Academic Program Review

ACADEMIC YEAR	2014-2015	Basic Skills Transfer Career Technical Education (CTE)
PROGRAM	General Science
DESCRIPTION/PURPOSE	The Associate of Science General Sciences degree emphasizes the role of science, scientific inquiry and technology in our world. Students will apply a problem solving strategy such as the scientific method or other systematic process of inquiry and recognize the contributions of science and technology in our world. This program provides a broad study in the fields of biological and physical sciences in preparation for transfer to a four-year program and continuation of studies in upper division science courses in fields of anthropology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, environmental science, geography, geology, engineering, and physics.
DIVISION	Health and Sciences
DEPARTMENT	Science, Math, and Engineering
SUBMITTED BY:	Daniel Gilison

INSTITUTIONAL GOAL 1	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL 2	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL 3	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL 4
INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS – The College will maintain programs and services that focus on the mission of the College supported by data-driven assessments to measure student learning and student success. 1.1 Develop systems and procedures that establish the mission of the college as the central mechanism for planning and decision making. 1.2 Develop an institutional score card to assess student learning that drives integrated planning and resource allocation. 1.3 Develop systems and procedures to ensure that the college maintains a collegial and self-reflective dialogue that improves effectiveness. 1.4 Develop systems that are inclusive, cyclical, and understood by all stakeholders.	STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES – The College will maintain instructional programs and services which support student success and the attainment of student educational goals. 2.1 Ensure that all instructional programs, regardless of location or means of delivery, address and meet the current and future needs of students. 2.2 Review program learning outcomes annually (or biennially) to assure currency, improve teaching and learning strategies, and raise student success rates. 2.3 Ensure that all Student Services programs, regardless of location or means of delivery, address and meet the current and future needs of students. 2.4 Ensure that all Student Services programs engage in a process of sustainable continuous quality improvement by annual review of Service Area Outcomes, and annual Program Review. 2.5 Ensure that the Library meets as closely as possible that “Standards of Practice for California Community College Library Faculty and Programs” of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. 2.6 Ensure that instructional labs continue to collaborate in sharing financial and human resources, thus maintaining continuous quality improvement.	RESOURCES – The College will develop and manage human, technological, physical, and financial resources to effectively support the College mission and the campus learning environment. 3.1 Develop and implement a resource allocation plan that leads to fiscal stability. 3.2 Implement a robust technological infrastructure and the enterprise software to support the college process. 3.3 Build new facilities and modernize existing ones as prioritized in the facility master plan. 3.4 Design and commit to a long-term professional development plan. 3.5 Raise the health awareness of faculty, staff, and students.	LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE – The Board of Trustees and the Superintendent/President will establish policies that assure the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of student learning programs and services, and the financial stability of the institution. 4.1 Review all Board policies annually to ensure that they are consistent with the College mission statement, that they address the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of student learning programs and services, and that they guard the financial stability of the institution. 4.2 Maintain a clearly defined Code of Ethics that includes appropriate responses to unprofessional behavior. 4.3 Ensure that the Board of Trustees is informed and involved in the accreditation process. 4.4 Ensure that processes for the evaluation of the Board of Trustees and the Superintendent/President are clearly defined, implemented, and publicized. 4.5 Establish a governance structure, processes, and practices that guarantee that the governing board, administration, faculty, staff, and students will be involved in the decision making process.

I. INSTITUTIONAL GOALS

II. PROGRAM GOALS

PAST – EVALUATION OF PREVIOUS CYCLE OBJECTIVES/PROGRAM GOALS (SET IN PREVIOUS YEAR)

List your previous objectives/goals and associated Institutional Goals. All program goals must address at least one of the institutional goals.

1	PAST PROGRAM GOAL #1	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S) (Select one primary goal.)
Identify Program Goal and Budget request, if any, from the Program Review completed in 2013-2014 (Section II C): Increase student transfer opportunities by hiring more Chemistry instructors to meet student demand in Chemistry classes, and to be able to offer higher-level Chemistry courses.	1 Mission & Effectiveness 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.4 2 Student Learning Outcomes 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.6 3 Resources 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.3 4 Leadership & Governance 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.3
Met	Partially Met	Not Met
Describe how this program goal increased student achievement and/or program effectiveness in 2014-2015: While we did hire a new Chemistry instructor in the Fall 2013 semester, there is still great student demand for Chemistry classes that is currently not being met. Meeting this goal will allow students to get the 200-level Chemistry courses that they need (Organic Chemistry) to be able to transfer to 4-year universities to pursue their educational goals.

2	PAST PROGRAM GOAL #2	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S) (Select one primary goal.)
Identify Program Goal and Budget request, if any, from the Program Review completed in 2013-2014 (Section II C): Increase hands-on learning situations in general science courses, such as a laboratory component to Astronomy classes.	1 Mission & Effectiveness 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.4 2 Student Learning Outcomes 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.6 3 Resources 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.3 4 Leadership & Governance 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.3
Met	Partially Met	Not Met
Describe how this program goal increased student achievement and/or program effectiveness in 2014-2015: This has not yet been met, but by adding laboratory components to classes that currently do not have them, students will get hands-on learning experiences that will reinforce the concepts that they are studying in the lecture portion of the course. This will increase student success in these classes, which will increase student achievement overall.

3	PAST PROGRAM GOAL #3	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S) (Select one primary goal.)
Identify Program Goal and Budget request, if any, from the Program Review completed in 2013-2014 (Section II C): Consistency in education among multiple sections of the same course.	1 Mission & Effectiveness 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.4 2 Student Learning Outcomes 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.6 3 Resources 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.3 4 Leadership & Governance 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.3
Met	Partially Met	Not Met
Describe how this program goal increased student achievement and/or program effectiveness in 2014-2015: While this goal has not yet been met, it will help students by ensuring that their education will be similar no matter which section of a course they may take.

PRESENT – DATA ANALYSIS AND PROGRAM HEALTH – ACCREDITATION

Summarize and analyze all disaggregated data by day, evening, gender, ethnicity, and distance education. Narrative only. Submit electronic excel file with graphs or trend data.

Enrollment and Fill Rates

Discuss the trends in enrollment and fill rate for each program by day and evening at the program level.

Enrollment and fill rates in the General Science classes have been very high. In the day, it ranges from 94-105%, in the evening it ranges from 81-96% fill, and online it ranges from 97-115% fill. There appears to be a decrease in enrollment in General Science courses in the spring semester as compared to the fall semester (96% vs. 102%), but overall, the fill rates across the board are very high.

Productivity

What are the trends in productivity?

Productivity in General Science classes range from 439 to 501.5, with an average of 467 WSCH/FTEF. Although these numbers are below the goal of 525, science classes typically have labs, which reduce the number of students that can be enrolled in those sections.

Success and Retention

Discuss the success and retention rates by day, evening (extended day), and online classes in each program and identify gaps.

Retention rates in all General Science classes (day, evening, and online) are relatively high, ranging from 69% retention to 86% retention. Success rates for day and evening classes range between 61% and 72%, but are only 36.5% to 58% online. It will be important to see if the new guidelines for developing online classes will help student success in those courses. Overall, while these numbers are good, they could be improved, and further discussion amongst the science faculty would be necessary to identify the issues and how best to solve them.

Success and Retention by Ethnicity

Discuss the success and retention rates by demographic diversity of students.

Overall, the retention rates for all ethnicities (African-American, Hispanic, Other, White, and Non-responsive) are high in the General Science courses. While success rates are highest in the African-American and Other populations, the success rates in Hispanic, White, and Non-responsive populations have an average of about 67%. As these are our largest populations of student in General Science classes, this explains the overall success rate discussed in the previous section.

Degrees and Certificates

Discuss the trends in the number of degrees and/or certificates awarded.

In the past 3 academic years, there have been 58 (2011-2012), 91 (2012-2013), and 80 (2013-2014) students graduate with a degree in General Science. These are very high numbers, making the General Science program one of the more popular programs at IVC.

Program Changes

What program changes, if any, do you expect to have a positive effect on students?

The biggest change the program could make to have a positive effect on students is to expand the program. There are still students trying to get into BIOL 100, 200, 204 and CHEM 100 classes that are being turned away, and there are upper-level Chemistry classes that we have not offered in many years due to low enrollment. Hiring more qualified faculty to teach these courses would help the program, and our students, immensely.

Summarize revisions, additions, deletions, and alternate delivery methods to courses and/or program based on the last program review.

We have increased the class size of the AG/ENVS 110 class from 30 to 35 students, and we have increased the class size of the BIOL 90 class from 30 to 40 students. Both of these changes were made to meet student demand in these courses.

Evaluate the program’s viability by addressing program completion, size (FTES), projections (growing/stable/declining), and quality of outcomes.

With the General Science program’s high degree completion rate, solid productivity numbers, and with the potential to easily grow in size, I believe that the General Science program is very healthy and viable.
C. FUTURE – LIST OF “SMART” (SPECIFIC MEASURABLE ATTAINABLE RELEVANT TIME-LIMITED) PROGRAM OBJECTIVES FOR NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR TO ADDRESS PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT, GROWTH, OR UNMET NEEDS/GOALS. ALL PROGRAM GOALS MUST ADDRESS AT LEAST ONE OF THE INSTITUTIONAL GOALS.

FUTURE PROGRAM GOALS (Describe future program goals. List in order of budget priority.) You are not required to list 3 goals. Only list/identify goals that are viable in one year’s time or can be carried over a number of program cycles.	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S) (Select one primary institutional goal)
1	2015-2016 PROGRAM GOAL #1 Budget Priority #1	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S)
Identify Future Global Goal: Increase student transfer opportunities	1 Mission & Effectiveness 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.4 2 Student Learning Outcomes 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.6 3 Resources 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.3 4 Leadership & Governance 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.3
Objective: Increase number of sections of lower-level chemistry classes (CHEM 100, 200, 202), and offer upper-level chemistry classes (CHEM 204, 206).
RESOURCE PLAN (Check all that apply.)
Facilities Marketing Technology Professional Development Staffing
Task(s)
Hire another Chemistry instructor to teach additional CHEM 100 and upper-level CHEM sections via a STEM grant proposal.
Timeline: Expect to hire within 3 years if grant is approved.
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify) STEM Grant	$________80,000___
Timeline:
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify)	$________________
C.
Timeline:
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify)	$________________
How will this objective be measured? This will be measured by the hiring of a Chemistry instructor, and the addition of CHEM 100 sections to the schedule.
How will the completion of tasks identified improve student/program success? This will allow students to more easily get into the Chemistry classes that they need, and the department would then be able to start offering Organic Chemistry classes that students would use to transfer to 4-year universities.
Who are the responsible party(ies) and assigned user(s)? Tina Aguirre – Health and Sciences Dean, Daniel Gilison –Science, Math, and Engineering Department Chair, Jim Fisher – Chemistry Professor (lead on STEM grant).
FUTURE PROGRAM GOALS (Describe future program goals. List in order of budget priority.) You are not required to list 3 goals. Only list/identify goals that are viable in one year’s time or can be carried over a number of program cycles.	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S) (Select one primary institutional goal)
2	2015-2016 PROGRAM GOAL #2 Budget Priority #1	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S)
Identify Future Global Goal: Increase hands-on learning situations in general science courses.	1 Mission & Effectiveness 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.4 2 Student Learning Outcomes 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.6 3 Resources 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.3 4 Leadership & Governance 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.3
Objective: Incorporate a laboratory component to ASTR 100.
RESOURCE PLAN (Check all that apply.)
Facilities Marketing Technology Professional Development Staffing
Task(s)
A. Find out which other schools have lab components for astronomy classes.
Timeline: Can be done by the end of the fall 2014 semester.
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify)	$________________
Determine what equipment would be needed, cost of equipment and maintenance agreements.
Timeline: Can be done by the end of the spring 2015 semester.
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify)	$________________
C. Make changes in curriculum to ASTR 100 to allow for lab component.
Timeline: Can be done during the 2015-16 academic year, for 2016-17.
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify)	$________________
How will this objective be measured? This objective will be measured by curriculum changes.
How will the completion of tasks identified improve student/program success? Students will get hands-on learning experiences that will reinforce the concepts that they are studying in the lecture portion of the course. This will increase student success in these classes, which will increase student achievement overall.
Who are the responsible party(ies) and assigned user(s)? Tina Aguirre – Health and Sciences Dean, Daniel Gilison – Science, Math, and Engineering Department Chair, Russell Lavery – Astronomy Professor
FUTURE PROGRAM GOALS (Describe future program goals. List in order of budget priority.) You are not required to list 3 goals. Only list/identify goals that are viable in one year’s time or can be carried over a number of program cycles.	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S) (Select one primary institutional goal)
3	2015-2016 PROGRAM GOAL #3 Budget Priority #1	INSTITUTIONAL GOAL(S)
Identify Future Global Goal: Consistency in education among multiple sections of the same course.	1 Mission & Effectiveness 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.4 2 Student Learning Outcomes 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.6 3 Resources 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.3 4 Leadership & Governance 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.3
Objective: Improved coordination and consistency of the level of instruction for the different sections of PHSC 110, and other multi-section courses, taught by different instructors.
RESOURCE PLAN (Check all that apply.)
Facilities Marketing Technology Professional Development Staffing
Task(s)
Instructors should share class schedules, assessments, etc. to examine similarities and differences.
Timeline: This could be done by the end of the fall 2014 semester.
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify)	$________________
B. Student grade distributions should be examined for different sections to see what differences exist in student success.
Timeline: This could be done by the end of the fall 2014 semester.
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify)	$________________
Faculty work together to have more consistently structured classes.
Timeline: This work could start in the spring 2015 semester, and continue for 1-2 years.
Expense Type	Funding Type	Budget Request
One-Time Recurring	General District Categorical (Specify)	$________________
How will this objective be measured? This can be measured by examining syllabi for similar course content, and student grade distributions to ensure that different sections of the same course are neither too simple, nor overly challenging (above the level of rigor that the course should have).
How will the completion of tasks identified improve student/program success? This will allow any student who takes a particular course, no matter with which faculty member they take the course, to have a similar educational experience to other students in other sections of the same course. This will provide consistency in their education and ensure that the students are learning what they need before transferring to a 4-year university.
Who are the responsible party(ies) and assigned user(s)? Tina Aguirre – Health and Sciences Dean, Daniel Gilison – Science, Math, and Engineering Department Chair, Science faculty members

(WSCH/FTEF) The goal is 525 as per state guidelines. A low number means that we are below target levels for productivity. For example, in a small class that has a mandated cap of 15 students, the fill rate may be 100% but the productivity number (WSCH/FTEF) will be very low. A class with a cap of 40 students with a 100% fill rate will have a productivity number close to or above 525.