The Instructional Program Review Narrative Report

Transcription

1 The Instructional Program Review Narrative Report 1. College: Discipline, Department or Program: Child Development Date: 10/`8/`12 Members of the Instructional Program Review Team: Dr. Stacy Thompson, Christine Olsen, Newt McDonald 2. Narrative Description of the Discipline, Department or Program: Please provide a general statement of primary goals and objectives of the discipline, department or program. Include any unique characteristics, degrees and certificates the program or department currently offers, concerns or trends affecting the discipline, department or program, and any significant changes or needs anticipated in the next three years. The College Child Development Program prepares effective early care and education professionals to provide quality programs and services to children, families and the community. As the only Child Development Department in the Peralta College District and in northern Alameda County, we are recognized for our programs of distinction and are committed to maintaining and expanding these programs. Classes prepare students to function in a variety of early care and education careers including family child care, center based care and other careers related to children and families. Perspectives on maturation, developmentally appropriate practices, and professional advancement within the early care and education field receive primary concentration. Current theory and research, cultural influences, practical applications and a supervised laboratory preschool experience are connected so students will discover their most effective and unique role with children. Courses are offered during the day, evenings and on weekends in order to meet the needs of our students. In addition to the associate in arts degree and 5 certificates in child development, the program offers flexibility to students with varying educational goals. It also provides learning opportunities for employees who wish to continue their education and upgrade their skills. Students completing the degree and/or certificate options meet the requirements mandated by state and local regulatory agencies One of the goals in the Early Care and Education Profession is to advance the education level of ECE providers. The statewide Curriculum Alignment Project is working with child development departments to design a common transfer degree from community colleges to state universities. By 2013, Headstart teachers must all have an A.A. to keep their teaching jobs. The Child Development Department is helping to meet these goals by collaborating with Alameda County

2 First Five, local Early Childhood Education programs, local school districts, BANANAS Child Care Resource and Referral, and three Head Start Programs. 3. Curriculum: Is the curriculum current and effective? Have course outlines been updated within the last three years? If not, what plans are in place to remedy this? The curriculum is current and effective and is reviewed annually with input from the Child Development Advisory Committee, industry representatives and Child Development faculty. The majority of active courses have been updated with student learning outcome(slo) the last seven will be completed this year. A three year assessment schedule has been developed and implemented. CHDEV is on schedule to complete the assessment of all active courses by, 2013 (see appendix). Our department meets to discuss the assessment process at the beginning of each semester. These meetings have helped us to learn the nuts and bolts of assessment and ways to improve student learning. As a department we have reviewed our use of rubrics and the components of a successful rubric. We have discussed the use of both in-class and out of class assignments in assessing our students. We are currently focusing on how to incorporate verbal as well as written assessments. Instructors teaching the same course have met in small groups to evaluate assignments and share syllabi. Has your department conducted a curriculum review of course outlines? If not, what are the plans to remedy this? Please see number 1(answer above). The statewide Curriculum Alignment Project (CAP), of which College Child Development Department is a member, developed a statewide common Child Development transfer degree path from community colleges to state universities.this supports program completion and SB 1440 which was recently signed into law. Our revised CHDEV major and the eight course, known as the Lower Division, were approved by CAP in July ; the College Child Development Department is now one of 29 communitiy colleges statewide aligned with the Curriculum Alignment Project. What are the department s plans for curriculum improvement (i.e., courses to be developed, updated, enhanced, or deactivated)? Have prerequisites, co-requisites, and advisories been validated? Is the date of validation on the course outline? Please see number 1 & 2 (answers above).

3 Budget considerations have had a major impact in our curriculum review and development process. There has been a significant reduction in the number of sections offered and some reduction in the number of courses we can offer. What steps has the department taken to incorporate student learning outcomes in the curriculum? Are outcomes set for each course? If not, which courses do not have outcomes? Please see number 1 & 2 (answers above). Describe the efforts to develop outcomes at the program level. In which ways do these outcomes align with the institutional outcomes? We developed program outcomes and a program map that align with the institutional outcomes. We have attached this as an addendum. Most slos have been aligned with institutional outcomes we begin assessing program outcomes through our capstone course, the Lab Practicum. Priorities: Our priority is to offer a curriculum that meets industry, regulatory, credentialing, academic, and professional requirement and needs. Recommendations: To continue the development of on-line courses. To complete the CHDEV assessment process and close the assessment loop. To fund a classified position for the college to provide support for faculty to input assessment plans and results into task stream and to ensure that information from curricunet is put into taskstream. 4. Instruction: Describe effective and innovative strategies used by faculty to involve students in the learning process. How has new technology been used by the department to improve student learning? The pedagogy of the Child Development department is social-constructivism; our faculty applies this pedagogy in the classroom through reflective journal writing, case studies, site observations and assessment, classroom and curricular design projects, internships, shadowing, and practicum experiences.

4 The First 5 Learning Cohort Program is based on the learning community model and support s students at all levels of their career path in Child Development. The Associate Teacher Permit and the Math/English Bridge Cohort support students working on their Associate Permits. The Emerging Teacher Cohort and Transfer Cohort support students completing the degree and transferring to a 4 year university or college. They advance student access, success and equity and are programs of distinction.. The Child Development Department continues to develop on-line classes; classrooms in the A building were recently upgraded into smart classrooms. CHDEV faculty participated in training sessions of the new technology. How does the department maintain the integrity and consistency of academic standards within the discipline? We include department policies for student conduct and academic standards in all course syllabi. We distribute the Faculty Handbook and the Student Behavioral Procedure Manual to all contract and adjunct faculty at a department meeting at the beginning of each semester. College standards are enforced at the classroom level and in all department activities. Faculty members develop rubrics for class assignments so that college level standards are articulated, expected and assessed. Discuss the enrollment trends of your department. What is the student demand for specific courses? How do you know? What do you think are the salient trends affecting enrollments? Based on our high enrollment in the courses we are able to offer, there is a demand for the required major courses, the administration and infant and toddler classes. The recession, tuition hikes and course schedule reductions in the CSU and UC systems and the California Department of Education policies regarding school age programs, the impending A.A. requirements for all Head Start teachers are the salient trends affecting enrollment. Are courses scheduled in a manner that meets student needs and demand? How do you know? The CHDEV department continues to organize the schedule of classes around the needs of our students(working and non-working). The majority of classes are offered in the evenings and/or weekends. Due to the current state budget crisis, we had to cut back on classes in the community. Recommendations and priorities: To work closely with our advisory group and the Peralta College District grants administrator to strengthen our current CHDEV/agency partnerships and to identify potential partners. Work with agency partners to identify grant funding for CHDEV bilingual and community classes that have been cut due to the state budget crisis.

5 5. Student Success: Describe student retention and program completion (degrees, certificates, persistence Rates) trends in the department. What initiatives can the department take to improve retention and completion rates? Please see attached spread sheet with CHDEV awards. The number of A.A. degrees increased during from 21 to 48. The total number of awards declined; the number of Certificates of Proficiency declined from 109 to 15; the Certificates of Achievement from 31 to 9. One the reasons in the increase in A.A. degrees is the demands in the industry for A.A. degrees for continued employment and the emphasis on student support systems to obtain their A.A. degrees. One of the reasons for the decline in CPs and CAs may be the emphasis on the A.A. degree. Term Descr Long Campus Descr Short Completion Rate Retention Rate % 75.90% 2009 Spring 65% 77.50% % 77.50% 2010 Spring 65% 78.00% % 78.10% Spring 68% 80.00% 65% 79.00% 2012 Spring 66% 76.70% Subject Term Descr Long Completion Rate Retention Rate 2008 CHDEV 69% 77% 2009 Spring ChDEV 77% 84% 2009 ChDEV 73% 82% 2010 Spring CHDEV 75% 81% 2010 ChDEV 74% 82% Spring CHDEV 80% 87% CHDEV 74% 82% 2012 Spring CHDEV 72% 78%

6 Term Campus Subject Ethnic Group Desc TOTAL GRADED SUCCESS SUCCESS RATE WITHDRAWAL WITHDRAWAL RATE College CHDEV American Indian/Alaskan Native % 0 0% College CHDEV Asian % 10 5% College CHDEV Black/African American % 50 23% College CHDEV Filipino % 1 8% College CHDEV Hispanic % 21 14% College CHDEV Multiple % 12 34% College CHDEV Other Non white % 1 17% College CHDEV Unknown/Non Respondent % 8 13% College CHDEV White Non Hispanic % 9 7%

7 Analysis 1. If your disciplines retention rate is beneath the colleges rate, then why? NA 2. If your retention rate is below the college rate, then what are you doing to increase retention? NA 3. If your retention rate is above the college s rate do you have any best practices to share? Best practices include: A high level of coordination at the department level between ancillary programs; The CHDEV learning cohorts and support systems, The identification and availability of financial support mentioned in the instructional sections and the emphasis on professional communication between faculty/college and service providers. The scheduling of classes and Child Development support services, faculty, and staff to meet working student needs. Effective use of work study students Emphasizing a sense of community both on campus and off campus, between faculty, students and service providers. Analysis 1. If your disciplines successful course completion rate (SCCR) is beneath the college s rate, then why? NA 2. If your sccr is below the college rate, then what are you doing to increase it? NA 3. If your sccr is above the college s rate do you have any best practices to share? Best practices include: A high level of coordination at the department level between ancillary programs. The CHDEV learning cohorts and support systems The identification and availability of financial support mentioned in the instructional sections, and the emphasis on professional communication between faculty/college and service providers. The scheduling and Child Development support services, faculty and staff to meet working student needs. Effective use of work study students Emphasizing a sense of community both on campus and off campus between faculty, students and service providers. An emphasis on building relationships and identifying personal needs.

8 What are the key needs of students that affect their learning? What services are needed for these students to improve their learning? Describe the department s efforts to access these services. What are your department s instructional support needs? Student Needs Services Department Efforts Department Needs Basic Skills Tutoring Associate Teacher Continued funding Cohort Learning Center Tutors for CHDEV assignments Professional Skill Development Continued funding ESL Financial Support Child Development Academic and Career planning Internships, practicum, on site training Professional development opportunities Multilingual faculty Bilingual classes Bilingual materials Tuition Reimbursement Book loans Stipends Fee Waivers Counseling and advising Permit application support Mentor Program Case Studies Site Placements Lab Practicum Bilingual staffing and services in various languages Emergent Teacher Program CDTC reimbursement First 5 Learning Cohort FASA; BOG Grants Scholarships First 5 Learning Cohorts CDTC permit program Further recruitment Continued funding Continued funding Professional Networking Learning cohorts Department sponsored activities Cohort meetings Graduation Financial resources Describe the department s effort to assess student learning at the course level. Describe the efforts to assess student learning at the program level. In which ways has the department used student learning assessment results for improvement?

9 Assessment at the course level is done through tests & quizzes, case studies, observational assignments, design projects, oral presentations, rubrics for academic and professional work skills. We have implemented a three years formal assessment process; each semester we report our findings and make recommendations. Recommendations and priorities: Closing the assessment loop through formal review of student work with colleagues. Continued involvement with the Curriculum Alignment project. 6. Human and Physical Resources (including equipment and facilities) Describe your current level of staff, including full-time and part-time faculty, classified staff, and other categories of employment. The Child Development Department currently has two full time and ten part time faculty; one.5 (20 hours per week) classified instructional aid attached to the lab school. In addition for the First 5 Learning Cohorts, we have a full time coordinator and two student assistants.. Describe your current utilization of facilities and equipment. The Child Development Department currently utilizes 3-4 classrooms plus the lab practicum classroom and seminar room in the A building for a day, evening, and Saturday program. There is a Child Development Resource room, A109, where the First 5 Coordinator (funded by Alameda County Every Child Counts) and the Child Development tutoring program is located. In addition, there is a Child Development Office with three smaller offices. There have been sections of Child Development classes taught in the community at different agencies/preschools to better meet the needs of our students. Due to the current budget constraints, these community classes have been cut. Are the human and physical resources, including equipment and location, adequate for all the courses offered by your department (or program)? What are your key staffing and facilities needs for the next three years? Why? The physical resources currently available to the Child Development department are inadequate. Immediate steps need to be taken to improve the lighting, ventilation and heating in some of the Child Development lecture rooms in the A building. New desks and tables need to be purchased; the classroom furniture is an odd assortment of old tables and desks which do not meet the physical/academic needs of the students.

10 We need to add a 6 fence at the northern end of the lab school playground so that children do not come into contact with the electrial panels had have been installed on the northern wall (health & safety issues). We have been told to keep children away from this area. The technology in the A building has been updated; most classrooms are now smart class rooms. The human resources currently available to the Child Development department are inadequate. We need an additional full time faculty position to create more cohesion in this complex department and strengthen our capacity to maintain our current programs, to take advantage of grant opportunities and to expand our contract education partnerships Recommendations and priorities: Fund an additional full time faculty position in CHDEV Provide prompt repair of technical and AV equipment. Purchase new tables and desks for classrooms A137, A139, A106.A100 Hire a college researcher to follow-up with the placement of CTE programs, including Child Development Department graduates. 7. Community Outreach and Articulation For vocational programs: Describe the department s connection with industry. Is there an Advisory Board or Advisory Committee for the program? If so, how often does it meet? Is the program adequately preparing students for careers in the field? How do you know? There is an Advisory Committee composed of representative from various sectors of the industry, faculty, students, and other interested parties. The Advisory Committee meets twice a year; once in the semester and once in the Spring semester. Information is shared about agency and organizational activities, current industry needs, academic programs, agency, student and program needs and other Early Care and Education related issues. The program is adequately preparing students for the field based on the concerns, requirements and interests articulated by the Advisory Committee. Advisory committee members are encouraged to communicate any concern/issues, developments to the Child Development Department chair throughout the year. The Advisory is a primary vehicle for program review and development to assure current industry needs. CHDEV 55A and 55B is the capstone class of the Child Development program. The culminating experiences, professional work skills, and final are used to assess the students technical and career skills.

11 Have students completing the program attained a foundation of technical and career skills? How do you know? What are the completion rates in your program? Subject Term Descr Long Completion Rate Retention Rate 2008 CHDEV 69% 77% 2009 Spring ChDEV 77% 84% 2009 ChDEV 73% 82% 2010 Spring CHDEV 75% 81% 2010 ChDEV 74% 82% Spring CHDEV 80% 87% CHDEV 74% 82% 2012 Spring CHDEV 72% 78%. What are the employment placement rates? Include a description of job titles and salaries. What is the relationship between completion rates and employment rates? N/A What industry trends are most critical for the future viability of the program? How do you know? What are the implications of these trends for curriculum development and improvement? The most critical industry trends are state policies and regulations, federal and state funding for Child Development programs, economic and demographic trends, and local support and resources, i.e. Alameda County Every Child Counts. Our decisions are guided by Advisory Committee input, professional networking, and professional development activities. Curriculum is reviewed, modified and developed based on identified needs, changes in regulations, and requests from the Advisory Committee, community input and industry. For transfer programs: Describe the department s efforts in meeting with and collaborating with local 4-year institutions. Is the program adequately preparing students for upper division course work? How do you know?

12 The statewide Curriculum Alignment Project (CAP), of which College Child Development Department is a member, developed a statewide common Child Development transfer degree path from community colleges to state universities.this supports program completion and SB 1440 which was recently signed into law. Our revised CHDEV major and the eight courses known as the Lower Division 8 were approved by CAP July ; the College Child Development Department is now one of 29 communitiy colleges statewide aligned with the Curriculum Alignment Project.. For all instructional programs: Describe the department s effort to ensure that the curriculum responds to the needs of the constituencies that it serves. The curriculum is current and effective and is reviewed annually with input from the child care advisory committee, industry representatives and child development faculty. There is an Advisory Committee composed of representative from various sectors of the industry, faculty, students, and other interested parties. The Advisory Committee meets twice a year; once in the semester and once in the Spring semester. Information is shared about agency and organizational activities, current industry needs, academic programs, agency, student and program needs and other Early Care and Education related issues. Recommendations and priorities: Continue our relationship with the Advisory Committee. Continue our best practices and present funding level of ancillary support programs so that our students receive the support they need to complete the Child Development program. A high level of coordination at the department level between ancillary programs. Create a transfer major.

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