ACADEMIC SENATE: SAN DIEGO DIVISION
UCSD, LA JOLLA, CA 92093-0002
(858) 534-3640
FAX (858) 534-4528
January 22, 2015
PROFESSOR FARRELL ACKERMAN, Director
Human Development Program
SUBJECT: Undergraduate Program Review for the Human Development Program
Dear Professor Ackerman,
The Undergraduate Council has discussed the Human Development Program’s 2014 Program Review. The
Council supports the findings and recommendations of the review subcommittee and appreciates the Program’s
response. We plan to check in on the initiatives proposed by the Program, including those to increase faculty
cohesion and engagement, and revitalizing the honor’s program. The Council would like to highlight the
following:
HDP 1: The Council reaffirms the need to teach HDP 1 more than once per year. We understand that the
format of this course makes it challenging to teach multiple times but the demand is evident. The Program
will need to reconsider the format if it continues to be a problem to offer it two or more times a year.
Faculty Hires: While we were pleased to learn the Program had secured another shared faculty position,
we encourage the Program to continue to seek a Socio-Cultural appointment. In addition to the
department of Anthropology, we encourage you to speak with all of the related departments, including but
not limited to Communication, Education Studies, Psychology and Sociology.
The Undergraduate Council will conduct its follow-up review of the Program in Winter Quarter 2016. At that
time, our goal is to learn about the Program’s progress in implementing the recommendations of the program
review subcommittee. The Council extends its thanks to the Program for its engagement in this process and we
look forward to the continued discussion.
Sincerely,
Geoff Cook, Vice Chair
Undergraduate Council
cc: G. Boss L. Carver R. Continetti R. Rodriguez B. Sawrey M. Sidney
UndergraduateProgramReview:HumanDevelopment
ReviewCommittee:
LisaM.Oakes,UCDavis
MargaretSchoeninger,UCSD
LauraStevens,UCSD
Overview:
OnMay7,2014,thereviewcommitteemetatUCSDtoconductareviewofthe
HumanDevelopmentProgram(HDP).HDPwasestablishedin1995;theonlyprior
reviewoftheprogramtookplacein2005.HDPisauniqueinterdisciplinary
programwhosemissionistofostertheunderstandingofhumandevelopmentas
seenfrombiological,psychological,andsocio‐culturalperspectives.Assuch,the
programincorporatescoursesfromtheDepartmentsofAnthropology,Biology,
CognitiveScience,Communication,EthnicStudies,History,Linguistics,Literature,
Psychology,Sociology,andEducationStudies,aswellastheUrbanStudiesand
PlanningProgram.HumanDevelopmentisasuccessfulandwildlypopularprogram
thatattractsstudentsfromallsixoftheUCSDcolleges.
HumanDevelopmentwasoriginallyintendedtobeasmall,interdisciplinary
undergraduatemajorprovidingalimitednumberofstudentswiththepossibilityof
tailoringtheireducationalprogramtomeettheirindividualneedsandinterests.
Whentheprogramwaslaunchedin1995,themaximumanticipatedenrollmentwas
about100,andtheprogramwasstructuredaccordingly.Inthefirstfiveyearsofits
existence,thedemandforHDPgrewbeyondallexpectations;infallof2000,the
programhadover700undergraduatemajors,whichmadeitoneofthelargest
academicprogramsintheDivisionofSocialSciences.Thiscrisisofpopularityput
strainontheprogramandledtoaninternalreviewofthecurriculumbytheHDP
ExecutiveBoardin2001.Apre‐majorwasinstituted,alongwitharevised
curriculuminFall2001;thegoalsofthisrestructuringweretoreducethetotal
numberofstudentsenrolledinthemajorandpre‐majortothe300‐350range,and
tostreamlinethecurriculuminordertoprovideamoreuniformandrigorous
educationforHDPmajors.Accordingtotheself‐study,thenewregulationshave
beenverysuccessfulinhelpingHDPachievethesegoals.Inthelastfiveyears,
majorenrollmentshavecontinuedtoincreaseincrementallybuthaveremained
between300and400students;atthetimeofthisreview,therewereapproximately
390HDPmajors.Since2008,550HumanDevelopmentmajorshavegraduated
fromUCSD.
TheacademicprogramorganizationofHDPisclearlydetailedinthethoroughand
eloquentlywrittenself‐study;thegeneralstructureisasfollows.Studentswanting
todeclaretheHDPmajormustmeetpre‐majorrequirementsanda
pplyforentrance
intotheHDPmajor.Thepre‐majorrequirementsareintendedtoprovidestudents
withthebasicbackgroundtheyneedtocompletecoursesinthemajor.Allpre‐
majorrequirementsarelowerdivisioncourses;theyincludeHDP1,anintroduction
tohumanlifespandevelopment,twobiologycourses,twosocialsciencecourses,
oneformalskillscourse,onestatisticscourse,andonecomputerliteracycourse(the
computerliteracywillsoonbereplacedbyacoursethatsatisfiesthecampus
Diversity,EquityandInclusion(DEI)requirement).Oncestudentsareacceptedinto
themajor,requirementsincludetwodevelopmentalmethodscourse,fourupper
divisioncorecoursesinhumandevelopment,sixdevelopmentalelectivecourses
andacapstoneseniorseminar.AlthoughmanyofthecoursesfortheHDPmajorare
taughtinaffiliatedepartments,acoresetofcoursesaretaughtthroughthe
program.
Forprogramadministration,thestaffofHDPincludesaManagementServices
Officer(sharedwiththeDepartmentofLinguistics),togetherwithtwoStudent
AffairsOfficers.HDPhasafulltimeLecturer/AcademicCoordinator,Dr.Clarissa
Reese,whoisdedicatedtoteachingHDP191(oneofthecoreresearchmethods
courses)andrecruitingandmaintainingthefieldresearchsites.SincetheUniversity
ofCaliforniadoesnotpermitfulltimeladder‐rankfacultypositionstobehoused
withinaprogram,mostofthefacultyinvolvementintheprogramcomesfrom
dedicatedfacultyfromotherdepartmentsinterestedintheeducationalmissionof
HDP.Thereare,however,twospeciallyappointedfacultymembersholding50/50
jointappointmentsinHDP(thesefacultyaresharedwithCognitiveScienceand
Psychology,respectively).Acoregroupoffacultyfromabroadrangeofaffiliate
departmentscomprisestheHDPExecutiveCommittee;thecurrentProgram
DirectorisDr.FarrellAckerman(Linguistics).TheExecutiveCommitteeisvery
active,meetingtwotothreetimesamonthtooverseeprogramgoalsandprogress,
developnewinitiativesandcourses,andaddressproblems.
StrengthsoftheHumanDevelopmentProgram:
HumanDevelopmentisanextremelyimportantmajoroncampus.Toquotefrom
thepreviousprogramreview:
TheconceptofaHumanDevelopmentProgramisinspired,timely,andappropriate
for
aninstitutionwiththestrengthsofUCSD.Thereislittledoubtthatdevelopmentisone
ofthekeyareasofintellectualexplorationinthe21
st
Century…Thereisalsoagrowing
recognitionoftheimportanceoftechnologyinhumaneducation,cognition,and
emotion.Moreandmore,thefieldsoflaw,epidemiology,nursing,medicine,andmany
relateddisciplinesarestressinghowhumandevelopmentiscentralforthemissionof
thesemajorprofessionalfields.Clearly,humandevelopmentisanareaofnational
interest,anditisappropriateforauniversityofthequalityofUCSDtospearheada
programpreparingmanyofitsgraduatesforaroleinanareasorelevanttoour
society.
Indeed,HDPisatrulyuniqueandinterdisciplinaryprogramwhosemissionis
supportedbydedicatedcorefaculty,includinglinguists,psychologists,historians,
andcognitivescientists.Theprogramistailoredforasuiteofpre‐professional
students,including,butnotlimitedto,socialworkers,nurses,physiciansassistants,
andphysicaltherapists.Ifthisprogramdidnotexist,andthesestudentswere
forcedtodeclareaPsychologyorAnthropologymajor,forexample,theywouldneed
tocompletenumerousadditionalcoursestosatisfytheirmajorrequirements.HDP
studentsbenefitfromtheflexibilityandcustomizationoftheprogramandcan
overlapcoursesformajorwiththosethatpreparethemfortheirprofession.
ThesuccessofHDPislargelyduetotheimpressivededicationofitscorefacultyand
exemplarystaff.Thepeopleinvolvedinthisprogramaretrulycommittedtoitand
devoteatremendousamountoftimeandenergytomakingitthebestprogramit
canbe;HDP’sresponsetothepreviousprogramreviewisanexcellentexampleof
this.Inparticular,the2005reviewcommitteemadeseveralrecommendations
regardingthedesignoftheprogram,studentadvising,andengagingandmonitoring
students.Intheyearssincethatreview,theExecutiveCommitteehastakenstepsto
addresstheconcernsofthereviewersandfollowalmostallofthose
recommendations.Ofparticularnoteistherecentredesignofthelowerdivision
courseTheIntroductiontoHumanLifespanDevelopment(HDP1).Dr.Ackerman,
whocurrentlyteachesHDP1,hasmadesignificantimprovementstoboththe
contentandthestructureofthecourse.
YetanotherstrengthanduniqueaspectoftheHumanDevelopmentprogramisthe
emphasisonresearchandfieldresearch.HumanDevelopmentmajorsarerequired
totaketwomethodscourses:ExperimentalProjectsinHumanDevelopmentResearch
(HDP181)andFieldResearchinHumanDevelopment(HDP191).HDP181offersa
comprehensiveintroductiontothebasicmethodsofempirical,laboratory‐based
researchinhumandevelopment.HDP191providesstudentsauniqueopportunity
toparticipateinaresearchprojectinconjunctionwithaserviceunitinSanDiego
Countythatpertainstotheirfuturecareerplans.Thisappliedresearchexperience
allowsstudentstodesign,conduct,andcomprehendtheirownempiricalfield
researchproject.Therearecurrentlymorethan50affiliateresearchplacement
sitesintheSanDiegoarea,includingclinicalandhealthprogramssuchastheRady
Children’sHospital,educationprogramssuchasGompersPreparatoryAcademyand
theReubenH.FleetScienceCenter,andsocialprogramssuchasGary&MaryWest
SeniorWellnessCenter.
HDP191isanimportantopportunityforHumanDevelopmentmajorstohavea
qualitativeresearchexperience,butitsvaluegoesfarbeyondthis.Inthisclimateof
emphasisonDiversity,Equity,andInclusion,itshouldbenotedthatHDP191
providesstudentswithanauthenticexperienceofdiversitybytakingadvantageof
thediversityofSanDiego.Whenthereviewcommitteediscussedthiscoursewith
theundergraduatestudentswhoattendedthereview,itwasclearthatthe
experienceofgoingoutinthecommunityanddoingqualitativeresearchgivesthem
aninvaluableinsight.Whiledescribingtheirexperiences,theysoundedasthough
theyhadtravelledoutsideoftheboundariesofSanDiego;theymadecomments
suchas,“MyeyeswereopenedbeyondthelittleworldIamusedto,”and“Inever
knewpeoplelivedlikethat.”ThepercentageofHumanDevelopmentmajorswho
participateinstudyabroadprogramsisrelativelylow(7%ofmajorsin2010‐11),
andthiscouldbeperceivedasaweaknessoftheprogram;butthestudyabroad
numbersseemoflittleconcerninlightoftheeffectoftheseHDP191placementsas
evidencedbytheaforementionedstudentcomments.
ThesuccessofthefieldresearchexperienceislargelyduetoDr.ClarissaReese,
whosededicationandeffortsshouldbeapplauded.Dr.Reesesingle‐handedly
recruitsandmaintainsthefiftyplusfieldresearchsitesforHDP191.Inaddition,she
overseesanddirectstheteachingofHDP181,whichistaughtbyatemporary(but
longstanding)lecturer.HDP191isoffered6timesperyear(twosectionsper
quarter),andduringeachoffering,Dr.Reesemeetswithsitesponsorsandmentors
andnegotiatesthefieldplacementagreementsandthecontentoftheplacement
assignments.Ifproblemsarisewithaparticularstudent,theon‐sitementors
contactDr.Reese,whothenmeetswiththestudentstoresolveanyissues.Dr.Reese
alsoconductsannualsitevisitsofallplacementsites,andmaintainsquarterly
contactwithallofthesites.Duringanygivenquarter,approximately35sites
activelyhostUCSDstudents.
Notsurprisingly,HDPboastsanextremelyhighlevelofstudentsatisfaction.
Statisticsfromstudentsurveyscomparefavorablywiththoseoftheaggregated
SocialSciencesdepartments/programs;theself‐studyincludesdetailedstatistics.
TwohighlightsfromtheUCUESdatafromSeptember2012are:92%satisfiedwith
“qualityofupperdivisioncourses”comparedto86.7%forallotherSocialSciences,
and91.4%satisfiedwith“advisingbydepartmentalstaff”,comparedto85%forall
otherSocialSciences.AccordingtodatafromUCSDCourseandProfessor
Evaluations(CAPE’s),themeanandmedianapprovalratingsforinstructorsofHDP
coursesoverthepastfiveyearsare89%and92%,respectively.Thefeedbackfrom
thesixundergraduateHumanDevelopmentmajorswhoattendedthereviewwas
unanimouslypositive.
WeaknessesoftheHumanDevelopmentProgram:
TheprimaryweaknessesoftheHumanDevelopmentProgramaretheresultof
inadequateresources.
Inparticular,thereissimplynotenoughdedicatedfacultyefforttoteachtheHDP
courses.Asaconsequence,thereremainconcernsabouttheprimarycourse
requirementsofferedbythisprogram‐‐HDP1andHPD150(thecapstoneseminar).
Thepreviousreviewraisedtwomajorconcernsthattheprogramhasbeenunable
toaddress,andthisreviewcommitteesharestheseconcerns:
HDP1,whichisrequiredbeforestudentscandeclareamajorandisrequired
forallothercourses,iscurrentlyofferedonlyonceperyear.Thiscourse
shouldbeofferedmorethanonceperyear.HDP1currentlycreatesa
problemforjuniortransfersandstudentswhoswitchfromanothermajorto
HDPduringtheirthirdyear;studentsinthesetwogroupsoftencannottake
thecourseduringtheirjunioryear,thusresultinginasignificantnumberof
pre‐majorswhodonotdeclaretheirmajoruntiltheirsenioryearand
consequentlyareineligiblefortheHonorsProgram(iftheyexpectto
completetheirdegreeinfouryears).
HDP150(thecapstoneseminar)ismostoftentaughtbytemporarylecturers
andoccasionallybyAssociateInstructors.Giventhatitisacapstoneseminar
andthegoalistoexposestudentstoanin‐depthdiscussionofanareaof
research,itisimportantthatitbetaughtbyfacultymembers.When
temporarylecturersorAssociateInstructorsteachthiscourseinsteadof
seasonedresearchers,thestudentsaremissingoutonanopportunityto
engageinhigh‐qualityinteractionswithafacultymemberaboutacontent
area.
1

Inordertoaddressthiscriticalweakness,inadditiontotheirrequestsfornewhires,
HDPmayconsiderthefollowingsuggestions:
Ladderrankfaculty‐‐anddepartments‐‐couldbeincentivizedtoteachHDP
coursesbyrepurposingthefundscurrentlybeingusedtostaffthesecourses
withtemporarylecturersto"buy‐out"ofthefacultymember'steaching.That
is,ratherthanusingthefundstohireatemporarylecturerorAssociate
InstructortoteachanHDPcourse,thefundscouldbeusedtohiresuchan
instructortoteachamoreappropriatecourseinthefacultymember's
department,freeingupthefacultymembertoteachtheHDPcourse.
Departmentscouldalsoofferasmallresearchstipendtofacultyforteaching
HDPcourses.
HDPmayconsiderparttimeappointmentsofcontinuinglecturers.Although
suchappointmentscanbeundoneifneedschange,thelecturerswould
benefitfromsomestabilityofemployment.Thecourseswouldbenefitfrom
consistencyaswellastheinsightandexperienceofinstructorswhohave
taughtthemmultipletimes.
HDP1couldbeofferedduringthesummersession,althoughthisreview
committeeisawareofandappreciatesthatthestructureofthecourseand
natureofitscontentpresentchallengestosummerofferings.Professor
Farrellhasdoneanexcellentjobrestructuringthecoursesoitdoesnotrely
asheavilyonguestlecturersasitdidinthepast,butevenwiththe
reformatting,guestlecturesareanimportantpartofthecourse.Thus,HDP
isencouragedtoconsideralternativemeansforprovidingcontentthatwould
makeitpossibletoofferthiscriticalcoursemorethanonceperyear.For
example,theremaybewaystoreduce‐‐oreveneliminate‐‐theneedfor
“live”guestspeakersbyintegratingonline/recordedlecturesintoHDP1.
1
Ideally,HDP181wouldbetaughtbyladderrankorpermanentprogramfacultyas
well,butthisisnotasmuchofaconcernsinceDr.Reeseoverseesanddirectsthe
teachingofthatcourse.
Thesecondweaknessnotedbythisreviewcommitteeisthelackofadministrative
resourcesfortheprogram.Thecommitmentoftheadministrativestaffisagreat
strengthofHDP,buttheadministrativestaffarecompletelyoverwhelmed,
particularlytheadvisingstaff.Thesituationisdire;HDPisanadvisingintense
program,yettheadvisingstaffmembersarebeingforcedtorelegatestudent
advisingtoansweringphonesandgettingmail.Toaddressthiscriticalweakness,
thereviewcommitteestronglysupportsHDP’srequestforfundstohirean
AdministrativeAssistant(AA).ThehireofanAAwouldhaveseveralpositive
consequences:
Thestaffprovidedthereviewerswithalistofprocessesthattheycould
completeiftheyhadmorehelp,includingbutnotlimitedto:dataentry,
purgingfiles,officemaintenance,alumnioutreachandengagement,
coordinatingeventstoincreasefacultyinteraction,developingnetworking
relationships,intensivecareeradvising,advertisingHDPatlocalcommunity
colleges.
ThepresenceofanAAwouldallowHDPandSDSUtoresurrecttheirvery
successfulandmutuallybeneficial“StudentAdvisingMentorshipProgram”in
whichHDPhostsaMaster’sDegreelevelinternfromSDSUforintervalsofat
leastoneyear,whocantakeoncaseloadofstudentsandmentorstudentclub
leaders.
TheAAwouldactasaconduitandfacilitatorforoureffortstoincrease
interactionbetweencommunitysitesandHDPaffiliatefaculty.

Athirdweaknessisthelackofcohesionamongthefacultymembersaffiliatedwith
theprogram.SeveralchangeswithinHDPoverthepastfewyearshavecontributed
tothislackofcohesion.WiththeretirementofJoanStiles,whowasheadofboth
HDPandtheORUCenterforHumanDevelopment(CHD),thelinesbetweenHDP
andCHDhavebecomeclearer,withthemissionsofbothbecomingbetterdefined.
This“separation”ofHDPfromCHDhashadmanypositiveconsequences,butbased
onourconversationswiththeaffiliatefaculty,onenegativeconsequenceisthatthe
facultymembersaremissingthecohesionthattheCHDprovidedforthem.One
dozenfacultymembersattendedthereview,andthecommitteenoticedthatsome
ofthemwereintroducingthemselvestooneanother.Creating/augmentingunity
amongstaffiliatefacultymembers,lecturers,andstaffwouldonlystrengthenthe
program;tothisend,thereviewcommitteesuggeststhefollowing:
Considerresurrectingamonthlybrownbaglunchorseminarseriestobring
affiliatefacultytogethertodiscusssharedresearchorcurricularinterests.
Considercallingquarterlymeetingsforaffiliatefaculty,lect
urers,andstaff.
ConsiderpartneringwithGlobalHealth,PublicHealth,and/orEducation
Studiesforjointactivitiesoraseriesofevents.Studentscouldalsobeinvited
tojoin.
AfourthweaknessisthattheHonorsProgramisunder‐subscribed,aswasindicated
bythepreviousreviewcommittee.Duringthe2013‐14academicyear,onlytwo
studentscompletedtheHonorsProgram;thereweresixstudentsduring2012‐13.
Duringthecurrentreview,someoftheaffiliatefacultyalsoexpressedadesiretosee
improvementstotheHonorsProgram.GiventhelimitedresourcesofHDP,the
reviewcommitteesuggeststhatHDPinvestigatethepossibilityofHuman
DevelopmentmajorspiggybackingonHonorsProgramsinotherdepartmentssuch
asCognitiveScienceandPsychology.Additionally,ifHDPweregranteditsrequest
foranAA,perhapstheAAcouldhelpwiththeorganizationoftheHonorsProgram.
Finally,asaninterdisciplinaryprogram,HDPreliesheavilyonotherdepartments’
curricularofferingsandavailabilityofcourses,andthiscanmakeitdifficultfor
studentstofulfilltheirmajorrequirementsinatimelymanner.Althoughthisisnot
astrikingweaknessoftheprogram,thereviewcommitteesuggeststhatHDPmay
considergivingtheirstudentsmoreoptionsforhowtheycansatisfytheir
requirementsbyaugmentingtheirlistofrequiredcoursestoincludesomecourses
thatarecurrentlyonlyacceptedbypetition.Thisisparticularlyrelevanttothe
BiologicalDevelopmentrequirements;morecourseslikeANBI140couldbe
includedinthelist(biologicallyfocusedcoursesindepartmentsoutsideofBiology).
Adecreaseinthenumberofstudentpetitionswouldalsoreducetheworkloadof
theadvisingstaff.

Recommendations:
Despitesubstantialdecreasesinfundingandincreasesinmajorenrollment,the
HumanDevelopmentProgrammanagestoprovideitsmajorswithcustomizedpre‐
professionaltracks,personalattention,excellentcareeradvising,andaninvaluable
educationalexperience.Inorderforthisuniqueandextremelyimportantprogram
tocontinuetoremainstrongandachieveitsmission,theprogrammusthave
additionalresources.
1)ThereviewcommitteestronglysupportsHDP’srequestforafull‐timeLPSOEto
delivercore,HDPlaboratorycourses,andlanguagedevelopment
.
2)ThereviewcommitteestronglysupportsHDP’srequestforanFTE.Thelastsuch
appointmentwasthatofLeslieCarverin2001.Theteachingcommitmentstothe
programbyladdertrackfacultyneedtoberefreshed.TheDeanandUniversityare
encouragedtoconsidermakingjointappointmentswithteachingobligationsto
bothHDPandanotherdepartment.HDPspecificallyrequestsanFTEincross‐
culturaldevelopmentoverthelifespan;departmentsmentionedduringthereview
wereEducationStudies,Economics,CommunicationStudies,andSociology.
3)ThereviewcommitteestronglysupportsHDP’srequestforfundstohirean
AdministrativeAssistant.
4)ThereviewcommitteeurgesfurtherrestructuringofHDP1toallowittobe
offeredmorethanonceperyear.Thismayincludeanonline/recordedlectures
component,whichwouldfacilitateofferingthecontentatanytimeduringtheyear,
includingduringthesummer.
5)Thereviewcommitteerecommendstakingstepstocreate/augmentunity
amongstaffiliatefacultymembers,lecturers,andstaffbyorganizingbrownbag
lunches,seminarseries,and/orquarterlymeetings.Tothesameend,HDPcould
explorethepossibilityofpartneringwithotherprograms/departmentsforjoint
activities.
7)Thereviewcommitteerecommendstakingstepstoincreaseparticipationinthe
HonorsProgram.Inparticular,thecommitteeencouragestheprogramtoseekout
potentialpartnershipswithotherprogramssuchasCognitiveScienceand
PsychologytoseeifthereareopportunitiesforHDPstudentstoparticipatein
honorscourses,activities,etc.ItseemsitwouldbeespeciallynaturalforHDP
studentsconductinghonorsprojectswithfacultyinCognitiveScience(e.g.,Deak,
Creel)orPsychology(e.g.,Carver,Heyman)toparticipateinthosedepartments’
HonorsProgramsinsomeway.HDPisencouragedtoexplorethesepossibilities,as
wellaspossibilitiesinotherdepartmentswhosefacultyparticipateinthetrainingof
HDPstudents.
8)ThereviewcommitteesuggeststhatHDPconsiderbroadeningthecourses
acceptedfortheHDPcurriculumtoincreasethenumberofoptionsformajorsand
reducethenumberofpetitions.Iftherearecoursesthatstudentsregularlypetition
tousetofulfillrequirements,theprogramshouldconsideraddingthemascourses
thatmeetrequirements.
9)ThereviewcommitteesuggeststhatHDPinvestigatethepossibilityofaddinga
B.S.degreeasanoption.FourofthesixHumanDevelopmentmajorsinterviewedby
thereviewcommitteestatedthattheywishedtheycouldgraduatewithaB.S.degree
insteadofaB.A.degree.CognitiveScienceandPsychologyhavesuchanoptionin
placeandcouldbeusedasmodels.