Academic Plan Launch2018-2023

Previous Plan2012-17

Six Areas of Emphasis in 2012-2017

1. Enhancing Student Learning through Excellence in Teaching

2. Enhancing Student Success

3. Linking Theory and Practice

4. Promoting Research, Creative Activity, and Graduate Studies

5. Building Thematic Clusters of Teaching and Research

6. Enhancing Our International Diversity

Next Plan2018-23

Approach

• Supports, and is supported by, the President’s Strategic Plan 2017-2022

• Input and guidance from the university community key (how, to be discussed today)

• take care to maintain our existing strengths (link to SRP)

• consider opportunities for program renewal and new program development

• highlight burgeoning research areas within SMU that could become new strengths (link to SRP)

• examine our support for intercultural and indigenization initiatives in all aspects of teaching, learning, and research, and

• look at how we support student success

Approach

Lastly, while the plan will be a blueprint for action based on what we identify now, that does not preclude the possibility of acting on good new ideas over the course of the plan.

Initial Themes

1. Teaching and learning

• Innovative and distinctive pedagogy

• Curriculum development and renewal

• Effective use of different modes of delivery (online and blended learning, flipped classrooms, active learning, ….)

• Supports and resources for faculty and students

Initial Themes

2. Student success, persistence, and graduation

• First-year experience

• Advising supports

• Supports for students through upper years

• Understanding and addressing obstacles to graduation

Initial Themes

3. Experiential learning and leadership (the creative and entrepreneurial mindset)

• How to improve/enhance access to co-operative education, internship opportunities, service learning, and other modes of experiential/work-integrated learning

• Ways to create opportunities for students to connect with entrepreneurial curriculum and activities

• Leadership development for students

Initial Themes

4. Promoting Scholarship and Research

• Improve access to funding opportunities

• Increase supports for community-based, community-engaged research

• Increase student engagement with research (undergraduate and graduate)

• Recognize research success

• Strategic Research Plan

Initial Themes

5. Building Thematic Clusters of Teaching and Research

• Build on strengths (old and new) identified in the renewed strategic research plan

• Look also at themes identified in fundraising priority exercise

• Leverage these strengths for complementary academic programming renewal

Initial Themes

6. Intercultural Learning

• Opportunities to develop intercultural competences

• Deeper and meaningful connections locally and globally

• Enhancing opportunities and access for indigenous students

• Identify MOUs with opportunities for real and meaningful collaboration

• New opportunities for learning, research, student engagement

Next Steps

• Discussion today around themes as starting point

• Means to garner input from the community

• Finalize and publicize committee working to advise me on the plan

• Start scheduling activities the week of October 22nd!

• Plan to be finalized no later than April 2019 (ideally, first thoughts made public in January 2019)