with frequent workshops and an Academic Advising Handbook [1.5A1], which has been revised twice in the last three years.

In 1995, the ACT Student Opinion Survey (n = 587 students) reported increased use of academic advising services since 1988 and satisfaction with them [5.4A]. In the 1997 Quality of Student Life Survey conducted by the Goal 1.3 Committee [6.2B3], students rated advisor's knowledge as good (3.3 out of 4.0), yet rated time spent with and support services offered by their advisor as only adequate (2.7 and 2.8). Nonetheless, the Goal 1.1 Committee Report [6.2B1], Goal 1.3 Committee Report [6.2B3], and Enrollment Management/Registrar Self-Study [2.6H6] registered some dissatisfaction about academic advising and criticized the variability across departments. Students now schedule independently of advisors, and some are concerned that freshmen and sophomores need more advising; however, the fixed requirements for many majors means little flexibility in course scheduling. The Goal 1.3 Committee Survey [6.2B3] revealed that only 17% of the students surveyed tended to turn to a faculty member as their primary source of advice about academic issues. Faculty uncertainty about such fundamental matters as course requirements and scheduling often leads students to rely on peer advice—which, while not bad, is not adequate. The Retention Task Force and the TQE Advising Team recommended that advising become a centralized function at the college or university level, at least for first-year students. Neither group used benchmarking, however, and no action has been taken. The establishment of an Advising Center for first-year students is under discussion.

A systematic review and evaluation of student advising, which compares best practices at benchmark institutions and develops specific plans for improvement, needs to be conducted. While a few departments list effective academic advising as a goal (Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics, Mining Engineering, Biological Sciences, School of Business and Economics), none of the departmental self-studies address the effectiveness of their current academic advising structure, and only the School of Forestry and Wood Products noted advising as a factor in merit pay.

Academic Support

The Library, Information Technology, and Educational Opportunity are academic support units which are discussed fully in Chapters 4 and 10. Here we will address additional academic support initiatives.

Since 1988, student success in the curricula has benefited from a growing and diverse set of programs and initiatives for both students and faculty which take advantage of new understandings of how students learn. Those which have had significant positive impact on student success are:

• Learning Centers. Modeled on our long-standing Writing Center (Humanities), Michigan Tech faculty have developed Learning Centers in Mathematics (1989), Chemistry (1989), Physics (1990), Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics (1990), Computer Science (1995), Biological Sciences (1995), and Electrical Engineering (1996). They offer weekly appointments, walk-in hours, and team learning. Based on Vygotsky’s theory that human relationships are important in the learning process, our learning centers provide social and interactive support for learning and include students from underrepresented groups on their staff to create inclusive environments. The Centers are a primary source of support for students with learning disabilities. A survey of graduating seniors showed usage has grown from 19.5% of enrolled students in 1988 to 60.7% in 1995. Evidence suggests usage positively impacts retention. In the ACT Student Satisfaction Survey, Michigan Tech students gave the Centers the second highest rating of the 23 items listed, second only to recreation and intramural services. The Senior Class of 1996 named the Centers as the beneficiaries of their class gift. It should also be noted that although all departments do not have formal Learning Centers, most have tutoring assistance provided by senior students.
  
  
• Computing Technology. All Michigan Tech students are assured ready access to word processing, spreadsheets, printing, e-mail, and the Internet. Many departments provide and make extensive use of specialized software for mathematics and statistics, geographic information systems, image analysis, graphics, multimedia, and engineering. Staffed computer labs now provide one computer for every 10 students and they have convenient access. Nonetheless, the overall support system for classroom instructional technology needs improvement. Plans for improvement are in place.
  
  
• Undergraduate Research. Michigan Tech is now an Institutional Member of the Council on Undergraduate Research. Faculty in Mathematical Sciences, Electrical Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering have won National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates grants to support student summer research, and Biological Sciences established a senior Honors Program in 1993 that is centered around a year-long research experience. Since 1993 over 30 students from under-represented groups have participated in undergraduate research through various Michigan Space Grant Consortium and Michigan Office of Equity grants. Since 1988, the Century II Endowment Equipment Fund provided $110,165 in grants to faculty and departments for the purchase of equipment to be used in either classroom instruction or undergraduate research [6.2B1].
  
  
• Professional Student Organizations and Project Teams. Nineteen professionally oriented student clubs, chapters and honor societies (e.g., American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Tau Omega Pi School of Technology Honor Society; see Departmental Self-Studies [2.6]) are supported by University financial resources and investments of faculty time. Guest lecturers, off-campus trips, and service projects sponsored by these clubs significantly enhance student learning. Michigan Tech has also sponsored student teams in 14 regional or national competitions, such as the FutureCar Challenge, the National Plastics Council Plastics Recycling Competition, and ASCE Timber Beam Competition. These competitions typically involve design, fundraising, fabrication, testing and representing MTU off-campus at the competition site.
  
  
• The Office of International Programs. Established in 1994 with two professional staff, the Office of International Programs (OIP) facilitates traditional study abroad programs and direct reciprocal exchanges for our students. Recent membership in the National Student Exchange (NSE), the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Institute for International Education (IIE) has increased our students' participation in international study to 22 students in 1995/96 and 43 in 1996/97. OIP has also been instrumental in enrolling new international students, who enhance cultural diversity within our institution. We enrolled 80 new undergraduate international students in 1996, for a total of 233.
  
  
• The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Development (CTLFD). Established in 1996 to replace the smaller Center for Teaching Excellence established in 1985, the CTLFD recruited a full-time Director through a national search and also hired an Assistant Director. Its first task was piloting a new instrument for student evaluation of teaching, the IDEA evaluation tool from Kansas State University, with 58 tenured faculty during Winter term 1996/97. The new instrument was endorsed by the University Senate in 1997. A weakness in the current system of evaluation is a policy that prohibits retention of evaluation data; this impedes the development of programmatic outreach to improve instruction. The CTLFD also took over the administration of Faculty Development Grants to emphasize proposals which relate to teaching and learning, and the Director is working with the Learning Centers to coordinate resources. An advisory board of faculty and staff assists the Director.
  
  
• Faculty Teaching and Scholarship. Michigan Tech faculty are expected to be both teachers and scholars (see Chapter 6 for full discussion of faculty role in teaching). Since 1988, most instructor positions have been converted to tenure-track positions with expectations for scholarship. Sixty-six percent of undergraduate section credit hours are now taught by tenured/tenure-track faculty. Scholarship on teaching and grants for curriculum development are encouraged and rewarded. Since 1992, MTU faculty have received seven grants from NSF for improvement of undergraduate curriculum totaling $634,261 [6.2B1].
  
  
• New Faculty Orientation. In 1995, Michigan Tech began an expanded orientation for new faculty, which includes a session before classes start in the Fall and a series of teaching seminars during Fall and Winter terms (see Chapter 6 for details).
  
  
• Teaching Assistant Training. In 1995/96, 17% of credit hours were taught by graduate student teaching assistants (TAs;) (see Chapter 6). Humanities, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics have formal TA training programs. A typical program has 15 hours of summer preparation and 15 hours of "just-in-time" skill development during Fall term; the programs cover learning styles, cognition theory, human development theory, diversity, and techniques for organization and presentation. The impact of this training is evaluated, and scores on teaching evaluations are consistently higher TAs who underwent training. This is particularly true for new TAs. The CTLFD will assume oversight for new for TA orientation, and each department will be responsible for TA training in Fall 1997.
  
  
• Efficacy Seminars. Ninety-four full-time faculty attended two- and three-day seminars conducted by The Efficacy Institute, an educational consulting firm in Lexington, Massachusetts. These seminars promoted a development model instead of an innate ability model of learning, which is particularly conducive to success of students from diverse backgrounds. Funded primarily externally, it appears to be successful.
  
  
• Advisory Boards. University, college, school, and departmental advisory boards composed of alumni and friends of the University provide valuable support for all units. Established primarily since 1988, they help set priorities for curriculum development, serve as ambassadors to off-campus constituencies, and assist with advancement efforts.

In addition to these academic support initiatives, student achievements are recognized and honored at annual awards banquets, and students are becoming involved in departmental governance by serving on advisory and standing committees. For a discussion of Student Affairs' accomplishments to support student scholarship, see Chapter 5.

Administrative Support

Administrative support for undergraduate education is supplied by the Registrar [2.6H6.d]. Although the 1993 automation of support systems using the BANNER® system has at times been problematic due to incompatible databases, it has improved students' abilities to schedule courses and plan for graduation. Staff have worked hard to overcome deficiencies in the system. Several accomplishments since 1988 include:

• computerizing and publishing both in print and on the WWW the quarterly scheduling of University classes, including final exam times;
• computerizing the student scheduling and ID card schedule print request system (1993);
• progress toward an automated Degree Audit System;
• facilitating student access to grades by phone;
• making electronic transcripts and free "unofficial" transcripts available to the student body and;
• reducing time that students spend in line registering for classes and paying their bills (a result of the TQE Line Elimination in Student Services Team).

Nonetheless, the BANNER® system is not fully functional, and the time between graduation and distribution of degrees needs to be reduced. Enrollment Management is investigating WWW, telephone, and remote location registration to eliminate lines at registration.

Assessment

Assessment of student academic success is underway. By Spring 1997, all academic departments completed assessment plans, and our Program for Assessment of Student Academic Success [2.7] completed its first academic cycle in October, 1997. The opening pages of the 1997-99 Undergraduate Catalog [1.3A] include a discussion of student academic success which clearly identifies the purpose, methods, and desired outcomes of assessment (see "Continuous Improvement").

Retention, Graduation, and Placement Rates.

Traditional indicators show we are accomplishing at least as much as our peers, with fewer financial resources. In comparisons of colleges and universities as reported in U.S. News & World Report, MTU's retention rate for first-year students is 84%, comparable to our benchmark institutions (see Chapter 4 for a full discussion of retention), and our graduation rate after 4 years is 63%, compared to a high of 86% at Lehigh University and a low of 53% at University Missouri-Rolla. Baccalaureate programs in civil, environmental, geological, mechanical, and metallurgical engineering have achieved national recognition, consistently ranking in the top 10 nationwide for degrees awarded.[1]

Although the University has little systematic data, it appears that not only do Michigan Tech students graduate, they also are placed easily into career positions at competitive salaries. The number of employment interviews per graduate increased from six in 1993/94 to eight in 1995/96. Of those responding (45-75% response rates) to MTU Career Center surveys of recent graduates since 1992, over 90% reported full-time employment or enrollment in graduate school. Salaries offered to Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics graduates, the most-enrolled major at MTU, averaged $37,226 ($23,040-$48,600) for 1995/96. When asked to rate their MTU education as preparation for their current job, compared to co-workers from other universities, 73% of 457 Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics graduates surveyed from 1984-1990 (23% response rate) rated it as either much better or slightly better.

Retention, graduation, and placement data suggest that Michigan Tech is accomplishing its purpose of providing the State and its industries with highly qualified graduates. However, this data does not allow us to assess fully our purposes of providing excellent education and student success in learning.

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