Section III
Annual Program Review Update
Annual Program Review Update
*Be sure to include information from all three campuses.
Program/Discipline: __NR __________________________
Date:
___9/12/2007_________________________
Trends and Relevant Data
1. Has there been any change in the status of your program or area? (Have you
shifted departments? Have new degrees or certificates been created by your
program? Have you added or deleted courses? Have activities in other programs
impacted your area or program? For example, a new nursing program could
cause greater demand for life-science courses.) If not, skip to #2.
Note: curricular changes should be addressed under 12-14.
There have been no major changes in the status of the Forestry/Natural
Resource program since the transition from Professional and Technical
programs to Science and Math in 2003, a comprehensive curriculum revision
in 2003 creating new degree pathways and an external review by the
Statewide Agriculture Advisory committee in 2005 (copies available upon
request). Currently most NR courses are offered only at the Eureka campus
though several 100 level NR courses are offered to the California
Conservation Corps centers. In addition, NR 65 Introduction to GIS is
offered every other year at the Mendocino Coast campus by an associate
faculty.
2. Have there been any significant changes in enrollment, retention, success rates, or
student demographics that impact your discipline? If so, please include data
sheets (Excel or Word format) showing these changes.
Enrollment increased approximately 10% between 2005 and 2006 though the
program has had some volatility in enrollment because of limited course
offerings and course cancellations. Overall retention rates are generally high
(>90%) and success rates are comparable to other science courses.
3. Occupational programs must review the update of their labor-market data, some
of it provided by Institutional Research, to illustrate that their program:
a. Meets a documented labor market demand,
Current and prospective demand for forest and natural resource technicians
is high and is expected to increase for the next 10 years due to baby boomer
retirements and overall declining enrollment in forestry nationwide over the
last 15 years. Recent data from a survey from HSU indicates broad hiring in
industry and government over the next decade. However, the lack of
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program accreditation precludes students from being able to use the degree
in lieu of 2 years of experience when qualifying to become a Registered
Professional Forester in California. This could explain in part the very strong
enrollments observed at Reedley College compared to other programs in
California.
b. Does not represent duplication of other training programs (in the region), and
There are no other 2-yr Forestry and Natural Resource programs in the
region. The closest comparable programs are at Shasta Community College
in Redding and Reedley College in Fresno. Of these, only Reedley is an
accredited program (College of the Redwoods is not currently accredited due
to insufficient Forestry/NR faculty numbers, see Attachment C)
c. Is of demonstrated effectiveness as measured by the employment and
completion success of its students.
Completion success is difficult to track under current information structures.
Perhaps half of all Forestry/Natural Resource students transfer to Humboldt
State without completing a degree, in part because of differences between
counseling advice and program faculty advice. In addition, a portion of the
students in the program receive degrees in more general areas such as
University Studies because of inconsistent advising or course offerings.
Anecdotal evidence suggests every student who pursued a job in the field was
able to get employment with several receiving multiple offers.
Other Resources
4. Do you have needs (professional development, library resources, and so forth) not
previously required by the discipline or not previously addressed in budget or
equipment considerations? Please describe.
Currently we are deficient in journal subscriptions within the field of
Forestry and Natural Resources. While we have attempted to bring students
into wider contact with relevant publications, budgetary limitations at the
College level have precluded obtaining the major journals in the field.
5. Does your discipline need additional support from Student Services beyond that
previously provided?
Primarily the program needs support in specialized tutoring for technical
courses and accurate and consistent advising for students. The advising
problem is being addressed but still needs better counseling/faculty
communication.
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Human Resource Needs
6. Complete the Faculty Employment Grids below (please list full- and part-time
faculty numbers in separate rows):
Faculty Load Distribution in the Program
Discipline
Name
e.g., Math,
English,
Accounting)
Total
Teaching
Load for fall
2006 term
% of Total
Teaching
Load by FullTime Faculty
% of Total
Teaching Load
Taught by PartTime Faculty
Changes from
fall 2005
Explanations and
Additional
Information (e.g.,
retirement,
reassignment, etc.)
NR
26
59
41
+6.5 TLU
Cancelled NR 58
in F2005
Faculty Load Distribution in the Program
Discipline
Name
(e.g., Math,
English,
Accounting)
Total
Teaching
Load for
spring 2007
term
% of Total
Teaching
Load by FullTime Faculty
% of Total
Teaching Load
Taught by PartTime Faculty
Changes from
spring 2006
Explanations and
Additional
Information (e.g.,
retirement,
reassignment, etc.)
NR
12
100
0
-6.0 TLU
Taught additional
FOR 1 section in
place of NR 80.
Additional course
offerings are
limited because
of faculty
shortages.
Do you need more full-time faculty? Associate faculty? If yes, explain why and
be sure to include data sheets justifying the need.
An additional full-time faculty in Forestry is necessary for several reasons:
program accreditation requirements (see Attachment C), gain consistency in
course offerings that has not been possible with Associates and to offer
additional introductory level courses to increase enrollment in more
advanced topics and to aid in staffing recruitment enterprises for the
program. We currently use approximately 80-90 TLUs per year with a
curtailed schedule (between the FOR and NR programs with no advanced
GIS courses, limited sections of introductory courses). We have had to cancel
sections because of an inability to locate qualified associate faculty in some
courses, particularly in GIS where we’ve hired 6 different associates in 6
years for 1 section/yr.
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7. Complete the Staff Employment Grid below (please list full- and part-time staff
numbers in separate rows:
Staff Employed in the Program
Assignment
Full-time
Part-time staff
(e.g., Math,
(classified) staff (give number)
English)
(give number)
Gains over
Prior Year
NR
0
0
0
Losses over
Prior Year (give
reason:
retirement,
reassignment,
health, etc.)
0
Do you need more full-time staff? Part-time staff? If yes, explain why and be sure
to include data sheets justifying the need.
Part-time staff in the form of an instructional aid, perhaps shared with
related programs, would be useful in maintaining and distributing the
various tools used in field exercises and aiding students in completing course
projects (i.e. computer lab monitor for GIS courses, etc..). Current
maintenance is declining due to a lack of time and personnel and every year
some equipment is lost because of misuse or misplacement by students.
8. If necessary, to clarify your needs, please comment on current available staff and
distribution of FTE's for contract and part-time faculty. Describe strengths and
weaknesses of faculty/staff as appropriate to program's current status or future
development.
Approximately 30-40% of the TLUs in NR are taught by Associate faculty in
the fall though this number varies depending on Spring/Fall course offerings
at the Eureka and MC campuses. The percentage taught by associates has
been somewhat reduced in recent years because of curtailed course offerings.
Facilities
9. Comment on facilities the program uses, their current adequacy, and any
immediate needs. Have your discipline’s facilities needs changed? If so, how?
Please provide a data-based justification for any request that requires new or
additional facilities construction, renovation, remodeling or repairs.
The main facilities needed for the program are additional access to forests
within the region either in terms of College supported transportation or the
development of a school forest that is not impacted by a firing range. Safety
issues from the active use of the firing range preclude student access to a
sizable portion of the CR forest that would be useful for labs and projects.
This issue was supposed to be covered by the Bond measure but has been set
aside for other priorities. At least partially enclosing the firing range would
vastly increase student safety and reduce potential College liability. An
additional benefit would be the reduced noise level on campus which would
benefit the overall atmosphere of the campus and the forest in particular.
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Current classroom facilities are adequate though better tables in AT 127
would help with some class exercises. Additional storage/display cabinets
would increase the opportunity to display more of the collected specimens
currently stored in closets in AT 127
Equipment
10. Have your discipline’s equipment needs changed? If so, how? Is equipment in
need of repair outside of your current budget? Please provide a data-based
justification for any request that requires a new or additional budget allotment.
Technology in the field is certainly evolving, particularly in measurements
and surveying. Thus far we’ve been able to meet much of our equipment
needs through outside grants though maintenance for equipment remains
problematic. Other needs are outlined in Appendix B.
Learning Outcomes Assessment Update
11. How has your area or program been engaged in student learning outcomes
assessment?
a.
Summarize your results.
We have addressed and listed both expected program outcomes and course
outcomes for recently revised course. Both are stated in a way such that
success in the course demonstrates achieving the outcomes.
b.
What did your program learn from these results that enabled you to
improve teaching and learning in the discipline?
Because of the difficulty in success in several of the quantitative courses and
in program transfer, I have decided to re-align the Math requirements and
specify which Science courses to take for transfer.
c.
How have part-time faculty been made aware of the need to assess SLOs?
They have but little formal training has occurred to date. Most courses
taught by associates will have linked course success to SLOs.
Curriculum Update
(Reminder: Send updated course outlines to the Curriculum Committee.)
12. Identify curricular revisions, program innovations, and new initiatives undertaken
in the last year.
Draft revisions circulated for GIS courses (NR 65, NR 66, NR 67(new), NR
68 to reflect changing software environment and to increase likelihood of
offering courses in evening (shifted credit load). We developed an initial draft
of a CR Forest Management Plan. Developed new program brochures and
web pages. Revised and updated NR 54 and NR 80 (as well as FOR 1, 51, and
77 courses).
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13. Identify curricular revisions, program innovations, and new initiatives planned for
the next year.
See course grid for planned curricular revisions. We would like to reinstate
the GIS certificate following revision of the courses and finish development
of the law enforcement option. In addition, past degree revisions from 2003
should be sent to the Chancellor’s office for approval. NR 65 will be added to
MC Natural History certificate electives and a new option in biological
inventories.
14. Complete the grid below
Course
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
Year Course Outline Last
Updated
52
54
57
58
65
66
68
80
87
91
100
120
185
Year Next Update Expected
2001
2001
2001
2001
2001
2001
2001
2001
2003
2001
2000
1990
1990
2008
2007
Inactive
2008
2007
2007
2007
2007
2008
Inactive
2007
Inactive
2007
Goals and Plans
15. If you have recently undergone a comprehensive review, attach your Quality
Improvement Plan if applicable.
The Forestry/Natural Resource Program underwent an external review by
the Statewide Agriculture Advisory committee in 2005. Recommendations
from the panel have not been completely implemented, mainly in the area of
additional faculty.
16. If you do not have a QIP, what goals and plans does your area have for the
coming year?
The Forestry/Natural Resource Program has in place a Strategic Plan
approved by the Forestry Advisory committee in 2003 (attachment D) as well
as monthly meetings by the Forestry Advisory committee that guides
program development. Currently the focus for the 2007-2008 year is to:
1) revise several of the courses, particularly in GIS
2) improve the recently implemented Forestry web page
3) increase contact with area high schools for recruitment
4) work towards implement a CR Forest Management Plan
5) work to attain Professional Accreditation (additional faculty
needed)
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Note: Please see Annual update for Forestry (FOR) for
relevant appendices and attachments.
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