This is what happens...
...When you light a fire under my (big) ass.
Paula suggested that I write to the lovely people at WASC regarding CSUN's reaccreditation. Needless to say, I was game. Here's what I brought to the table off the top of my frustrated, tired, and on-allergy-pills head:
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Right now CSUN is about getting a quantitative education and not a qualitative one. It was understood 20 years ago that a committed student entering a state university would be able to get out in 4 years. Both CSUN-sponsored and independently run surveys and statistics reveal that this is not only unlikely today, but almost a preposterous proposition. But why?
It is wholly unwise to blame it entirely on factors out of our control, e.g. students work more (and have less time for classes), there are so many more students to attend to, the quality of the average student is not the same what you'd get on a UC campus, there isn't enough qualified staff to accommodate the large campus population, etc. There are specific elements that we can point to that need remedying, and with such a plan in place, maybe a higher number than 5% of students would graduate in 4 years time -- and still with a well-rounded education under their respective belts.
1) Drop the extraneous requirements. Forcing students to take (surprise!) courses upon completion of the lower-division 60 unit GE requirement (e.g. section E, section F, an extra science class, 9 upper division GE units and other random requirements) doesn't make us more "well-rounded," it merely exhausts our motivation to continue on as well as our pocketbooks as we spend money on classes we don't really need. Streamline the requirements: the 60 GE units suffice for general education. Eliminate the gunk around the edges (see the requirements mentioned above), and instead allow the CSUN student to focus on their major/minor, which should be their bread and butter anyway.
2) Revise advisement. As the system currently stands, I as a journalism student am required to seek advisement every semester. ...I am NOT allowed to make an appointment, rather I am told to visit my assigned advisor during his office hours... Which occur at a rate of just 3 hours per week, when I'm otherwise in class. Droves of us sit in the hallway for hours while we camp out and wait our turns for advisement. I suggest either allowing us to make appointments, allowing us to see more than just one counselor, or both. But something has to change -- the students are frenzied and restless, and the faculty members are burned out.
3) Improve the quality of classroom instruction -- NOT by laying on seemingly random, not-well-thought-out research projects and papers, but by really *teaching.* Every class I have within the communications, liberal arts, or humanities department requires a big project from me every semester. Are these projects actually teaching me anything, other than how to google search items and then regurgitate the facts back in the form of a paper or a presentation? No. We all know what the professor is looking for -- and this generation is particularly good at parroting back what we think the powers that be want to hear. But we're not learning anything. Rather than assigning a tedious, time-consuming so-called "research" project or paper every semester, why not come up with something creative that will really motivate the students to reach outside of the box and learn something? I once had an intercultural communications class, and for our final "big project," the professor had us visit a culture outside of our norm -- a mosque, Tijuana, a homeless shelter, a gay restaurant/bar, etc -- and then we were to give a presentation to the class about our experiences. Was there research involved? Yes. Did I still have to work hard? Yes. But it was different; it wasn't such an exercise in futility like so many of these other projects and papers seem to be. Again, think *quality* and not *quantity.*
4) Treat students like real people and not just numbers. This should really almost go without saying, but all too often we at CSUN are treated like cattle. I may not be paying for a USC education, but I still expect my school to know a little bit more about me than my DOB and GPA. Personal attention is really lacking, and the students are sick of being treated like children waiting in line at Disneyland.
5) Enrollment appointments = a serious problem. Another reason some of us are stuck here longer than 5 or even 6 years is that we can't get into the classes that we need. Why? Because by the time our individual enrollment appointments come around, everyone else has already gotten first (and second, and third, and fourth) crack at the classes offered. I've met more than a handful of students who specifically did things like volunteer for peer counseling with the express purpose of being able to qualify for an earlier enrollment appointment. They felt forced to manipulate the system, or else have the system manipulate them. There must be a better way to handle enrollment other than the current model.
6) Stop the pyramid of prerequisites within the major. In Journalism, for the first 3 semesters I'm trying to get my core classes, I'm limited to taking a mere *two* classes at a time -- as every other class is prereq'd up at least one level. Come on guys... We can handle more than 6 units a semester of major coursework! This practice alone all but assures the student that he/she will be staying around at least 6 years on campus. I understand that some classes (but not all, like the current model would have you believe) build on previous knowledge, but then why not consolidate some of the lower-level courses (100 and 200 level) into one big 5 or 6 unit class, so we can move up the ladder that much faster? If junior colleges can do this (and they do), CSUN can too.
And finally, realize that although CSUN is a state school with certain hang ups -- a lack of funding, overpopulation, etc, it is still an accredited University of higher learning. As such, students should be treated with a fair amount of respect -- for their time (not 6/7/8 years of it), their money (not $30,000+ of it), and their motivation/drive/inner strength -- which wears very thin after years of being put through hoops that do nothing to support the crux of your education or career.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
--Krissy
Paula suggested that I write to the lovely people at WASC regarding CSUN's reaccreditation. Needless to say, I was game. Here's what I brought to the table off the top of my frustrated, tired, and on-allergy-pills head:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Right now CSUN is about getting a quantitative education and not a qualitative one. It was understood 20 years ago that a committed student entering a state university would be able to get out in 4 years. Both CSUN-sponsored and independently run surveys and statistics reveal that this is not only unlikely today, but almost a preposterous proposition. But why?
It is wholly unwise to blame it entirely on factors out of our control, e.g. students work more (and have less time for classes), there are so many more students to attend to, the quality of the average student is not the same what you'd get on a UC campus, there isn't enough qualified staff to accommodate the large campus population, etc. There are specific elements that we can point to that need remedying, and with such a plan in place, maybe a higher number than 5% of students would graduate in 4 years time -- and still with a well-rounded education under their respective belts.
1) Drop the extraneous requirements. Forcing students to take (surprise!) courses upon completion of the lower-division 60 unit GE requirement (e.g. section E, section F, an extra science class, 9 upper division GE units and other random requirements) doesn't make us more "well-rounded," it merely exhausts our motivation to continue on as well as our pocketbooks as we spend money on classes we don't really need. Streamline the requirements: the 60 GE units suffice for general education. Eliminate the gunk around the edges (see the requirements mentioned above), and instead allow the CSUN student to focus on their major/minor, which should be their bread and butter anyway.
2) Revise advisement. As the system currently stands, I as a journalism student am required to seek advisement every semester. ...I am NOT allowed to make an appointment, rather I am told to visit my assigned advisor during his office hours... Which occur at a rate of just 3 hours per week, when I'm otherwise in class. Droves of us sit in the hallway for hours while we camp out and wait our turns for advisement. I suggest either allowing us to make appointments, allowing us to see more than just one counselor, or both. But something has to change -- the students are frenzied and restless, and the faculty members are burned out.
3) Improve the quality of classroom instruction -- NOT by laying on seemingly random, not-well-thought-out research projects and papers, but by really *teaching.* Every class I have within the communications, liberal arts, or humanities department requires a big project from me every semester. Are these projects actually teaching me anything, other than how to google search items and then regurgitate the facts back in the form of a paper or a presentation? No. We all know what the professor is looking for -- and this generation is particularly good at parroting back what we think the powers that be want to hear. But we're not learning anything. Rather than assigning a tedious, time-consuming so-called "research" project or paper every semester, why not come up with something creative that will really motivate the students to reach outside of the box and learn something? I once had an intercultural communications class, and for our final "big project," the professor had us visit a culture outside of our norm -- a mosque, Tijuana, a homeless shelter, a gay restaurant/bar, etc -- and then we were to give a presentation to the class about our experiences. Was there research involved? Yes. Did I still have to work hard? Yes. But it was different; it wasn't such an exercise in futility like so many of these other projects and papers seem to be. Again, think *quality* and not *quantity.*
4) Treat students like real people and not just numbers. This should really almost go without saying, but all too often we at CSUN are treated like cattle. I may not be paying for a USC education, but I still expect my school to know a little bit more about me than my DOB and GPA. Personal attention is really lacking, and the students are sick of being treated like children waiting in line at Disneyland.
5) Enrollment appointments = a serious problem. Another reason some of us are stuck here longer than 5 or even 6 years is that we can't get into the classes that we need. Why? Because by the time our individual enrollment appointments come around, everyone else has already gotten first (and second, and third, and fourth) crack at the classes offered. I've met more than a handful of students who specifically did things like volunteer for peer counseling with the express purpose of being able to qualify for an earlier enrollment appointment. They felt forced to manipulate the system, or else have the system manipulate them. There must be a better way to handle enrollment other than the current model.
6) Stop the pyramid of prerequisites within the major. In Journalism, for the first 3 semesters I'm trying to get my core classes, I'm limited to taking a mere *two* classes at a time -- as every other class is prereq'd up at least one level. Come on guys... We can handle more than 6 units a semester of major coursework! This practice alone all but assures the student that he/she will be staying around at least 6 years on campus. I understand that some classes (but not all, like the current model would have you believe) build on previous knowledge, but then why not consolidate some of the lower-level courses (100 and 200 level) into one big 5 or 6 unit class, so we can move up the ladder that much faster? If junior colleges can do this (and they do), CSUN can too.
And finally, realize that although CSUN is a state school with certain hang ups -- a lack of funding, overpopulation, etc, it is still an accredited University of higher learning. As such, students should be treated with a fair amount of respect -- for their time (not 6/7/8 years of it), their money (not $30,000+ of it), and their motivation/drive/inner strength -- which wears very thin after years of being put through hoops that do nothing to support the crux of your education or career.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
--Krissy