Bachelor of Arts Degrees: A Development and Implementation Odyssey

Robert FlemingAssociate Vice President, Learning

Kwantlen University CollegeSurrey, BC, Canada

Who Are we?

Where Are we?

What Is Our Mandate?

History and Mandate

• In 1970 Douglas College was formed to serve 15 locations in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada

History and Mandate

• In 1981 Douglas College was split–one half remained Douglas and the other became Kwantlen College

• Kwantlen retained 4 campuses: Surrey, Newton, Richmond and Langley

History and Mandate

• In 1995, Kwantlen was designated a University College and given degree granting status by the BC Ministry of Advanced Education

• Kwantlen’s mandate was to provide comprehensive programming: from Trades and Vocation programs to Applied Degrees

• In addition to offering the first 2 years of general university study and existing college programs, Kwantlen began offering 4 year undergraduate degrees

• The first degrees were in Business, Nursing, and Design

Current Program Offerings

• Kwantlen currently offers well over 100 programs in addition to 10 four-year undergraduate degrees

• We are Canada’s largest University College– approx. 17,000 students—10,000 FTE’s– Over 800 faculty and 500 staff

Degree Areas

• Nursing

• Applied Psychology

• Interior Design

• Graphics Design

• Fashion Design

• Applied Journalism

• Entrepreneurial Leadership

• Business Administration

• Information Technology

• Community Criminal Justice

Current Mandate

• Kwantlen offers comprehensive programming ranging from trades and vocational programs to baccalaureate and applied masters degrees

• Over 75% of our programs, including those in the trades areas, ladder into degree programs

• A new trades campus is planned for Cloverdale—opening in 2006

Expanding Our Mandate

Expanded Mandate

• The BC Ministry of Advanced Education determined that Kwantlen would not be restricted to offering only Applied Degrees

• Anticipated demographic pressure for access to post secondary education over the next 10 years requires more degree programs in our region

Demographic Pressure

British Columbia faces significant challengesover the next decade in providing access to quality post-secondary education for B.C. students and expanding the capacity of its post-secondary sector. The South Fraser region in particular, where Kwantlen is located, is in critical need of new access opportunities given demographic characteristics of the areas (At Our Doors: The Demand for Post-Secondary Education in the Fraser Region of Southwestern B.C.).

Demographic PressureAdditional FTE Enrollment Demand

From 2003 Levels

Source of Demand

2011 2016

North Fraser

3,400 4,200

South Fraser

10,500 12,700

Total Fraser Region

13,900 16,900

Labour Market Pressure

“Recent occupational projections on theMinistry of Advanced Education website, those of May 2003, show that 72 per cent of the projected job openings in BC over the next decade will require some form of post-secondary education. In contrast, only 66 per cent of employment in 2001 required post-secondary education” (Our Doors 19).

Shortage of Student Seats

Between the years 2002/03 to 2003/04, 1149 to 1179 students who began their studies at Kwantlen applied to B.C. universities for degree completion. Of these qualified applicants, 65.9% to 70% were made offers of acceptance and 78% to 80% of these applicants followed through with registration.

Program Selection

• Kwantlen has focused on Bachelor of Arts Degree programs for the following reasons

– High student demand– Employer demand– Relatively low resource and delivery costs– Faculty expertise– External Accreditation

Existing Bachelor of Arts Degrees

• Bachelor of Arts, Applied Psychology• Significant emphasis on research, practicum, stats• Over 80% of our graduates who apply are

accepted at Grad School

• Bachelor of Arts, Community Criminal Justice• Emphasis on research, practicum, stats• Launched in September, 2004

New B.A. Degrees: Fall, 2005

• Bachelor of Arts degrees with majors and minors– Major and Minor in Criminology– Major and Minor in Psychology– Major in General Studies– Minors in English and History – Double Minor

Program Structures

B.A. Curriculum Framework

• Students will achieve a B.A. degree at Kwantlen by completing a minimum of 120 credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0, plus a minimum grade of ‘C’ in all required courses.

• In addition to satisfying all the essential requirements listed, students must complete at least 65 of the 120 credits in arts subjects, and at least 45 credits at the upper levels.

B.A. Curriculum Framework: Essential Requirements

• 6-credit writing requirement including ENGL 1100 and one of either ENGL 1202 or 1204 to be completed within the first 60 credits taken

• A minimum 9-credit (3 courses) quantitative requirement, at least 6 credits of which are to be completed within the first 60 credits taken – To be listed as quantitative for the purposes of the

Bachelor of Arts degrees, courses must have quantitative reasoning, or formal reasoning, or scientific reasoning as a basic principle in their primary subject matter

– At least 3 credits of the above 9 quantitative credits must be taken from courses offered by the Faculty of Science

B.A. Curriculum Framework: Essential Requirements

• 24-credit breadth requirement, consisting of a minimum of one 1000-2000 level course in at least four separate social science or humanities disciplines outside of the main program area and one 3000-4000 level course outside the main area of study. These may include UNIV 1001, a first-year foundational course, and UNIV 4001, a fourth year capstone course.

• Second language to grade 11 or 6-credit post-secondary language requirement to be completed within the first 60 credits. Students who can demonstrate competency in a second language may have this requirement waived.

B.A., Majors

• Follow the Curriculum Framework

• Required courses specific to the major

• 30 upper level credits in the area of the major

B.A., Major in General Studies

• Follow the Curriculum Framework

• A selection of courses from and between departments of most interest to student

• Coherent program: Themes, Topics, Skills

• Each individualized program must have prior approval of advisor

B.A., Minors

• Follow the Curriculum Framework

• Required courses specific to each distinct minor

• 15 upper level credits in the minor area

• 18 upper level credits in the minor area for an extended minor – Preferred for teachable subject areas by most

education programs

B.A., Double Minor

• Follow the Curriculum Framework

• Required courses specific to each distinct minor

• 15 - 18 upper level credits in each of the two areas of the minors total 30 - 36 credits

Admissions and Registration Protocols

Admission: Kwantlen Students

• To be admitted to year one of the B.A. program new and continuing students must meet the following criteria– B in ENGL 12 (or equivalent) – C in Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent)

• Students who do not meet the criteria may be admitted to a Qualifying Studies Year as non-program students– Academic upgrading in writing and/or quantitative skills courses– Students may enroll in university courses that do not require

B.A. level writing and quantitative skills– Upon successful completion of the Qualifying Year, students are

guaranteed admittance to the BA program

Admission: Transfer Students

• Transfer students must meet the same general and program-specific entrance criteria as Kwantlen students

• Guaranteed student FTE allocations are limited by Memorandum of Understanding with specific transferring institutions

Registration: Kwantlen Students

• Program students get registration priority– Guaranteed seats for full-time students only– Registration order is determined by CGPA

• In future, the criteria are likely to include– Preset CGPA to be admitted to the B.A.

program

Registration: Transfer Students

• Follow the same protocols as the existing Kwantlen program students until the transfer institution’s FTE allocation for B.A. program students is depleted

• Additional transfer students can register as new students

• We are exploring dual registration options with institutions in our region

Development and Implementation Process and Timeline

Timeline Activitiy

Spring-Summer2003

B.A. Degree Advisory Group established under the leadership of Dr. Bob Brown, former Dean of Arts at Simon Fraser University

Consultations with students, faculty, staff, and the community regarding viability and curriculum

Draft a “Curriculum Framework” discussion paper

September 2003 Submission of “Curriculum Framework” paper to the internal Kwantlen community

Fall 2003 Series of open forums and meetings with stakeholdersRevisions to the “Curriculum Framework”

B.A. Degree Implementation Committee structure established: Curriculum;Admissions, Registration and Enrollment; Human Resources; Library;Marketing; Counseling and Advising

Spring-Summer 2004

B.A. Degree Implementation Committees meet and continue do so throughout the year

“Curriculum Framework” prepared for submission to internal governance authorities: Degree and Program Assessment Committee (DPAC),Educational Council, Board of Governors

April 2004 “Curriculum Framework” approved by DPAC

Degree Proposal Writing Group starts developing the required “Notices of Intent” (NOIs) and “Full Program Proposals” (FPPs)

May 2004 “Curriculum Framework” approved by Education Council and the Board of Governors

Consultations with other colleges and universities

Requests for letter of comment for inclusion in NOIs and FPPs

June 2004 Four NOIs and four FPPs are submitted to and approved by DPAC and Education Council

Department Curriculum Committees begin developing necessary new upper levels course outlines

August 2004 NOIs and FPPs revised in preparation for mid-August posting on the Post Secondary Institution Proposal System website for external commentary

NOIs approved by the Board of Governors

September 2004 NOIs and FPPs revised and submitted to the Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB)

October 2004 NOIs and FPPs approved by DQAB

Curriculum Development Continues

Admissions, Registration, and Enrollment Management protocols

Marketing plan implemented

Advising protocol established

Library purchase of B.A. degree resource materials accelerated

November 2004 Application process begins

Spring 2004 New upper levels courses approved by Education Council

Admission decisions made

Summer 2005 Student Orientation

September 2005 Programs Begin

Identifying Strengths and

Addressing Challenges

Student and Employer Demand

• Ministry of Advanced Education increases in FTEs targets for the South Fraser Region to respond to Demographic Pressure

• Labour Market expectation for undergraduate-educated employees

• Shortage of seats for transferring students

• Internal and community surveys indicating preference for degree completion programs at Kwantlen – Most degree program options are a .5 to 1.5 hour commute

away: UBC, SFU, UCFV

Budget and Facilities Resources• Strategic Planning

– Long Term Education Plan• FTE Distribution through 2009/10

– Ministry of Advanced Education Service Plan

• Operational Budget– Managing FTE allocation for the BA programs

• Capital Building Projects – Classrooms, Offices, Library Expansion, Cloverdale Campus (TradesFine Arts

Renovation in Langley)

• Program Consolidation by Campus– Surrey Campus = Upper Level Undergraduate Academic – Langley Campus = Horticulture, Fine/Performing Arts– Richmond Campus = Design/Professional Degrees– Newton/Cloverdale = Trades

Divisional Structures / Support Services

• Consolidation of Divisions – Current Structure

• 8 Academic Areas, each headed by a Dean– Trades, Science/Technology/Horticulture, Business, Health, Design,

Access, Library/Student Services, Humanities and Social Sciences

– Proposed Structure• 4 Academic Areas, each headed by a Dean and supported more

comprehensively by Associate Deans, Chairs with expanded authority and responsibilities, and program assistants

– Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Professional Programs, Access Programs

– First Steps for 2005:• Faculty of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences

– 220+ faculty, 20+ disciplines and 30+ programs

Divisional Structures / Support Services

• Service Area Support Requirements– Advising

• dedicated program/division advisors to deal with specialized needs of program students

• expanded high school liaison activity– Marketing

• focused program/division marketing plans• expanded high school recruitment activity

– Admissions• more proactive and timely application approval protocols• Development and implementation of enrollment management plans

by program/division– HR

• dedicated HR specialists responsive to program/division issues: recruitment, retention, workload

Student Access and Enrollment

• From Open Access to Selective Entry– Competency Based Criteria not CGPA– Several Years of Success Rate Data Reports

• Literacy: English 12 ‘B’ • Numeracy: Principles of Math 11 ‘C’

• Maintaining Access for Under-prepared Students– BA Qualifying Year– Upgrading in English and Math– University 1100—Preparation and Skills Course

Student Access and Enrollment• Guaranteed Seats for Full-Time Students

– Allows us to manage the program efficiently on very limited resources by only running one section of required upper level courses during the initial implementation of programs

– Access to seats for qualified part-time students based on availability and CGPA

• Seats for Qualified Transfer Students from Two-Year Colleges – Memoranda of Understanding give us and them enrollment predictability – Allows the colleges to develop their programs and retain their students

based on the certainty of transfer spaces

• Dual Registration and 75% Transfer Credit Possibilities– Allows us to build on each other’s expertise and expand upper level

course options for students

Curriculum Development / Delivery

• Focus on programs/departments with existing faculty expertise– Psychology, Criminology, English and History– New Hires for expertise are minimal

• Curriculum development occurs simultaneous with program proposal submissions– 50+ new formal outlines developed and approved by expert

faculty and/or departmental curriculum development groups– New course outlines proceed through the regular approval

stages: Department, Division, Education Council, Board of Governors

– Most new curriculum is approved by the spring of 2005

Curriculum Development / Delivery

• Support new course offerings with project time assignments– Major Resource Commitment

• Faculty teaching load reduced by one course• Department course materials are developed• New courses taught the first two times by the faculty developing

curriculum

• BA Curriculum Committee established to oversee Curriculum Framework implementation issues and assess new minor and major proposals– Quantitative Credit Assessment Subcommittee– Writing Credit Assessment– Second Language Credit Assessment

Institutional Credibility

• Hire the Appropriate Consultant– Dr. Bob Brown, Dean of Arts, SFU (Retired)

• Faculty Expertise and Credentials– Existing Strengths: Psychology, Criminology, English and History– Focused Hiring for Four Year Programs

• Workload: Teaching, Research and Scholarship– Project Time Assignments for Curriculum Development– Preferential Scheduling– Expanded R+S Funding and Support

Institutional Credibility

• Liaising with Sending and Receiving Institutions– Transfer Agreements– Program Review and Articulation– Graduate School Access– Support Letters: Chairs, Deans, VPs, and Presidents

• Peer Reviewed Program Proposals

• Degree Quality Assessment Board Endorsement and Ministry Approval

Moving Forward

Kwantlen University College–BA Degrees

BA Degrees Press Release