Academic Program Capacity Building in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology

Featured Examples of Successful Capacity Building

Academic programs, in collaboration with other stakeholders, have been attempting to increase capacity for a number of years. The approaches that have been undertaken to achieve greater capacity can be classified within the following six categories:

• Combined degree programs (e.g., BA/MA, BA/PhD, AuD/PhD)
• Consortium (e.g., degree programs offered as a result of institutional partnerships)
• Distance education
• Partnerships across programs (e.g., collaborations across disciplines)
• Partnerships with local education agencies (LEAs)
• Funding to support personnel preparation

Specific examples of approaches successfully implemented by academic programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) are highlighted below, and are provided to serve as models.

• Addressing the Shortage of School-Based SLPs: An Innovative Approach in Texas 
  Faced with a shortage of school-based speech-language pathologists, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) worked with Texas Woman's University (TWU) to create a statewide distance-learning program that blends innovative and traditional delivery systems
• Building Academic Program Capacity with Innovative Clinical Education Models
   This 2010 ASHA presentation features innovative clinical education models [PDF] at Kent State University, James Madison University and University of South Carolina.  
• University of Cincinnati, University of Washington, Vanderbilt University: Successful Models of Academic Program Capacity Building in Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
  A presentation highlighting three programs and their successful models of capacity building [PDF] from the 2010 Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) conference proceedings.
• University of Cincinnati's Innovative Approach to PhD Education
  The University of Cincinnati received a grant through an ASHA-sponsored competition for innovative academic programs to recruit and educate doctoral students who will enter academia.
• Wichita State University Offers Grants, Forms Partnership With Fort Hays State University
  In response to the doctoral shortage in communication sciences and disorders, Wichita State University and Fort Hays State University have found a new way to attract PhD level faculty and students.
• Emerging Models of AuD-to-PhD Education
  Learn about three enrollment models designed to bridge AuD-to-PhD education -sequential, simultaneous, and dual-track-and the future directions for doctoral education.
• California Consortium Serves as a Model for Audiology Clinical Doctoral Programs
  The San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego, have joined forces to form the first AuD program in California, a consortium that serves as a model for other programs.
• University of Maryland Partnership with a Local Education Agency (LEA)
  A partnership success story- University of Maryland and an LEA join efforts [PDF] to enlarge the number of SLP trainees.
• Distance Learning at Longwood University Recruits Students in Other Disciplines
  Distance Learning at Longwood University in Virginia is one of the nation's first academic programs to offer an online prerequisite program for graduate study for students from other disciplines.

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