OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Research Groups Curriculum Project Doc

• Proposal for the Initiation of a New Instructional Program Leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Cancer Biology

  Oregon Health & Science University, School of Medicine

• Description of Proposed Program

1. Program Overview

a. Proposed CIP number* (* Note: Contact your Institutional Research Office or Registrar's Office for this number. Final decision of designation will be made by the Chancellor's Office.)

b. Provide a brief overview (approximately 1-2 paragraphs) of the proposed program, including a description of the academic area and a rationale for offering this program at the present time. Please include a description of any related degrees, certificates, or subspecialties (concentrations, areas of special emphasis, etc.) that may be offered now or in the foreseeable future.

The Graduate Program in Cancer Biology is designed to train students for a career in basic and applied cancer research. Modern cancer research is based on a broad range of technical skills including: Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics, which the students will learn through course work and laboratory training. Students in this program will receive training in the application of biotechnology to basic and applied cancer research, and to the dissemination of information to the next generation of scientists and the lay public. Training will include exercises designed to develop independent thinking, oral and written presentation skills, data and information analysis, and dissemination of information through teaching. Thus, the proposed program combines rigorous course work with laboratory training and exercises in writing, speaking, and teaching, designed to provide students with the necessary theoretical and practical skills to launch productive careers. Students will be trained to be in a position to competitively pursue a wide range of potential careers including: basic and applied research in the academic, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in undergraduate and graduate level teaching and science writing.

The curriculum is flexible and courses are largely completed in the first year, permitting students to focus on the essence of graduate training -- independent research in a mentor's laboratory -- as soon as possible.

c. When will the program be operational, if approved?

2. Purpose and Relationship of Proposed Program to the Institution's Mission and Strategic Plan

a. What are the objectives of the program?

b. How does the proposed program support the mission and strategic plan of the institution(s)? How does the program contribute to attaining long-term goals and directions of the institution and program?

c. How does the proposed program meet the needs of Oregon and enhance the state's capacity to respond effectively to social, economic, and environmental challenges and opportunities?

3. Course of Study

a. Briefly describe proposed curriculum. (List is fine.)

i. Slash courses (i.e., 400/500-level) should be listed as such.

ii. Include course numbers, titles, credit hours.

b. Describe new courses. Include proposed course numbers, titles, credit hours, and course descriptions.

c. Provide a discussion of any nontraditional learning modes to be utilized in the new courses, including, but not limited to: (1) the role of technology, and (2) the use of career development activities such as practica or internships.

d. What specific learning outcomes will be achieved by students who complete this course of study?

4. Recruitment and Admission Requirements

a. Is the proposed program intended primarily to provide another program option to students who are already being attracted to the institution, or is it anticipated that the proposed program will draw students who would not otherwise come to the institution?

b. Are any requirements for admission to the program being proposed that are in addition to admission to the institution? If so, what are they?

c. Will any enrollment limitation be imposed? If so, please indicate the specific limitation and its rationale. How will students be selected if there are enrollment limitations?

5. Accreditation of the Program

a. If applicable, identify any accrediting body or professional society that has established standards in the area in which the proposed program lies.

b. If applicable, does the proposed program meet professional accreditation standards? If it does not, in what particular area(s) does it appear to be deficient? What steps would be required to qualify the program for accreditation? By what date is it anticipated that the program will be fully accredited?

c. If the proposed program is a graduate program in which the institution offers an undergraduate program, is the undergraduate program accredited? If not, what would be required to qualify it for accreditation? If accreditation is a goal, what steps are being taken to achieve accreditation?

Need

6. Evidence of Need

a. What evidence does the institution have of need for the program? Please be explicit. (Needs assessment information may be presented in the form of survey data; summaries of focus groups or interviews; documented requests for the program from students, faculty, external constituents, etc.)

b. Identify statewide and institutional service-area employment needs the proposed program would assist in filling. Is there evidence of regional or national need for additional qualified individuals such as the proposed program would produce? If yes, please specify.

c. What are the numbers and characteristics of students to be served? What is the estimated number of graduates of the proposed program over the next five years? On what information are these projections based?

d. Are there any other compelling reasons for offering the program?

e. Identify any special interest in the program on the part of local or state groups (e.g., business, industry, agriculture, professional groups).

f. Discuss considerations given to making the complete program available for part-time, evening, weekend, and/or placebound students.

Outcomes

7. Program Evaluation

a. How will the institution determine the extent to which the academic program meets the objectives (section 2a) previously outlined? (Identify specific post-approval monitoring procedures and outcome indicators to be used.)

b. How will the collected information be used to improve teaching and programs to enhance student learning?

8. Assessment of Student Learning

a. What methods will be used to assess student learning? How will student learning assessment be embedded in the curriculum?

b. What specific methods or approaches will be used to assess graduate (completer) outcomes?

c. Is a licensure examination associated with this field of study?

Integration of Efforts

9. Similar Programs in the State

a. List all other closely related OUS programs.

b. In what way, if any, will resources of other institutions (another OUS institution or institutions, community college, and/or private college/university) be shared in the proposed program? How will the program be complementary to, or cooperate with, an existing program or programs?

c. Is there any projected impact on other institutions in terms of student enrollment and/or faculty workload?

Resources

10. Faculty

a. Identify program faculty, briefly describing each faculty member's expertise/specialization. Separate regular core faculty from faculty from other departments and adjuncts. Collect current vitae for all faculty, to be made available to reviewers upon request.

b. Estimate the number, rank, and background of new faculty members who would need to be added to initiate the proposed program in each of the first four years of the proposed program's operation (assuming the program develops as anticipated). What commitment does the institution make to meeting these needs?

c. Estimate the number and type of support staff needed in each of the first four years of the program.

11. Reference Sources

a. Describe the adequacy of student and faculty access to library and department resources (including, but not limited to, printed media, electronically published materials, videotapes, motion pictures, CD-ROM and online databases, and sound files) that are relevant to the proposed program (e.g., if there is a recommended list of materials issued by the American Library Association or some other responsible group, indicate to what extent access to such holdings meets the requirements of the recommended list).

b. How much, if any, additional financial support will be required to bring access to such reference materials to an appropriate level? How does the institution plan to acquire these needed resources?

12. Facilities, Equipment, and Technology

a. What unique resources (in terms of buildings, laboratories, computer hardware/software, Internet or other online access, distributed-education capability, special equipment, and/or other materials) are necessary to the offering of a quality program in the field?

b. What resources for facilities, equipment, and technology, beyond those now on hand, are necessary to offer this program? Be specific. How does the institution propose that these additional resources will be provided?

14. Budgetary Impact

a. On the “Budget Outline” sheet (available on the Forms and Guidelines Web site), please indicate the estimated cost of the program for the first four years of its operation (one page for each year). The “Budget Outline Instructions” form is available on the Forms and Guidelines Web site, as well.

b. If federal or other grant funds are required to launch the program, describe the status of the grant application process and the likelihood of receiving such funding. What does the institution propose to do with the program upon termination of the grant(s)?

c. If the program will be implemented in such a way as to have little or minimal budgetary impact, please provide a narrative that outlines how resources are being allocated/reallocated in order that the resource demands of the new program are being met. For example, describe what new activities will cost and whether they will be financed or staffed by shifting of assignments within the budgetary unit or reallocation of resources within the institution. Specifically state which resources will be moved and how this will affect those programs losing resources. Will the allocation of going-level budget funds in support of the program have an adverse impact on any other institutional programs? If so, which program(s) and in what ways?