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3-30-2018 
Arts & Technologies URI Report, 03.30.2018 
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Plymouth State University, "Arts & Technologies URI Report, 03.30.2018" (2018). Clusters. 456. 
https://digitalcommons.plymouth.edu/plymouthclusters/456 
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A & T  U R I  R e p o r t  | 1 
 
Arts and Technologies 
University Re-Invention (URI) Report Draft 
March 30, 2018 
The Arts and Technologies Cluster is comprised of the following Disciplines and Programs 
including:  
• Art education (K-12) 
• Art History 
• Communication and Media Studies 
• Computer Science and Information Technology 
• Dance 
• English  
• Graphic Design 
• History 
• Integrated Arts (graduate program) 
• Music 
• Music Education (K-12) 
• Philosophy 
• Studio Arts 
• Theatre Arts 
 
The URI data suggested that two of the twelve programs are financially sustaining, while the 
other ten programs are not sustaining. While there is general agreement that the URI data is 
flawed, none of the programs in Arts and Technologies are robustly thriving. 
 
This report describes our cluster goals as we find ways to work together to in a collaborative 
effort re-envision how we can bring life back into  all of our programs so that we move toward a 
thriving sustainability for our programs. 
 
The President’s Five Overarching Goals 
1. Movement to a flatter, integrated, cluster-based organizational structure and 
implementation four tools (problem-based first year seminar, themed Directions general 
education courses, capstone General Education course (INCO), and open laboratory 
experiences) 
2. Retention and Persistence 
3. Sustainability and Thriving financially, academically, and reputationally 
4. Recruitment and Enrollment 
5. Equipping our students to lead and thrive in the 21st century global economy 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A & T  U R I  R e p o r t  | 2 
 
Arts and Technologies Goals: Our Goals support the Five Overarching Goals  
  
1. Bring students together for interdisciplinary experiences by innovative curricular 
development, cluster project and cross cluster project collaboration, and special events 
such as summer conferences, camps, and cultural experiences. This supports efforts of 
recruitment and enrollment as well as persistence and retention by developing innovative 
high impact learning experiences. Students will want to come to PSU, and stay ere, if 
they are engaged in dynamic, interactive learning experiences. 
2. Reduce upper level low enrolled courses by merging and combining courses and creating 
alternate curricula across the cluster. This supports our efforts to be financially 
sustainable and thriving by being thoughtful about we offer courses and examining where 
we can integrate upper level courses across the A&T curricula. 
3. Creating alternate applications/pathways when students need to change directions in their 
programs. This supports persistence and retention efforts by providing opportunities for 
students to change their path when they need to, so instead of leaving PSU because they 
are not able to complete their program for individual reasons, they can take another 
pathway and still complete their education. 
4. Support the General Education program by creating themed pathways that will be 
beneficial to all PSU students in any major, developing a General Education capstone 
course(s), and supporting/evolving the First-Year Seminar course. This supports the 
efforts toward a flatter organizational structure and implementation of the Four Tools by 
aligning the curricula to the needs of the new PSU mission and vision.   
 
Through URI, we learned that low enrolled upper level courses lose the university and programs 
money. So, we began our inquiry exploring how many low enrolled upper level courses we have 
had which negatively impacts our financial condition. Here is a short summary of the A&T 
cluster history of low enrolled courses from the last eight semesters. This excludes internships, 
independent studies, and individual enrollments. We can use this information as we discuss 
where and how we will collaborate moving forward. 
 
Disciplines 
 
Low Enrolled Upper Level Courses (under 10 
students enrolled) for the last eight semesters 
  
Art (data was not divided into subdisciplines) 153 courses-many of these courses are 
designed for low enrollments, so this number 
is inflated. The art discipline(s) should review 
and we will likely find this number reduced to 
about 25 (approx). 
Computer Science and Information 
Technology 
 
11 courses 
Communication and Media Studies 14 courses 
English 11 courses 
History 11 courses 
Integrated Arts (graduate) N/A 
Music Theatre Dance N/A 
Philosophy 6 courses 
A & T  U R I  R e p o r t  | 3 
 
Based on this data, Arts and Technologies does not run a significant number of upper level 
courses with low enrollments. Some of the collaborations we list below may help to reduce these 
numbers as we share curricula, coordinate the development of shared Connections courses, 
develop cluster majors, and utilize graduate students to assist with summer programming and 
special projects designed to build relationships with students which will contribute to persistence 
and retention efforts. 
 
During fall 2017, the Arts and Technologies cluster held three drop-in sessions for brainstorming 
new ideas that can support the cluster and address issues such as the low enrollment of upper 
level courses. This resulted in developing an excel spreadsheet continuing 46 different ideas. The 
spreadsheet contains strategies, goals, anticipated outcomes, a timeline for each idea, and 
resources needed. Here is a summary of those ideas (see the excel spreadsheet attached). 
 
Ideas for whole cluster collaboration: 
• Design an A & T cluster major: Something like Experience Design. This would include 
the following two new cluster courses: 
o New INCO cluster course: Designing Gamified Experience 
o New TECO (or a CTDI) on Digital Citizenship and Web Literacy for Student Fact 
Checkers 
• Design a suite of Tool Kit courses including content from each discipline in A&T.  
 
• Identify and or Develop a themed set of Directions courses integrating all disciplines in A 
& T Cluster 
 
o New directions course: Literature and Medicine (SSDI), function as a recruiting 
tool for English major and minor as well as provide interdisciplinary perspective 
on healthcare with humanities, writing, and cultural analysis 
o Another revised INCO course from English, “Eating American Literature” that 
can bring together multiple disciplines and be part of a themed package of general 
education courses “Ecological Thought and Practice” as a cross cluster 
collaboration with TESD 
 
• Expand Practicum in Production across the cluster (maybe have a cluster code instead of 
individual discipline codes?) 
 
• Seek out a Community Sponsor for Production Studio 
 
o Produce videos and films as full productions like plays, concerts, and opera 
o Partner film club/media students with science students documenting filed 
experiences 
o Document National History Day 
 
• Build community among students through developing A&T directions courses 
• Create a co-disciplinary lab for all of A&T students and introduction courses 
• Develop A & T themed First-Year Seminar 
A & T  U R I  R e p o r t  | 4 
 
• Develop Cluster minor in Media Mapping (maybe connect with Previously mentioned 
Experience Design Major 
• Do a cluster project involving all disciplines: Summer Arts Festival 
• Cluster project: Starry, Starry Night utilizing undergraduate and graduate students and 
spring semester course work 
• Identify and designate a suite of upper level cluster courses – these courses would be part 
of every major in A&T cluster. These might assist with low enrollments of upper level 
courses if they replace current low enrolled courses 
• Organize an annual Arts & Technologies Conference 
• Develop Arts & Technologies summer camps for high school students. Utilizing graduate 
students to assist and earn credit. 
• Promote audio production minor (from MTD) across the cluster 
• Promote tool kit course, Mastering the Digital Audio Workstation (MTD) 
• Develop an Audio Production summer camp for teachers and high school students 
• New BA in Music Tech, Business, Tourism, and Entrepreneurism-cross cluster degree 
 
 
Ideas for specific program collaboration:   
• Integrated Studies (art , music, theatre, education) – Design a new major: Community 
Arts Management (with courses we already have) 
• History, English, Art: Design a new Digital Humanities course – Possibly a directions 
course 
• Art and Theatre: Design a new course on Design Aesthetics that could be included in a 
new major (Design Experience) 
• Collaboration with English, History, and Art to create a eras and movements historical 
context course   
• CMS to partner with HHE cluster and maybe I&E cluster to develop at least a minor, 
Health Communication 
• Film Club (maybe partner with other student organizations in A&T) – sponsor film 
festival 
• Create 4+1 graduate degree in Integrated Arts with A&T majors 
• Create 3+1 graduate program in English and Integrated Arts 
• Theatre Education option (12 credits) with Integrated Arts and any undergraduate major 
in the A&T cluster 
• BS CS/IT/EMTR – Add an advising perspective to CS2010, the entry point to the 
program about the discipline and its future development: this facilitates retention efforts 
• BS CS/IT/EMTR – augment the lab assistant program to increase integration with the 
students: this builds connections with students and supports persistence 
• BS CS/IT/EMTR – invite colleagues to give guest presentations: this will connect more 
students with more faculty 
• BS CS/IT/EMTR – review and assess current 2+2 agreements with community colleges: 
this will facilitate recruitment and better prepared entering students 


Arts & Technologies URI Report, 03.30.2018

https://digitalcommons.plymouth.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1470&amp;context=plymouthclusters

Arts & Technologies URI Report, 03.30.2018

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