Summary of Social Sciences Program Review Data/ 2010-2011
April/2011
~Susan Sperling, Ph.D.
Dean of Social Sciences
Social Science classes continue to serve students with AA, AS degree, transfer and
Vocational/Technical certificate programs that maintain high standards of pedagogy. We
have seen some significantly increased student success and persistence across disciplines
and in several programs which have added contextualized basic skills sections, as well as
partnerships with the Learning Connection and the PATH Center. Class enrollments are,
in almost all sections, above cap with high WSCH/FTEF across the Division. As a result
of deficit-driven class section reductions, we are currently unable to serve the great
numbers of students wishing to take classes across our disciplines.
The following summary reflects the work of Social Science Disciplines in meeting
Program and Division Goals and Objectives during the 2010-2011 academic year:
I.
Trends:
A. Institutionalization of Basic Skills Initiative Work:
Beginning in 2008-2009, faculty in several disciplines (History, Early Childhood
Development, Psychology, Geography, Anthropology) studied issues of student
persistence and success in their classes related to the College’s Basic Skills
Initiative). These Faculty Inquiries (FIGS) have further evolved in each discipline
and were in most cases supported through Title III and Basic Skills Grant FIGs
(Strategic Planning Themes A and G.) In 2010-2011 these faculty continued the
process of institutionalizing context-specific Basic Skills pedagogy, including GNST
115 sections, Basic Skills Workshops, and other modes of supplemental instruction
in both our vocational and transfer disciplines. Persistence and success data indicate
the efficacy of these contextualized basic skills approaches in our Division. We are
institutionalizing these efforts as part of our regular curriculum.
B. Development of External Funding Partnerships to Defray Costs to the General
Fund:
In the face of the continuing budget deficit, Social Science programs are developing
funding partnerships to support our transfer, basic skills, and vocational classes.
These include a number of “Pathway” (cohorts) partnerships that strengthen our
articulation with both feeder high schools and CSU East Bay, and support the
movement of students from High School through Chabot and into transfer and career
goals. These partnerships include:
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Alameda County First Five/Early Childhood Education
Davis Street/Chabot Early Childhood Education Pathway Planning Grant
San Lorenzo High School/Chabot College “Green Pathway” WIA Grant
ACOE Para-educator Grant/ PACE Program
An important initiative in ECE is a 2011 Perkins/CTE Proposal for support of our
ECE Program for vocational students doing practicum hours at our Center/Lab
School for permits, certificates, degrees, and transfer into Teacher Pathways.
C. Configuration of Classes into AA,AS, Transfer and Certificate Programs:
Two of our discipline ( Sociology and Psychology) have spear-headed the
configuration of Discipline courses into approved transfer programs per SB 1440
(Transfer Model Curriculum). Political Science has submitted a new program
proposal to the State Chancellor’s Office to be implemented in 2012-2013.
Anthropology is proposing a new AA degree program with the addition of two new
courses, Forensic Anthropology (Anthro 13) and Linguistic Anthropology (Anthro
4.) Geography has added a new course to its Geographic Information Systems
Certificate Program (GIS for the Social Sciences/ Geog 19) as well as a new course
on Global Environmental Problems (Geog 10) in anticipation of the development of
a new multidisciplinary Environmental Studies Program at Chabot.
D. Continuing to Meet Accreditation Report Recommendations:
Social Science disciplines have produced SLOs for classes in all of our programs,
and faculty continue to work on SLO rubrics, assessment, Program Level Goals, and
the further integration of SLOs into pedagogy. Two areas (Administration of Justice;
Anthropology) are developing qualitative methods for SLO assessment through a
FIG during spring semester 2011.
E. Curriculum and Program Development:
Political Science, Administration of Justice and History are collaborating on an
ambitious speakers series and program in Law and Society, which will foster civic
engagement in students and the College community. Geography and Anthropology
faculty are working with Counselor Carey Harbin to develop an interdisciplinary
Environmental Studies Program Early Childhood Development is continuing to
strengthen its coordination and collaboration with Chabot’s Center Lab School
through the Program’s Theory to Practice; Practice to Theory Workshops, and is
implementing the new Early Intervention Certificate Degree Program. Psychology
faculty continue to integrate Service-Learning into their classes (Strategic Planning
Theme C) and Anthropology has developed and received approval for new
curriculum to address the increasingly globalized world in which our students live
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and work (Theme E.) Geography faculty have enhanced the vocational/technical
opportunities in the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) segment of their
Program with a newly approved course for non-majors (Themes C, E.) They have
worked with the Learning Connection and Basic Skills Committee to employ peer
tutors to assist in the improvement of student success rates (Themes F, G.) History
faculty are working on the revitalization of the Latin-America Travel-Study Program
at Chabot (Theme E.) Expansion of online course offerings has occurred across a
number of disciplines with new online formats approved by Chabot’s COOL
committee for online learning (Themes A and G.) As a Division we continue to
strive to maintain the best balance of face-to-face and online offerings in order to
promote student access.
II. Extra-Curricular Offerings:
Our Division prides itself on its engagement with contemporary political, social, and
economic issues of importance to our students and community. Social Sciences
faculty and staff have taken key roles in organizing campus education and advocacy
on the State budget crisis and the U.S. economy, and the Russell City power plant
issue, through the Social Science Forums and our various student clubs. This reflects
our commitment to fostering a vibrant climate of ideas at the College, and
encouraging education both inside and out of the classroom.
III. The ECD Center/Lab School:
The ECD Center/Lab School is a crucial part of our ECD curriculum, bringing in
over a million dollars in categorical funding per year. The Center Director has
worked assiduously with the former VP of Business Services to meet and surpass
College benchmarks for reducing use of the General Fund in 2010-2011. Mid-Spring
Semester 2011 the Director received a mandate to cut any use of the General Fund
for Center functions immediately. Along with March Center staff layoffs, this made
it impossible to hire hourly preschool staff to maintain mandated Center staffing
ratios. This led to a situation in which ECD evening faculty and Center
Administrative Staff took over---on an emergency basis---some of these unfilled
staff roles in order to continue the delivery of instruction to ECD lab class students.
One of the effects of this mid-semester reduction has been its (unfortunate) impact
upon vocational and transfer ECD students who have not been able to receive the
detailed supervision from ECD lab faculty as specified in their course syllabi,
despite these heroic efforts. We plan to prevent a repeat of this situation through
supplementation of Lab School Vocational pedagogy through Perkins Funds in
2011-2012.
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IV. Shift of Quest Non-Credit Classes to Community Education:
In response to recent recommendations from the State Chancellor’s Office and in the
context of the current State fiscal crisis, Quest non-credit classes for seniors were
shifted out of the General Fund and to our College’s fee-based Community
Education Program.