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of Contents Introduction Curriculum Undergraduate Education Graduate Education Assessment of Student Learning Scholarship and Creative Work Outreach and Service Key Strengths Major Challenges Action Plans and Recom- mendations
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Introduction
The role of the research university. The impact of America’s great research universities—like the University of Colorado at Boulder—is profound and pervasive. These remarkable institutions not only provide excellent undergraduate education, but they enhance the economy and they excel in graduate education. They collaborate with K-12 institutions to improve education at all levels and they enhance lives through discoveries and scientific advances. At CU-Boulder, the results are as varied as space exploration, analyses for the legal and business communities, advances in health care, and writing of award-winning novels. The essential functions of a research university are instruction, scholarship (including scientific research as well as creative work in literature and the arts), and service. Yet they are inseparable tasks that stimulate and cross-fertilize in a remarkably synergistic way. These basic functions are embedded and intertwined within the work of all university personnel, including faculty, staff, students, administrators, and research associates. Extraordinary educational benefits are derived from the vigor of the research enterprise at CU-Boulder. Indeed, these benefits are enhanced by strengthening the interaction and participation across the ostensible boundaries between instruction, scholarship, and community involvement. Through its educational and scholarship activities, CU-Boulder provides access to an exceptional work force, cutting-edge ideas and trained personnel for technology development and transfer, and social and anthropological work that helps solve societal problems. Society also benefits from scholarship activities in literature and critical studies, creative and performing arts, clinical work, patents, database and anthology development, and educational and private sector outreach. Over the last decade, the University of Colorado at Boulder has continued to build strong interdisciplinary scholarship and learning programs, highlighted by a system of research centers and institutes as well as academic certificate programs that augment degree programs. Based on a strong disciplinary foundation, this interdisciplinary emphasis has become a distinguishing feature of the Boulder campus. In addition, the campus has positioned itself as a leader in the pedagogy of learning through research, leading to reform in many segments of the campus education programs. This strength is underscored by changes in infrastructure, such as smart classrooms, residential academic programs, the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory (ITLL), technology in the learning environment, and development of alternate teaching styles to reflect more active learning environments. Such investments in interdisciplinary work and pedagogy have led to many accomplishments of which the campus is justifiably proud. However, these strengths also have presented challenges that place stresses on the campus’s infrastructure, budgets, and human resources. Throughout this chapter, these accomplishments and challenges will be examined in a discussion derived primarily from the self-studies prepared by each college and school. More details can be found in those reports, which are available in the Resource Room and on the Web at University of Colorado Unit Self-Studies. Additional resources for this discussion include planning documents, assessment reports, and reports from program reviews. Continuous assessment is an integral part of a successful academic enterprise. At CU-Boulder, self-evaluation occurs at a number of levels and is used for varying purposes. A highlight of academic assessment is the Program Review Process (PRP), which is used to evaluate and enhance every academic unit on a regular seven-year schedule. The PRP, an important planning tool, is discussed in further detail in Chapter VI.
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Joint Degree Programs Help Integrate Learning |
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