UNION COUNTY COLLEGE ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW. Liberal Arts/Education Associate in Arts Degree

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1 UNION COUNTY COLLEGE ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW I. Program Objectives Liberal Arts/Education Associate in Arts Degree The Liberal Arts/Education (LAED) program is designed for students who wish to prepare themselves for an Associate degree or wish to transfer and earn a baccalaureate degree in Education. The specific objectives of this program are that the graduate must be able to demonstrate: the ability to apply understanding of group dynamics to the management of a given group of children aged nine to eighteen years; the ability to use visual art projects to further the growth and development of children aged nine to eighteen years; the ability to apply understanding of psychological concepts to the learning behavior of children aged nine to eighteen years; an understanding of the characteristics of effective teaching behaviors; an understanding of the organization and funding of school systems; knowledge of the history of American education; an understanding of the implications for teaching of multiculturalism and pluralism; an understanding of the roles of teachers, students, parents, administrators, and teacher associations in American education; effective written and spoken communication skills; an awareness of and concern for the ethical implications of institutional policies and individual practices; an awareness of his/her rights and responsibilities as a citizen of a world community; an awareness of the diverse factors that shape the world in order to keep pace with the changing society; the ability to learn independently and to direct his/her own learning. II. Departmental Organization and Administration The LAED program is an associate in arts degree program. The professors of the LAED program report to the coordinator of the program, who reports to the chairperson of the department, who then reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who reports to the President of Union County College. 1

2 III. Curriculum Communications (9 credits): Economics, Government and History (12 credits): Education (6 credits): Mathematics, Science and Technology (14-15 credits): Social Science (15 credits): Electives (9 credits): Total (65-66 credits) ENG 101 English Composition I ENG 102 English Composition II ENG 128 Dynamics of Communication HIS 101 Introduction to Western Civilization I HIS 102 Introduction to Western Civilization II HIS 201 U.S. History to 1865 HIS 202 U.S. History since 1865 EDU 205 Educational Psychology EDU 215 Field Work in Education 2 Laboratory Sciences MAT 119 Algebra MAT higher than MAT 119 PSY 101 General Psychology PSY 206 Adolescent Psychology PSY 211 Current Issues in Psychology SOC 101 Principles of Sociology 1 PSY, SOC or EDU elective 2 FIA OR ENG OR PHI electives HIS 105 OR 106 OR SOC 206 OR EDU 216 OR SPA (choose one) The total number of credits required in the LAED program meets the criteria for being awarded an Associate in Arts degree and the distribution of courses is appropriate for a typical Liberal Arts curriculum. The importance of the English communications courses cannot be overemphasized; repeatedly employer feedback highlights the need for good communications skills from employees. The remaining courses help contribute to developing students wellrounded general education. All of these courses have the appropriate content and level as indicated by the course descriptions in the UCC course catalog. IV. Resources, Facilities and Services The resources, facilities and services for the LAED program are adequate according to the coordinator of the program. V. Students A. Program Enrollment Analysis The proportionate change in total LAED majors has a history of fluctuating. The total enrollment in the academic year included 373 LAED majors, most of whom were continuing (192) or first-time (88) students. Table 1 details LAED enrollment patterns over the past several years. Table 2 further details fall enrollment patterns by attendance status. As can be seen in this table, there was a small increase in the amount of students enrolled in the Fall of 2007 (267) to the Fall of 2008 (289). 2

3 Table 3 shows the number of transfers into the LAED program. The LAED program had a decrease in the amount of 3 external transfer students into the program from to followed by an increase of 1 from to and another decrease of 11 from to From to the amount of external transfer students into the program increased by 14 and then decreased by 6 from to Student attrition throughout the LAED program has posed an issue for students academic success. As Table 4 depicts, there were 76 first-time LAED students in the Fall 2007 semester, yet only 17 endured after four semesters. Those who did not continue in the program either did not re-enroll (38 students, or 50%), changed their major (17 students, or 22%), or were academically dismissed (4 students, or 5%). There were no graduates of the LAED program over the four semesters from the Fall 2007 cohort. However, it should be noted that the majority of the students in the LAED program do not have issues with the core LAED courses. The issues remain in courses that are being recommended to be replaced with courses that more closely follow the curriculum of the LAED program. Table 5 illustrates the number of graduates from the LAED program. There were 21 graduates from the LAED program in which decreased to 20 graduates in and increased to 33 in The number of graduates then decreased to 26 graduates in before increasing again to 32 graduates in and decreasing to 20 from to Credit hours generated from LAED students increased 2,109 hours to 6,386 credit hours from fiscal year (FY) 2003 to FY Table 6 contains this information. The LAED direct instructional cost has increased over $220,000 between the 2003 and 2008 fiscal years, to $622, while the cost per full-time equivalent (FTE) student has also increased to $2, Table 7 has figures since FY There are 8 similar Associate s degree programs, 7 similar Bachelor s degree programs, 1 Graduate Certificate program, 3 Master s degree programs, and 1 Doctoral degree program in the area. Table 8 lists these schools and programs. B. Core Course Scheduling and Enrollment Table 9 depicts the distribution of students among core LAED courses from the to academic years. Overall, 2,779 (duplicate) students enrolled in 90 sections of core LAED courses with an average class size of 30.9 students. A total of 365 (duplicate) students enrolled in the core LAED courses in academic year There were 13 sections that ran, with an overall average class size of 96.1 students. During the academic year, 434 (duplicate) students enrolled in 13 sections for an average class size of 33.4 students. It should be noted that all of the core courses in the LAED program were offered and ran at least once during the to academic years. Additional required course enrollment is presented in Table 10. Table 11 contains core course scheduling information. There were a total of 95 core courses offered, of which 90 actually ran, over the seven year time period. Most LAED major courses were offered (and ran) on the Cranford campus. Tuesday/Thursday courses dominated the schedule, with 34 of the 38 offered courses running. Apart from Tuesday/Thursday courses, the most popular day for courses was Wednesday (27 that ran) and classes that started between 10:00am - 10:59am (24 that ran). 3

4 C. Student Outcomes The Office of Assessment, Planning and Research conducts an annual survey of UCC graduates. Forty-five students transferred to a 4-year institution after graduating from UCC. Twenty-six of the 45 graduates that transferred attended Kean University, five attended Montclair State University, and three attended Rutgers University. See Table 12. Table 13 lists the degrees that the graduates who transferred were pursuing. The most common degrees being pursued were history teacher education (6), early childhood elementary education (5), general education (5), special education and teaching (4), English teacher education (3) and physical education (3). The amount of credits that transferred from UCC to the new institutions is listed in Table 14. Most of the LAED respondents reported that they accomplished their objective at UCC. Survey results over the past five years also emphasize that the majority of LAED graduates are generally satisfied with UCC. Further details from this survey are presented in Table 15. D. Measures of Program Outcomes Below is the list of LAED program objectives and how they are measured: the ability to apply understanding of group dynamics to the management of a given group of children aged nine to eighteen years-measured by field experience reflection assignments in EDU 215 and exams in EDU 205 and EDU 215. the ability to use visual art projects to further the growth and development of children aged nine to eighteen years-measured by exams in EDU 205 and EDU 215. the ability to apply understanding of psychological concepts to the learning behavior of children aged nine to eighteen years-measured by field experience reflection assignments in EDU 215 and exams in EDU 205 and EDU 215. an understanding of the characteristics of effective teaching behaviors-measured by field experience reflection assignments in EDU 215 and exams in EDU 205 and EDU 215. an understanding of the organization and funding of school systems-measured by exam questions in EDU 205 and EDU 215 and debate presentations in EDU 215. knowledge of the history of American education-measured by exam questions in EDU 205 and EDU 215. an understanding of the implications for teaching of multiculturalism and pluralism-measured by exam questions in EDU 205 and EDU 215. an understanding of the roles of teachers, students, parents, administrators, and teacher associations in American education- measured by exam questions in EDU 205 and EDU 215 and by debate presentations in EDU 215. effective written and spoken communication skills-measured by field experience reflection assignments and student debate presentation in EDU 215. an awareness of and concern for the ethical implications of institutional policies and individual practices-measured by student debate presentations in EDU

5 an awareness of his/her rights and responsibilities as a citizen of a world community-measured by exam questions in EDU 205 and EDU 215. an awareness of the diverse factors that shape the world in order to keep pace with the changing society- measured by exam questions in EDU 205 and EDU 215. the ability to learn independently and to direct his/her own learning-measured by student debate presentations and field experience reflection assignments in EDU 215. VI. Summary and Conclusions The obvious weakness of the LAED program is low retention. In the Fall of 2007 the LAED program had 76 first-time students enrolled. Of these 76 students, only 17 were still enrolled in the LAED program after four semesters. While the amount of first-time students entering the program is a good size (30 in the 08/09 academic year), the low retention rate shows the number of students surviving to the second and third semesters will likely be small. However, the LAED program is being revised to include courses that more closely follow the typical curriculum in an Education program as the issues in this program do not seem to be within the core courses. VII. Recommendations It is recommended that PSY 211 be removed from the program as this course is not accepted in fulfillment of requirements in many of the Education certification programs at Kean University, where a majority of the graduates go. A course focused on Special Needs and Exceptional Children should be added to the curriculum as many two and four year Education programs in the state of New Jersey require this course. The coordinator of the program would develop the courses and appropriate instructors would be hired to teach them. The current two semester sequence for History should be removed from the curriculum because it is not required by Kean University. Also, an accepted Diversity course needs to be added to the curriculum as per the general education requirements and six credits of courses that are tailored to the teaching major of each student should be added. The LAED program is also looking into the possibility of having a dual certificate program with Seton Hall University. These changes will strengthen the LAED program and make it very viable at Union County College. In addition, UCC students ability to continue their education for a bachelor s degree at a four-year college or university will be enhanced. 5

6 Table 1 Program Enrollment Seven Year Summary 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 Continuing First Admits Former Transfers (2 yr) Transfers (4 yr) Total Students % Change

7 Table 2 Full-Time/Part-Time Status Five Year Summary (Fall Enrollment) % change 2004 % change 2005 % change Full-Time Part-Time Total Students % change 2007 % change 2008 % change Full-Time Part-Time Total Students

8 Table 3 External Transfers Five Year Summary Academic Year 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 Number of students % change -11.5% 4.3% -45.8% 107.7% -18.5% -4.5%

9 Table 4 Attrition / Retention First Time in Fall 2007 # % Enrolled for 1 semester Enrolled full-time for 1 semester After 1 semester 60 1** 79 Enrolled for 2 semesters Enrolled full-time for 2 semesters After 2 semesters 32 2** 42 Enrolled for 3 semesters Enrolled full-time for 3 semesters After 3 semesters 25 3** 33 Enrolled for 4 semesters Enrolled full-time for 4 semesters After 4 semesters 17 4** students were placed on academic probation 2 15 students were placed on academic probation; 2 students had continued academic probation; 3 students were academically dismissed; 3 students changed their major; and 1 student received high honors 3 3 students were placed on academic probation; 1 student had continued academic probation; 7 students changed their major; 1 student received honors; and 1 student received high honors 4 1 student was placed on academic probation; 1 student had continued academic probation; 2 students had academic probation removed; 1 student was academically dismissed; 7 students changed their major; and 1 student received honors **Note: Students that have been placed on academic probation or academically dismissed were done so due to courses other than the core courses in the LAED program.

10 Table 5 Degrees Conferred Five Year Summary Academic Year 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 Number of degrees % change

11 Table 6 Credit Hours Generated The unadjusted student credit hours generated for the Liberal Arts/Education program is as follows: FY FY FY FY FY FY Program Liberal Arts/Education 4,277 5,225 5,581 6,427 6,158 6,386

12 Table 7 Direct Instructional Cost (in dollars) FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 Direct Cost 400, , , , , , Cost per FTE 2, , , , , ,644.32

13 Table 8 Local Education-Related Programs Institution Program Degree Liberal Arts/Education Bergen Community College Education A.A. Essex County College Education A.A. Middlesex County College Education A.A. Raritan Valley Community College Education A.A. Salem Community College Education A.A. Warren County Community College Education A.A. Brookdale Community College Education A.A. Gloucester County College Education A.A. Centenary College Education B.A. Rowan University Education B.A. William Paterson University Education B.A. Bloomfield College Education B.A. Monmouth University Education B.A. Seton Hall University Education B.A. Monmouth University Education B.S. Saint Peter's College Education Grad. Cert. Georgian Court University Education M.A. Rutgers University/New i Brunswick Education M.A. MA Monmouth University Education M.A.T. Rutgers University/New Brunswick Education Ph.D. * Source: New Jersey Commission on Higher Education

14 Table 9 Core Course Enrollment Number Avg. Number Avg. Number Avg. Number Avg. Total of Class Total of Class Total of Class Total of Class Course Students Sections Size Students Sections Size Students Sections Size Students Sections Size EDU EDU PSY Annual Total TOTAL Number Avg. Number Avg. Number Avg. Number Avg. Total of Class Total of Class Total of Class Total of Class Course Students Sections Size Students Sections Size Students Sections Size Students Sections Size EDU EDU PSY Annual Total

15 Table 10 Additional Course Enrollment Number Avg. Number Avg. Number Avg. Number Avg. Total of Class Total of Class Total of Class Total of Class Course Students Sections Size Students Sections Size Students Sections Size Students Sections Size ENG 101 1, , , , ENG 102 1, , , , ENG HIS 101 1, , , , HIS HIS HIS MAT , , PSY 101 2, , , , PSY SOC 101 1, , , , Annual Total 9, , , , TOTAL Number Avg. Number Avg. Number Avg. Number Avg. Total of Class Total of Class Total of Class Total of Class Course Students Sections Size Students Sections Size Students Sections Size Students Sections Size ENG 101 1, , , ENG 102 1, , , , ENG , HIS 101 1, , , , HIS , HIS , HIS , MAT 119 1, , , , PSY 101 2, , , , PSY , SOC 101 1, , , , Annual Total 11, , , ,236 2,

16 Table 11 LAED Core Course Scheduling Academic Year to Frequency Offered Ran Campus Cranford Plainfield 4 0 Total Days Monday 1 1 Tuesday 8 7 Wednesday Monday/Wednesday 7 7 Monday/Wednesday/Friday Tuesday/Thursday Total Class Start Times 8:00-8:59 am 1 0 9:00-9:59 am :00-10:59 am :00-11:59 am :00-1:59 pm 1 0 5:00-5:59 pm :00-6:59 pm 5 5 7:00-7:59 pm Total 95 90

17 Table 12 Insititutions LAED Program Graduates Transfer to from Number of Transfers Institution Bloomfield College College of Saint Elizabeth Fairleigh Dickinson University Jersey City State College Kean University Montclair State University Rutgers University Seton Hall University Thomas Edison State College William Paterson University Total

18 Table 13 Graduates Programs of Study at Transfer Institutions Number of Transfers Program Art Teacher Education Biology Biology Teacher Education Early Childhood Special Education Educational Psychology Early Childhood Elementary Education English Teacher Education English Language and Literature Finance General Education Geology/Earth Science History History Teacher Education Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies Mathematics Teacher Education Molecular Biology Music Teacher Education Physical Education Psychology Secondary Teacher Education Spanish Language Teacher Education Special Education and Teaching Total

19 Table 14 Number of Credit Hours Accepted at Transfer Institutions Number of Transfers Credits All Total

20 Table 15 Graduate Survey Information Graduate Survey Information -- LAED Majors n=4 n=12 n=10 n=18 n=15 Accomplished objective Currently employed full-time Currently employed part-time Satisfied with UCC, in general Would choose UCC again Recommend UCC Students were indifferent and 1 was dissatisfied 2 1 Student was undecided and 2 students said they would not choose UCC again 3 1 Student was undecided and 1 student said they would not recommend UCC 4 2 Students were indifferent 5 2 students said they would not choose UCC again 6 2 students said they would not recommend UCC 7 5 Students were indifferent 8 2 Students were undecided and 3 students said they would not choose UCC again 9 2 Students were undecided 2 Students were undecided 10 3 Students were indifferent