2013-2014 Comprehensive Program Review STUDENT AFFAIRS: PROGRAMS & SERVICES - SAN JOSÉ CITY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT: Counseling and Matriculation/Orientation PREPARED BY: Roland Montemayor, Rachel Hagan, Maricela Martinez, Priscilla Santos, Marc Sola ADMINISTRATOR: Roland Montemayor PROGRAM REVIEW SUBMISSION DATE: 2/12/14 PART ONE: MISSION 1. Describe the department/program components, function and purpose, including student demographic information. The Counseling Department provides academic, career and personal counseling, and guides students in learning to do the following: identify and access resources and support services, clarify educational goals, and develop an educational plan through individual appointments, orientation, career and transfer workshops, student success workshops and courses. Counselors also help students develop life skills such as decision making; time management and stress reduction. Student Demographics: 1% 17% 37% 6% Ethnicity (2009-2013) 29% 11% Asian - 28.5% Black - 10.625% 14% 14% Age (2009-2013) 4% 1% 8% 19% 40% > 18-18.5% 19-25 - 40.125% 26-30 - 13.95% 31-40 - 13.95% 41-50 8.3% (Figure #1, Source: Research & Institutional Planning Report) 1
100.00% 80.00% 60.00% 40.00% 20.00% 0.00% Male-Female Distribution 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2013-14 Male 47.20% 45.20% 45.50% 45.70% Female 52.80% 54.70% 54.30% 54.10% (Figure # 2, Source: Research & Institutional Planning Report) Counselors serve a diverse group of students and support the following areas: General Advising/Counseling (7.0FTE): Counseling is committed to providing quality, comprehensive academic, career, and personal counseling services in a supportive environment to assist students in achieving their educational and vocational goals, and empowering them to make informed choices and decisions. Advising provides students with information necessary to earn a certificate, degree and/or transfer to a university. This does not include a 0.5 FTE that is temporarily supporting DSPS coordination. Career/Transfer Center (CTC): The Career/Transfer Center is committed to supporting our students by promoting their career development and/or transfer to a 4-year institution. The center provides application workshops, field trips, a College Fair, access to university representatives, workshops and resources that support resume creation/interview techniques/cover letters and job search techniques, career assessments, and major exploration workshops. Currently the CTC is staffed by an advisor and does not have a dedicated counselor/coordinator. International Students (1.0 FTE): The International Student Program is committed to supporting F-1 visa international students to ensure that they have a positive, enriching experience during their time at San Jose City College. To achieve this, the International Student Program provides comprehensive pre-arrival orientation, immigration, academic, and personal counseling support. Puente (.50 FTE): Puente is a nationally recognized, academic program designed to help students adjust to college life and prepare for transfer to four-year universities or colleges. The program has three major components: accelerated writing instruction, counseling, and mentoring. The program teaches classes, has a dedicated counselor, and every semester, matches students with professionals from the community who can provide them with knowledge and guidance about education, careers, and life. Puente provides its students with a strong academic foundation, which is essential for success at SJCC and at the four-year universities that they transfer to. 2
Umoja (.50 FTE): The Umoja Program is an academic learning community and resource. The program is dedicated to increasing the retention and graduation rates of African-Americans as well as other underrepresented student populations at SJCC. The program incorporates academic and personal counseling and student support services. Umoja advances academic excellence, community building and student leadership as its program goals. Veterans (.50 FTE): The Veterans program at San Jose City College is the liaison between military veterans, or their dependents, and the Department of Veteran Affairs. Our goal is to provide Veteran students with services and resources to assist as they embark on achieving their educational goals. In collaboration with various resources on campus and Veteran community organizations/resources, we promote success by assisting students to overcome social, academic, transfer, and/or personal challenges. This percent of FTE designated to Veterans is an informal arrangement because they are not identified separately, the statistics include these students. Guidance/Counseling Courses (1.0 FTE): Guidance courses allow counselors to work with groups of students on specific student success topics. Some courses meet AA/AS/CSU General Education requirements and/or are transferable to both the UC and CSU system. (http://www.sjcc.edu/current/student-affairs/counseling/career-counseling/index.aspx) The department currently offers the following courses: GUID 10 Transfer Success (1.0 unit) GUID 85 Blueprint for Success (1.0 unit) GUID 87 College Study Techniques (3.0 units) GUID 96 Career and Life Planning (3.0 units) GUID 97 Orientation to College (1.0 unit) GUID 130 College Success (3.0 units) 2. How do the department/program learning outcomes align with and support San Jose City College s mission and Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs)? The Counseling department s SLOs state that upon participating in counseling services, students will be able to: 1. Identify academic and educational goals. 2. Identify the services and resources available to achieve academic goals. 3. Develop a complete educational plan to meet their (the student s) goals. Counseling services support students in their efforts to master San Jose City College s Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLO). As a result of engaging in counseling services, students will: 3
ISLO #1 - Communication Read, write, listen and speak effectively to complete the processes involved in reaching their educational goals Complete written documents for educational and career advancement Employ educational and career planning Distinguish and choose between various general education patterns. ISLO #2 - Critical and Analytical Thinking Students will analyze problems using evidence and sound reasoning to develop an educational plan Utilize support services and campus resources. Demonstrate the ability to properly plan for different majors. Determine educational programs and courses that are applicable to educational and career goals. Utilize assessment results for appropriate course placement. ISLO #3 - Global Awareness and Social Justice Students will demonstrate an awareness of social, economic, ecological, historical, and cultural differences and their implications. Recognize the value and rational of the multicultural graduation requirement when creating an education plan. ISLO #4 - Personal Responsibility, Ethics and Civility Students will demonstrate personal and civic responsibility and professional integrity. Use decision making models to succeed in life and learning. Anticipate and identify potential barriers to achieving educational goals and create a plan to address those barriers. Access resources needed to overcome barriers. Employ effective time management strategies. Understand academic/progress probation and dismissal policies and execute needed steps to address dismissals. Understand student rights and responsibilities. Utilize support services on campus. Integrate and act upon information proactively. 4
ISLO#5 - Technology Students will utilize technology effectively for informational, academic, personal, and professional needs. Utilize technology when researching a career, or university. Employ technology when accessing and using the information on their electronic education plan. Utilize technology to navigate SJCC. ISLO#6 - Aesthetics and Creativity) Students will develop an appreciation of the arts and engage in the creative process. Recognize the value and rational of the Arts and Humanities graduation requirement when creating an education plan. 3. Previous goals and objectives: List the department goals, objectives and activities for the last academic year. Discuss the attainment level of activity implementation and its relationship to meeting student or program need by ranking the activity implementation as needs met, needs unmet, or needs partially met. Briefly explain why an activity was unmet or only partially met. Goal #1 Increase the number and the diversity of Guidance courses taught, including online offerings. Goal #2 Change the Guidance course prefix to Counseling. Goal #3 Create and conduct a wide variety of student success workshops. Goal #4 Increase our counseling presence online. Goal #5 Collaborate with special programs to increase service delivery efficiency. Goal #6 Establish liaison relationships with academic departments. Goal #7 Eliminate Counseling department oversight of the following degrees: General majors with emphasis, Liberal Arts, and Liberal Studies. 5
These department goals align and address all of our Program SLOs as illustrated in the chart below. Students will be able to identify academic and educational goals. Students will be able to identify the services and resources available to achieve academic goals. Students will develop a complete educational plan to meet their goals. Department PSLO Department Goals PSLO 1 PSLO 2 PSLO 3 N/A Goal 1 Increase the number and diversity of Guidance courses X X X Goal 2 Change the Guidance course prefix to Counseling X Goal 3 Create and conduct a wide variety of student success workshops X X Goal 4 Increase our counseling presence online X Goal 5 Collaborate with special programs to increase service delivery efficiency X X Goal 6 Establish liaison relationships with academic departments X X Goal 7 Eliminate Counseling department oversight of the following degrees: General majors with emphasis, Liberal Arts and Liberal Studies (Figure #3) Goal #1: Increase the number and the diversity of Guidance courses taught, including online offerings. Objective: Currently we offer 1-3 units courses each semester. Most colleges offer a wide variety of courses, including variable unit courses. By offering more courses we can reach more students and help students achieve their academic goals. Person Responsible: Counseling Faculty Timeline: ( ) Complete (X) Incomplete ( ) On-going Activities for Attainment of Objective: We plan to create new.5 and/or 1.0 unit courses (both online and in person) in Career Exploration, Study Skills, and other skill development courses identified by the department. We would like to add courses as part of a Learning Community with developmental classes and Career Technical programs. Student Learning Outcomes or Service Area Learning Outcomes addressed: The addition of.5 and 1.0 unit courses would allow us to reach more students. In addition to meeting all of our Program Student Learning Outcomes, we would be meeting some of the X 6
requirements of the Student Success Initiative. Courses with an emphasis on career research help students identify their academic and educational goals (PSLO #1). Study Skills courses provide students with some of the resources and knowledge to help them achieve their academic goals (PSLO #2). Upon identification of a goal, students can work with counselors to develop comprehensive educational plans (PSLO #3). Degree of Goal & Objective Attainment: Research and development of course outlines for additional.5 and 1.0 unit courses is occurring among the counseling faculty. Without an administrator leading us, we had informal discussions as a department. Discussions amongst the department faculty are ongoing regarding how courses are offered and about the development and creation of courses. Goal #2: Change the Guidance (GUIDE) course prefix to Counseling (COUNS) for all courses taught in general counseling (excludes DSPS guidance courses). Objective: Align the department courses name/prefix to correspond more appropriately with the department in which the courses are housed and by whom the courses are taught as well as the content of the courses. Many colleges have changed their Guidance course prefixes to Counseling to better distinguish the roles counselors play at their colleges. Person Responsible: Counseling Faculty/Dean Timeline: ( ) Complete (X) Incomplete ( ) On-going Activities for Attainment of Objective: After lengthy discussions among counselors in Spring 2013, it was decided to align our department more in keeping with the name other 2 and 4-year colleges are currently using. Counselors felt it more professionalized the department s courses as well. Student Learning Outcomes or Service Area Learning Outcomes addressed: N/A this goal is based on department structure rather than on meeting program goals of students. Degree of Goal & Objective Attainment: As the department revises courses or creates new ones, it will begin using the COUNS prefix; the current intent is to have the COUNS prefix replace all current GUID prefix courses in time to be included in the 2015-16 catalog. Goal #3: Create and conduct a wide variety of student success workshops. Objective: Increase the number of students served by counselors by providing workshops on topics of need and interest to students. A Guidance class may not fit into a student s schedule, so offering the flexibility of workshops allows students the opportunity to benefit from some of the same needed skills and instruction. Workshops have been shown to reach more students and to help students achieve their goals. 7
Person Responsible: Counseling Faculty Timeline: ( ) Complete ( ) Incomplete (X) On-going Activities for Attainment of Objective: Our in-person Orientation has been and is continuing to be revised and improved. We offered more orientations, including ESL orientations in cooperation with the ESL department this summer and fall and continue to increase the number of orientations offered to our new students. Type of Orientation Number of Orientations Number of Students Attended General Counseling (May-Sept 2013) 42 397 General Counseling (Oct-Dec 2013) 26 133 International Students 1 17 ESL (June-Sept 2013) 9 155 Total: 78 702 (Figure #4, Source: Program Records) A student survey was conducted of the ESL Orientation participants and of the 76 students who completed the survey, 97% thought the orientation was a good use of time. The table below illustrates the response to the counseling specific questions asked in the survey. Question Yes Some No Unmarked The counselor helped me understand the services at SJCC. 72 1 2 1 The counselor showed me how to use MyWeb. 68 1 5 2 (Figure #5, Source: Statistics for ESL-Counseling Project Summer 2013 Report) Eighty-two percent of students who were eligible to enroll in ESL classes enrolled for the fall semester. We will continue to survey students who attend these workshops to determine if the number who enroll increases, or are scheduling conflicts and financial aid impacting enrollment numbers. Counselors are working together to share resources and create a schedule of workshops that will be offered during the spring semester. During the summer, several workshops were conducted for students who were undecided on their educational goal. In addition, we refined workshops for students on dismissal and probation which continued into the fall semester and will resume this spring. The department has also purchased online workshops that students can complete on various topics, including: Student Success, Majors and Careers, Study Tips & Note Taking, Test Anxiety, Tips for Success in Online Courses, Time Management, Overcoming Procrastination and Stress Management. 8
During the fall semester counselors assisted the Transfer Center by conducting application and Personal Statement workshops for transferring students. A Nursing workshop was also offered to students interested in pursuing the field. There are plans to offer the workshop a couple of times a semester and expand to offer additional workshops on specific careers/majors. Student Learning Outcomes or Service Area Learning Outcomes addressed: Workshops focusing on career and academic exploration PSLO #1 Study skills workshops PSLO #2 Degree of Goal & Objective Attainment: With limited faculty, the number of workshops able to be offered is impacted. There has definitely been significant improvement in the quality and number of workshops conducted and by spring 2014, we will surpass the number of orientations offered during the past three years. Goal #4: Increase the Counseling department presence online. Objective: To better serve students who are unable to come to campus during our work hours, we currently return phone messages or emails. Ideally, we would have designated counselors or set times for online counseling. Additionally, online orientations, classes and workshops are important to better serve our students. Person Responsible: Counseling department faculty and dean Timeline: ( ) Complete ( ) Incomplete (X) On-going Activities for Attainment of Objective: We have purchased online workshops (see Goal #3) for students to use at their convenience. We are reviewing online orientation options in collaboration with EVC. We had a version of online counseling that two counselors managed. However, the platform that was used through our website was not user-friendly and also allowed for spam messages. We are discussing as a department how to move forward with alternate methods of providing counseling online. For example, create a mailbox through Outlook that all counselors have access to where students can send messages through email. We are looking at all possibilities in order to best serve our students. Student Learning Outcomes or Service Area Learning Outcomes addressed: PSLO #2 Identify the services and resources available to achieve academic goals. Degree of Goal & Objective Attainment: Counselors need to work with the IT department as well as prepare documents and a FAQ section for inclusion on the website in order to make the online counseling more effective and efficient. 9
Goal #5: Collaborate with special programs to increase service delivery efficiency. Objective: Because the author and intent of this goal is unknown, we don t know what the objective of this goal. Person Responsible: Counseling Faculty and Dean Timeline: ( ) Complete ( ) Incomplete (X) On-going Activities for Attainment of Objective: The Counseling Department has collaborated with admissions and records to better serve the students. The counseling department has had a counselor stationed in Admissions and Records during peak time to lessen the student wait time. Counseling faculty has also collaborated with Admissions and Records to streamline practices to ensure college success. This fall, a designated counselor worked with the Esthetics program to assist the students with the completion of their Certificate petitions. We are identifying additional programs with which this type of service would be beneficial and need to reach out and coordinate with coordinators and deans. We also want to coordinate with other Student Services counselors to avoid the duplication of services. Student Learning Outcomes or Service Area Learning Outcomes addressed: PSLO#1 and #2 Degree of Goal & Objective Attainment: We are hopeful that by the end of Spring 2014, we will have developed relationships with other programs in order to better serve students. In addition, we continue to communicate and coordinate with Student Services counselors to develop and establish a system of recording services in order to avoid duplication of services. Goal #6: Establish liaison relationships with academic departments. Objective: Develop better communication between departments in terms of offering our services, advising for scheduling, receive updates on programs and classes and work together to create Recommended Sequence of Courses for various certificate programs. Person Responsible: Counseling Faculty/Dean Timeline: ( ) Complete ( ) Incomplete (X) On-going Student Learning Outcomes or Service Area Learning Outcomes addressed: PSLO#1 and#3 Degree of Goal & Objective Attainment: Staff shortage and the absence of a dean prevented completion of this goal. With a dean now in place, communication with department deans is occurring on a regular basis and we are looking 10
to expand these relationships by identifying counselors to meet with division faculty members and coordinate services. Goal #7: Eliminate counseling department oversight of the General Majors with emphasis, AA/AS degrees. Objective: Move oversight of the General Majors out of the general counseling department where there is little, if any content expertise to oversee program review, SLOs, etc. Person Responsible: Counseling Faculty/Dean Timeline: (X) Complete ( ) Incomplete ( ) On-going Activities for Attainment of Objective: Instructional faculty were notified of the change through both the Academic Senate and IPCC in Fall 2011 and Spring 2012. The General Majors, with Emphasis degrees were discontinued at the end of Spring 2013. Continuing and returning students will be able to earn the degree through Summer 2020. Student Learning Outcomes or Service Area Learning Outcomes addressed: N/A This goal is based on department structure rather than on meeting program goals for students. Degree of Goal & Objective Attainment: Goal completed. 3.1. Discuss in detail the barriers to completing the above goals. Staffing shortage and the absence of a consistent and permanent dean and area administrative assistant prevented the completion of the above goals prior to Spring 2013. The majority of these goals established with very limited counselors input or discussion. 4. Recent College, State, and/or Federal Developments: List recent College, State and/or Federal developments that significantly impact the unit s ability to provide services to students. In 1986, the California legislature passed the Seymour-Campbell Matriculation Act (AB 3). This legislation established the educational support process known as matriculation, which provides services to support student success in the California community colleges. The components of matriculation include admissions, orientation, assessment and testing, counseling, and student follow-up. These components were established to ensure that all students would be able to achieve their identified educational objectives (Matriculation Standards, 2010). In September 2012, Senate Bill 1456 (Lowenthal), renamed the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Initiative was passed and signed into law by Governor Brown. The intent of this legislation is to reinforce and expand matriculation services. 11
This new mandate directly and significantly impacts the counseling department by requiring colleges in fall 2014 to: a. Provide orientation for all students b. Have educational plans for all students that are accessible to students 24/7 c. Serve probation and dismissal students d. Serve Basic Skills and ESL students e. Assist undeclared students deciding upon a major by the completion of 15 transferable units (The Dean of Counseling and the Counseling Department oversee all components of matriculation following admissions. This program review, however, will focus on orientation, counseling and student follow-up activities separate from other matriculation components. The third matriculation component, assessment, is a distinct program that conducts its own program review.) 4.1. Describe the positive and negative impacts of these developments on the unit. Negative: Due to inadequate staffing levels, the general counseling department is struggling to meet the new state mandates as required by the Student Success Act. The biggest impact is on the number of counselors providing direct services to students. The number of students served is limited due to the lack of counselors. (See figure 8, page 16). Positives: The department is engaging in dialogue both within the department and with other departments to develop and implement new ideas on how to serve more students with the very limited resources available. We revised our Orientation presentation and process, added more workshops to meet the needs of our diverse students; and have instituted planning days within the department in order to align our yearly calendar with student needs. 5. Describe the unit s active participation in the College s mission The counseling department actively participates in various committees including Academic Senate, IPCC, CPC, Program Review, Basic Skills, Discipline Committee, Mental Health Services Advisory Committee, Diversity Advisory Council, Scholarship Committee, Hiring/Screening committees, Student Success, Summer Programs, Outreach & Recruitment, Orientation (super Saturday), Transfer events, department liaison, and many others. The counseling department serves as a bridge between students, on-campus and community resources, student services and Academic Affairs. The counseling department is the first stop for most students prior to enrolling into a course at the college. It is for this reason that instructional faculty seek assistance from general counselors in making sure courses are filled prior to the first day of school. The college s mission to serve, graduate and transfer students is supported by counselors working with students to develop well-organized Student Education Plan via a counselor. 12
5.1. Discuss how the unit evaluates its effectiveness in participating in the College s mission. The counseling department contributes to the college mission by providing equitable access to quality education by providing an orientation to new students. These students are assessed to determine their mastery of essential skills for student success. The assessment consists of a pre and post evaluation of the student s understanding of these skills. The assessments are analyzed and changes are made to the curriculum if need be. Additional information about the orientation and its effectiveness. See figure 10, page 20 Twice a year students are asked to complete surveys before and after meeting with a counselor regarding their (the students ) knowledge and understanding of their academic goals, and the required steps for accomplishing their goal. Sometimes students come to a counseling appointment assuming they know what degree they will earn or what options are available to them. However, often times after meeting with a counselor they realize they didn t have as great an understanding as they assumed. After surveying students, we found that after meeting with a counselor, students had a better idea of what their next steps were in order to accomplish their educational goal. Initially, 29% of students reported not knowing the next steps to obtaining their goal. After counseling, that number was reduced to only 6%. The second part of the survey asked students the level of their knowledge of the steps they needed to take. Before meeting with the counselor, 25% of students rated their knowledge as Poor or Fair. After the counseling meeting, 0% reported Poor and only 6% described their knowledge as Fair. After meeting with counselors, student knowledge improved to 84% in the categories of Good/Very Good/Excellent. 13
Do you know what the next steps are toward reaching your educational goal? 100% 90% 94% 80% 70% 71% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 29% Yes No 10% 6% 0% Before After (Figure 6, Source: Student Questionnaire Fall 2013) Rate your knowledge of your next steps to achieve your goal. Poor 0 8% Fair Good 6% 8% 17% 34% Before Meeting After Meeting Very Good 30% 34% Excellent 11% 52% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% (Figure#7, Source: Student Questionnaire Fall 2013) 14
6. Describe how SJCC Institutional Learning Outcomes are integrated into the unit. We believe the counseling program aligns with and supports most of the SJCC ISLOs. While several of the ISLOs are contained in General Education requirements (Communication (Area A1), Critical and Analytical Thinking (Area A3), Global Awareness and Social Justice (Ethnic Studies/Cultural Pluralism) and Aesthetics and Creativity (Area C Arts & Humanities), participation in the services provided by the counseling faculty also aligns with the institution s ISLOs. Communication: Through continued interaction with counselors, students become knowledgeable and able to explain the steps they must to take to reach their academic/career goals. Students must demonstrate effective listening and communication skills when working with counselors by articulating their questions, concerns and goals. We encourage students to meet with their instructors, college representatives and other college staff in order to obtain their goals. Critical and Analytical Thinking: Students employ critical thinking skills when they develop educational plans with counselors. Students also analyze course descriptions to determine the most appropriate courses for them to enroll in. Those who participate in career assessments will use their critical and analytical skills in order to identify their major and possible career path. Personal Responsibility: Attending counseling appointments and following the educational requirements to meet their goals, requires a high degree of personal responsibility. Students must learn to manage their time, learn new studying skills, and meet the expectations of their instructors. Counselors frequently discuss with students what personal responsibility is in the context of being in college and being a college student. When students are ready to apply for transfer, they are responsible for meeting deadlines, submitting honest and accurate information and following directions. Technology: While meeting with a counselor, students are exposed and invited to utilize a variety of websites and technology. Students are encouraged to apply and register online, make online assessment appointments, access various college websites, and utilize online career, personality and learning styles assessments. PART TWO: NEED 1. Describe Current and Needed Staffing: List the number of full-time (filled & unfilled positions) and part-time faculty, full-time (filled and unfilled positions) and part-time classified staff, unclassified (student workers) and managers in the program/department. The Counseling Department is composed of following personnel: 1 Dean of Counseling, 9.5 FTE counselors (7.0 FTE general counseling, 1.0 FTE full-time International student counselor, 1.0 FTE Puente/Athletics counselor (to begin Spring 2014),.50 FTE Umoja counselor, 1.0 FTE Guidance instructor and.50 FTE Articulation Officer. (One of our counselors is currently working in EOP&S for a counselor on leave. In addition to our full- 15
time faculty, we have 2 part-time counselors. The department also has a Senior Division Administrative Assistant who serves our Dean and a Staff Assistant I who supports the counselors and supervises our student workers. We have two student workers who are employed for a total of thirty-five hours per week. 1.2 Identify the ratio of students to faculty/staff. According to the statistics available to us through SARS, the 7 general counselors who worked during the Fall semester saw an average of 1,190 students each. This number does not include students and counselors assigned to special programs. (During the Fall semester, one of our.50 FTE counselors was serving in the DSP&S department while we awaited a new hire.) Number of Full-time General Counselors Duplicated Student Contact Unduplicated Student Contacts Total SJCC Head Student Head Count 2009-10 5 17,407 10,965 18,786 2010-11 5 14,727 9,192 16,921 2011-12 5.75 12,958 7,949 14,920 2012-13 6 14,571 8,339 14,159 2013-14 (up to12/13) 7 8,336 5,104 TBD (Figure #8, Source: SARS, Research & Institutional Planning Report ) 1.3 Faculty, staff and student survey results and their significance to the program. Counseling faculty, staff and students were surveyed and asked to identify the greatest needs of the department. The following are the needs ranked in order as identified by the faculty, staff and student employees. 1. (2) additional full-time counselors. 2. (1) additional full-time staff assistant. 3. (tied) professional development opportunities and travel/conferences. The first two items are directly tied to the Student Success Initiative and the understanding of the impact the new requirements will have on our department. More students will need to be reached and more services offered. To do this effectively, we need additional counselors. In addition, the reporting requirements and follow-up with students will increase and as we are struggling to meet the needs of our current students with only one front desk/support person, we must hire an additional individual to help meet the requirements of the Student Success Initiative. All students will need to have an educational plan. The department has made steady progress towards this goal, particularly in the last six months, see figure 9. However, to meet the goal of the Student Success Initiative the department will need to have more counselors. 16
(Figure 9, Source: SARS) The third item is also directly tied to the program in that there are new requirements, changes to transfer admissions policies, and new information on emerging careers and programs. Generally, all counselors are able to attend the CSU counselor conference as that is where the majority of our students apply. However, there are numerous conferences, webinars, and workshops that are held regionally and nationally that would be helpful for counselors to be able to attend. Several counselors have utilized BSI and Professional Development funds for conference expenses, while others pay for conferences on their own. We conducted our first survey of students in early spring 2014 to determine the days and times most convenient for students to see us. Students ranked the following five times as those with the greatest appeal: 1. 12:00-2:00 pm (Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays) 2. 10:00 am 12:00 pm (Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays) 3. 2:00-4:00 pm (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays did not have Friday as an option) 4. 4:00-6:00 pm (Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) 5. 10:00-2:00 (Saturdays) While the most popular times remain during the week between the hours of 10:00 and 6:00, 41% of students responded that evenings from 6:00-8:00 would be beneficial and 67% responded that Saturdays would be a convenient time for them to meet with counselors. As a department, we are aware of the needs of our working students and have expanded our hours during certain times of the semester. During registration periods we have made sure that more counselors are available at 8:00 am and we have stayed open until 7:00 pm. On Saturday, January 11, 2014 we held assessments for 71 students, orientation for 21 students and 81 students met with a counselor. 17
Though we only had 51 students complete the survey, we will survey a larger sample of students this spring to plan for fall 2014. We would like to offer expanded hours, but with current staffing levels, it is not possible to have both more counselors working and longer hours on a regular basis. 1.4 Do you have any additional staffing needs? Please explain. In order to meet the requirements of the Student Success Initiative and to meet the goals of our department, we need an additional 3.0 FTE Counselors: 1.0 FTE counselor dedicated to the Career/Transfer Center, 1.0 FTE General Counselor and an additional 1.0 FTE Mental Health counselor. The 1.0 FTE Mental Health Counselor was identified on the District s redesign for SJCC and based on the increase in students seeking support with mental health issues, this is clearly a need requiring attention. The additional counselors would allow us to expand our services and hours, particularly evening hours which would support the needs of working students. Ninety-seven students were served during our Saturday assessment/orientation/ counseling service in January and students have expressed interest in later evening hours and additional Saturday hours. 2. Describe the impact of the program s service offerings on other departments Counseling supports student success in all disciplines. Assessment and orientation ensure that students understand their placement and the importance of advisories and being prepared for general education and major courses. Counseling courses and workshops provide students with study skills and time management techniques that they use in all of their classes. Counselors assist students in the formulation of academic and career goals and provide them with a plan to obtain those goals. Counselors are often the first contact for students, many of whom are in need of both internal and external resources, including Financial Aid, tutoring, mental health support and assistance through special programs (DSP&S, EOP&S, CalWorks), as well as public assistance and support. We are hoping through collaboration and communication with other departments to expand our offerings and work more closely with departments. Our collaboration with the ESL department has resulted in an increase of student understanding and satisfaction. 3. Course Outline and Syllabi (where applicable): Review all course outlines and syllabi to ensure currency (no more than 1 year old) and relevance. The campus Curriculum Committee must approve updated outlines. 18
The Guidance courses general counselors teach have current Course Outline of Records and classes listed in the 2013-14 catalog are current. Syllabi are updated yearly by the instructor teaching the course. The following lists the date the last Course Outline of Record for each class was approved by the Curriculum Committee. GUID 10 Transfer Success (1.0 unit) 2/7/2013 GUID 85 Blueprint for Success 12/18/2012 GUID 87 College Study Techniques (3.0 units) 12/18/2012 GUID 96 Career and Life Planning (3.0 units) 2/20/2012 GUID 97 Orientation to College (1.0 unit) 12/18/2012 GUID 130 College Success (3.0 units) 12/20/2012 4. Is the program information for the department consistent, current, accurate and accessible? MIS (X) Consistent (X) Current (X) Accurate ( ) Accessible Class Schedule (X) Consistent (X) Current (X) Accurate (X) Accessible Catalog (X) Consistent (X) Current (X) Accurate (X) Accessible Brochures ( ) Consistent ( ) Current ( ) Accurate ( ) Accessible Website (X) Consistent ( ) Current ( ) Accurate (X) Accessible PART THREE: QUALITY 1. Improvement of Student Learning Outcomes and Delivery of Student Services (address all applicable topics): Departmental and individual activities toward improving services and contributing to professional community (list participation in staff development, conference attendance/participation, and academic preparation/training during the past 5 years). Our three PSLOs focus on helping students identify their academic and career goals, completing an educational plan to reach those goals and being aware of the services and resources available to help them achieve their goals. We address these goals in all aspects of our work with students Orientation, Counseling (both drop-in and scheduled appointments), Workshops and Teaching. Most new students to the college first encounter counselors through orientation and then individual counseling on a drop-in or appointment basis. The past year we have worked diligently to improve these services. As noted in Part One Mission, Previous Goals #3, we have increased the number of orientations offered to students. Though we don t have orientation surveys from previous years, we did survey students and found that we appear to reach our objectives during the orientation. The table below lists the questions students were asked before and after orientation and the percent of students who responded Yes to each question. 19
Do you know what "advisory level means when selecting a course? Do you know what a prerequisite is? Do you know how to register for classes at SJCC on MyWeb? Do you understand the Math and English sequence? Pre-Orientation Survey Post-Orientation Survey Do you know the difference between a drop-in counseling session and a scheduled Do you know the various student support services that are available to you? 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 (Figure#10, Source: Orientation Survey Report) An additional component of our service that has improved is the amount of time that students wait to see a counselor. With an increase in the number of educational plans completed, more students are informed about the classes they need to take and thereby decreasing the number of visits to our department on drop-in. We realize that the first two weeks of a semester and the registration period for continuing and new students is our busiest time of year. As a department we have worked together in consultation with our dean, in order to provide increased counseling hours during this time frame. During the past few years, wait times for counselors on drop-in ranged from five minutes to more than two hours. As demonstrated in the chart below, wait times for counselors on drop-in have been cut in half and reduced to an average of 21 minutes. 20
(Figure #11, Source: SARS Reports) Wait times are in minutes. Counselors typically attend the CSU and UC community college conferences each year. In addition, counselors might also attend conferences, workshops and webinars focused on specific majors/careers (Nursing, Pre-Med, Pre-Health, Engineering) or specializing in working with diverse or specific groups of students (Veterans, ethnic minorities, basic skills, etc.). Counselors who attend these events generally disperse information to their colleagues at a follow-up meeting and/or through handouts. Counselors also received an entire day of mental health emergency response as one of our Alternate Professional Development Days. Still others take classes that will assist them in working with students (computer technology, college and university planning, foreign language). Counselors also had the opportunity to participate in suicide prevention training this Fall. Additionally, counselors have received mini-presentations from various groups on campus Financial Aid, Student Health Services, Admissions and Records and from various faculty members who introduce new programs or classes. When possible, counselors attend workshops in the Professional Development Center, but with counselor schedules booked up to three weeks in advance and being short on staff, it is difficult to attend the workshops. Some of the workshops that counselors have attended focused on development of program and course SLOs, Course of Record and TracDat. 1.2. Describe how these activities have enriched and been implemented into the department s services and have resulted in campus, district or state enrichment. Upon attending CSU/UC conferences, counselors are prepared to advise students on application procedures and changes to majors and programs. With participation comes more knowledge for all counselors and that information is passed on to our students. Faculty and Administration from the Counseling Department attended Improving Outcomes for Men of Color in Community Colleges conference in fall 2013. The primary goals for the conference are to advance the understanding within the community college field regarding the assets and challenges that men of color bring with them to college; to lift up the student voice as central to the work; to identify institutional factors that inhibit and enhance community college progress and success for African American males and Latinos; and to assist community colleges in serving these groups, through workshops, a specially focused student success institute, a national report, and web-based resources. After attending a Pre-Health conference, counselors held a Nursing workshop and are creating handouts and an email distribution list to keep both counselors and students informed of changes in the admission policies and updates of the career. 1.3. Describe how the unit addresses the multicultural/diverse student body and disabled populations in the curriculum and/or services: 21
We have a very multicultural and multilingual staff, including counselors with experience working with International students, students with disabilities, and students from other diverse backgrounds. As counselors, we have received extensive training in working with diverse populations. Currently, we do not have many handouts, but we will seek to obtain translated copies of items in the future. 1.4. Describe active participation of flexible and alternative delivery systems (i.e., online applications/regulation, distance learning, web-based counseling): Counselors have access to an online electronic educational plan through Datatel that allows students to view their plan via MyWeb. We are currently looking at ways to increase our alternative delivery systems in terms of orientation, counseling and courses. Lack of resources and support has prevented us from moving forward on these items until this year. 1.5. Describe any outside classroom learning experiences for students (field trips, field work, community service, etc.): Though field trips are not necessarily a component of general counseling, counselors do participate in Transfer Center activities, such as university bus tours. Counselors encourage students to get involved in community service, school clubs and seek out internship and research opportunities. Service Learning is used in Guidance courses (particularly Guidance 96) for approximately the past eighteen years. Service learning is a method of teaching that enriches learning by engaging students in meaningful service to their communities through careful integration with established curricula. Service learning is a form of active learning that values critical thinking and problem solving. Lessons gained from hands-on service learning heighten interest and enhance academic achievement, citizenship, and character development. 1.6. List the results of the most current student satisfaction survey on your program: Twice a year students who utilize counseling services are asked to complete pre and post surveys regarding their knowledge and understanding of their academic goals, and the required steps for accomplishing their goal. In addition, every semester counselors are evaluated by the students they met with. The data below shows the results from the following five semesters beginning with Fall 2011. The survey instrument used has remained consistent over all the semesters, but the collection process and number of counselors surveyed has varied from semester to semester. The dean of the department has provided us with direction and consistency by ensuring all counselors receive at least twenty evaluations, effective Fall 2013. After reviewing the data with the dean, the department is able to adjust or improve their services based on the survey results. The questions to the survey will be located on our website but include questions that address the level of concern, effort, knowledge, respect and sensitivity the 22
counselor displayed during the appointment, as well as the knowledge and information conveyed by the counselor, the referral to additional services and whether the student would recommend the counselor to others. Fall 2013 5.4 0.04 94.2 Fall 2012 6.6 6.1 87.3 Fall 2011 Spring 2013 Spring 2012 3.6 1.2 3.6 4.8 4.5 1.9 91.6 95.2 93.6 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 (Figure #12, Sources: Student Surveys) Strongly Agree/Agree N/A Strongly Disagree/Disagree What we found after reviewing and analyzing the data is that generally students are satisfied with their experience in counseling. The area that we have found that we need to improve is with regards to providing students with on-campus and off-campus resources. The answers to those two questions are shown below. Though generally asking for on or off-campus resources is not the reason why students come to a counseling appointment, we feel that it is an opportunity for us to show students where they can access those resources for future reference if needed. Question: N/A Disagree/ Strongly Disagree Total Referred me to other resources and services oncampus 14.6% 3.0% 17.6% Referred me to other resources and services offcampus 23.2% 4.0% 27.2% (Figure #13, Sources: Student Surveys) An area that we have seen a fairly significant change is the number of students who responded Disagree or Strongly Disagree to whether they would recommend the counselor to other students. In the Fall of 2011, every counselor had at least one student that would not recommend 23
them to other students. During the Fall of 2013, not one counselor received that response. The response rate over the past five semesters ranges from 8.3% not recommending counselors to zero students. The average response is 1.3% would not recommend the counselor they met with. 2. Supportive Working Environment: Describe the involvement/inclusion of part-time faculty in departmental and college activities: Part-time counselors have participated in more counseling duties this year than in the previous three years. They have been assigned consistent hours this school year and have attended several trainings conducted by full-time faculty on various topics. Part-time faculty began attending department meetings late Fall semester and will continue to attend throughout the 2013-14 school year. 2.2. Describe the involvement/inclusion of departmental classified staff (if any) in departmental and college activities. Classified staff attend the majority of department meetings; have attended and will attend several workshops on customer service, mental health first aid, Microsoft Office and wellness issues. Staff are encouraged to attend college-wide luncheons and union meetings and participate in department activities, including Saturday service. In addition, all classified staff in our division attend the monthly Student Affairs classified meeting and meet with the dean on a regular bases. 2.3. Describe intra- and inter-departmental activities and collaborations between faculty and staff: Admissions and Records: A group of counselors worked with the Director of Enrollment Services and the admissions staff to develop procedures for counseling tasks performed on the behalf of students. Additionally, in January 2014, we offered Saturday hours for our new students who have difficulty coming to campus during regular work hours. ESL: Counseling established a partnership with the ESL department to provide students comprehensive orientation and advisement services. (See Section 2.6 for student survey results of collaboration). Financial Aid: Counselors worked with the Financial Aid department throughout the summer to assist with their Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) workshops (15 total). During the Fall semester we assisted in the counseling and development of comprehensive educational plans for students who attended one of four workshops. Esthetics: One designated counselor works with the Esthetics department to assist students with the completion of their petitions for the Certificate of Achievement. Medical Assisting: This semester one designated counselor will be working with the department to assist students in the completion of their petitions for the Certificate of Achievement. 24