Program Review and Action Planning – YEAR THREE
Final Summary Report
Division
Program
Contact Person
Date
Social Sciences
Geography
Don Plondke
March 11, 2011
I. Reflect upon the last three years' analysis and activities.
Geography’s enrollments have been consistently high. Our student success rates are higher than the college
average. Bond Measure B and Geography faculty’s involvement in the facilities planning process made it
possible to significantly expand and upgrade our computer laboratory environment, growing the enrollment and
extending the capabilities of our technology-based courses in Physical Geography Lab and Geographic
Information Systems (GIS).
Geography’s involvement in the Basic Skills Initiative led to the employment of three peer tutors over a 5—
semester period for Introductory Physical Geography (GEOG 1), who worked in collaboration with instructor Don
Plondke, PATH Center staff, and tutoring instructors. Preliminary assessment of success data in GEOG 1
indicate that student participation in peer tutoring significantly elevates achievement of learning outcomes in
GEOG 1. While inadequate funding of The Learning Connection program has inhibited growth of our tutoring
support, we foresee that tutors and Learning Assistants could benefit Geography instruction and increase rates
of student success beyond what has been observed thus far in GEOG 1 sections.
In the effort to activate our GIS Certificate Program, and in anticipation of a new multidisciplinary Environmental
Studies program at Chabot, we have expanded our curriculum in Geography during the last year with the
addition of two new courses: Geographic Information Systems for the Social Sciences (GEOG 19) and Global
Environmental Problems (GEOG 10). Enrollment management and staffing issues have unfortunately limited our
ability to offer the course sequences essential to a student’s pursuit of the Certificate of Completion in GIS, but a
long-term growth potential for GIS has been established, awaiting better economic times for realization.
In our Year One Program Review, we articulated our concern about the existence of significant disparities
among students in their level of preparation for college-level work. At the outset of our Program Review process,
we had identified a “rock” (antiquated Chabot terminology) issue that would seek to explain some of the origins
for these disparities among student populations in college-level reading comprehension, quantitative methods,
and critical thinking skills. Part of the research strategy to identify the origins of the problem was to collect
student surveys pertaining to our students’ pre-Chabot educational experiences and their self-assessment of
learning outcomes achievement in our courses. Our survey data was collected in some cases on written forms,
and in others via the Blackboard interface. Some significant barriers emerged in relationship to compiling the
results of these surveys. Most resource-consuming is the time required to tabulate the responses and
categorize the data. Faculty must prioritize their time, the great majority of which is devoted to course delivery
and not to survey data collection. Another issue is the reliability and level of detail of student-provided
information which is extremely variable among individual students. Although the origins for the aptitude “gaps”
are difficult to define and multivariate, we have devoted most of our efforts in Geography to methods of
remediating the situation rather than tracing the causes. Accordingly, we initiated peer tutoring and Reading
Apprenticeship approaches on a trial basis, and have sought more effective and efficient means of assessing
student learning outcomes.
Our Instructional Assistant, Mr. Brian Beard, has been invaluable in providing instructional support and technical
expertise, particularly in association with the expansion and effectiveness of our computer lab resources. The
computer-based training we offer to our students in Physical Geography Lab and GIS classes depends heavily
on the reliability of laboratory hardware and software resources. Brian Beard has done a superlative job in
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maintaining the effectiveness and quality assurance of those computer-based resources. He also took a leading
role in assuring the continuity of course activities during a three-year transition phase between the old PC lab in
Building 500, the temporary shared laboratory space in room 2207, and the new Social Sciences Computer Lab
(room 507). That period of transition demanded many creative and expertise-dependent solutions to a host of
networking and software problems.
While we have complied with, fully participated in, and, at times provided leadership for (as in the case of the
Basic Skills Initiative) the college’s ever-evolving strategies and directives to assess Student Learning
Outcomes, the Geography faculty do not believe that the methods (e.g. eLumen, assessment mapping and
alignment) put forward thus far for the assessment and Program Review cycles are realistic, statistically
meaningful, or capable of generating insightful quantitative information toward improving student success or
faculty instruction. Outcomes from the student’s multidimensional classroom and extra-curricular learning
experience are revealed along a life-long continuum of intellectual development and achievement. The student’s
outcomes are not realistically measured at the close of a course, nor can those outcomes be collectivized with
other students’ to reveal some sort of mass measurement of learning.
II. Briefly summarize the accomplishments of the discipline, and how they relate to the review of the
program, the program-level outcomes (PLOs) and course-level outcomes (CLOs).
1. Geography has inaugurated 2 new programs: the AA degree in Geography and the Certificate
of Completion program in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Approval of these 2 programs
was obtained from the college Curriculum Committee and the State Chancellor’s Office, and our
new courses developed for these programs are transferable to the CSU and UC systems.
2. Geography took the lead in the design and upgrade of Social Sciences new PC laboratory
(Room 506), enlarging its capacity to 47 student workstations as part of the Bond Measure B
renovation of Building 500.
3. We implemented our Basic Skills Initiative in Geography 1 classes that utilizes the resources of
The Learning Connection and employs peer tutors to assist in improvement of student success
rates through supplemental tutoring of students in basic geographic concepts.
4. We developed, and gained Curriculum Committee approval of, two new courses: GEOG 19,
Geographic Information Systems for the Social Sciences, and GEOG 10, Global Environmental
Problems, that extend our linkages to the greater college and to the community as part of the
“Green Academy” joint venture with San Lorenzo High School and the emerging Chabot
Environmental Studies program.
5. We developed Program-Level Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for both of our Geography programs,
and Course-Level Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for GEOG 1, 1L, 1, 2, 10, 19, 20, and 21. We
actively participated in SLO training and discussions, and have entered our SLO data into the
mandated eLumen system.
6. Analysis and evaluation of the assessment results compiled for GEOG 20’s (Introduction to
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)) CLOs revealed high levels of student accomplishment
of the CLOs. Student persistence in completing exercises designed to build upon skills in using
GIS demonstrated that more than 80% of students could attain at least a competent level of
accomplishment of the course’s student learning outcomes. Enrollment in GEOG 20 grew more
than three-fold in this academic year 2010-2011, over previous years.
7. In the fall of 2010, Don Plondke completed a semester of training in the Reading Apprenticeship
program and is implementing strategies and techniques for improving students’ interaction with
geography texts in GEOG 2, Cultural Geography,
8. In collaboration with Anthropology faculty, Counseling, and Social Sciences Dean Susan
Sperling, Geography has led in the development of a new Environmental Studies program for
Chabot that will emphasize a multidisciplinary approach to study of environmental issues,
cultural influences, and public policy alternatives.
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9. Enrollment trends and student success rates in Geography have shown an upward trend over
the last three academic years (see Charts 1 & 2, below).
CHART 1. Total Geography enrollments Fall 2008 – Spring 2011
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CHART 2. Geography success rates Fall 2007 – Spring 2010
III. Please list what best practices (e.g., strategies, activities, intervention, elements, etc.) you would
recommend? What was challenging? Was there a barrier(s) to success?
Best practices:
1. In our computer laboratory-based courses, Physical Geography Lab (GEOG 1L) and
Geographic Information Systems (GEOG 20, 21), our Instructional Assistant has two critical
roles in delivering instruction: 1) He assures the reliability, security, and operational efficiency of
all students’ computers on the network, and can, in a timely way, intervene to resolve technical
problems; and 2) He interacts with the students as a peer, providing them with valuable
guidance in using the software and hardware resources effectively. His involvement in the lab’s
active learning environment frees the instructor to focus on instructing students on principles
and techniques related to the planned lesson.
2. Active learning is an effective strategy in the computer laboratory environment to maximize
students’ engagement with the learning resources (tutorial modules, interactive websites,
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software) through interaction among themselves.
Exercises or projects with clearly stated objectives and step-by-step instructions are most often
effective in achieving learning outcomes in the active learning setting.
3. In lecture-format class sessions, the integration of multimedia visualization through the use of
PowerPoint presentation animation and hyperlink tools elevate student engagement and
result in higher rates of student success. Physical and cultural geographic processes are
frequently best illustrated using the resources of remote sensing (e.g. satellite imagery, color
images of physical and cultural features) and GIS-based mapping.
4. The Blackboard platform has been employed in Geography courses as a supplemental
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resource to classroom instruction, as a hybrid course delivery mode, and as the exclusive
delivery interface for a fully online Distance Education course (GEOG 5—World Regional
Geography). Blackboard has proven most useful as a platform for: 1) loading PowerPoint
presentations that highlight course content for student review; 2) providing quick and convenient
access for students to retrieve course documents; and 3) recording scores that students can
access conveniently and privately. However, Blackboard version 9 is overly complex in the
manipulation of course tools and in keeping the instructor’s grade records, rendering it suitable
only for fully online Distance Education courses (in the opinion of full-time Geography faculty).
5. The approach and techniques of the Reading Apprenticeship program, designed to elevate
student engagement with discipline-specific texts, are being applied in Cultural Geography
(GEOG 2). Assessment of the techniques for improving students’ metacognitive awareness of
how they approach geography texts is planned for GEOG 2 and perhaps for other Geography
courses over the next several semesters.
6. The long-term interests of the discipline and the full-time faculty members are best served
through close collaboration with the division dean in defining the vision, strategic goals, and
objectives of both the discipline and the college.
7. If regular cycles of SLO assessment are the future norm, experience in Geography course
assessment strategies has demonstrated that pre-planning of assessment methods, on an
individual course basis, are essential. Objective assessment should rely on a definition of
essential concepts in each course’s content. Students’ achievement of learning outcomes may
then be assessed by testing their grasp of these concepts at the beginning, middle, end final
stages of the course, using assessment strategies agreed upon by the faculty teaching the
course.
8. In Physical Geography (GEOG 1), peer-assisted tutoring has demonstrated effectiveness if
improving student performance and achievement. Close collaboration between faculty, tutors,
and the PATH center’s staff is critical to effective tutoring, particularly in motivating students to
participate in the program.
Challenges/Barriers to Success:
1. Geography faculty observe that significant disparities exist among students in the level of
preparation for college-level work, particularly in the areas of reading comprehension,
quantitative methods, and critical thinking skills. This raises questions pertaining to how to
identify the contributing factors contributing to the inadequate preparation among students.
2. Students frequently demonstrate a reluctance to engage intimately with textbooks and other
core readings. Students’ grasp of essential introductory concepts relies on multiple modes of
exposure to these concepts.
3. Limitations imposed by the enrollment management process prevent Geography from offering
their full complement of courses on a regular basis that could increase the number of students
completing our programs.
4. Lack of regular funding inhibits our ability to acquire essential supplies for instruction: Printer
cartridges, maps, printer paper, jet-ink cartridges.
5. Funding limitations and administrative policies of the PATH program have inhibited our ability to
employ peer tutors needed to fully implement our basic skills initiative based on peer-assisted
tutoring.
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IV. Next Steps: Recommendations for program and institutional improvement.
Program Improvement:
1. Integrate some techniques of the Reading Apprenticeship to promote and observe more
frequent and more direct engagement between students and geography texts.
2. Advocate, and investigate funding alternatives, for at least a ½-time position for the Instructional
Assistant/Systems Administrator for the Social Sciences Computer Laboratory (room 507).
Establishing this permanent position is essential to future success in delivering computer-based
geographic applications and GIS courses.
3. Continue to develop the Geography discipline’s strategy for practical and meaningful
assessment of course-level SLOs on a regular three-year cycle of assessment and revisions.
4. Communicate with the higher education support staff of Environmental Systems Research
Institute, Inc. (ESRI) to establish and regularly update a site license for ArcGIS for Chabot
College.
5.
Work cooperatively with other disciplines in the Social Sciences Division to develop an
Environmental Studies program that will emphasize a multidisciplinary approach, and place
Geography’s core courses, including GIS, at the center of the program.
Institutional Improvement:
1. Institutionalize a orientation period of a few weeks duration that introduces students to their
responsibilities in working toward their success at Chabot College. These responsibilities
include regular class attendance, skills in preparation for in-class activities, expectation for
classroom behavior and interpersonal communication, policies for completion of assignments
and meeting deadlines, and standards of academic honesty. College orientation should also
make students aware of the specific skills and aptitudes they need in order to be successful in
the workforce, particularly those that pertain to interpersonal relations, critical analysis of data
and information, reading comprehension, and coherent writing.
2. The student learning outcomes development and assessment process has been exceedingly
disjointed in its implementation and has demanded an inordinate amount of faculty time. The
structure, organization, and vocabulary of the web-based eLmen system does not align with the
SLOA Committee’s layout of the standard assessment cycle. Some creative thinking among
faculty and administration is needed to redesign a resources-efficient means of complying with
mandated student learning outcomes assessment. In present form the SLOA process inhibits
the primary strategic goals of the college and undermines the objectives, planning, and
effectiveness of educators.
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