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Educational Effectiveness Review Executive Summary

"The institution evidences clear and appropriate educational objectives and design at the institutional and program level. The institution employs processes of review, including the collection and use of data, that assure delivery of programs and learner accomplishments at a level of performance appropriate for the degree or certificate awarded." WASC 2001 Handbook of Accreditation

The essays and exhibits in this site constitute UC Santa Cruz’s report for the Educational Effectiveness stage of its re-accreditation review by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). In this report, we discuss our institutional alignment with WASC’s core commitment to educational effectiveness:

“The institution evidences clear and appropriate educational objectives and design at the institutional and program level. The institution employs processes of review, including the collection and use of data, that assure delivery of programs and learner accomplishments at a level of performance appropriate for the degree or certificate awarded.”^[1]

The evidentiary exhibits provide data and analysis as background and support for the discussion within the report proper, which is divided into three sections:
 

Educational Effectiveness Approach

The first essay surveys the types of data and analysis used by UC Santa Cruz to monitor its educational effectiveness at the institutional level as well as for individual programs. Through a substantial program of institutional research, UC Santa Cruz monitors its institutional performance and the success of its individual programs in supporting undergraduate education. We are currently improving our ability to provide similar analysis and support for our graduate programs. The protocols for conducting regular external reviews of departments and degree programs have been revised to insure that programs can base their self-studies on relevant data and that reviewers engage questions of program success in achieving their objectives for student learning.
 

Analytical Essays

Following the Institutional Proposal submitted to WASC in 2002, this review has focused on two themes drawn from on-going institutional self-reflection: (1) Enhancing undergraduate academic engagement and (2) Expanding and improving graduate programs.

1. Undergraduate Engagement

The essay reviews existing data on undergraduate academic engagement at UC Santa Cruz, including results from the National Survey of Student Engagement and the UC Undergraduate Experiences Survey as well as the outcomes of reviews by internal committees and surveys of graduating surveys. The data confirm the high levels of student engagement in a challenging undergraduate program with many enriching educational experiences.

Particular attention is devoted to recent reviews and initiatives in the following areas: capstone and senior comprehensive requirements, lower division seminars with research faculty, participation in research and internship experiences, and academic advising.

2. Graduate Growth

The essay surveys the several motivations for the campus’s priority for substantially increasing the proportion of graduate students on campus. It reviews the available and desirable data on graduate programs and graduate student experience at UC Santa Cruz. It clarifies strategies for graduate growth tied to both to allocation of potential resources and academic planning goals.
 

Integrative Essay

The concluding essay addresses our strategy for achieving the goals of growing graduate education while preserving—and potentially enhancing—the quality of undergraduate education at UC Santa Cruz. Outcomes of the review and proposed next steps in planning and resolving issues raised in the review are summarized.

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[1] WASC Handbook of Accreditation/2001, p. 5.

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