Academic Achievements 2011-2012

IU Kokomo Academic Achievements 2011- 2012

Academic Structure

There were a number of significant changes to the academic structures at IU Kokomo during 2011-2012.  The effect on the students will be minimal but the behind the scenes processing was immense. 

• Arts and Sciences split into two schools:  School of Humanities and Social Sciences and School of Sciences
• SPEA split with Criminal Justice joining the School of Humanities and Public Administration and Health Management joining the Division of Allied Health
• Continuing Studies will no longer be a seperate department effective July 1, 2012.  The General Studies Degree will be housed in the School of Sciences

Accreditation

Radiography – underwent a successful re-accreditation from JCERT (and was given five years (the maximum allowed).

Advising

• Unofficially opened the Student Success Center in the library.  This Center pulls together the Writing Center, ESL, Academic Coaching, and other resources to help students success in college.  A grand opening will be held in fall 2012. 
• Developed a new probation class (PASS)

Articulation and Transfer

• Initiated the Ivy Tech Partnership with a transfer coordinator, IU Kokomo classes on the Logansport campus and advisors on site at various Ivy Tech locations
• Developed a 2 + 2 model for student transfers from Ivy Tech
• Ivy Tech General Education core passed through IU Kokomo Faculty Senate
• IU Kokomo became a LEAP campus
• Transfer fairs were held on several Ivy Tech campuses
• Statewide, there are many changes proposed and under development for articulation and transfer

Assessment

• General Education assessment in Writing completed - follow-up survey conducted in spring 2012
• General Education assessment in Speech began in Spring 2012
• Assessment Council was reconfigured and met several times during 2011-2012

Calendar Principles

Added language to comply with federal requirements

Degrees - New

Bachelors of Applied Science (BAS) Degree - this is a degree completion  program, tied to Ivy Tech's Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degrees.  Articulation agreements have been worked out with the most popular AAS degrees at the Kokomo Ivy Tech campus.  This degree is the first of its kind in the state.

B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Degree - this degree allows local students to prepare to fulfill their career aspirations in the hotel, food, beverage and tourism industries.  

BS in History Degree - this degree will allow local students to pursue their interest in history and will also allow secondary education majors prepare for teaching high school history.

Certificate Programs

Graduate Certificate in Business Fundamentals – this certificate will fill a local need for business owners and other employees who lack formal business training.  The certificate also fulfills  the prerequisites for the MBA program.

Gainful Employment language, to comply with federal regulations, was added to the websites of all certificates that carry financial aid

Minors

New minors in Environmental Science and Coaching were developed

Community Partnerships

Center for Educational Partnership (CEP) – This consortium school corporations in the IU Kokomo service area has expanded in include 20 school systems.   The CEP, under the sponsorship of IU Kokomo and the School of Education, is tasked with identifying P-12 related issues and concerns and working together to provide professional resources and expertise. It will work on assessing the needs of area superintendents, school systems and teachers in the areas of professional development;  designing and facilitating professional development opportunities for area teachers to meet the pre-determined needs; facilitating partnerships between IU Kokomo faculty research areas and the needs the area schools; and assisting faculty in developing partnership projects including outside funding.  The following five areas were identified as having greatest currency across all 18 school corporations:

1.      Review achievement data – Identify correlational trends.  Which tests are the most predictive?

2.      Identify webcasts/podcasts and faculty expertise to assist teachers, principals, superintendents (separate groups) to use data effectively.

3.      Literacy – (PL109) Elementary Reading Plan.  Workshops and professional development opportunities to assist teachers as they plan for scientifically-based reading instruction in the K-6 program.

4.      Equitably assessment of teachers – especially in light of the imperative that teacher effectiveness (student achievement) must be a factor in merit-based pay increases.

5.      Curriculum development for 5-12 teachers – the curriculum – pedagogy/instruction – assessment loop.

Economic Impact of IU Kokomo Study -

This study was conducted by IU Bloomington faculty and their findings was launched at a November meeting of area community leaders. 

International Experiences

• In an effort to continue to internationalize the campus, IU Kokomo has worked on a number of international initiatives.  These have included:
• ­Students from Korea (Jesus University and ShunShin University) attending classes and activities on campus for two weeks.  While students from Jesus University have been visiting on campus for 10 plus years, this year the program was expanded to include ShunShin University, extended from the usual 2 weeks to 4, and included daily English as a Second Language courses.
• ­Travel trips.  While IU Kokomo has had a long history of sending student on international study courses, this year we had the greatest number of trips ever.  This included trips to Guatemala and England.  Additional trips were submitted and approved for Spain and Turkey, however, they did not draw the needed number of students.  We expect to have even more trips and more student travel next year. 
• ­Faculty Development Activities.  For the first time this year we offered two faculty members, from Education and Nursing, the opportunity to travel to South Korea for curriculum development activities.  As part of this program, the faculty members involved pledged to present to their unit and the campus as a whole on their curriculum development efforts.
• Hiring an International Coordinator that helps with ESL instruction

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Intellectual Property and Grants

There are currently two faculty members working with the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation to patent and commercialize their inventions. 

There was an increase in the number of grants submitted for the campus (from 9 - 18 applications)

Campus Compact Liaisons

Karl Besel and Melissa Grabner-Hagen were named as Campus Compact Liaisons

Early Warning

The Early Warning System was converted to the FLAGs system.  Faculty and advisors were trained on the new system.  The system continues to be revised in order to better suit the needs of faculty and advisors and to better retain students

Enrollment Increases

• Each academic area increased its involvement in recruitment through VIP days, major days, calling of potential students, etc. 
• Each Advising Center also increased contacts with students (through email, visits, phone calls, peer advisors, Student Success Plans for students in trouble, etc.)

Jimmy Carter trip

Todd Bradley and Melissa Grabner-Hagen were able to take 10 students to the Jimmy Carter Center in Georgia in Fall 2011

Online Courses

• Continued to grow the online programming with 38 courses offered in 2011-2012
• Additional faculty participated in the CTLA online course development program 

Student Research

• IUURC was held on the Kokomo campus on November 21, 2011.  Over 100 students participated from across the IU campuses, with a session with 50 poster held in Alumni Hall. 
• In Spring 2012, an IU Kokomo research symposium was held in April and had over 50 student participants. 
• The IUURC event is an every 3 year event but the spring research symposium will become an annual IU Kokomo event. 

Strategic Plan and Blueprint Initiative

• The Strategic Plan was initially developed by Cabinet but then circulated to a number of groups and stakeholders.  It then incorporated feedback from across the campus and was completed in Spring 2012.  A Strategic Planning Group was formed to monitor its progress and implementation.   
• The Blueprint plan involved all the regional campuses and explored ways to partner and expand cooperation of the regional campuses. 
  

Unicom Phone System

• Launched in fall 2011

Web Pages

The entire campus web page migrated in summer 2011.  Additional changes were made throughout the 2011-2012 year. Each academic unit is adding more entertaining options such as photos and short movies.  Faculty web pages were also revised during the year to include more content