2023 Accreditation Objectives

UC Santa Barbara’s Thematic Pathway for Reaffirmation study, “Designing for Access, Designing for Success,” includes seven objectives. More information about each objective can be found in this overview of the TPR study.

  1. Create a teaching and learning equity strategic plan to prioritize and guide investments.  
  2.  Revise Program Learning Outcomes and Program Review assessment processes to include data from this study.  
  3. Implement changes to support undergraduate equity in course sequences, practices, and policies.
  4. Improve on-time and extended-time graduation to achieve UCSB 2030. 
    •  Provide enhanced academic mentorship. 
    •  Develop a first year bridge program focusing on quantitative literacy.
    • Improve communication about majors and disciplines.
    • Continue to explore admissions and enrollment practices. 
  5. Continue to empower and support faculty to address student achievement disparities via course revisions.  
  6. Build on processes for faculty to demonstrate teaching engagement.  
  7. Enhance “world readiness”.  

These objectives span across all levels of the institution – from student/instructor to institutional practices and policies. The campus has already begun to implement these activities and anticipates significant gains as a result.

UC Santa Barbara was approved as a Thematic Pathway for Reaffirmation institution in December 2021. This process will enable the institution to conduct focused research into our institutional theme, “Designing for Access, Designing for Success.” By gathering quantitative and qualitative data, the institution will investigate three research questions, looking at alignment between the data:

  • As students are entering degree programs (undergraduate) or near the time of qualifying exams (graduate), what do students, faculty, and staff perceive as pathways and bottlenecks associated with successful entrance into and navigation through the program?
  • Near the time students are completing (UG or G) degree programs, what do students, faculty, and staff perceive as pathways and bottlenecks associated with degree completion?
  • How do students perceive the relevance of their near-completed degrees for their goals, especially features of the learning environment (courses, curriculum/co-curriculum, instruction, advising) and requirements and policies (institutional structures/practices)?

Processes and Procedures

TPR Process

UC Santa Barbara’s TPR process involves a broad range of stakeholders. The process is guided by the TPR Steering Committee and Executive Committee, a smaller working group of the Steering Committee. Data analysis protocols are created by the quantitative and qualitative work groups.

The TPR chairs have consistently sought input and shared activities with the Steering and Executive Committees, as well as other stakeholders. 

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Materials

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