Savannah State University Academic Program Strategic & Operational Plan. September 2009

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1 Savannah State University Academic Program Strategic & Operational Plan September 2009 Academic Program: Faculty Leader: Behavior Analysis Katherine Stewart Mission Statement: To offer students a dynamic, cutting edge major in a specialized area in behavior analysis that will enhance the university s commitment to academic excellence and that will address both students and community needs. Provide students with the breadth and depth of practical and theoretical application to continue their educational pursuit in higher education or to enter the workforce with viable skills. Provide students with an interdisciplinary degree which will provide marketable educational and professional skills. Vision Statement: The Behavior Analysis program will become the venue of choice for students interested in Behavior Analysis as a profession, and for students interested in advancing to graduate school in Behavior Analysis or Psychology. The program will provide courses that meet the requirements for certification. The program will continue to develop liaisons with the private sector to offer students internship positions. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in research conducted by our faculty and present their findings at local conferences. Professional Values & Beliefs: Item Critical professional values, assumptions, beliefs for success in completing program functions: 1 The first step for behavioral change is to understand the contingencies of the current behaviors. 2 Treatment is developed at the individual level. 3 Understanding, appreciation, and application of the scientific method. 4 Observation of measurable phenomena as the basis for behavioral change. 5 Excellence in the data collection techniques. 6 Excellence in data interpretation techniques. 7 Honesty in the usage of the work of others and reporting findings from personal research. Positioning Statement: The national demand for behavior analysts currently surpasses the number of behavior analysts available. The state of Georgia currently imports Behavior Analysts from other states to cover the positions available here. This program offers the material required for students to become Behavior Analysts and also to go into Graduate School in Behavior Analysis and Psychology. Shorter compress the material required to take the certification test required by the Board of Behavior Analysis into three courses, our program spreads the material into more classes thus providing the student with more examples and activities in the area.

2 Groups Served: The original proposal for this program estimated enrolled majors at 156 by the fourth year. We currently have 175 majors with the following characteristics: 40 Freshmen 33 Sophomore 53 Juniors 49 Seniors Competitors: In the southeast region: The concentration in Behavior Analysis at Armstrong University offers 3 courses in Behavior Analysis. No other university in Georgia offers an undergraduate program in Behavior Analysis. Functional Tasks: Task Functional Tasks/Regular Activities of Academic Program Who delegated or mandated? 1 Monthly faculty meeting to discuss programmatic Program Coordinator 2 The program will establish and meet with an Advisory Counsel Chair 3 The faculty will develop special exams to assess course productivity Program Coordinator 4 The faculty will develop assessment tools to track our graduating seniors and Program Coordinator their progress 5 The faculty will use the findings from tasks 3 and 4 to identify areas of need and possible improvement Program Coordinator

3 Learning Plan: Item Learning Outcome Effectiveness Measure Courses where introduced, practiced, & certified 1 Identify and measure ongoing behavior in educational, business, and institutional settings. 2 Analyze and solve behavior problems in various settings using behavioral techniques and technology. 3 Assist professional behavior analysts in designing customized intervention plans for a variety of populations. 4 Apply behavioral principles to manage one s own behavior. 5 Acknowledges the importance of interdisciplinary research and education 6 Prepared for graduate school Exams Projects Exams Projects Exams Individual Project Presentation Articles from various disciplines are used to develop research project Develop a plan of study as a freshman Complete an outline of a curriculum vitae Complete statistical reports Complete manuscript in APA style Behavior Analysis II Principles I Practicum Internships Behavior Analysis II Principles II Practicum Internships Practicum Internships Behavior Analysis II Introduction to Behavior Analysis Behavior Statistics Research Seminar Frequency Manuscript written in Experimental Analysis Plan and outline developed during their first year Statistical reports are completed in Behavior Statistics and Experimental Analysis Manuscripts are written in Experimental Analysis and Research Seminar

4 Long Range (Strategic) Planning Goals: Long-Range Strategic Planning Goals: 1 Obtain approval by the Behavior Analysis Accreditation Board of our course sequence Goal 2 Require 50% percent of the faculty to be engaged in research Of the previous number, 50% will involve students in their research 3 Expand the practicum to more organizations and businesses in Savannah and adjacent areas 4 Develop a satisfaction survey administered to students in their second year, before graduation, and a year after graduation 5 Develop collaborative projects with the Study Abroad program Sponsor one symposium on campus in combination with Africana Studies Require our student association to present our program at various high schools in the area 6 Obtain approval by the Behavior Analysis Accreditation Board of our course sequence Develop an Advisory Council that includes professionals in the area at the local and national level What evidence shows need? Facilitate entrance to the certification exam for our students Provide students with additional sources for internships Increase retention rates Provide students with additional sources for internships Increase retention rates Evaluate how our courses prepare our students for their future careers Students will apply what is learned in our courses to other situations There is no other undergraduate behavior analysis program in Georgia Increase retention rates The board is an International body The program advisors can provide additional sources for our students and send students to our university Unit Function: CLASS: Inclusive environment that encourages students to develop intellectually, physically, ethically, emotionally and aesthetically CLASS: Critical and analytical thinking and effective communications skills CLASS: Relationships cultivated between faculty and students CLASS: Relationships cultivated between faculty and students SBS: Appreciation of cultural diversity SBS: Awareness of civic responsibilities SBS: Cutting edge, nationally recognized SSU Goal: Scholarship and research Service and community involvement Studentcentered environment Celebrates the African American legacy Nurturing a diverse student body Nationally accredited

5 Immediate Planning Objectives: Obj. Immediate Planning Objective: Evaluation plan: Unit Function: Unit Goal: 1 Develop standard rubrics for manuscripts and oral presentations to be used on all upper level courses A standard rubric will be completed by Spring 2011 CLASS: Critical and analytical thinking and effective communications skills 2 Develop a series of symposiums with the goal of understanding our students needs 3 Identify and contact possible sites in the Savannah area where our students could complete their practicum/internships 4 Identify and contact possible members of the Advisory Council 5 Increase the computer literacy elements in 50% of the courses 6 Develop assessments for each course that measure course effectiveness, student satisfaction and student professionalism Each year the program will have a symposium per semester Behavior analysts in the area will be contacted by January 2010 and negotiations will begin by the end of Spring 2010 Behavior analysts and other organizations or professionals in the area or at the national level will be contacted by January 2010 and the members of the advisory board will be selected by the end of Spring 2010 A survey of the faculty at the end of each semester will identify possible courses that can be enhanced with exercises that require the use of computers. The current assessment tools will be evaluated by the end of Spring Improved assessment tools will be developed over the 2010 Summer and implemented on Fall CLASS: Relationships cultivated between faculty and students SBS: Cutting edge, nationally recognized CLASS: Critical and analytical thinking and effective communications skills CLASS: Inclusive environment that encourages students to develop intellectually, physically, ethically, emotionally and aesthetically Studentcentered environment Nationally accredited

6 Planning Objective Evaluation Details: 1. Develop standard rubrics for manuscripts and oral presentations to be used on all upper level courses a. Current rubrics from all courses that require presentations or manuscripts will be collected by the end of Fall b. The faculty will discuss and vote on the most important items that students should master during Spring c. The faculty will implement the new rubrics in the Fall of d. An outside observer will evaluate a sample of the students using the same rubric for validation. e. The new rubrics will be evaluated during the Spring f. A standard rubric will be completed by Spring Develop a series of symposiums with the goal of understanding our students needs a. The current survey will be used in a sample of courses to assess the areas where our students need further advisement or help. b. A symposium will be scheduled for the end of the current semester to address these issues. c. A survey will be developed by the end of Fall 2009 to assess student needs. d. Data will be collected at the beginning of each semester about student doubts. e. Each year the program will have a symposium per semester that covers the findings from the survey and introduces the freshmen to the program. 3. Identify and contact possible sites in the Savannah area where our students could complete their practicum/internships a. A list of the behavior analysts in the area will be collected by the end of 2009 b. Behavior analysts in the area will be contacted by January 2010 c. Negotiations will begin by the end of Spring Identify and contact possible members of the Advisory Council a. Behavior analysts and other organizations or professionals in the area or at the national level will be contacted by January 2010 b. The faculty will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each possible candidate and will develop a protocol for the Advisory Council during Spring 2010 c. The members of the advisory board will be selected by the end of Spring 2010

7 5. Increase the computer literacy elements in 50% of the courses a. A survey of the faculty at the end of each semester will identify possible courses that can be enhanced with exercises that require the use of computers. 6. Develop assessments for each course that measure course effectiveness, student satisfaction and student professionalism a. The current assessment tools will be evaluated by the end of Spring b. Improved assessment tools will be developed over the Summer 2010 and implemented on Fall c. The data collected from the assessment tools will be compared against other sources of information to evaluate their effectiveness: Implications Across Campus: i. Number of graduates that take and pass the certification exam ii. Number of graduates that apply and go into graduate schools iii. Satisfaction surveys iv. Supervisor reports from practicum/internship sites Students interested in advertisement and business management can take a minor in behavior analysis that will allow them to learn techniques to influence behavior. Students interested in criminal justice, social work, or sociology can take a minor in behavior analysis which will allow them to define problems from a behavioral perspective and modify behavior. Because the number of our majors has grown above the initial expectations, we require an additional faculty member in the area of Behavior Organization.