TO:
Dr. Jeff Marsee
FROM:
Keith Snow-Flamer and Utpal Goswami
DATE:
October 20, 2010
SUBJECT:
Update on CLARUS Recommendations
BACKGROUND
CLARUS Corporation conducted an independent analysis of college-wide course offerings, programs, schedule of
courses and course delivery and helped us build a plan to maximize efficiency in class scheduling and ensure that
academic scheduling enables students to get the courses they need to complete a degree or certificate in a timely
manner. The scheduling scan resulted in several recommendations for improvement.
STATUS UPDATE
The CLARUS recommendations were grouped into four overriding themes: Schedule development, class
cancellations, class efficiencies (fill rates), facility usage, and curriculum development. Below is a status update on
where the College is on satisfying the recommendations.
Schedule Development: There are four recommendations under this theme. The College has satisfied all four
recommendations.
Class Cancellations: While there are three recommendations within this theme, the key recommendation is to
maintain less than 10% class cancellation rate. The aggregate course cancellation for fall 2010 is 7%.
Class Efficiency: The three recommendations contained within this theme have been satisfied. The goal of
maintaining at least 70% efficiency rate is the central recommendation in this theme. The aggregate efficiency rate
for fall semester is 81% as of September 22.
Facility Usage: The College has satisfied one of the three recommendations in this theme. The remaining
recommendations—completing the room inventory for and examining the feasibility of moving to a five day class
schedule—will be addressed spring 2011.
Curriculum Development: There are eight recommendations subsumed within this theme. The recommendation
asking the College to determine if courses that have not been offered in the last four years are mandatory for the
students to complete the degree are not offered has been satisfied. On investigation, the Vice President of
Instruction (VPI) found that the CLARUS findings were erroneous. Except for two courses, all other required
courses were available. The Office of the Vice President of Instruction is working with the appropriate constituent
groups to address the remaining seven recommendations.
1
Schedule Development Recommendations
Provide historical trend data by section for each
division to review prior to development of the next
semester schedule. The information to be provided
should include cancellation rates by section,
efficiency or fill rates by section, and fill rates and
enrollments for sections by time of section. Provide
the information in an easy-to-use format, preferably
graphic.
Timeline for Completion
Summer 2010
Develop a formal signature approval system for
making changes to a ―final‖ schedule after it has
been entered into Datatel. Changes could then only
be made to the schedule via approval of the deans
and the vice presidents.
Create a pre-schedule conference early in the
schedule development process for an upcoming
semester, or immediately after the registration
period for a semester, to provide input into the
scheduling process to the academic coordinators.
Summer 2010
After examining the trend data, the divisions will
develop an initial schedule based on the sections
that made the previous semester and will not
include or add the sections that were deleted the
previous semester.
Summer 2010
Designate a campus scheduler to assign rooms for
sections scheduled. The campus scheduler should
have the final authority for the room assignments
for the class schedule.
Spring 2010
Summer 2010
2
Status
Completed. Institutional research
has provided
courses/department/section specific
enrollment data over the past five
years in the ―Overall Course Section
Report.‖ The data is refreshed on a
daily basis to reflect updated
enrollment data in the current
semester. This data was used to
inform our class cancellation
process and spring schedule
development.
Completed. The signature approval
process was finalized in June 2010
and included the revised schedule
development guidelines.
Completed. Deans Anderson and
Brown met with the academic
advisors during the summer and
discussed additional courses needed
for fall and the courses needed for
spring. One of the outcomes of the
summer meeting was development a
―course menu‖ learning community
concept. This process is codified in
the revised schedule development
guidelines.
Completed. Data was used in the
class cancellation process for Fall
2010. Deans used trend data to
develop Fall and Spring classes.
Information was included the
revised schedule development
guidelines.
Completed. Tiffany Schmitcke was
identified as the Eureka class
scheduler. Her role was included in
the revised schedule guidelines.
Course Cancellations Recommendations
Create a formal student notification process as to
cancellations of sections.
Timeline
Summer 2010
Set a goal of less than 10 percent cancellation rate
for credit programming for the College.
Review the courses with cancellation rates over 50
percent and determine if fewer courses are needed
in the upcoming schedule, and make adjustments as
needed.
Summer 2010
Fall 2010
3
Status
Completed. Eureka admissions
office is responsible for notifying
students of a cancelled class at the
Eureka campus and 101 corridor
sites. Del Norte administrative staff
is responsible for notifying students
at the Del Norte Center. KT staff
will contact students enrolled at the
KT site. The Mendocino
administrative office is responsible
for notifying students at the
Mendocino Center and the Southern
Humboldt site. See schedule
guidelines.
Completed. See schedule guidelines.
The aggregate for fall 2010 is 7%.
Completed. Instructions were
included in the scheduling
guidelines. The Deans used this
information in the fall class
cancellation and spring schedule
development process.
Class Efficiency Recommendations
Maintain at least 70% efficiency rate.
For the courses with one section, courses with a fill
rate of less than 70 percent should be offered less
often – not every semester.
For the courses with multiple sections, the College
should examine all courses with less than 80
percent fill rate to determine if there are too many
sections being offered by course at comparable
times.
Review discipline areas with excess capacity –
those with fill rates less than 70 percent; the
College should attempt to have at least a morning
and evening section for courses if the demand is
present.
Designate specific rooms for credit hour classes
that require longer meeting times.
Fall 2010
Completed. Instructions were
included in the scheduling
guidelines. The Deans are using this
guideline in developing the spring
schedule.
Fall rate for the district is 81% as of
September 22.
Fall 2010
Completed. Instructions were
included in the scheduling
guidelines.
Fall 2010
Completed. The scheduler used the
room availability information in the
spring schedule development
process.
4
Facility Usage Recommendations
Review the maximum class enrollment caps against
the maximum physical seat capacity across the
disciplines by room to see if rooms are underutilized and if classes need to be moved to other
classrooms.
Assign personnel to conduct a physical room
inventory for every room in every building at the
College.
The move has been back to a five-day a week
schedule with classes meeting three days a week
(Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday), as well as two days
a week
(Monday/ Wednesday and Tuesday/ Thursday).
Examine the feasibility of moving to a five day a
week schedule. In the interim, explore options for
the College for increasing the low classroom
utilization on Friday.
Timeline
Summer 2010/Fall 2010
Summer 2010/Fall 2010
Spring 2011
5
Status
Completed. The Eureka and
center/site class schedulers sand site
specific schedulers completed this
work when the fall and spring
schedules were developed.
The scheduler began this work over
summer 2010 and will complete it
fall 2010.
Topic will be introduced into
Enrollment Management Committee
and Dean’s Council for discussion.
Curriculum Development Recommendations
Appoint a faculty committee to examine
all the general education courses being offered for
the CSU and UC transfer and a determination made
if too many general education courses are being
offered, thus spreading enrollments too thin over
too many courses. The other issue that the faculty
committee should examine is whether the College
is offering too many courses for the liberal arts
degree areas of emphasis (AOE).
Determine if the courses that have not been offered
in the last four years are mandatory for the students
to complete the degree programs. If the courses are
not mandatory, then the curriculum should be
revised as needed. If the courses are mandatory,
then they should be offered at least once a year,
enabling students to complete the academic awards
as noted in the catalog
Timeline
Fall 2010/Spring 2011
Status
The VPI will begin addressing this
recommendation this academic year.
Fall 2010/Spring 2011
Determine what the actual programming for the offsite locations should be.
Fall 2010/Spring 2011/Fall 2011
Develop a degree sheet for each by location that
will identify the sequence of the courses offered for
the academic awards to assist students in planning
degree completion
Develop a two-year schedule. Create a schedule
master and examine curriculum offerings to ensure
that programs can be completed and classes are
offered at least once a year, if not every other year.
Note classes which are offered only once a year and
the semester that they are offered should be noted
as well.
Define specific complete academic programs for
evening, day, and online delivery.
Fall 2010/Spring 2011/Fall 2011
Completed. The CLARUS findings
were erroneous. Except for two
courses, all other required courses
were available. One required course
was cancelled twice for low
enrollment (curriculum will be
changed this year) and course
substitution was allowed for the
other course.
This recommendation will be
addressed via the site specific
education master plan process.
This recommendation will be
addressed when the education
master plan and curriculum analysis
processes are complete.
The VPI will begin addressing this
recommendation this academic year.
Explore Additional Alternative Delivery Formats
(Fast Track/ Accelerated Program)
Fall 2010/Spring 2011/Fall 2011
Develop more online sections of the most popular
courses (10-15%).
Fall 2010/Spring 2011
Fall 2010/Spring 2011
Fall 2010/Spring 2011/Fall 2011
6
This recommendation will be
addressed when the education
master plan and curriculum analysis
processes are complete.
This recommendation will be
addressed when the education
master plan and curriculum analysis
processes are complete.
This recommendation will be
addressed when the virtual campus
education master plan is complete.