Setting the Standard for the 21st Century - Strategic Directions

Teaching and Learning

Undergraduate and graduate education are the cornerstones of university life. Students seek a high-quality education, and today’s graduates must have advanced skills and a global perspective to be successful in life and work.

Excellence in higher education today requires innovative curricular and extra-curricular offerings and a renewed emphasis on providing a distinctive educational experience.

Four other factors shape the direction for higher education:

• The boundaries defining students are blurring. The growth of student involvement in research programs has melded the lines between undergraduate and graduate education. Advanced Placement classes also make it increasingly difficult to differentiate high-school seniors from lower-division university students.
• Global competition within the “education industry” and increasingly complex challenges demand graduate programs beyond P-16 education.
• The challenges that students will confront upon graduation demand an integrated educational perspective that blends the arts, humanities and social sciences with science, engineering and technology.
• The number of Colorado State’s faculty members has eroded. Since 1990, a total of 80 tenured and tenure-track positions have been lost due to state budget reductions while enrollment has grown more than 20 percent.

Although earning a university degree is a distinctive achievement, much of what students gain from the experience comes from the culture of the institution and the values that characterize it.

Colorado State is a campus of character committed to instilling in students core values that include accountability, civic responsibility, freedom of expression, inclusiveness, diversity, innovation, integrity, mutual respect, opportunity and community.

Because we are committed to educating the whole person, the knowledge provided through the classroom experience is extended and enhanced through day-to-day living and learning. Student government, other student organizations, athletics and the arts all play a vital role in creating a dynamic intellectual and social campus community.

Our five key objectives and the corresponding measurable goals related to learning are as follows:

Assure Excellence in Academic Programs

Goal 1 – Enrollment Management

Balance demand for campus enrollment with resources.

Key concerns include meeting the needs of students who choose Colorado State because of its unique mix of programs. In rightsizing the institution, we must assure manageable, moderate growth in the size of the student body and attract the highest-caliber students who can benefit from the institution’s offerings.

Goal 2 – Access and Success

Improve the access, retention and graduation rates for all students, especially those from groups traditionally underserved by higher education.

Access without success serves neither student nor society. Our recruitment must raise participation by first-generation students, by those from low income families and by minority groups. Although our current low tuition benefits middle and upper socioeconomic groups, we fully recognize it is not low enough for the poorest families in the state. A more diverse student body also must address the growing under-representation of males in colleges and universities and females and males in career tracks that might be non-traditional for the gender. Our enrollment plan must maintain our position as "Colorado’s school of choice."

Goal 3 – Curriculum

Challenge students with a more rigorous curriculum that provides increased opportunities for interdisciplinary programs and complies with statewide requirements.

Research suggests students learn more when challenged, and their ability to succeed after graduation will increasingly depend on multidisciplinary skills and perspectives. At the same time, we must work with other state institutions to ensure our core curriculum satisfies the competencies, expectations and credit-hour guidelines of gtPathways, Colorado’s statewide guaranteed transfer program for higher education.

Goal 4 – Faculty

Increase the number and enhance the quality of the faculty.

A top priority is to maintain both the size and quality of our permanent, full-time faculty to enrich the educational experiences of our students. We must recruit talented teachers and retain our most productive scholars through incentives that reflect the highly competitive conditions in many disciplines. We also must foster a collegial intellectual environment, grounded in academic freedom, that respects the varied forms of research, scholarship and creative artistry on campus. We also must better acknowledge the critical role that part-time, temporary, special and emeriti faculty play in classrooms and in many research initiatives.

Goal 5 – Learning Facilities

Provide students and faculty with state-of-the-art learning environments and library services.

Matching available classroom sizes and facilities to course demand, incorporating more instructional technology, and expanded library seating, collections, and services are critical to support quality teaching.

Goal 6 – Faculty Development

Expand faculty support services that improve instructional quality.

Essential support includes more formal training of new and middle-level instructors and graduate teaching assistants in traditional and nontraditional pedagogy and the sharing of "best practices" among faculty. Expanded services also include assistance and resources for content development and the deployment of technology.

Goal 7 – Learning Outcomes

Evaluate and assess student learning as a critical measure of teaching quality.

Continuous improvement and accountability is expected of departments and other units responsible for programs of study and of the provost’s office for university-level programs. As an institution, we report on a variety of outcomes that serve as indicators of graduates’ success – full-time employment, licensure, graduate school admissions, success on professional examinations, etc. In tandem with strengthened assessments, we also must recognize and reward effective teaching.

Create Distinctive Undergraduate Experiences

Goal 8 – Undergraduate Programs

Create a learning-centered culture through high-quality programs that attract prepared, motivated and well-rounded students.

The most successful undergraduate experiences demand excellence. We will enhance our offerings for high-achieving students (including but not limited to the Honors Program) at the same time we improve the educational experience of all students through high quality programs and superior advising.

Goal 9 – Active and Experiential Learning

Incorporate opportunities for active and experiential learning in all programs.

In keeping with Colorado State’s long-standing emphasis on practical and applied learning, we want to create relevant opportunities for experiential learning and undergraduate research and creative artistry in all programs. Valuable experiences can be gained in Colorado State laboratories, studios, stages and galleries – and through internships, practica, in-service learning and academic competitions on and off campus.

Enhance the Quality and Role of Graduate Education

Goal 10 – Graduate Degree Programs

Refine existing and selectively create new graduate degree programs consistent with the institution’s strengths and demands of society.

We need to transform graduate education to link our offerings to new challenges and to enable Colorado and Colorado State to compete globally. Innovative approaches include multidisciplinary and joint degrees and blended five-year undergraduate/ graduate (4+1) programs.

Goal 11 – Graduate Enrollment

Increase the number of graduate students on campus, including international students.

Reversing the recent decline in graduate enrollment through international partnerships built on CSU’s strengths, increased funding and removing enrollment impediments is critical in light of the importance of graduate education in a 21st century society. Graduate assistants also play a critical role in our sophisticated research and teaching programs.

Expose Students to Diverse Cultures

Goal 12 – Campus Diversity

Foster a campus culture that attracts and supports a diverse student body and promotes a diverse culture in which to grow, study and learn.

A diverse faculty, staff and student body offer exposure to different people, ideas, political viewpoints and cultures that serve to enrich and expand the educational experiences of all students, leading to enhanced learning and a more responsible and culturally competent citizenry.

Goal 13 – International Emphasis

Provide our students with distinctive international experiences and broaden their exposure to today’s global challenges.

We must dramatically transform our international emphasis to prepare students for life in an increasingly interdependent world. This can be accomplished through an enhanced curriculum, international research and scholarship, institutional partnerships, the presence of more international scholars on campus, greater participation in Study Abroad programs, expanded area studies programs, and events with global themes.

Integrate Academic and Co-Curricular Experiences

Goal 14 – Learning Communities

Develop residentially based learning communities that capitalize on our strength as a destination campus.

Our Honors Program and a dozen other themed- and discipline-based learning communities on campus have shown that such programs enhance the university experience, improve retention and graduation rates, and provide valuable opportunities for greater faculty-student interaction.

Goal 15 – Student Engagement

Increase student participation in a broad array of leadership, civic involvement, intercollegiate and intramural athletics, and cultural opportunities.

Such activities extend learning, build character, foster leadership and citizenship skills, provide a catalyst for lasting relationships between students and the institution, and are part of the campus’s unique and characteristic culture.

Goal 16 – Student Well-Being

Nurture student health, safety and well-being.

tudents perform better and have more positive experiences when they are healthy. Critical programs involve student health, counseling and public safety – including but not limited to alcohol and drug abuse prevention and intervention.