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Department of Speech-Language Pathology Strategic Plan 2023-2025

Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences
Health Professions Division
Nova Southeastern University
Strategic Plan Leader: Dr. Frederick (Fred) DiCarlo

Vision

Nova Southeastern University’s Department of Speech-Language Pathology is a recognized provider of academic excellence through interprofessional education, clinical best practices, scholarly activity, research, and service.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology is to foster academic excellence and intellectual inquiry of best practices within the profession. The department uses a variety of instructional delivery models to equip students with the essential skills to serve diverse communities and to provide the opportunity to both traditional and non-traditional students to succeed in a rigorous educational environment. 

Core Values

  • Academic Excellence
  • Student-Centered
  • Integrity
  • Innovation
  • Opportunity
  • Scholarship/Research
  • Diversity
  • Community 

Envisioned Future 2025

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Nova Southeastern University supports its vision to be a provider of academic excellence through inter-professional education, clinical best practices, scholarly activity, research, and service. The department is housed in a facility that supports experiential teaching and learning and enhances interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional practice (IPP).

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology is a leading provider of innovative educational opportunities offering a variety of instructional delivery models to ensure comparable educational and clinical experiences for traditional and non-traditional students. Graduates of the program are equipped with the essential skills necessary to serve a diverse community through the acquisition of academic excellence, scholarly inquiry, clinical best practices, and interprofessional education.

The department uses rigorous standards resulting in the selection of the most accomplished, diverse students who demonstrate the potential for academic and clinical excellence. The department offers a variety of instructional delivery models to maximize learning objectives as well as provide the ability to better meet the learning needs of the student. Interprofessional educational opportunities are emerging with programs in allied health, psychology, nutrition, sports medicine, and the medical school.

The clinical program employs best practices across all content areas of service delivery.  Students demonstrate the ability to develop evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic clinical care plans, infusing technology into care as appropriate and accessible. Supervisors both on and off-campus are trained in the use of best practices through continuing clinical education opportunities and resources.  Supervisors are equipped to assist students in the development of their care plans using best practices and technology. Supervisors effectively evaluate the students’ decision-making and clinical acumen. Interprofessional clinical practice opportunities are actively sought for clinical practicum placements.

The faculty participates in independent and collaborative research for publication. There are opportunities for students to participate in faculty-directed research, guided independent research, doctoral student-directed research and scholarly presentations within and outside the university. An environment of scholarly inquiry is fostered across all three levels of education (bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral) both in the classroom and in the clinic.

Mentorship is a cornerstone of the program. The department mentors faculty into leadership roles to facilitate an effective plan of succession for program administration, teaching, and research.  Students are actively mentored in the development of leadership through participation in a variety of activities and service opportunities. Students serve on departmental committees to enhance engagement and to develop professional skills that assist their transition to successful early career professionals. Doctoral students are actively involved in the teaching curriculum through coursework development and teaching apprenticeships to mentor them into roles as academicians following graduation.

The program actively engages alumnae, current students, on-campus and off-campus supervisors, and others in order to develop, implement, and review the academic and clinical programs. This insight from stakeholders assists the program in the training of students in current best practices.

Strategic Pathway (SP) 2023 (2023-2025)

  1. Improve the admissions process
  2. Advance the use of best practices in both the curriculum and student clinical practice
  3. Enhance faculty and student engagement with scholarly pursuits
  4. Strengthen the use and infusion of technology to meet the needs of students academically and clinically.
  5. Expand student leadership opportunities for service, teaching, research, and clinical practice
  6. Advocate for events that support IPE and IPP
  7. Develop succession planning

This is the final pathway in meeting our EF, 2025 (2023-2025)

Strategic Plan Objectives 2023

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

Objective #1: Improve the admissions process

Objective Owner: Mr. Steven Vertz

  1. The current method of measuring and analyzing applicants will be reviewed and updated.

Objective #2: Advance the use of best practices in both the curriculum and student clinical practice

Objective Owner: Dr. Barbara O'Connor-Wells

KPIs

  1. Identify the number of faculty who feel confident they can provide effective instruction and support to students with mental health concerns
  2. Identify the number of clinical supervisors who feel confident they can provide effective clinical instruction and support to students with mental health concerns
  3. Establish/share formal protocol within the program to follow when encountering a student with mental health concerns
  4. Increase awareness of stress-inducing practices and use of strategies to reduce stress in academic coursework and clinical practicum via training
  5. Identify the number of faculty who feel confident in addressing issues of gender and orientation as they relate to content areas and their relationship with students
  6. Identify the number of clinical supervisors who feel confident in addressing issues of gender and orientation as they relate to clinical content areas and their relationship with students
  7. Provide training to faculty and clinical supervisors regarding issues in gender and orientation for content areas and for student support
  8. Identify the number of courses reviewed for alignment to updated program outcomes and objectives, as well as internally aligned objectives/materials/assessments
  9. Explore the options for interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities for online students

Objective #3: Enhance faculty and student engagement with scholarly pursuits

Objective Owner: Dr. Jacqueline (Jackie) Hinckley

KPIs

  1. Number of manuscripts submitted for publication by full-time faculty
  2. Number of adjunct and full-time faculty who participate in scholarly activities
  3. Number of students who are presenting at scholarly conferences and meetings
  4. Number of student opportunities for participation in faculty-directed research
  5. Number of students who participated in guided research projects (SLP 6080 Directed Research)

Objective #4: Strengthen the use and infusion of technology to meet the needs of students academically and clinically.

Objective Owner: Dr. Raquel (Rokki) Garcia

KPIs

  1. Increase percentage of instructors using technology applications for infusion into coursework
  2. Increase percentage of clinical supervisors using technology applications for infusion into clinical work 
  3. Students will create a personal, electronic, cloud-based portfolio demonstrating evidence of learning outcomes attained throughout the graduate program

Objective #5: Expand student leadership opportunities for service, teaching, research, and clinical practice

Objective Owner: Dr. Tambi Braun

KPIs

  1. Percentage of students who participate in service activities
  2. Number of doctoral students who participate in teaching courses
  3. Percentage of students who participate in committee meetings
  4. Percentage of students who participate in research committee meetings
  5. Percentage of students who participate in a student-led curriculum committee

Objective #6 Advocate for facilities that support IPE and IPP

Objective Owner: Mrs. Erin Beasley

KPIs

  1. Number of IPE events completed with faculty and/or student involvement
  2. Number of IPP events completed with faculty and/or student involvement

Objective #7 Develop succession planning

Objective Owner: Dr. Melissa Edrich

KPIs

  1. Number of key skills documents developed for positions in the Department
  2. Number of mentorship plans developed for succession into priority one position

Next Steps:

  • Objective Owners baseline new data for exiting KPIs by 5/26/2023
  • Objective Owners and their Teams determine new targets for exiting KPIs by 5/26/2023
  • Objective Owners and their Teams determine new KPIs, as needed, by 5/26/2023
  • Objective Owners and their Teams determine initiatives to achieve objectives by 12/31/2025

Review cycle started 1/1/2023:

  • Objective Owners meet quarterly with their Objective Team
  • Objective Owners meet biannually with the Strategic Plan Leader
  • Department Chair meets biannually with the Department of Speech-Language Pathology Administrative Team to communicate information regarding the Strategic Plan.
  • Strategic Plan Leader meets annually with the Department in SLP faculty, administration, and other stakeholders regarding the status of the Strategic Plan.
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