Chabot College Unit Plan, Part II
Program Review Summary & Unit Plan
Unit/Area: Communication Studies
Division/Area to Which You Report: Language Arts
Author(s) of this Unit Plan: Patti Keeling-Haines, Jason Ames, christine warda, Veronica Martinez
Today’s Date: March 11, 2011
School Year Program Review Completed: 2011
Audience: IPBC; Program Review Committee; Deans/Unit Administrators; Budget Committee
Purpose: To provide evidence of progress on from previous year and to provide input into planning for subsequent years.
Instructions: If you have completed your unit plan last year, please update your timeline and answer the questions below. If you are updating/changing
your timeline, list the appropriate year in which revisions were made.
1A. Problem Statement: Summarize your original Program Review conclusions (or if this was done in last year’s unit plan, please update).
1B. Analysis: What was the basis for these new and/or continuing conclusions?
Communication Studies has been utilizing Program Review as a means to improve our own area and explore our relation to
Communication departments at local community colleges, as well as, transfer institutions. By exploring our program in comparison to
others, we believe we can see where we are excelling and where improvements can be made. So far, we have changed our name from
Speech to Communication Studies, we have been exploring/developing core/elective curricula, and we have been developing support
services for students in our area. Based on our analysis, we can cite several new/continuing conclusions.
1. Name Change / Identity: The name change reflects a national trend. The struggle was getting people to understand and recognize our
field(s) of inquiry/study and stepping away from the “Speech” stigma (“all you do is public speaking, right?!”). We have released our
website to help current and potential students understand our field/offerings thanks to our Webmaster Abdullah Yahya. We have started
a discussion with counselors to assist them in understanding who we are, and will continue to offer more theoretical/foundational
Communication courses when possible.
2. Division Location: We have researched our position in the Language Arts Division extensively. Of 13 local community colleges surveyed,
8 are housed within Performing/Fine Arts Divisions, 1 is stand-alone Communication Divisions and only 4 are housed in Language
Arts/English. Further, it is rare that Mass Communication and Communication are in different divisions. This is true for both of our
immediate, local colleagues: Las Positas College’s Speech Department is housed within Fine Arts, and CSUEB’s Communication
Department merged with Mass Communication nearly a decade ago. Our separation has and will continue to confuse students, colleagues,
and those at transfer institutions. (For example, when we asked the Institutional Research and Grant office to give us total
Communication/Speech degrees in the last five years, they sent us a spreadsheet with Mass Communication and Communication
numbers.) Consequently, after much study and deliberation, we believe that Humanities is the best home for Comm. Studies, and we are
advocating that our move to SOTA be adopted by Fall of 2012. We believe this will provide our students with a stronger understanding of
our field and it’s relation to Mass Communication, Theater/Performance, and Philosophy. It will also strengthen our elective offerings in
the Humanities, giving students more options to complete the Communication Studies AA-T.
Chabot College Unit Plan, Part II
3. Curriculum Development: We recently added one new course in Persuasion. Now we are currently working to create/add three new
courses: Intro to Communication Studies, Intro to Performance Studies, and a Tutor Training course. We have also decided to drop
COMM 30 and 2B from our current offering. Further, courses related to Health, Family, Professional, Organizational and Compassionate
Communication will be helpful to our student population in the future.
The Communication Studies area recently volunteered to be one of the first departments to pilot the AA-T degree. This will prepare us for
future changes and offer students another option to our current AA degree, which is also being revised. Having certificates and AA degree
options will allow us to develop our program and increase the number of transfers and AA degrees.
We also need to explore new, more aggressive ways to fund/expand our dramatically growing (and highly successful) forensics program,
which has been the unwilling and undeserving victim of budget cuts.
4. Student Learning Outcomes: At this point, all COMM courses have SLOs. We are currently training adjuncts to ensure our area is
completing all required SLO work. Some adjuncts have already completed the task. We have found it advantageous to participate in
Carolyn Arnold’s campus-level SLO Focused Inquiry Groups to learn how to complete our assessments. Patti and Jason participated in the
Critical Thinking FIG and Jason, christine, and Veronica participated in the Cultural/Global Awareness FIG, and Patti, Jason, Christine, and
Veronica participated in the Speaking FIG. Veronica presented the results of the Speaking FIG at the FIN Conference 2011.
5. Support Services: As part of our program review, we have decided to require a 1 unit-lab with all COMM 1 sections. We’ve looked to
models set up by local community colleges and universities. Now that we have a designated space in room 803 we can pilot this program
in Fall 2011. Adding this requirement will ensure the additional support needed by most students in an introduction to public speaking
course. Students with different learning styles, students not native to English, students with high apprehension, etc. all need additional
individual help outside of the classroom. In order to facilitate the influx of students to the Comm. Lab, we are proposing a new Comm.
Tutoring course, which will enable us to educate students while enabling us to staff the lab.
6. Area Growth: There has been no new hire in over five years, as Jason Ames was our last “growth” position. We have had two
replacement hires since then, but we continue to be a small, somewhat stagnant area – which is odd considering our courses are always
full and we’re turning away so many students. Other Communication programs at comparable schools have 5-8 full time faculty; we’ve
been making due with 4. It’s hard to believe considering we help EVERY student on this campus meet their oral communication and/or
critical thinking requirements! But really, we do more than that. It is important for us to be able to offer a degree and certificates that
provide a solid foundation for our transfer students. In the past four years, only 15 people have received an AA in Communication Studies.
Bringing in at least one more full-time faculty, we would be able to truly develop our field/curricula (which supports almost every other
discipline on campus), support our National Award winning and Nationally ranked Forensics program, and assist with campus
responsibilities such as committee work, SLO development/assessment, adjunct coordination, etc.
2. Student Learning Outcomes Inventory
a. What percentage of courses in your discipline have Student Learning Outcomes developed? __100%___
b. How many Student Learning Outcomes are there on average per course? _4____
c. What percentage of course SLOs in your discipline have been assessed? _50%__
d. What percentage of courses in your discipline have had the assessments reflected upon, or discussed with colleagues, or discussed with the
college at large? _50%____
Chabot College Unit Plan, Part II
e. Has your discipline determined any actions that might be taken as a result of this data, or insights?
The discussion on what SLO’s are in place and the process of attaining some of the narrative results (from the FIG work for example) have been
valuable in determining changes within individual courses. But the quantitative results and elumen data have not yielded benefits as of yet. The
Communication Studies area has come to several conclusions. One, we need better adjunct coordination. Since our area is taught by half full
time and half part time instructors - 50% of our assessments are done by people who are only here for a few classes a week. The full time faculty
are already stretched thin with a thriving Forensics program, a popular Communication Lab, and one faculty member on sabbatical. We need
assistance or at least one additional full time hire to continue to excel in these SLO projects. Our primary focus has been and will continue to be
our face-to-face time with students rather than the extra data entry (we are already entering and calculating grades) required to be compliant in
this area. We urge upper “management” to take our concerns seriously, especially as our program/major continues to grow.
Second, by participating in the College Wide Learning Goal projects, we are able to more effectively articulate our identity to more of the
campus. Fellow faculty are learning that we are more than Speech teachers. We have shown our excellence in teaching and discussing critical
thinking and global and cultural involvement, as well as, opened our colleagues eyes to the idea that the CWLG of Communication is truly
restricted if we are to interpret Communication as Speaking. Communication also includes Nonverbal Communication, Perception, and Listening
(among other skills) and we are excited to share our expertise with the campus in other contexts of Communication beside Public Speaking. We
can help colleagues in other fields to identify and assess Communication skills within the contexts of their own disciplines.
3. List your accomplishments. How do they relate to your program review, unit planning and SLO work? Please cite any relevant data
elements (e.g., efficiency, persistence, FT/PT faculty ratios, SLO assessment results, external accreditation demands, etc.).
1. We have been researching and incorporating more electronic resources (multimedia, etc.) in our classrooms. We are fortunate to hold most of
our classes in Building 800 which allows for “smart” speechmaking and teaching tools. Also, all faculty have switched to a new discipline wide
text for our COMM 1 courses which, through Pearson Education, offers MySpeechLab: Course Compass. This was not only an advancement in
technology but also a cost-saving option for our students. We are hoping to offer our first hybrid-online course in Fall 2011. We understand that
Chabot College serves a diverse population with varied learning styles, varied economic backgrounds, and time commitments. Having more online resources will cater to more students.
2. We continue to have solid productivity for all COMM 1 courses. Our Division average class fill is 108% at census over a 2 year aggregate
viewing. Obviously our core class, Comm. Studies 1, which is needed to transfer to CSU’s, continues to fill at a very strong rate. Looking at the
total numbers, however, we can see that our entire division is flourishing. Our two new courses, Comm 20 and Comm 3 are strong. Comm 20
(Persuasion) is filling at a 99% ratio and Comm 3 (Small Group Communication) is filling at 109%. Forensics also continues to be strong,
filling at a staggering 150% rate, demonstrating a growing and developing team that is not just competition bound, but also College oriented.
Chabot College Unit Plan, Part II
Clearly, these numbers demonstrate that Comm. 1 is not making us “look good”; our entire division and all of our course offerings are strong,
thanks to interesting subject matter, necessary skill development, and outstanding faculty (if we do say so ourselves … and we just did). While
we are sympathetic to the budget crisis, we don’t understand why we would be looking to cut sections from a course that EVERY student needs
to transfer/graduate. This becomes especially true with AB 1440 being passed, and the new transfer requirements within that document. The
other courses we offer are available on a less-regular basis, which we believe hurts the number of degrees we actually confer. The number drops
significantly from those who declare a Communication major to those that receive them. We are looking into changing that in 2011 by
establishing the AA-T and revising our current degree requirements. Further, our enrollment data shows our average term WSCH/FTEF to be
396.14 – we believe this number does not include the additional WSCH hours submitted by full time faculty for Forensics coaching. For
example, in Spring and Fall 2010, christine completed approximately 350 additional WSCH hours. These spreadsheets have been submitted but
are not reflected on our EM data. On our EM report, Fall 2010 notes 80 WSCH – when the number should be double that. This would
significantly change our WSCH/FTEF totals; the numbers are better than the report suggests.
3. We’ve also tried to take more students than our cap of 25. This has not been successful. For example, in a COMM 1 class with 25 students, an
instructor can expect to spend at least 7 out of 18 weeks watching student speeches (with 11 weeks to teach the content/techniques for each
unique style of speaking). When faculty added more than 25, we struggled to make time to hear all students required speeches and found that in
order to take 7 more students into each COMM 1 section, it would require giving up 2 more weeks of instruction toward student speech days. (9
weeks to teach and 9 weeks to observe student speeches) This is certainly not enough time to teach the course content, nor is it enough time to
allow for students to develop their presentation skills. We are firm in our commitment to teach public speaking in smaller classes – as it allows
for greater skill development and for them to complete the transfer requirements of the course.
4. Our Forensics program is top-notch. Over the past 5 years, Jason has been a mastermind at pulling together a championship caliber team. This
is important because without the full-time investment by faculty and the campus, the team all but disappeared. Now it is one of the top debate
and individual events squads in the country. Further, we are one of the most diverse teams, not only on campus, but in the nation. Our members
come from many different ethnicities, ages, religions, political backgrounds, abilities/disabilities, genders and sexual orientations. This year,
Eileen Vivian Zedd a 2nd year team member, won the opportunity to represent Chabot, as well as, the state of California at the Interstate Oratory
Contest. Not only do we have great success in our travels to competition, we also have numerous on-campus activities to serve the campus and
community. Each semester we host on-campus speech and debate tournaments for students in COMM 1, 2, 5, 20, and 46. Also, each semester
we present the “Speak Up,” a showcase of student speeches. Further, we have on-campus debates – both forum-style, as well as, informal
sessions (inviting the Psychology Club or Students for Social Justice to our practices). Faculty members also judge community public speaking
contests, such as the Rotary Club annual event, and supply student judges for local high school competitions. Our forensics program continues
to have a dynamic presence on and off campus. This is truly where we see communication skills development over several semesters; a way to
assess our strengths and weaknesses in pedagogy and Program Level Outcomes.
We have found that it is too much for one coach to do. As such, Patti, christine, and Veronica have donated afternoons and weekends to assist
Jason. We do it because we support our program and our students, but we cannot do this for long. We need an Assistant Coach to truly have the
Chabot College Unit Plan, Part II
impact we’d like on this campus.
5. Our area continues to support and work diligently with others to create a sense of community on campus. We are active on committees and
Academic Senate. We participate in FIGs and FIN. We are mentors in the Puente program. This year we traveled to WSCA where we helped
facilitate a panel on Communication Labs, and christine warda presented on a panel. We have been involved and want to continue being
involved with faculty/staff development (i.e., The SpeakEasy group from last year). Communication Studies has been an integral part to many
projects on campus, while also facing the same coordinator release time cuts as other areas. We would like to see area-coordinator release time
and comm. lab-coordinator time restored.
6. Growing Communication Studies Lab: This year, we have finally found a useful space for the Lab – Rm. 803. This allows us to finally offer a
lab unit for students enrolled in COMM 1. We believe this will have a dramatic impact on our assessment data in the future. Currently, our
success rates for COMM 1 are similar to the college average of 65-67%. We hope to increase this number by about 5%. Overall,
Communication Studies has a 65-69% success rate with 16-19% nonsuccess. While we may not be able to significantly alter the 15-18%
withdrawal rate, we do believe we can improve the success/nonsuccess ratio with increased support services. This will presumably increase the
number of successful transfer students and open up more space within our course offerings (as students will not have to retake our courses).
4. List your new and continuing unit goals. Based upon what you accomplished, do you have any changes you are making to your goals or
timeline? Please make any revisions to the timeline on the next page.
Continuing goals (if you did not do a unit plan, skip to the next box):
1. Move to SOTA.
2. Seek new hire.
3. Continue to develop curriculum.
4. Add a virtual component to the website.
5. Create the AA-T degree.
6. Bring back the “SpeakEasy.”
New goals:
1. Require 1 unit of Lab time in COMM 1.
2. Create new course in Tutor Training.
3. Find new methods of funding for Forensics.
4. Create/submit certificates in Communication to Curriculum committee.
Chabot College Unit Plan, Part II
5. Discuss how these goals support the college Strategic Plan goals and/or strategies.
Continuing goals (if you did not do a unit plan, skip to the next box):
1. The move to SOTA will provide our students with a stronger understanding of our field and it’s relation to Mass Communication and
Philosophy and to strengthen our elective offerings in the Humanities. It is important that our courses remain current and provide a solid
foundation for any career path. Moving to SOTA we can work in partnership with our colleagues in Theater, Philosophy, and Mass
Communication to see how our areas can complement one another. (B2-3)
2. A new hire/expanding our area allows for:
*Maintaining the excellence of the Forensics program which increases the recognition of Chabot and its programs throughout the
community and the country. (A1) Forensics also allows us to engage and recruit high school students and community members.
*A member of our faculty to continue to judge local clubs’ speech/oratory contests and we would like to have another Forensics person to
be more involved with area high schools. One more faculty member could make a HUGE difference here. (C2-4)
*Increasing online course offerings and multimedia tool development to help us find ways to deliver instruction and services to all. (A4)
*The Communication Lab to offer support services to faculty and staff. In 2009 christine warda started an informal group, the SpeakEasy,
to help folks strengthen their presentation skills. We would like to make this project more formal and use the workshop format. (D3) With
a new hire, christine and Veronica will be able to focus energy here and not take away from our successful collaboration with Jason in
coaching forensics.
3. Developing curriculum:
*Our continuing involvement on campus-level SLOs is important and will continue.
*As essential basic skills (speaking/listening), Communication courses help students learn college success skills, confidence, and
strategies for success in their careers. (B1-4) As we strengthen our degree, it will be important to hear from our colleagues in
Health/Nutrition, Dental Assisting, Nursing, Business, Theater, Philosophy, Mass Communication, and Political Science, to see how our
areas can complement one another. (B2-3)
* Scheduling: Online/Saturday/Evening courses will need to reflect major course work. We will need to offer more than COMM 1 in the
evening and online in the future. Finally, we hope to engage the community more by offering relevant course work in Communication
Studies. (C2,4)
4. Website:
A new website allows for people to truly understand who we are in our area and our course offerings. We also would like to add a Virtual
Communication Lab with resources for students, faculty, and staff (A4, D3)
5. We will continue our commitment to creating a new version of our AA degree (AA-T).
6. As stated earlier, we will be working toward restarting the SpeakEasy. Many faculty and staff have expressed the desire to
improve/refine/practice their own presentation skills. We look forward to providing the space and guidance for this important goal.
New goals:
1. Add 1 new Lab unit added to COMM 1 – Being a basic skills area (speaking, listening) and since one of the college-wide learning
goals is Communication, it’s clear that anything we do increase the learning in our Fundamentals of Speech class will coincide with
the college goals.
2. Create a new course in Tutor Training – In this course tutors will get valuable teaching/counseling training through hand-on peer
tutoring. Providing most of our tutors with units (rather than pay) with create a sustainable future for our Comm Lab.
3. Find new methods of funding for forensics.
4. Certificate Development: (A4) As we revise, we will be working with students and faculty to determine the best electives to
include, as well as, which certificates will be most useful. (B2-4)
Chabot College Unit Plan, Part II
6. Solution: Cut and paste your previous timeline and update the “Accomplished?” column, if necessary. Detail the plan for accomplish
your goals. If you are making revisions to your activities or timeline, please indicate that in the “Revised?” column.
Unit Action Plan Timeline
No.
Timeline
Milestone Activity
Person(s)
Responsible
Accomplished?
Yes/No/
In Progress*
Revised?
Yes / No
If yes, list
revision year
Do you need
additional funds
to support this
activity?
Yes/No
If, yes, what
type?**
1
Fall 2011
Meeting with Webmaster to add on to website
Patti/christine
Accomplished YES, 2011
set-up, working
on virtual
2
Fall 2010
Setting up Blackboard for all our classes
YES
YES, 2011
3
Fall 2010
Securing a space for the Comm Lab
Raeanne
Ianniello/all full
time
Comm Faculty
YES
YES, 2011
4
Ongoing
Patti Keeling
In progress
No
5
Ongoing
Participating on faculty prioritization committee and securing evidence
needed to warrant an additional hire
Forensics budget is always iffy. We need for consistent and adequate
funding.
Create a new course in Tutor Training
Yes-would
like to pay
adjuncts who
assist.
Yes-pay
adjunct for
time.
Yes-staff
and/or facility
Yes
Comm Faculty
In progress
No
Yes
christine and
Veronica
No
YES, 2011
No
NEW Spring 2011
6
7
Fall 2010
Technology in the Classroom
Comm Faculty
YES
YES, 2011
No
8
Ongoing
Degree Revision/Certificate Offerings
Comm Faculty
In Progress
No
No
9
Ongoing
Developing support services for Communication students and
Communication skills across campus
Comm Faculty
In Progress
No
Yes –staff,
and
equipment
may be
necessary
Move to SOTA
Comm Faculty
In progress
YES, 2011
No
Confer with Jennifer Lange and Trish Shannon on funding for Speak
Easy
christine and
Veronica
In progress
YES, 2011
Yes
NEW Fall 2011
10
NEW Spring 2011
11
Chabot College Unit Plan, Part II
No.
Timeline
Milestone Activity
Person(s)
Responsible
Accomplished?
Yes/No/
In Progress*
Revised?
Yes / No
If yes, list
revision year
Do you need
additional funds
to support this
activity?
Yes/No
If, yes, what
type?**
NEW Fall 2011
Require 1 unit of Lab in COMM 1
Comm Faculty
No
YES, 2011
12
* Note: As you may be carrying over or planning new activities for this planning cycle, this column should list that all activities are “In Progress.”
** List types such as “equipment,” “supplies,” “staffing,” “contractual services,” etc…
Yes