Goal 1: Objective 1.1 | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

Goal 1: Supporting Student Success

Objective 1.1: Create and support accessible curricula that are relevant, responsive to changing societal needs and employer demand, and supportive of meaningful lifelong learning

Action Item 1.1.1

Enhance instructional design support and leverage existing curricular elements and create new valuable credit and non-credit learning opportunities for students, including those that cross disciplines or colleges.

Implementation Tasks

Convene meeting with college leadership to discuss current themes and potential interdisciplinary and cross-cutting learning opportunities.
Establish working groups comprised of faculty and staff to explore new ways to utilize and build upon existing curricular resources that align with identified themes AND/OR Create a college-wide RFP process to pilot viable ideas.
Submit, gain approval for and implement curricular proposals and noncredit learning opportunities

Responsible Party: Associate Deans of Undergraduate and Graduate Education; Director of Outreach

Metrics: College level meeting held; Proposals advanced by working groups or through RFP process; Curricular proposals advanced to University Senate, Graduate Council or other administrative units

Start and End Dates: Fall 2021; ongoing

Action Item 1.1.2

Create and implement flexible models for graduate education, explore new opportunities for professional graduate programs including in athletic training, social work, hospitality management and expand use of IUGs in HHD.

Implementation Tasks

Use plans for professional master’s degrees in Hospitality Management and Athletic Training to explore new revenue and hybrid learning models of graduate education programs.
Develop and disseminate best practices guide for flexible graduate education in Health and Human Development from exploratory efforts
Develop and offer additional IUGs and graduate programs.

Responsible Party: Associate Dean of Graduate and Research Programs and Associate Dean of Undergraduate and Outreach Programs; Director of Outreach

Metrics: Curricular proposals for professional master’s degrees and IUGs submitted to Graduate Council and University Faculty Senate; Best practices guide drafted and reviewed by Graduate PICs and HHD Executive Committee

Start and End Dates: Fall 2021; ongoing

Action Item 1.1.3

Build an undergraduate degree program in public health and apply for CEPH accreditation.

Implementation Tasks

Develop a curricular, organizational and implementation plan for a degree program in public health and complete a review of the plan by an advisory group made up of faculty and public health professionals.
Recruit leadership to finalize and implement plans
Submit, achieve and implement curricular proposal and initiate degree program and proposal for CEPH accreditation

Responsible Party: Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Outreach Programs

Metrics: Curriculum, organizational and implementation plan drafted and reviewed by advisory group; Program head hired; Curricular proposal submitted to University Faculty Senate and CEPH application submitted

Start and End Dates: Summer 2021- Summer 2023

Action Item 1.1.4

Better integrate principles and practices of antiracism and other themes related to diversity, equity and inclusion into existing undergraduate and graduate programs and courses.

Implementation Tasks

Have each department, working with faculty and advisers at University Park, the Commonwealth Campuses and the World Campus complete a program- wide inventory to identify best practices and current gaps in curriculum, courses, course content (e.g., readings, assessments, learning objectives, activities) for integrating principles and practices of antiracism and other themes related to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Develop and disseminate a best practices guide to share results of program level inventories and encourage adoption by additional programs
Have each department initiate 3-5 changes in educational programs to adopt best practices or address gaps identified in program inventories.

Responsible Party: Office for Diversity and Inclusion; Associate Dean for Graduate and Research Programs; Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Outreach Programs

Metrics: Department inventories completed; Best practices guide developed and available on HHD website; Departmental submission of plans to address gaps and implement best practices

Start and End Dates: 2022-2025

Action Item 1.1.5

Better integrate principles and practices of sustainability into existing and new undergraduate and graduate programs.

Implementation Tasks

Have each department complete a program- wide inventory to identify best practices and current gaps in curriculum, courses, course content (e.g., readings, assessments, learning objectives, activities) for integrating principles and practices of sustainability
Develop and disseminate a best practices guide to share results of program level inventories and encourage adoption by additional programs
Have each department initiate 3-5 changes in educational programs to adopt best practices or address gaps identified in program inventories.

Responsible Party: College Sustainability Council; Associate Dean for Graduate and Research Programs; Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Outreach Programs

Metrics: Department inventories completed; Best practices guide developed and available on HHD website; Departmental submission of plans to address gaps and implement best practices

Start and End Dates: 2023-2025

Action Item 1.1.6

Explore, select and implement a curricular approach to build a strong foundation of statistical, data science and analytic competencies and create one or more certificates or minors through an expanded set of undergraduate courses across multiple departments.

Implementation Tasks

Convene a multi-disciplinary working group of faculty to identify foundational data science and analytic skills that all HHD students should learn, one or more advanced competency areas that could be learned through additional undergraduate courses, and to draft initial course and curricular proposals for new courses, certificates and/or minors in these areas
Have representatives from working group, undergraduate PICs, and advising review and finalize curricular proposals
Submit, achieve and implement curricular proposals

Responsible Party: Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Outreach Programs

Metrics: Working group completes its draft proposals, Curricular proposals submitted to University Faculty Senate

Start and End Dates: Summer 2021- Summer 2023

Key Performance Indicators

Number of curricular proposals and noncredit learning opportunities implemented; Number of students enrolled or student credit hours completed in new curricula and learning opportunities; Revenue generated from new curricula and learning opportunities; Best practices guide for flexible graduate programs available on HHD website; Public Health Program approved by University Faculty Senate and application for CEPH accreditation is approved; Number of course/program changes implemented by HHD departments in diversity, sustainability, and data analytics; survey will demonstrate improved results among students, antiracism, diversity, equity, sustainability, and data analytics; number of students enrolled and students completing certificates and minors in diversity, sustainability and data sciences and analytics