Recommendations and Issues
The College believes that the IEI Program has been a tremendous success. A great deal of credit is due to the engagement of faculty and staff, as well as the support of the senior leadership on campus and the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC).
The College requests that the Chancellor, following consultation with the SFAC, approve the following recommendations no later than June 30, 2007, to be effective July 1, 2007:
1. Maintain the current fee level of $6.00 per unit.
As demonstrated in the financial statements, the overall fiscal position of the IEI Program is stable. The current level of IEI support generated from the per units fee will generate sufficient resources to sustain the IEI at its current level. The modest increase in undergraduate enrollments expected over the next two years will go primarily to cover inflationary increases. The College expects to maintain a balanced budget during this time and, as a result, does not request an increase in the IEI fee at this time.
2. Redeploy up to $200,000 in each of the next two years to support the Common Collaboration and Learning Environment (CCLE).
The Common Collaboration and Learning Environment (CCLE) is an important campus initiative. As described earlier, the goal of the CCLE is to enable faculty and students to integrate information about their course of study or research interest(s) in a single workspace, enabling collaboration with other students and faculty across multiple disciplines. Faculty, students, and administrators can choose from a set of standardized set of tools to help improve the quality of education. Faculty will be able to provide students with access to research information and computational resources in an effort to create collaborative work spaces whose focus of academic interest can cross over multiple terms and courses. Information flow will be seamless, as information will be drawn from various data repositories as changes occur. The possibilities are limitless.
In an effort to maintain momentum and partner with schools across campus, the College proposes to redeploy up to $200,000 of IEI resources in each of the next two years toward this important endeavor. These funds are needed in order to provide programming support to College departments and to provide incentives to partner with one another in developing standardized tools. A small portion of this support, between $50,000 and $75,000, is needed to acquire the necessary hardware and software to assist in managing this project. The College has at its discretion a small pool of IEI resources that it can deploy toward this initiative (see divisional financial statement "General Studies/Other" for further details). Some of the College divisions will also participate in this important initiative, either by providing in-kind contributions through a redeployment of effort or by supplementing this initiative directly.
In an effort to maintain momentum and partner with schools across campus, the College proposes to redeploy up to $200,000 of IEI resources in each of the next two years toward this important endeavor. These funds are needed in order to provide programming support to College departments and to provide incentives to partner with one another in developing standardized tools. A small portion of this support, between $50,000 and $75,000, is needed to acquire the necessary hardware and software to assist in managing this project. The College has at its discretion a small pool of IEI resources that it can deploy toward this initiative (see divisional financial statement "General Studies/Other" for further details). Some of the College divisions will also participate in this important initiative, either by providing in-kind contributions through a redeployment of effort or by supplementing this initiative directly.
3. Increase faculty and student participation and feedback through existing channels such as the Faculty Committee on Educational Technology (FCET).
Further refinement is needed in order to improve faculty and staff participation and feedback of the IEI's goals and outcomes. Currently, there are three primary mediums that provide faculty and staff with this opportunity: course evaluations, various advisory boards such as the Faculty Committee on Educational Technology (FCET), and the IEI complaint process/form. Through the course evaluation process itself, students are provided an opportunity to provide feedback on the courses they take. Further refinement is needed, however, particularly in understanding how the College and its faculty might improve the level and quality of undergraduate instruction through the use of technology. The College also believes that there is tremendous value in addressing any remaining gaps through faculty peer-reviews. All together, this provides a sound mechanism at addressing these issues and improving the College's instructional enhancement methods.
The FCET has long partnered with students on issues relating to educational technology and instruction. The Spring 2003 report, for example, found it extremely helpful to include a representative from the Student Fee Advisory Committee in developing its response to the set of questions/issues identified by then Provost Copenhaver. This effort must continue, and the College is committed to working with the FCET and other advisory boards on including broader student representation in the long term.
Lastly, the Dean's Office will continue to serve as the primary point of contact with regard to student complaints about the IEI Program. Although the number of cases is relatively low as compared to the overall population of students (less than 20 per year over the past two years), this process has been especially helpful in that it provides an opportunity to interact directly with students in understanding their concerns and frustrations with the Program. Special consideration is given to each and every case, although the College is consistent in upholding the fee as mandatory.
The College welcomes input from the Student Fee Advisory Committee on this important issue.
The FCET has long partnered with students on issues relating to educational technology and instruction. The Spring 2003 report, for example, found it extremely helpful to include a representative from the Student Fee Advisory Committee in developing its response to the set of questions/issues identified by then Provost Copenhaver. This effort must continue, and the College is committed to working with the FCET and other advisory boards on including broader student representation in the long term.
Lastly, the Dean's Office will continue to serve as the primary point of contact with regard to student complaints about the IEI Program. Although the number of cases is relatively low as compared to the overall population of students (less than 20 per year over the past two years), this process has been especially helpful in that it provides an opportunity to interact directly with students in understanding their concerns and frustrations with the Program. Special consideration is given to each and every case, although the College is consistent in upholding the fee as mandatory.
The College welcomes input from the Student Fee Advisory Committee on this important issue.
Other Issues
The recent changes to MyUCLA's interface provides a glimpse at some of the efforts currently underway to keep pace with the changing demands of UCLA's student body. Efforts are also underway to improve the seamlessness of this important student portal, particularly in relation to other functions across campus. The goal of these efforts is to develop a true "one stop shop", enabling students to register for courses within one portal space, for example, or to pay bills without having to login multiple times. These changes are being done in collaboration with other units on campus.
Other important changes are being discussed, including the development of an online portfolio that will capture other activities within the lifecycle of an undergraduate career, such as public service and committee work. These efforts are being coordinated in concert with the CCLE initiative described above so as to not duplicate effort. In the end, the goal of creating and maintaining a seamless environment - one that enables students to perform all of the necessary functions relating to their undergraduate education - remains a high priority for the College.