This presentation is part of a larger series that started in January a year ago with a description of the Master Plan and a presentation on graduate education.   Now we’re going to devote several meetings to the undergraduate experience, starting with this one which focuses on their educational experiences. Later on we’ll address issues such as undergraduate student life, mental health and intercollegiate athletics.  Our campuses work very hard to be innovative and to lead the nation in the quality of undergraduate education.  You’ll hear examples of that today. I’m going to start by briefly setting the context.  Council Chair John Oakley will then describe the goals of an undergraduate education and the faculty’s role in establishing the curriculum. We’ll then hear from Judith Smith, UCLA’s Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of Honors and Undergraduate Programs, who will describe some of the nationally-emulated innovations that are examples of how this very large campus – UCLA -- capitalizing on its size, can offer special opportunities to undergraduate students.

Being designated by the Master Plan as the state’s public research university means our faculty members both deliver knowledge through teaching, and create it as well through research.   Our undergraduates have daily access to some of the finest intellectual minds, both in and outside of the classroom. The Master Plan also gives UC the responsibility of offering degrees from the baccalaureate through the doctorate.  This provides our undergraduates an opportunity to work directly with graduate students – many of whom themselves are the next generation of faculty.  The educational interactions with these role models inspire many undergraduates to pursue graduate degrees.  Finally, the Master Plan provides access to higher education for all California high school graduates, with UC taking the top 12.5 percent, plus highly qualified transfer students.   Consequently, our undergraduates are in the company of the highest-achieving students in the State of California -- students who are motivated to push the intellectual envelope.  They literally are every teacher’s dream:  their motivation to learn inspires the UC faculty to create learning experiences that constantly challenge students’ abilities.

Our size in many ways is a distinct advantage.  The vast number of fields covered by our faculty, make it possible for students to choose from literally hundreds of majors and thousands of classes.  These choices allow each student to pursue a tailor-made education, geared specifically and individually to their interests and goals, with no two undergraduate careers being exactly alike. Being a research university, we have a team of people available to teach: ladder faculty who bring their research into the classroom; lecturers who are dedicated to the art of teaching and oversee much of the basic skill-building courses, such as writing; graduate students who help our faculty deliver the curriculum while learning the teaching profession themselves; and others, such as clinical faculty, who teach specialized courses. Campuses provide a vast array of course types.  Large lecture courses – often taught by our most gifted faculty -- are supplemented by smaller discussion sections.  Undergraduates also enroll in many medium-sized and small classes, with formats that engage student participation:  seminars, independent study, research courses, field studies, to name just a few.  The wealth of different instructional approaches that our faculty employ go well beyond the one-size-fits-all lecture format, challenging students to become increasingly independent masters of their own education.

The Regents have delegated to the faculty responsibility for developing the curriculum for the baccalaureate degree.  What we expect of all our undergraduates is both breadth of knowledge across many disciplines, as well as depth of knowledge in a chosen field – that is, the major. We expect them to integrate their knowledge broadly across many fields, and to work both independently and creatively.  It is also important that their education prepare them for lifelong learning.

This graphic shows roughly how courses are organized, moving from general knowledge and skills to higher orders of thinking and in-depth study of a specific major. Vice Provost Smith will be giving specific examples of how courses are organized to help students achieve the desired levels of proficiency and mastery.

As I said, faculty have responsibility for determining what is taught:  what is required for the major and what is required for graduation.  Individual faculty members develop their own courses, often with the assistance of campus or systemwide resources to incorporate technology or other innovations.   These courses meet the General Education, major or other graduation requirements established by the faculty through departments and Senate committees.   Faculty approval ensures that courses and curricula meet consistent internal standards for rigor and quality, as well as meeting external accreditation standards.   Each campus has its own Senate structure for reviewing and approving proposed courses and majors, involving both the departments and campuswide committees.   Once courses and majors are approved, the academic administration provides the funding resources that allow these programs to proceed.  Five-year program reviews, expected by the accreditation process, are intended to improve program currency and effectiveness, by analyzing the program’s achievement of its learning objectives and outcomes. Now I’m pleased to introduce Vice Provost Judith Smith who will share with you real-life examples of how these principles and expectations are put into action here at UCLA.  

Before beginning my presentation about UCLA’s academic initiatives, I would like to say a few words about my position.  Early in the 1990s, the UC Faculty Conference on Undergraduate Education recommended that campuses establish an administrative position, at the highest level, to advocate for undergraduate education, much in the same way that the Graduate Dean promotes graduate education.

At UCLA, I serve as the campus advocate for undergraduate studies and work closely with the faculty to ensure high quality academic programs. I facilitate student success through innovative academic counseling and collaborative learning programs. I also work with faculty to create scholarship programs to support students who participate in some of our signature enrichment programs, including student research, honors, and community partnerships.

At UCLA, we have recently introduced or expanded a number of innovative programs, which have greatly strengthened our undergraduate education.  This morning, I will focus my remarks on three of these: Our “bookend” seminar program, the freshman cluster program, and our extensive opportunities for student research.

UCLA students are required to complete a series of courses, represented here by four books; one for general education courses, one for major courses, and so on.  This collection of books is supported by a pair of “bookend seminars”, one representing Freshman Seminars and the other representing Senior Seminars.

At UCLA, the goal of our freshman seminars is to encourage first-year students to explore and discover; each seminar is designed to motivate open and lively discussion among the participants. Our goal for senior seminars is to motivate advanced students to integrate and reflect on concepts learned; each seminar is designed to encourage critical discussion among the participants. Both programs provide important experiences at critical stages for our students.  Today, I want to focus on Freshman Seminars.

At UCLA our Freshman Seminar Program is called Fiat Lux, after the UC motto, Let there be light, because these seminars are designed to illuminate the many paths of discovery explored by faculty. In these seminars, faculty members share their passion for scholarly work and encourage freshmen to explore frontiers of knowledge within specific topics.

The program was started in the aftermath of 9/11, and since then, the number of seminars offered annually has grown steadily. By offering 200 seminars, we can accommodate 3,000 students annually, with an average of 15 in each seminar. With this capacity, we provide a spot for each freshman who wants to enroll.

Faculty in all departments sponsor Fiat Lux seminars.  The variety of topics offered is amazing! Here, you see a sample of 14 titles from the 200 seminars offered this year.

Chancellor Carnesale has offered this intriguing seminar each winter quarter for the past five years. Like all faculty, he brings his special expertise to focus on a specific topic; and as you can read from the brief course description posted here, he engages students in the discussion of two critical questions.

Students like the format; they are engaged and explore new issues. They meet other students, and they learn to use oral argument effectively. Through these seminars, our mega research university becomes a small academic community for our entering students.

Freshman seminars help first-year students make a swift and effective transition from high school to the research university.  Another program with this goal in mind is our award-winning Freshman Cluster Program, which was established in 1997. Now nearly 45% of our freshmen (about 1,800 students) elect to enroll in one of ten clusters offered each year.

Each cluster is a sequence of courses offered across three quarters; it is a yearlong experience.  Fall and winter quarters are devoted to lectures and discussion sections. In the spring, the sequence ends with a challenging, capstone seminar.

Typically 180 freshmen participate in each cluster sequence.  They are taught by 3 or 4 faculty who work in as a team.  The faculty team is supported by a cohort of Teaching Assistants, who teach the discussion sections and offer some of the spring seminars. Because clusters are writing intensive courses, a librarian and a writing instructor work closely with the teaching team and the students.

Each cluster focuses on a broad and important theme.  Last year, we offered 10 clusters; the title for each is listed here.  Now, put on your freshman thinking cap; which one would you select? Would you be interesting in learning more about issues of our global environment; would you like to learn about biotechnology and society; or would you like to explore societal and cultural issues of the performing arts.

In this cluster, race is examined from many different perspectives.  For example, one faculty member may consider the historical context of race; another may approach the topic from a political science perspective, another for the legal view, while another may consider how race is represented in literature.  An interdisciplinary approach is key to cluster instruction. We believe that understanding issues from an interdisciplinary approach is important to problem solving and critical thinking; it is a skill that freshmen need to master.

Since its inception, almost 9,000 freshmen have completed a cluster sequence. Nearly 100 faculty have taught in a cluster, including some of UCLA’s most distinguished scholars.  Over 200 of our top-rated Teaching Assistants have offered discussion sections and taught a spring seminar.  The cluster program has become the hallmark of the UCLA freshman experience; this award winning program is nationally recognized.

In developing the cluster program, we had three major goals. Data from surveys of freshmen in cluster classes, as well as surveys of seniors who have been asked to reflect back on their cluster experiences, suggest that our goals are being achieved. From these assessments we have learned that clusters facilitate an effective transition, advance the improvement of basic academic skills (particularly writing and critical thinking), and encourage students to approach major issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach to examine a problem is an important skill in the cluster; it is also a critical skill for research. At UCLA, we provide a host of opportunities for students to engage in research and scholarly projects. Faculty members in all units---from Medicine to Management, from Law to Linguistics, and from Engineering to English---have opportunities to mentor students. 

At UCLA we define three levels of engagement in research, and students are encouraged to begin as freshmen. As an apprentice, the student explores the nature of research and scholarly work in a specific field. As a research fellow, the student learns basic skills appropriate to the field and begins to develop ideas for a project. Then, as a research scholar, the student designs and works on a comprehensive project and writes a scholarly paper.

At UCLA, about 85% of our seniors have completed an apprentice experience, either through our student research program, or as part of a course.  About 50% of our seniors have research experiences at the apprentice level, and 33% of our seniors graduate having completed a research paper, either as a capstone project in a senior seminar, or as an independent studies project, working one-on-one with a faculty mentor.

They often work two years on a project and complete a senior thesis.  They present their research at professional meetings; many publish.  Most attend graduate school after receiving their bachelor’s degree. Each year, UCLA provides nearly two million dollars to support research scholars.  Some funding comes from foundations, such as Beckman and Howard Hughes; other funds come from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, but most of the funding comes from donors who want to support UCLA’s undergraduate research scholars.

We celebrate our research scholars by featuring them on our Student Profile website.  I would like to share four examples with you: Aaron Allen works with Dr. von Blum to understand depictions of biracial identity in the popular media. Thelma Escobar works with Dr. van der Bliek to understand mitochondrial dynamics, a project important to understanding Alzheimer’s disease.

Amie Gordon works with Professor Gable to understand human behaviors associated with dating. Mitchell Luu Works with Professor Fan to understand DNA physiology in the brain.

I could go on and on with wonderful examples of UCLA’s undergraduate research scholars. Scholars report that participating in research is one of their most meaningful experiences at UCLA; for them this opportunity is the value added that they gained by attending a top-ranked research university. At UCLA, we like to say that research is just another word for education; …many of our students and faculty believe that it may be one of the most important words!

I have come to the end of my road now, and I want to remind you of the three innovative programs, which I believe have transformed the undergraduate experience at UCLA.

I’d like to point out that all our campuses have examples of ways they try to maximize the advantages of being a research university to the benefit of undergraduates. In summing up this presentation, we can report the students' perspective on the impact of their undergraduate education from their responses to our Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES - 2004). Students at all campuses were asked to look back and rate their own skills in a variety of areas when they arrived at UC and then to rate themselves on those same skills now.  70 to 75 percent of seniors rate their skill level as “very good” or “expert” in writing, critical thinking and understanding of culturally diverse viewpoints.  60 percent rate their research and quantitative skills as at least very good.   Less than a third believed as incoming students that they had been very good or expert in these areas.  Recall that these skills reflect those mentioned by Vice Provost Smith as being goals of UCLA’s undergraduate education.   I hope this gives you an idea of how seriously we take undergraduate education.  Are there any questions?