SANTA ANA COLLEGE Teaching Learning Committee Minutes October 13, 2014

Transcription

1 SANTA ANA COLLEGE Teaching Learning Committee Minutes October 13, 2014 To: Distribution From: Bonnie Jaros, Chair, Teaching Learning Committee Mission: The mission of the Rancho Santiago Community College District is to provide quality educational programs and services that address the needs of our diverse students and communities. The mission of Santa Ana College is to be a leader and partner in meeting the intellectual, cultural, technological and workforce development needs of our diverse community. Santa Ana College provides access and equity in a dynamic learning environment that prepares students for transfer, careers and lifelong intellectual pursuits in a global community. Vision Themes of Santa Ana College: I. Student Achievement; II. Use of Technology; III. Innovation; IV. Community; V. Workforce Development; VI. Emerging American Community Institutional Learning Outcomes: Communication Skills; Thinking and Reasoning; Information Management; Diversity; Civic Responsibility; Life Skills; Careers Members Present: Steve Bautista, Karen Dennis, Yolanda Garcia, Heather Gillette, Gina Giroux, Glen Harding, Mary Huebsch, Shelly Jaffray, Bonnie Jaros, Crystal Jenkins, Eve Kikawa, Cherylee Kushida, Melanie Mowrer, Carrie Patton, Nga Pham, Kris Ross, Irene Soriano, Brian Sos, John Tashima Guests: Javier Galvan 1

2 I. The TLC warmly welcomes our two new permanent members, Nga Pham and John Tashima. II. Approval Minutes of September 29, 2014 The minutes of September 29, 2014 were approved as written. III. Public Comments There were no public comments. IV. TLC Work for Today A. PA/PR Reports: Reading (presented spring 2013); Modern Languages The Modern Languages Capstone review was presented by Dr. Javier Galvan. (Please see Appendix A) B. Accreditation Update THANK YOU EVERYONE for your participation in the SAC External Evaluation team visit October 6-9, 2014 and for all the preparation that preceded it!!!! President Martinez sent out Notes from the President every day of the site visit with highlights and pictures. If you missed these or wish to see them again, please see 1. Particularly noteworthy is the final issue of Notes from the President, as there is a summary of unofficial commendations and recommendations from the team. We are very proud of the college s commendations and take the recommendations very seriously. (Please see Appendix B.) It is important to bear in mind, however, that this is a summary of the team s findings after their review the Self Evaluation Report, evidentiary documents, and the websites; and after conducting multiple interviews over the course of the week. Only ACCJC, at the meeting of Commissioners, can issue the official final dispensation of accreditation status and the formal commendations and recommendations. This meeting will occur on January 15, 2015 meeting of the Commission, and then a detailed report will be sent to the President of the college. 2. Also important to note is that our colleagues, our peer reviewers, did a very thorough analysis of our institution and spent a great deal of time earnestly creating recommendations to assist the college on its course of excellence. Improvements are always indicated, and Santa Ana College will certainly meet all recommendations, which are in concert with the actionable improvement plans from our Self Evaluation Report within the two year period granted by the Commission to do so. (This is called the Two-Year Rule.) 3. Please continue to watch the ALO updates on as the formal recommendations in conjunction with our already-existing status report on Actionable Improvement Plans will be posted. (For the existing Status Report on Actionable Improvement Plans, please see 14_Final.pdf. C. Student Success and Equity Plan 1. Ongoing funds have been granted to community college districts to develop and implement student equity plans. Santa Ana College will receive approximately $1.2 million, 73.8% of the total granted the RSCCD. Under the aegis of the Student Success and Equity Committee, workgroups based on the state-designated 2

3 categories have been established to commence this task (i.e., access, course completion, basic skills/esl, degrees and certificates, transfer. A data/overall support group was also established). On November 14, 2014, there will be an Equity Retreat to develop the plan, which is due to the Board of Trustees on December 8, A Research Analyst is being hired and will work with the Student Success and Equity Committee to implement the plan. In addition, a faculty member will be reassigned to serve as a full-time Equity Coordinator. President Martinez has sent an message to SAC and SCE faculty announcing the opportunity to serve in this capacity. All interested faculty must send an message to President Martinez by October 24, 2014 referencing Current Student Equity Leadership Opportunity. For further information about this initiative, please see 2. Melanie and Michelle Parolise attended the Strengthening Student Success Conference, Crossing Boundaries sponsored by the RP Group. In the session on equity, it was emphasized that colleges need to develop a campus atmosphere that values diversity and that the Equity Plan, and the processes leading up to the development of the plan, need to be widely communicated throughout the college. We are also proud that Melanie and Michelle presented Integrating Basic Skills into CTE Courses at the conference. In the presentation they described a collaborative strategy of how they worked together across disciplines to create contextualized Directed Learning Activities (DLA s) for Occupational Therapy Assistant students who were weak in basic skills. 3. Professional Development Update We thank Mary Huebsch, who will serve as the Professional Development Coordinator in conjunction with her service as Basic Skills Coordinator. The juxtaposition of these two positions will serve the college well. Keep in mind, however, that the professional development position will include issues other than basic skills. In addition, Teresa Mercado-Cota is serving as the professional development coordinator for Classified Staff as 25% of her assignment. Mary will work closely with Teresa, and a coordinated professional development workgroup will be created, as many of the professional development activities will be of interest to all constituency groups. A website has been created. Please see D. Book-of-the-Year Update: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education by Malala Yousafzai 1. First and foremost: Malala Yousafzai has been selected for the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2014! 2. Yolanda has created a flyer for the Orange County Civil Rights: A History of an Enduring Struggle for Equality exhibit at the Nealley Library scheduled until October 31 st. (Please see Appendix C) Yolanda also presented our BOTY bookmarks and posters for this year. Don t forget the website: E. ILOs/GE Categories Discussion This item is deferred to the October 27 th meeting. F. Institution-Set Standards: Discussion of Data Review Analysis is deferred to the October 27, 2014 meeting. Please review 3

4 1. Success Rate Correlation to Math/English Survey (Please see Minutes , item E.1) The TLC members have agreed that they will each select one course to include a brief survey at the end of the final exam and correlate results to student success in the course. The TLC developed the concept for the survey on September 29, 201; however, it was agreed that the questions need revising. Steve will review the survey questions to make them more comprehensible to students, and the survey will be approved at the October 27, 2014 meeting. (The TLC will discuss the implications and validity of the results in the spring.) V. Other The Distinguished Faculty Lecture The World is my Classroom will be given by Madeline Grant (now interim Dean of the Business Division) on October 21, 2014 at 3:00pm in Phillips Hall. VI. Future Agenda A. Institution-Set Standards Analysis 1. English/Math Survey Steve Bautista B. 3SP Issues Steve Bautista C. ILOs Discussion Cont d D. Student Success and Equity Plan Update E. Professional Development for 2014 F. Book-of-the-Year: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education by Malala Yousafzai 4

5 Appendix A Portfolio Assessment/Program Review Quadrennial Capstone Report The Modern Languages Department Quadrennial Capstone review was presented by Dr. Javier Galvan. Goals of the department are based on the department s mission and overarching goals of increasing student success. The mission statement for the Department of Modern Languages is aligned with the mission statement for Santa Ana College, especially with the crucial component of preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions. DEPARTMENT of MODERN LANGUAGES MISSION STATEMENT: The Modern Languages Department serves and educates the diverse communities at Santa Ana College through its course offerings in Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The Department s foreign language programs embrace all delivery methods, including traditional in-class instruction, accelerated courses, as well as online and hybrid platforms. Its offerings prompt broad learning in its students by fostering critical thinking through literary analysis, cross-cultural competency, development of multiple rhetorical styles, exposure to a variety of artistic movements, improved writing of expression through the mastery of grammar and form, and overall academic achievement. In sum, the department s curricula seek to instill critical literacy and conversational skills across languages while also providing the transfer pathway towards a bachelor s degree at four-year institutions and also preparing students for the global, multilingual, and multicultural world they will encounter afterwards. SAC MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of Santa Ana College is to be a leader and partner in meeting the intellectual, cultural, technological and workforce development needs of our diverse community. Santa Ana College provides access and equity in a dynamic learning environment that prepares students for transfer, careers and lifelong intellectual pursuits in a global community. 5

6 As part of the process to focus our purpose, the department also defined a Program Learning Outcome (PLO) that covers the skills that all our students are expected to acquire regardless of which foreign language they study. Program Learning Outcome (PLO) for Modern Languages at SAC: Students will develop all levels of proficiency in comprehending, speaking, reading, and writing in the current modern language classes while developing an understanding of the literary and cultural context of each language Moreover, the SLOs that drive the foreign language curriculum follow the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) outlined by Santa Ana College. The chart below shows which SLOs are emphasized in each one of our 29 foreign language courses. The Department of Modern Languages at Santa Ana College offers a rich curriculum of 29 courses distributed among six languages: Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. It offers an AA degree in either Spanish or French, and an AA.T. Transfer Degree in Spanish. During the last four years ( ), the department embarked on a continuous process of improving our course offerings based on a simple question: QUESTION: How can we help our students succeed in our programs? This basic principle is directly linked to SAC Standards of Excellence, and it led the department to develop 5 specific goals of action: 1. Plan for both short-term and long-term growth with the specific goal of offering students more options (new languages, weekend classes, online/hybrid courses, and 10 different pathways to complete the 2-semester sequence of foreign language requirements). 2. Assess the effectiveness of our classes by measuring specific Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) every semester, and then implement pedagogical strategies to improve our practices. 6

7 3. Identify the support our students need to succeed in foreign language courses (tutoring, Directed Learning Activities (DLAs), specific-level workshops, lower-cost textbooks, cultural activities, and technology that enhances language learning). 4. Implement and coordinate specific teacher training workshops: creation of DLAs, best practices to teach online/hybrid courses, constant updates of technology that accompanies textbooks, and implementation of appropriate SLO assessment. Teachers who are well- trained are more effective in the classroom. 5. Develop an AA.T degree in Spanish to prepare our students for transfer to the California State University system. In addition, review and improve the options available under the existing AA degree in Modern Languages with emphasis in either French or Spanish. Become more active in advising our students to complete and declare the Spanish major. The general purpose of these goals is to improve student success as well as retention and completion rates in all the six foreign languages we teach. ILO analysis demonstrates that all courses are heavily related to the ILOs Communcation Skills, Thinking and Reasoning and Diversity. SLO assessment is data driven and systematic. Some results are as follows: The results of the SLO reassessment process were extremely good. First of all, the chart below reveals that the department s enrollment numbers increased from 654 to 721 students assessed at the end of the semester (Spring 2014). Second, overall, 94 percent of our students enrolled in Spring 2014 received a B or better in the assessment task (80-100%). This is a major improvement because the previous semester (Fall 2013), the rate was 74 percent. The comparative rate of success is 20 percent higher. Third, another crucial comparison is that 100% of our students received a C or better in their respective assessment; last fall of 2013, 87% of all students received a similar grade on the assignment (70% correct or higher) across all languages. This represents a 13 percent improvement in student performance, which translates into higher retention and success rates. Lastly, the data reveals that our pedagogical strategies benefitted the students in order to improve their critical thinking skills. Instructors mentioned 3 specific tools that had a positive impact: The use of targeted DLAs in the Learning Center, Tutoring available in the target language and Faculty discussing and sharing activities to evaluate this specific SLO. 7

8 Implementation strategies for improving critical thinking include the following: Based on the assessment of data regarding critical thinking skills (and the recommendations by instructors in all the languages we teach) the department of Modern Languages recommends the implementation of 9 specific pedagogical strategies to take place in spring 2014: 1. Increase the frequency of in-class activities that specifically target critical thinking skills. This was the most recommended courses of action by instructors in all languages. 2. Have students complete DLAs in the Learning Center that deal specifically with grammatical analysis, critical review of reading materials, and the development of editing skills or writing assignments. 3. Incorporate more activities in a compare and contrast format between English and the target language. 4. In hybrid courses, provide more online lab activities that enhance language production in both oral & written form. 5. In Spanish and French, assign more listening activities from the online lab materials that go beyond single-word responses and move towards communicating in full sentences. 6. In Vietnamese, teach the tonal marks with more detail so that language learners can improve language production in both oral and written form. 7. Explain the objectives and expectations of each activity in a clear manner. 8. Provide more guidance to students as they work on specific assignments. 9. Make the SLOs clear to the students during the first few weeks of class. Explain why they are important to their academic success. After incorporating these 9 strategies, the department will reassess the student s competency in critical thinking skills as part of the final exam during the spring 2014 semester. The goal is that all instructors (full-time and part-time) in French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese will participate in this re-evaluation. To review the complete report, please see and%20quadrennial%2019qt%20cap/2014_papr_capstonereport_modernlanguages.pdf For all the other reports for Modern Languages, please see The TLC thanked Dr. Galvan for a very comprehensive report and for an exemplary demonstration of data and analysis on the department s program review page. 8

9 Appendix B 9

10 10

11 Appendix C 11

12 SANTA ANA COLLEGE Teaching Learning Committee Agenda October 27, 2014; 2:00-4:00pm; A-112 To: Distribution From: Bonnie Jaros, Chair, Teaching Learning Committee Mission: The mission of the Rancho Santiago Community College District is to provide quality educational programs and services that address the needs of our diverse students and communities. The mission of Santa Ana College is to be a leader and partner in meeting the intellectual, cultural, technological and workforce development needs of our diverse community. Santa Ana College provides access and equity in a dynamic learning environment that prepares students for transfer, careers and lifelong intellectual pursuits in a global community. Vision Themes of Santa Ana College: I. Student Achievement; II. Use of Technology; III. Innovation; IV. Community; V. Workforce Development; VI. Emerging American Community Institutional Learning Outcomes: Communication Skills; Thinking and Reasoning; Information Management; Diversity; Civic Responsibility; Life Skills; Careers I. Approval Minutes of October 13, 2014 II. Public Comments III. TLC Work for Today A. Institution-Set Standards: Discussion of Data Review Cont d (Please see Attachment A) B. Success Rate Correlation to Math/English Survey C. 3SP Issues Steve Bautista D. Student Success and Equity Plan Update E. Professional Development Update 12

13 F. Book-of-the-Year Update: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education by Malala Yousafzai IV. Other V. Future Agenda A. ILOs Discussion Cont d B. Student Success and Equity Plan C. Professional Development for 2014 D. Book-of-the-Year: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education by Malala Yousafzai 13

14 Attachment A Santa Ana College Institution-Set Standards: Annotated by Teaching Learning Committee Annotation: Every community college is required to set standards for improvement in five areas: completion, persistence, degrees, certificates and transfer. The expectation of the Commission is that reasonable goals be established. It is NOT an option to not meet the goals. Every year, in the Annual Report sent to the Commission by March 31 st, we must give an update. 14

15 Annotation: 15

16 Annotation: 16

17 Annotation: 17

18 Annotation: 18

19 Annotation: 19

20 Annotation: 20

21 Members: Steve Bautista Karen Dennis Yolanda Garcia Heather Gillette Gina Giroux Glen Harding Mary Huebsch Shelly Jaffray Bonnie Jaros Crystal Jenkins Eve Kikawa Cherylee Kushida Melanie Mowrer Carrie Patton Nga Pham Kris Ross Irene Soriano Brian Sos John Tashima cc: Avie Bridges Micki Bryant Cher Carrera Susan Gaer Dennis Gilmour Madeline Grant Bart Hoffman Jim Kennedy Sara Lundquist Monica Porter Julia Vercelli John Zarske bnj/