Overview:

Most departments within the Liberal Arts Division have traditionally been "support" departments. With the implementation of new Registered Tracks (upon approval by SUNY and NYSED), each department within the division will have the opportunity to develop student cohorts. Additionally, expansion of Learning Communities would create new cohorts. 

Costs associated with expansion of Learning Communities include: tutor in classrooms, regular tutoring sessions, events, activities, more sections of CSS 100 and CSS 101 (could be filled with existing full and part-time faculty).

Meanwhile, the Honors program already conducts robust cohort development and management. Education and some program within Arts & Communication naturally form cohorts and cohorts form to some extent within Criminal Justice.

A concerted effort should be made within the division to take an active, intentional approach to the kinds of activities and support that will help form cohorts of students (e.g. enhanced graphics as advising guides, welcome activities, utilization of the portal, active clubs, extra curricular activities, study groups, coordination with Cultural Affairs on events, Common Reads, final exam study events, etc.)

Brought over from subordinate departments:

Support SUNY Seamless Transfer initiative.

Explore social media possibilities.  In-house video production.  Visual Communications students' contributions.  Colt Rock radio station.

To provide a pathway from non-credit programming to the Human Services AS.

Inform potential students about details and possibilities associated with registered Tracks

Administer RTs to maximize the development of cohorts

Non-native English speakers are an increasing demographic in Orange County, and as such, constitute a cohort that may seek college entry.  The current ESL Bridge program serves to provide a foundation for language acquisition, but at the conclusion of level 5, for those students who wish to earn a degree, a pathway into credit-bearing courses needs to be clearly established.

Research indicates that Learning Communities connected to programs and credit-bearing courses increase teh retention and success of students placed in developmental courses

To recruit students for this registered track we will need to familiarize them with its requirements and the options it provides for transfer and employment

The IS degree program is small but stable in enrollment. However, opportunities exist to increase the number of enrollees and those who eventually graduate with the degree.

Cohort development offers one such opportunity to attract and retain students in the program.  To that end, we seek to utilize existing space (student lounge, conference room, and seminar room all in Hudson Hall) to meet with fellow students and faculty in the courses tied to the program, and to hold regular meetings, events, and special seminars for potential and current students in either the Degree program or related field.  Additionally, recruitment and retention would revolve around the establishment of an International Studies Club.  Activities would include students attending and participating in Global Initiative events, SOARS Conference, and field trips to organizations including the United Nations, the FDR Presidential Library, and other such sites of relevance to international relations and politics.     

Together, the introduction of a New Registered Track in History, the development of new Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs), and the ongoing redevelopment of our course-level Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), have encouraged historians in the Department of Global Studies to re-examine what and how we teach.  Specifically, as a Department, we have agreed to focus greater attention to preparing students to comprehend, interpret, analyze and/or evaluate both a range of historical interpretations and primary sources. 

To do this, full and part-time faculty must be properly prepared; that is, they must be provided the requisite knowledge of 1) historiography, 2) the nature and teaching of primary sources, and 3) techniques for assessing student success in these areas.   

We propose the creation of a six-hour Master Class on “Teaching Historiography and Primary Documents.” Designed as an interactive seminar, this Master class would provide faculty (full and part-time) the opportunity to:

1. Gain awareness of the new PLOs, SLOs, and assessment initiatives.

2. Review and consider the development of historical interpretation from the age of Leopold von Ranke to the Postmodern turn. 

3. Understand the variety of primary sources available to the undergraduate instructor.

4. Explore the means for teaching students “how to do history.”

5. Consider various mechanisms for assessing the interpretation and comprehension of both secondary and primary source materials.