CRI: A Brief History (2006-2009)

In the spring of 2006, Dr. Lawrence J. Simpson, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost, formed the Steering Committee for the Curriculum Review Initiative (CRI), inviting twenty-two faculty members and administrators to join. Dr. Simpson appointed Dr. Kari Juusela, Dean of the Professional Writing Division, to chair the Steering Committee. For the first year of its existence, the Steering Committee conducted a comprehensive review of the Berklee curriculum, speaking with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders: faculty, students, alumni, music industry experts, and representatives from other outstanding educational institutions. The Steering Committee’s inquiry was guided by two questions:

What should every Berklee graduate know and be able to do?
What experiences should they have as part of their Berklee education?

After collecting extensive data through surveys, focus groups, and site visits to other colleges, the Steering Committee developed a list of twenty key recommendations for enriching the student experience at Berklee, from creating minors to diversifying the Music History curriculum. Among the Steering Committee’s key findings were a need for the following:

a more cohesive First Year Experience, with fewer student preparations and greater emphasis on promoting student success;
a career development curriculum that spans a Berklee student’s entire program of study; and
a permanent mechanism for regular curriculum review.

The Steering Committee also developed a list of seventeen core student competencies to guide both the CRI process and subsequent curriculum development. The list addresses student learning in a variety of areas, from basic musicianship – e.g. playing and writing in a variety of styles, improvising music – to critical thinking – e.g. demonstrating a breadth of knowledge in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. You can see the list of competencies here.

In 2008, the Steering Committee formed thirteen workgroups, each tasked with addressing one or two of the Steering Committee’s recommendations. The groups were comprised of faculty and staff from around the college, with over 150 Berklee employees participating in the process. The workgroups submitted their findings to the Steering Committee in the fall of 2008. In early 2009, Dr. Simpson suspended the original Steering Committee, forming a smaller, eleven-member Executive Committee to review the Steering Committee’s final report from December 2008. Working under Dr. Simpson’s direction, the Executive Committee evaluated the feasibility of the Steering Committee’s recommendations, taking into consideration such issues as faculty development and student workload while looking for opportunities to promote innovation in course content and design. The Executive Committee issued a report in the fall of 2009, detailing a comprehensive list of changes to the curriculum. Academic Affairs then created eight workgroups to develop and implement the new requirements.

For additional information about CRI and program review, please contact Vice President for Curriculum Jeanine Cowen.

For further information about the Curriculum Review Initiative, faculty and staff may wish to consult the following resources: