University Strategic Plan: education draft

The university has a long and proud heritage of preparing graduates for careers in the health professions and in biomedical research. In this regard, the university offers undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate programs in medicine, dental medicine, health professions, nursing and pharmacy, as well as graduate research training in the health sciences. The university also provides educational opportunities for existing health professionals in support of their ongoing professional growth and development. In addition, the university assists the people of South Carolina in optimizing their health through the provision of information regarding health promotion, disease prevention, and utilization of the health care system.

A host of environmental influences now challenges the university to institute meaningful change in the way it carries out its education mission. The impact of health care reform, the development of new technology to assist learning, the imperative to address the needs of the community and society, and changing funding patterns in higher education and health care, are all influences to which the university must respond.

The education mission must be focused and compatible with the strengths and purposes of the institution, as well as with the needs of community and the health care system it serves. The university must provide education that is innovative and that is continually improved through ongoing evaluation of its programs. The integration of education, research, and clinical activities of the university must be strengthened to ensure optimal learning and professional development of its students, residents, fellows, and faculty.

One of the central debates which recurs in any educational institution is that regarding the extent to which central planning and direction of the educational enterprise is desirable. The university must balance the efficiencies and insights which emanate from individual colleges having autonomy and authority for their discipline-specific programs, with the need for central coordination and governance to assure coherence among programs, effective use of resources, and the achievement of university-wide goals. The recommendations articulated in the attached plan, while emphasizing college autonomy and program-centered decision making, define the elements of central educational governance and coordination necessary to ensure that:

• A reasonable balance is achieved among the three themes of the education mission, consonant with the particular strengths of the university and with the needs of the people of South Carolina.
• A general increase in educational outreach is sustained, with broader geographic delivery of programs, expanded community-based¹ and service-learning² opportunities, increased interinstitutional collaboration, and heightened attention to underserved populations in South Carolina.
• The human, technical and physical resources necessary for education to occur in its most effective form are provided in an adequate, timely and equitable fashion.
• A university-wide commitment is made to foster an educational environment that values diversity in its workforce, students, pedagogy and curricula.
• Policies and procedures are implemented to ensure that all education programs prepare their graduates with the core competencies³ needed for lifelong success in their chosen professions.
• The importance of ongoing professional development of the university faculty is emphasized.
• Continuous improvement of the educational enterprise is assured through the design and implementation of a comprehensive institutional assessment program.

Footnotes

• 1. Community-based education÷educational experiences located in the community-at-large beyond traditional boundaries associated with tertiary care centers, which provide learning environments and clinical experiences based on community needs and reflect the role demands of professionals in real-life career practice.
• 2. Service-learning÷a partnership between the university and a community (a neighborhood, small rural town, school, church congregation, retirement home, etc.) in which learners and community residents work together toward mutually agreed upon goals. Service-learning takes place in and with rather than for the community, and gives equal emphasis to educational outcomes and service activities that benefit the community and the learners.
• 3. Core competencies÷a set of competencies that should be acquired by all students in the course of their education in order to be prepared for practice or research careers in the evolving health care and biomedical sciences environments.

Education Goal

To provide the highest quality health sciences education for students, professionals, and the people of South Carolina by:

• instilling requisite knowledge, competencies, and values in its graduates;
• fostering lifelong learning for practicing health professionals and biomedical scientists; and
• improving access of the public to health education and information resources.

Education objectives listed

Objective 1:

To have an organizational structure that is responsive to the university's education mission and has clearly articulated responsibility and authority for each of the three education themes.

Strategies:

A. Charge the provost with completing by July 1, 1998, a university-wide systems review in order to determine the adequacy of existing mechanisms for the leadership and advocacy necessary to assure excellence in all facets of the educational enterprise of the university.

B. Based upon the findings of the systems review, charge one or more groups with developing criteria and recommendations by July 1, 1999, that will assist the provost in decision-making and resource allocation regarding:

• entry level and advanced degree programs that are responsive to health professions and biomedical sciences educational trends and issues to meet workforce needs;
• education to meet the lifelong learning needs of health professionals and biomedical scientists;
• the provision of health education and information resources to the public.

Objective 2:

To have an effective, efficient system for the coordination and oversight of all university-wide educational experiences that take place in community-based and/or service-learning settings.

Strategies:

A. Establish a central coordinating body for service-learning and community-based education by Jan. 1, 1998.

• Create a database of all academic-community partnerships and activities by July 1, 1998, and maintain its currency thereafter.
• Develop and implement criteria and policies by Jan. 1, 1999, to guide decision-making regarding the selection, creation, equitable use, and sustainability of academic-community partnerships and arrangements.
• Provide sufficient resources annually to support community-based and service-learning experiences and ensure their equitable allocation.

B. Institute a service-learning requirement that is both community-based and interdisciplinary in each degree-granting program by July 1, 1999.

C. Create incentives for faculty, resident, fellow and student participation in interdisciplinary and community-based teaching-learning experiences and public education, and develop policies to guide equitable and appropriate distribution of incentives and rewards by July 1, 1999.

Objective 3:

To have a system of clearly defined authority and responsibility for effective coordination, management, maintenance and improvement of the educational infrastructure to support the education mission.

Strategies:

A. Charge an appropriate group with developing a comprehensive plan for the educational infrastructure to ensure that:

• All students, residents, fellows and faculty, regardless of location, have access to the universityâs education and information resources.
• A defined core of services is centrally supported and available to all education programs.
• New instructional initiatives and opportunities, such as distance education, are developed strategically with broad-based input.
• Access to appropriate health education and information resources is provided to the public in general and to specific community-focused projects such as the Healthy South Carolina Initiative and the Charleston Enterprise Community.
• This planning should address overall strategy, fiscal support, evaluation of technologies, faculty development, technical support, marketing, and program evaluation.

B. Implement a mechanism by July 1, 1998, with assigned authority and accountability, for regular, ongoing assessment, maintenance, upgrade, and capital improvement of the educational infrastructure.

C. Complete facilities and technology upgrades of all centrally scheduled classrooms by Jan. 1, 2000.

D. Complete by July 1, 1998, an assessment of the type of additional state-of-the-art educational facilities needed.

Objective 4:

Reaffirm the universityâs commitment to sustain a teaching and learning environment that celebrates the value of diversity in its workforce, students, pedagogy, and curricula.

Strategies:

A. Continue to support efforts of the Office of Diversity to provide diversity training for members of the university community.

B. Charge the dean of each college and directors of university-wide programs with having written policies by July 1, 1998, regarding recruitment, promotion, tenure, and retention practices for faculty that increase the diversity at each rank in that college or program.

C. Charge the dean of each college and directors of university-wide programs with having written policies by July 1, 1998, for recruitment and retention practices regarding students, residents, fellows, and staff that increase the diversity of each of these groups in that college or program.

D. Charge the dean of each college with providing students, residents, and fellows with curricula and learning experiences that assist them in valuing a diverse population and in demonstrating sensitivity to diversity issues in all of their professional behaviors.

E. Charge the deans and program directors with ensuring that student services, social and cultural activities, and the campus environment demonstrate sensitivity to diversity issues.

F. Charge the provost with developing a mechanism to monitor the effectiveness of each collegeâs diversity policies for faculty, fellows, residents, students and staff and hold the deans accountable for compliance.

G. Continue to support the Office of Diversity and the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) in their efforts to inform elementary, secondary, and post-secondary South Carolina students from under-represented groups about health career opportunities. Explore ways to establish formal linkages with other institutions in the state to enhance this effort.

Objective 5:

To ensure that all curricula are designed to prepare students, residents, and fellows with a set of core competencies (knowledge, skills, and values) that shall include the ability to:

• communicate effectively
• provide humanistic care that involves persons and their families in decisions about their health care,
• value diversity and demonstrate sensitivity to diversity issues in all professional behaviors
• use information technology and manage large volumes of knowledge
• apply critical thinking skills to solve problems
• make ethical decisions in health care, education, and research
• work effectively in interdisciplinary teams
• understand population-based care and clinical epidemiology
• promote health optimization and prevention of disease
• practice effectively in the evolving health care system, with an understanding of its economics and management
• use clinical practice guidelines
• continuously improve health and health care
• value and engage in lifelong learning.

Strategies:

A. Charge the dean of each college with ensuring by July 1, 1999, that learning experiences are in place to prepare students, residents, and fellows with the core competencies.

B. Charge the dean of each college with demonstrating by July 1, 1999, how achievement of the core competencies is measured.

C. Charge the dean of each college with making available by July 1,1999, at least one course that meets University Education Committee requirements for university-wide, interdisciplinary ("INTDS") courses, and that fosters acquisition of one or more of the core competencies and does not duplicate that offered by another college.

Objective 6:

To have a university-wide system that supports professional development for all faculty involved in education.

Strategies:

A. Charge the dean of each college with supporting individual faculty participation in continuing professional development in their educational roles and with documenting such participation in the collegeâs annual report to the provost. The university in concert with the colleges must provide the resources necessary for such faculty development.

B. Define by July 1, 1999, at both college and university levels, faculty teaching competencies, including those needed for team teaching, interdisciplinary teaching, and teaching innovation.

C. Charge the dean of each college with developing a system that fosters and rewards participation in faculty development, and for submitting a written plan of such to the provost by July 1, 1999, for implementation by July 1, 2000.

D. Charge the dean of each college with developing and implementing a plan, by July 1, 1999, for mentoring junior faculty.

E. Provide both college and university-level orientation programs to all new faculty by July 1, 1998, and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of these programs and make improvements based on findings.

F. Provide selected university-wide faculty development programs or services to foster achievement of the universityâs education goals and objectives.

Objective 7:

To have an ongoing, comprehensive plan by July 1, 1998, to evaluate the universityâs effectiveness in achieving the education mission, and use the findings to make improvements.

Strategies:

A. Charge the Office of Institutional Assessment with the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan to assess and measure the effectiveness of the universityâs degree-granting, non-degree granting, and public education programs, by July 1, 1998. Provide sufficient human, fiscal, and technical resources to carry out the university's institutional assessment plan.

B. Design and implement a system that assures communication with internal and external stakeholders in order to positively influence the institution and the community, by July 1, 1999.

C. Develop and implement a standardized process for evaluating teaching-learning effectiveness, by July 1, 1998.

D. Beginning July 1, 1999, annually evaluate the assessment findings and the effectiveness of the measures used to collect data, and make recommendations for improvement.

Plan open for comment:

On June 29, 1996, a ãUniversity Planning Committeeä (UPC) was created and charged with the developing a comprehensive long-range University Strategic Plan. The UPC has worked diligently to complete its charge by October of this year. Last fall, several working groups began focusing on the goals, objectives and strategies for each of our three mission areas: education, research, clinical care. Last month, a draft report on research was published in the Catalyst for comment. Similarly, this education report is published with the hope that faculty, staff and students will critique the draft and forward comments for review prior to its presentation to Presidentâs Council and the Board of Trustees.

Please send your written comments via e-mail (higerdtb@MUSC.edu) or facsimile (792-2967) by Aug. 22.

--Thomas B. Higerd, Ph.D. Chair, University Planning Committee

Members of the Combined University Planning Committee Working Group on Education and University Education Committee

Janis P. Bellack, Ph.D., Chair; Christopher M. Fredericks, Ph.D., Chair; Douglas M. Addy; Thomas G. Basler, Ph.D.; Melvyn Berlinsky; Karyn D. Bowie, MBA; Katherine H. Chessman, PharmD; John F. Cormier, PharmD; Victor E. Del Bene, M.D.; Loretta Forlaw, DNS; Richard H. Gadsden, Jr.; D. Beth Kennedy, M.S; Jean D. Leuner, Ph.D.; Mary Faith Marshall, Ph.D.; Mary P. Mauldin, MEd; Nancy C. McKeehan, MSLS; James F. Menzel, M.A.; Joan C. Olson, Ph.D.; Steven A. Ross, DMD, Ph.D.; Michael Schmidt, Ph.D.; Darlene L. Shaw, Ph.D.; John C. Sutusky, Ph.D.; Aljoeson Walker, M.D.; Valerie T. West, EdD; Donald B. Wiest, PharmD.