Academic Program Review and Action Planning – YEAR ONE
Division
Program
Contact Person
Date
School of the Arts
Mass Communications (Journalism)
Larry Leach
March 11, 2011
Section A – Data Review and Analysis
I. Basic Success and Equity (Data from 3 previous years)
 What trends are you seeing over time? How does the basic success data compare to the college
as a whole and to statewide average success rates, if available? What might explain the
differences?
 What courses in your discipline show the greatest/least amount of success? What accounts for
success in these courses? How could you improve success in the less successful areas?
 What do you see in the comparisons between men and women and between different
ethnicities? What accounts for differences? What concerns you? How could you strategically
address the concerns?
 What inferences can you draw from the data correlating the highest level of Math/English
completed and success in your discipline's courses?
 If you have online/hybrid/telecourse/CD-ROM courses, do the success rates differ from the
same courses offered on-campus? If so, should the success rates be the same, why are they
different, and is this a cause for concern? What areas of inquiry does this raise about
online/hybrid/telecourse/CD-ROM courses?
Explain:
Success is defined as receiving a grade of A, B, C or CR (credit) in a course.
 The MCOM success rate average for the six semesters between Fall 2006 and Spring 2009 (which is
the latest data available) is 72.3% with a low of 62% in Spring of 2008 and a high of 81% in Fall
2008. Our success rate has remained consistent with only a 9% variation.
 The MCOM success rate (from Fall 06 to Spring 09) is 7% above the college average of 65.3%
(recorded from Fall 07 to Spring 10). Although the data comparison covers a slightly different 6
semester period, the Mass Comm success rate is consistently above the college average.
 MCOM 15, Publications – Editorial Leadership and Production wit h an average
success rate of (82.5% F -06 to Sp -09) and MCOM 14, Writing and Photography for
a weekl y publication (75% F -06 to Sp -09) have the hi ghest average success rates of
the MCOM Journalism courses from Fall 2006 to Spring 2010.
 The success rate of the newspaper production classes (MCOM 14 & 15) Is li kel y be
due to the fact that it i s a class that provides constant feedback on production and
development which all ows the staff and students to continuousl y i mprove their
perfor mance in the courses
Academic Program Review and Planning for 2011-14
Page 1 of 11
 Based upon a review of class size and success data, there does not appear to be a
correlation between the class size and the success rates in our MCOM (Journalism)
courses
Non-success is def ined as a letter grade of D, F, NC ( No Credit) or I (Incomplete).
 The overall MCOM non -success rate average for the six semesters between Fall
2006 and Spring 2009 is 14% with a low of 10% and a hi gh of 21%. Our non success rate has remai ned consistent except for the Spring 08 and Spring 09
semesters which reached a 21% and 19% non -success rate.
 The MCOM average seme ster non -success rate compared to the coll ege non success
rate (college fi gures are between Fall 07 & Spring 2010) is 1.6% below the college
average of 15.6
 The lowest success rat e from Fall 06 to Spring 09 is in MCOM 5, Intro to Mass
Communications, with a 61% average success. The reason appears to be consistent
with the previous reporting that this is a class without any prerequi sites that is
frequently taken by fir st semester students, who may be inadequat ely prepared for
this college level cour se. Po ssible methods to effectivel y i mprove the success rate
of this course are being evaluated.
Equity
 The MCOM male success rate average for the six semesters between Fall 2006 and Spring
2009 is 74% with a low of 60% and a high of 81%.
 The MCOM male success rate is 14% higher than the college average of 65% (College data
covers Fall 2007 to Spring 2010). The college male success rate has remained more
consistent with a 5% variation than the MCOM fluctuation of 21%.
 The MCOM female success rate average for the six semesters between Fall 2006 and Spring
2009 is lower than males at 71% with a low of 65% and a high of 81%. Our female success
rate over the last three semesters of data (Spring 08 to Spring 09) has been greater than the
male success rate which has declined during that same period. Overall the consistency has
been slightly better for females than males in MCOM coursework.
 The MCOM female success rate is 5% higher than the college female success rate average
of 66% (College data covers Fall 2007 to Spring 2010. The college female success rate has
remained consistent with a 3% variation respectively. While MCOM has fluctuated 16%
 Some of the success rate percentages by ethnicity may be misleading because of the
actual number of students represented by the percentage. For example if there was only
one Native American enrolled in a course and they passed, it would be 100% success
rate, which would look more successful than it actually was.
 The highest MCOM success rates are Asians with with 80.8% followed by Latinos &
Whites with approximately 75% each.
Academic Program Review and Planning for 2011-14
Page 2 of 11
 The lowest MCOM success rates among groups with 20 or more students enrolled are
African Americans with 62.5%
 The MCOM success rates have not consistently gone up or down in any particular
ethnicity.
 MCOM’s success rates are higher than the college average with every ethnicity.
There was no identifiable pattern between the MCOM Success rates and the college success rates by ethnicity.
Retention
 The MCOM withdrawal rate average for the six semesters between Fall 2006 and Spring 2009 is
13.6% with a low of 9% and a high of 17%. Our withdrawal rate has remained relatively
consistent with an 8% variation.
 The college withdrawal rate (College data covers Fall 2007 to Spring 2010) is 19.2%. The
MCOM average semester withdrawal rate is 5% below the college.
 In Fall 08 we only had a 9% withdrawal compared to the college’s 19% rate.
II. Course Sequence (Data from 2 previous years)
Note: Answer this question if you have been provided data about course sequences in your discipline.
 Is success in the first course a good indicator of success in the second course? What are the
curricular, pedagogical, and/or methodological implications of what you see?
 Do your successful students in the first course enroll at a high rate in the second course within
two years? What are the implications of what you see?
Explain:
 In the MCOM (Journalism) program the courses are not currently identified in a specific
sequential pattern. However, the courses and curriculum are intertwined with one another creating
a correlation between success in one and success in the other.
 From Fall 06 to Spring 09 the figures indicate that in most cases the higher the success level in the
MCOM 1 Journalism news writing course, the greater the level of success in the newspaper
production courses. This is a possible indicator that gaining skill in news writing improves the
success rate of those who later enroll in the newspaper course.
III. Course Review (Data from 5 previous years)
 Ed. Code requires that all courses are updated every five years. Are all of your courses
updated? If not, do you want to maintain or continue these courses? Please indicate your plans
in terms of curriculum. Have all of your courses been offered recently? If not, why? Are
students counting on courses to complete a program or major when these courses are not being
offered?
Explain:
 Currently the MCOM course outlines of record show a revision date of Fall 2009 or later except for two
Academic Program Review and Planning for 2011-14
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MCOM (Journalism) courses MCOM 14 Writing & Photography for weekly publication and MCOM 15
Publications-Editorial Leadership & Production. These two courses currently show list the last date on the
course outline as January, 1994. These two courses will be maintained and are currently covered by a new
full-time faculty member/Newspaper adviser and will be reviewed to ensure appropriate updates are made
and then maintained based on Ed. Code guidelines.
 All of our courses have been offered recently and with a new full-time faculty member for the department,
courses should be planned on a regular schedule so that students in all of the MCOM programs including
Radio/TV/Journalism will be able to complete their degree programs in a timely manner.
IV. Budget Summary (Data from 3 previous years)
 What budget trends do you see in your discipline? What are the implications of these trends?
 Where is your budget adequate and where is it lacking? What are the consequences on your
program, your students, and/or your instruction?
 What projected long-term (5-10 years) budget needs do you see? You will detail your short-term
needs in the action plan that follows. You do not need to cite them here.
Explain:
 The MCOM (Journalism) program has been seeking continued sour ces of funding to
cover the costs of mai ntaining a functional and successful student run newspaper.
Funding has been uncertain over the past few years and requests are being made for
the amount needed to continue running the program. Changes in the Journalism
industry such as convergence make it necessary to be able to created mediated
messages for distributi on. The Spectator newspaper has developed an online
presence to match the industry trends.
 We are an equipment based program and require periodic update s i n order to
continue educating and preparing students f or today’s Journalism industry. There
are ongoing costs associated with the production and printing of the newspaper
including maintaining and/or replacing old equipment, purchasing new equipment,
student conferences and wor kshop attendance. In order to continue to offer a safe
and relevant program t o aid students in preparing for continued education or
careers, our funding needs to be secured.
 The student newspaper has been generating helpful but inconsistent revenue to
assist in offsetting some of the overall oper ating costs. However, the cost of
printing the newspaper is not deri ved from al ternative sources of revenue. These
sources of revenue have declined as the economy has taken a downturn.
 Over the past few year s the circulation has been reduced from 3000 to 2000 and
then to 1500 to alleviate some of the printing cost. The Spectator has also
transitioned from a weekl y publication to a bi -weekl y publication i n order to
further reduce costs.
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 The Spectator is looking into for ming an Associated Students of Chabot College
(ASCC) club. If successful in setting up a cl ub the ASCC will mat ch any
fundraising we can do up to $500 dollars a year.
 The newspaper current ly has computers that are ro ughl y 6 years ol d and are
currently awaiting our scheduled upgrade which is supposed to occur ever y 4 years.
If provided with the hardware and software updates, the production environment
will be such that students can learn on equipment that meets the cur rent standards
of efficiency.
 Without funding from the college to maintai n the printing costs the printed version
of the newspaper will struggle to continue.
V. Enrollment Data (Data from 2 previous years)
 Please provide a brief description of: overall enrollment trends; enrollment trends by course; and
enrollment trends by time of day and Saturday.
 Describe what your discipline has done in terms of curriculum or scheduling in the last two years
that has effected enrollments.
 Describe plans or strategies that you have for the near future in terms of curriculum or
scheduling that could impact your enrollments.
 Lastly, look closely at whether the schedule you currently offer provides access to the broader
community that your discipline serves at Chabot College—day time, night time, Saturday,
distance education, special or targeted communities that would or do enroll in your courses.
Explain:
 Mass Communications (MCOM) (Journalism) sections offered between 2008 and 2011 were
approximately 11 sections annually.
 The fill rate for this same time period was never less than 80% with several classes achieving 100% full or
greater at census. The data for the MCOM 14 & MCOM 15 cross listed course indicates less than 80% but
doesn’t show the combined figures of each class in relation to the cross listed total.
 MCOM’s overall average productivity over the last three years (Spring 2008 – Spring 2011) is 555.26
WSCH/FTEF.
 Currently the MCOM (Journalism) offers the discipline writing courses once a year. The goal is to
increase the demand to a point that the can be offered once a semester, but the current demand is such that
alternating semesters helps to boost interest or need resulting in both higher enrollment figures as well as
retention figures since the next opportunity would be a year later.
 MCOM offers more sections each Spring than in the Fall. This seems counter intuitive since there
wasn’t a college-wide pattern of larger enrollments in Spring over the last three years.
o We plan on continuing to have MCOM 3 during the Spring semester so that it doesn’t
compete with the MCOM 1 course which is currently in the Fall semester. If demand for
one or the other changes resulting in a twice a year offering, additional scheduling
adjustments will be considered at that time.
Academic Program Review and Planning for 2011-14
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 In the near future, as curriculum is revised and additional courses are proposed, there could be an impact
on other MCOM courses as far as enrollment during given semesters as other courses are considered by
students in order to complete their programs. However, if the courses are developed to fulfill both MCOM
degree programs as well as general education requirements non-majors can benefit from them as well,
which would boost the enrollment in those courses.
 We have adjusted our MCOM course offerings in order to stay within our reduced FTEF allocations.
Several courses that were offered every semester are now only offered once a year. Often they are cross
listed so the instructor is only paid for one course.
 The (Spring 2008 – Spring 2011) enrollment management data shows that the MCOM program currently
focuses course offerings during the morning and early afternoon segments of the day. This time of day has
the greatest population of students on campus and presents a greater opportunity to have classes that meet
enrollment criteria which is important, especially in courses where students are often expected to work
together to create mediated content.
 In order to allow opportunities for students with non-traditional schedules to take advantage of the
resources offered by the MCOM department programs. The student newspaper “The Spectator”
maintains an open newsroom that is open well into the evening allowing students who are interested to set
up alternative arrangements with the adviser to make contributions and complete coursework if necessary.
 The radio station KCRH allows students who have met specific criteria to host radio shows that are aired
at various times throughout the day and evening. This allows access to the facilities for additional
experience and growth in understanding and learning the discipline.
 Although the MCOM courses tend to be scheduled during daytime hours, outside of the few survey
courses there is opportunity for students to work with faculty if/when necessary to ensure completion of
courses required for their programs.
VI. Student Learning Outcomes Inventory
Acronym Key:
SLO = Student Learning Outcome is a general term, for the following three levels of outcomes:
CLO = Course-level Outcome, i.e. what a student can do after completing a course
PLO= Program-level Outcome, i.e. what a student can do after completing a sequence of courses
CWLG = College-wide Learning Goal
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Percentage of courses in your discipline that have CLOs and rubrics developed:_________
For this information, please see the list of which courses do and do not have CLOs on the
SLOAC’s main webpage:
http://www.chabotcollege.edu/sloac/default.asp
Percentage of courses in your discipline that have the minimum number of CLOs developed:
(1 unit = 1 or more CLO, 2 units = 2 or more CLOs, 3 or more units = 3 or more CLOs)_______
For this information, please see the CLO spreadsheet on the SLOAC’s main webpage:
http://www.chabotcollege.edu/sloac/default.asp
Date the CLO Assessment schedule was submitted:________
Academic Program Review and Planning for 2011-14
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For this information, please see the Course-level Outcomes assessment schedules list from the
Assessment Progress and Plans webpage:
http://www.chabotcollege.edu/sloac/progress.asp
Percentage of courses in your discipline that have had all the CLOs assessed within the past three
years, as per Chabot’s Assessment policy: _______
For this information, please see Chabot’s Assessment Policy from the SLO/Assessment
Guidelines webpage:
http://www.chabotcollege.edu/sloac/guidelines.asp
Percentage of courses in your discipline that have had all the CLO assessments reflected upon, or
discussed with colleagues, within the past three years_______
What questions or investigations arose as a result of these reflections or discussions?
Explain:
 For MCOM (Journalism) 72% of the courses for the discipline have SLO’s and Rubrics developed.
 Based on the information available on the websites that are listed above, currently none of the MCOM
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(Journalism) courses (0%) and only 1 of the courses in the entire department has the minimum number of
course learning outcomes available.
The submission date for the most recent completed CLO Assessment schedule for MCOM is 9/28/2010.
However, the most recent update to the schedule was on 1/28/2011.
Based on the assessment schedule provided on the SLOAC homepage between Fall 09 and Spring 2012
80% of the MCOM (Journalism) Courses should have all of their CLO’s assessed.
The number of MCOM 9Journalism) courses that have been reflected upon is also the same 80%
During the process of completing this review it is apparent that more attention needs to be paid to updating
SLO’s and CLO’s for courses throughout the entire MCOM department to ensure that they meet
appropriate standards to benefit students who are enrolled in the courses.
What actions has your discipline determined that might be taken as a result of these reflections,
discussions, and insights?
Actions planned:
 Reviewing and updating CLO’s and SLO’s for courses. Working to improve the communication with
faculty in the department to ensure that appropriate time is allocated to reviewing and updating the
elements of the courses in the department.

What course-level and programmatic strengths have the assessment reflections revealed?
Strengths revealed:
 The variety of courses in the MCOM department as a whole and the resources available to students are
definitely a strength to this program. Students are offered a wide range of curriculum covering a variety of
Mass Communications industries that is often unavailable at the community college level. Despite the
need to update information posted online, the knowledge, background and instructional aptitude of the
faculty is strong and diverse, allowing students to gain insight into the numerous industry related career
and educational possibilities that exist.
 As the working relationship between the new and veteran faculty grows the department will become
stronger and be able to offer even greater opportunities to current students and future students who learn
about the program.
Academic Program Review and Planning for 2011-14
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Percentage of programs within your discipline that have established at least two PLOs, and
mapped appropriate CLOs to them:________
For this information, please see the Program-level Outcomes progress page from the Assessment
Progress and Plans webpage:
http://www.chabotcollege.edu/sloac/progress.asp
Which of the CWLGs do your discipline’s CLOs address? ______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
In which if any of the College-wide Learning Goals Faculty Inquiry Groups have discipline
member(s) participated? _________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Insights gained:
 The program level outcomes are currently under review and will be updated upon conclusion of the review.
 Although the discipline CLO updates have not yet been completed, as progress occurs in the
coming weeks. The proposed CLO’s across the disciplines courses encompass all of the college
wide learning goals including
 Global and Cultural Involvement,Civic Responsibility,Communication,Critical Thinking,
Development of the Whole Person
VII. Academic Learning Support
What kinds of academic learning support does your discipline use or require to help students succeed
(e.g., tutoring, learning assistants, student assistants, peer advisors, lab support, supplemental
instruction, peer-led team learning, peer advisors)? How many hours per semester do you use and/or
how many hours per semester do you need?
Explain:
 The MCOM (Journalism) courses takes advantage of student academic support services offered
such as tutors, library services for research, the WRAC for help in preparing written assignments
and research term papers. The newspaper production courses also have access the adviser in the
newsroom and computers approximately 25-30 hours a week outside of normal class hours. This
access allows additional help in writing stories, learning photography, workshops,
VIII. External Data
 Cite any relevant external data that affects your program (e.g., labor market data, community
demand, employment growth, external accreditation demands, etc.).
 N/A
Academic Program Review and Planning for 2011-14
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Section B – Data Summary
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From what you have learned in your basic data review, what does the information tell you
about your program?
Overall, what improvements would you like to make to your program? How do you plan
to address these concerns? Are there any immediate issues that require immediate
attention (e.g., outdated course outlines)?
Where appropriate, please cite relevant data in your discussion (e.g., efficiency,
persistence, success, FT/PT faculty ratios, SLO/PLO assessment results, external
accreditation demands, etc.).
Data Summary and Plan of Action Description/Rationale:
 The data that has been reviewed tells me that the MCOM (Journalism) program has a strong
foundation and was developed well. However, the current industry trends in Mass
Communications have been moving faster than the updates to the program. With the pending
updates and the addition of a new full-time faculty member the program is in a position to
gain some needed updates and revisions to a few courses and continuing a solid program that
offers great education, experience and many opportunities to the students who enroll in it.
 Improvements that I would like to make are working closer with other members of the
department in order to allow students to gain better experiences across disciplines. I would
also like to develop more outreach to the local high schools in the area in order build
awareness of the program and recruit students interested in Journalism or media related
careers. Also develop a better updating system for the program SLO’s and CLO’s to ensure
that students moving through the program will be prepared with the skill set and knowledge
that is expected in the mass communication upper level programs as well as the workforce.
 Updating the outdated course outlines is a priority at this time to make sure that they are in
compliance with the college course outline update schedule.
Section C – Action Planning
Please propose a two-year plan of action and timeline to address any immediate and/or long-term
concern(s). This includes activities to assess the CLO(s) to discover a plan of action. It may also
include specific activities that address improving CLO(s) and their assessment, that is to say
evaluating the CLO(s) and the assessment activities.
Examples of activities include:
 Research and inquiry project – why is this happening?
 Innovation and Pilot Projects – this is something I want to try
 Intervention activities such as support services – this is what I want to do about it
 Program and curriculum modification – this is what I want to do about it
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I.
Action Plan Timeline: Detail the timeline for accomplishing your goals
PLOs and/or Program Goal(s)
Build awareness of Program
Community outreach
Timeline
On going
Activity
Visiting Local HS Journalism
programs to promote MCOM
program
Support Needed to
Accomplish These
Activities*
N/A
Outcome(s) Expected
Increased enrollment in
Journalism courses, build
community awareness
Person(s)
Responsible
Larry Leach
Develop &Update SLO’s CLO”s
1 year
Researching appropriate outcome Training/Workshops
expectations, planning curriculum
SLO’s & CLO’s in compliance Larry Leach
with college expectations
Develop PLO’s
1 year
Work with department faculty to
develop strong PLO’s for
department as a whole
Identify what students will be
able to do after completing
program. Jobs, Education,
Skills, Etc
Larry Leach
To make a stronger, more
competitive and diverse
program.
Larry Leach
Develop new curriculum for
department including MCOM
(Journalism)
Work with department faculty to
identify viable courses to be
added to the curriculum.
Training/Workshops
Training/Workshops
Administrative support
Accomplished?
Yes/No/In
Progress
(Dept Faculty)
YEAR
ONE
LEAVE
BLANK
(Dept Faculty)
Definitions of terms:
Program Goal = A general statement of what the program hopes to accomplish, for the long-term. It may be in qualitative (narrative) rather
than quantitative (numeric) terms. It may include the integration of several program outcomes, or relate to class scores, credits, units, course
completion, retention term to term, progression to next course/level, program completion, degree and certificate completion, transfer,
success/scores on licensure exams, job placement, attitudes, fundraising, media promotion, etc.
PLO = Program-level Outcome, i.e., what students can do, what knowledge they have, after completing a sequence of courses. It is a subset
of the Program Goals, related to student learning.
*Types of Support Needed to Accomplish Activities:
 Training or workshops
 Publications, library, resources
 Guidance to support research and/or inquiry projects
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
II.
Technology
Strategic Plan Goals and Summaries: Which Strategic Plan goals and strategies does your action plan support?
Awareness and Access
Increase familiarity with Chabot
Reach out to underrepresented populations
Promote early awareness and college readiness to youth and families
Multiple ways to deliver instruction and services for all
Student Success
Strengthen basic skills development
Identify and provide a variety of career paths
Increase success for all students in our diverse community
Assess student learning outcomes to improve and expand instruction and services
Community Partnership
Increase experiential learning opportunities
Initiate/expand partnerships among the college, businesses and community organizations
Promote faculty and staff involvement in college and community activities
Engage the community in campus programs and events
Vision Leadership and Innovation
Improve institutional effectiveness
Streamline academic and student support services
Professional development to support teaching, learning and operational needs
Support effective communication both in the college and the community
Provide safe, secure and up-to-date facilities and technology
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