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Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

Strategic Plan

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE
Baton Rouge, LA 70813

Department of Speech-Language Pathology Strategic Plan
2012-2016

 


VISION STATEMENT

The master's degree program in speech-language pathology at Southern University and A&M College will be a well-organized, highly-structured program in which its faculty takes corporate responsibility for the curriculum through regular formative assessments and program evaluation.  The Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic will be a major community resource for providing both clinical and elective services to clientele across the lifespan.  The highly qualified graduates of the program will routinely integrate clinical practice and research and will demonstrate cultural competence in services to clients in various clinical settings.

 

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Master of Science Degree Program in Speech-Language Pathology is to prepare students from diverse backgrounds who qualify to become licensed, certified speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who can:

 

  1. provide ethical, clinical, independent services to individuals with communication disorders across the lifespan, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds;
  2. work independently and collaboratively with other professionals in various employment settings, including schools and other educational institutions, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, community clinics, and private practice; and
  3. educate the public and advocate for individuals with communication disorders and their families and assist them in acquiring the resources needed to enhance the quality of their lives.

 

 

FOCUS AREAS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN
FOCUS AREA 1:  CURRICULUM

  • Issue. Adopting a common course syllabus format to include the components below in all professional courses in the curriculum will facilitate achievement of the mission of the program and student acquisition of ASHA certification standards across the nine disorders:

 KASA Standards

 

 Evidence-based Practices:  Prevention, Assessment, Intervention

 

 Multiple Theoretical Perspectives

 

 Cultural and Linguistic competencies

 

 Use of Rubrics to Evaluate Oral and Written Work

OUTCOMES

  1. Students will be prepared to develop evidence-based plans of prevention, assessment and intervention for diverse individuals with communication disorders in the nine key areas across the lifespan.

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

  1. 90% of the students enrolled in professional courses each semester will report that they understand how to develop evidence-based clinical practice in some aspect of the clinical process.
  2. The faculty curriculum committee will report that 100% of course syllabi for professional courses successfully address all components identified in the issue above.

STRATEGIES:  Multiple Years - 2012-2016

  1.  All professional course syllabi will be approved by the departmental faculty for adherence to requirements in FOCUS AREA 1.
  2. Faculty will participate in on-going faculty development workshops and faculty meetings to improve course syllabus development.
  3. Expand graduate course offerings that support the scope of practice that includes autism-spectrum disorders, academic language problems, auditory processing disorders, language and literacy, etc. (Added an Autism course Fall 2014)

 

FOCUS AREA 2:  CLINICAL EDUCATION

  • Issue. The inclusion of evidence-based practices in the treatment plans developed by student clinicians in each of the nine major disorders will enhance students' ability to provide effective clinical services as independent, competent professionals

OUTCOMES

  1. Student clinicians will use evidence-based practices in their on-campus clinic work (Initial Case Summaries, Final Case Summaries, and Treatment Plans) prior to off-campus assignments.
  2. Student clinicians will use evidence-based practices/theoretical perspectives in off-campus clinic work in each of the nine disorder areas.

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

  1. Student clinicians enrolled in each on-campus clinic will provide documented evidence of evidence-based practices for each clinic assignment:  prevention, assessment, treatment
  2. Students will provide documented evidence of evidence-based practice in each of the nine disorders for which they present clinic hours.

STRATEGIES

1. By the Fall 2012, the University will hire a permanent clinic director and at least one clinic supervisor. (Hired Summer 2014)

2. By the Fall 2012 all clinical faculty, including full-time faculty who provide clinic supervision, adjunct clinic supervisors, and full-time clinic supervisors will participate in professional development workshops related to evidence-based clinic practices. (ongoing)

3. Every semester a student orientation meeting will be held to familiarize students with evidence-based practices in course and clinic work and documentation of the nine major disorders with particular emphasis on differentiating language, cognitive aspects of communication and social aspects of communication.

4. During the 2012-2013 academic year, the program will increase the number and kind of off-campus clinical placements to address all nine disorders, especially those of a medical nature

5. 2015-2016 the clinic director will work with faculty in the department to plan for  developing our university clinic to become a  paying clinic by offering additional services to the community and possibly becoming Medicaid/Medicare, third party insurance providers by collaborating with physicians and various medical organizations in the community..

6. Become ASHA approved CEU provider to offer continuing education workshops to the community by 2016.

7. Encourage students to attend the ASHA annual convention 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

8. Encourage students to attend NBSLHA convention for the preparation for the Praxis examination in SLP.

9. Expand clinical programs to include collaboration within related disciplines (i.e., psychology, mental health, social work, and nursing).

10. Enhance campus and broader community awareness of and access to clinical programs.

11.Expose students to various programs/certifications that are on the cutting edge in speech language pathology such as:  autism spectrum disorders, aphasia, sensory processing disorders, birth to three, and teletherapy.

12.  Support opportunities for students to work in the community by encouraging volunteerism on campus and in the larger community.

13. Begin to discuss ways in which service-learning options within the educational curriculum can be integrated.

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FOCUS AREA 3:  FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PLAN

  • Issue. Developing and Implementing systematic procedures for conducting outcome-based formative assessments of academic knowledge and clinical skills throughout the program when weaknesses can be addressed will enhance student learning outcomes.

OUTCOMES

  1. Outcome-based knowledge and skills statements in clinic and academic coursework require faculty and students to be accountable for what is to be learned and to link information learned in the classroom to application in the clinic.

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

1.      The course syllabus for each academic course in the curriculum will include  A.)  statement of the ASHA certification standard and related student learning (outcome addressed in the course; 

B.)  procedures for achieving the standard/outcome; 

C.)  means for assessing the learning outcome; and 

D.)  plan for remediation when the learning outcome is not achieved.

2.      Course syllabi for all on-campus clinic practica will include ASHA skills standards and learning outcomes related to Standard IV-G:  Prevention, Identification, Evaluation, Treatment, Patient Interaction, Documentation.

3.      Treatment plans for each client treated in on-campus clinics will provide a rationale based on evidence-based practices.

4.      E-Portfolio documentation of knowledge and skills artifacts each semester by students in a presentation to the advisor.

STRATEGIES

  1. Continue meeting with  faculty/clinical staff will participate in an orientation on the program's formative assessment plan.
  2. Contiue meeting with, full-time and part-time clinic staff will participate in orientation on documentation of clinical skills in the nine disorders.
  3. Continue using, clinic forms for documenting students' clinic work will be revised to emphasize the distribution of time over the nine disorders.
  4. Continue meeting with , students in a mid-point portfolio review of artifacts used for documentation of knowledge and skills standards.

FOCUS AREA 4:  DEPARTMENTAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

  • Issue. An alignment of the content and format of the departmental comprehensive examination with the PRAXIS examination for certification will enhance student preparation for the national examination

OUTCOMES

1. All students take the SECD 599-01 Praxis Prep designed course to better prepare them to pass the PRAXIS examination.

 

2. The majority of students taking the newly designed departmental examination designed to reflect the content and form of the PRAXIS continues to be successful.

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

Eighty-five percent of students taking the revised departmental comprehensive examination will score 80 or above.

STRATEGIES

  1. In Spring 2013, faculty  participate in workshops to re-design the departmental comprehensive examination to an EBP project.
  2. SECD 599 Special Project 2012 redesigned its focus from a research project to PRAXIS preparation course.

 

FOCUS AREA 5:  PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

  • Issue. Managing the implementation of effective policies, procedures, and guidelines for tracking students through the program from admission to graduation will ensure the acquisition of student learner outcomes (SLOs) needed for ASHA certification

OUTCOMES

1.Students will assume responsibility for monitoring the learning outcomes related to the  knowledge and skills standards in each of the nine disorders needed for ASHA certification.

 

2. Students will be able to document evidence-based practices in Evaluation, Intervention, and Interpersonal Skills in the nine disorders prior to graduation.

INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

On a semester-by-semester basis, each student will maintain a portfolio documenting the acquisition of each student learning outcome (certification standard) included in the curriculum

STRATEGIES

Ongoing program mid-point assessment of student portfolios by advisors, course-by-course assessment of certification standards by departmental faculty, and evaluation of evidence-based practices in evaluation and treatment by clinic supervisors.