International Plan and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

1
International Plan and the Undergraduate
Research Opportunities Program

• Progress Report
• GT Quality Enhancement Plan
• May 17, 2007

2
Quality Enhancement Plan

• SACS requirement
• Broad-based institutional plan
• Focused on learning outcomes and student support
  environment
• GT Focus International Plan and UROP
• GTs learning by doing philosophy
• Enhance ready-to-work capabilities and
  opportunities

3
Why we are here today

• Accountability to the Institute
• Halfway to Focus Report
• Report on progress

4
Presenting today

• Jack Lohmann
• SACS Liaison and Chair, QEP Steering Committee
• Terry Snell
• Co-Chair, International Plan Committee
• Karen Harwell
• Director, Undergraduate Research Opportunities
  Program (UROP)
• Jon Gordon
• Interim Director of Assessment

5
International Plan Goals

• Global competence for undergraduates in any
  discipline
• Global knowledge (based on coursework)
• Language proficiency
• Six months overseas (study, work, research)
• Global competence in students discipline as well
  as more generally
• Study, work, or research involving students
  major
• Culminating course in major integrating global
  experience into major
• Attract top students to Georgia Tech

6
International Plan Good Things

• Degree programs involved 12 in 2005 24 in
  2007
• Student participation 125 in 2005 291 in
  2007
• Awards Received
• Honorable Mention Heiskel Award for
  International Education Innovation, 2005
• Feature program The Senator Paul Simon
  Internationalization Award, 2007
• Recognition as one of the leading universities in
  development of global competence especially in
  difficult fields of science and engineering

7
International Plan Participation
8
International Plan Challenges

• Assessment Measuring global competence
• Global knowledge
• Cultural sensitivity
• Global competence in the discipline
• Student Access Barriers to participation
• Added costs
• Potential for adding time to graduation
• Competition from interesting options at GT
• Participants engagement from application until
  time for international experience
• Maintaining interest
• Some attrition

9
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
(UROP) - Goals

• Overall Participation Goals
• FY07 100 students
• FY10 300 students
• gt70 participate for more than one term
• Increased participation in disciplines with
  previously lower participation rates
• Progress toward goals
• 20 increase each year in participation since
  2004
• FY06-07 365 students (approx.)
• Learning outcomes problem solving
  communication research competence and confidence

10
UROP Goals, contd

• Research Option Goals
• FY07 20 students participating
• FY10 70 students participating
• Higher rate of application to graduate study
  completion of Ph.D. from these students
• Progress toward goals
• 14 schools with plans
• AE, Biology, ChBE, Chem BioChem, CS, CM, EAS,
  ECE, HTS, Math, MSE, Physics, Psych, and STAC
• Graduates 5 in Fall 2006 14 in Spring 2007
• 36 additional students indicated intent to
  participate (16 to graduate Fall 2007)

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UROP Good Things

• Increased buzz on campus
• Centralized source of information (and some
  funding)
• Increase in PURA applications/awards from IAC,
  COA
• Research Option thesis now available for more
  students
• Increased opportunities for
• Inquiry-based, hands-on learning
• Developing communication and independent research
  skills
• Funding Opportunities
• Two AE PURAs endowed
• BME and ChBE looking to create additional U/G
  research opportunities

12
UROP Challenges

• Maximizing scarce resources to meet demand
• Without decrease in quality of experience
• Without dilution of mentoring from faculty
• Support of/for faculty and mentors
• Ability to count participating students
  accurately (i.e., research for pay students)
• Fundraising
• Overlap between potential students for
  International Plan, DOPP, and UROP programs in
  order to reach goals
• Finding and monitoring international U/G research
  opportunities

13
Assessment Goals

• International Plan
• Longitudinal study of intercultural competence
• Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)
• Development of test of global knowledge
• Defining and measuring disciplinary global
  competence
• UROP
• Development of rubrics to measure thesis writing
  abilities
• Surveys of competencies gained by students as a
  result of their research experiences
• Longitudinal impact of research experiences on
  careers

14
Assessment Good Things

• International Plan
• 2,748 students completed IDI as freshmen
• Results from CIRP Freshman Survey
• Hypothesis International Plan students have
  similar profiles to students at very high
  selectivity private universities
• UROP
• Pilot survey results from PURA students and
  faculty mentors
• Student and faculty reported gains in problem
  solving, time management, and presentation skills
• Focus group feedback used to improve training in
  thesis writing

15
Assessment Challenges

• International Plan
• Follow-up surveys student participation
• Trade-off between individual discipline capstones
  and a common approach to assessment
• UROP
• Faculty buy-in on use of rubrics for rating
  research theses

16
Thank You - Discussion

• International Plan
• Terry Snell, 404-894-8906 terry.snell_at_biology.gate
  ch.edu
• Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
• Karen Harwell, 404-385-7325 karen.harwell_at_carnegie
  .gatech.edu
• Plan Assessment
• Jon Gordon, 404-385-1419 jon.gordon_at_gatech.edu