Annual Program Review Update
*Be sure to include information from all three campuses.
Program/Discipline: _Physics (PHYS)__
Date:
_9/17/07_______
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 lifescience courses.) If not, skip to #2.
Note: curricular changes should be addressed under 12-14.
The physics discipline continues to be part of the Science Department, and it is grouped
within the Math-Science-Engineering (MSE) division. A recent change (established
during the ‘06/’07 academic year) is inclusion of Physics as part of the Science Major
Preparation program. This program includes chemistry, calculus, and physics.
Consequently, course content, offerings and scheduling are coordinated with these other
disciplines within the MSE division. Also, division faculty have been working with the
counseling department to provide advisement concerning the math sequence required to
enter the science/engineering physics courses (2 and 4 series).
Another shift is the recent departure of the full-time physics faculty member.
Unfortunately, this has led to cancellation of some courses and a lack of a full-time faculty
member directing the program. The program is currently being managed jointly by the
science area coordinator and division chair.
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.
The enrollment and section fill rates of the physics courses have stayed about the same for
the past two years. The specialized and pre-requisite nature of the Physics 2 series and
Physics 4 series results in lower enrollments in these courses than typical GE physical
sciences. However, the enrollment in Physics 10 (introductory course) remains high. The
development of the Science Major Preparation program and the consequent advising were
implemented to help stimulate preparation for the Physics 2 and 4 series and ultimately
enhance enrollment.
The success rates for the physics courses have increased during the ‘06/’07 year and most
dramatically in spring ’07. Our updates will allow us to track this trend to evaluate the
significance and/or if it can be attributed to a specific factor.
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,
b. Does not represent duplication of other training programs (in the region), and
c. Is of demonstrated effectiveness as measured by the employment and
completion success of its students. N/A
1
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.
Professional development funds and availability of library resources have been sufficient
for the physics instruction provided during the last five years.
5. Does your discipline need additional support from Student Services beyond that
previously provided?
Our recent definition of a Science Major Preparation program has resulted in better
coordination with the counseling department. They have agreed to provide support in terms
of advising about the prerequisites and the needs of science majors. A component of this
advising is information about the physics core courses required for virtually all four-year
science degrees. We anticipate continued support and additional development in this area as
students become more aware of the program.
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)
Phys
Total
Teaching
Load for fall
2006 term
20
% of Total
Teaching
Load by
Full-Time
Faculty
100%
% of Total
Teaching
Load Taught
by Part-Time
Faculty
0%
Changes
from fall
2005
Explanations and Additional
Information (e.g., retirement,
reassignment, etc.)
+0.5 TLU
Normal course cycle
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
Full-Time
Faculty
% of Total
Teaching
Load Taught
by Part-Time
Faculty
Changes
from spring
2006
Explanations and Additional
Information (e.g., retirement,
reassignment, etc.)
Phys
15
100%
0%
-9 TLU
This fall in TLUs
represents
cancellation of sections
due to low
enrollments. However,
this is prior to
implementation of our
Science Prep program
and recent advising
changes.
Do you need more full-time faculty? Associate faculty? If yes, explain why and be sure
to include data sheets justifying the need.
The District’s one full-time physics professor resigned at the end of the spring, 2007
semester. Because physics is one of the fundamental areas of preparation for science
transfer students and it is a cornerstone of all of the physical science, it is essential that
this position be replaced as soon as fiscally possible. Part-time faculty can provide some
assistance with instruction; however, they are difficult to find for the trigonometry- and
calculus-based courses and they do not provide the necessary administrative authority to
keep this discipline functioning. For that reason, CR has had a full-time physics
instructor for the 42 years of its history. The success of our transfer students in the
sciences, mathematics, and engineering has been achieved, in part, because of the strength
of this position. Without physics we will undoubtedly experience a steady decline in the
sciences (including life and natural sciences students that require physics instruction) as
well as in the areas of mathematics, engineering, and computer science. It is imperative
that the District understand how this cornerstone position is linked to CR’s reputation for
preparing students in science, math, and engineering. Appendix B (faculty request) is
attached to justify this position.
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 (classified) Part-time staff
(e.g., Math,
staff (give number)
(give number)
English)
Gains over
Prior Year
Phys
.05
0
0.10
0
A.. One - shared
MSE office
coordinator
Losses over
Prior Year (give
reason:
retirement,
reassignment,
health, etc.)
B. Less than 10%
of the physical
science technician
position (primarily
for chemistry and
biology)
Do you need more full-time staff? Part-time staff? If yes, explain why and be sure to
include data sheets justifying the need.
Current staff is adequate for this discipline.
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.
Current availability of PT faculty in Physics is very limited due to our small population
and rural nature. In addition, this lab-based cornerstone and gateway discipline for so
many majors in the science transfer prep program is very difficult to nurture, grow, and
maintain without a dedicated or at least majority full-time faculty appointment (as stated
above).
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 physics program currently utilizes a non-dedicated lecture-lab classroom, which is
shared with mathematics classes. Additional storage space, and a small prep room are in
an adjacent area. The design of the room is adequate, with large sturdy lab benches and a
full set of desktop PCs. The prep area is undersized, and results in the primary equipment
storage space being the shared classroom. This creates added risk of equipment damage
and theft due to the high traffic in the room.
Bond funds have been acquired based on the proclamation that new science lab facilities
(including physics) will be constructed. Unfortunately, the science faculty have been left
out of current discussions and we have very little understanding of what changes will
occur and when. This prevents any type of meaningful long-range facilities planning.
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.
The program has recently modified equipment through a Partnership for Learning
Excellence grant. The current equipment is sufficient to teach the physics courses offered;
however, replacement of some equipment will be needed within the next five years. Even
if low-cost alternatives are used, these purchases will exceed the small supply budget
allocated to this discipline each year. Alternative sources of funding (grants, etc) or the
school’s capital equipment budget will be required to purchase these replacements.
Learning Outcomes Assessment Update
11. How has your area or program been engaged in student learning outcomes assessment?
a.
Summarize your results.
Desired student learning outcomes have been identified for some courses this past year as
part of the revision of course outlines; however, these revisions were suspended with the
resignation of the full-time physics instructor and they have not been developed to the
point of curriculum committee approval. No additional assessment has been undertaken
beyond that which already took place in the classroom (e.g. papers, tests, quizzes, lab
work, and notebooks) and the assignment of grades. During the lecture component of
class, the instructor actively assess student learning using concept tests, small group
exercises, and question and answer. Examinations, along with written responses, allow
students to demonstrate their retention and comprehension. We intend on developing an
assessment of student learning outcomes once they are incorporated into the course
outlines. Unfortunately, resignation of the full-time physics instructor has slowed
progress in this area.
b.
What did your program learn from these results that enabled you to
improve teaching and learning in the discipline?
The use of a variety of in-class activities and concept tests has allowed for clarification of
concepts not as well understood by the students and helped the department make content
and time allotment changes accordingly.
c.
How have part-time faculty been made aware of the need to assess SLOs?
The previous full-time instructor and the current part-time faculty are aware that we will
be developing both course learning outcomes in the course outlines and subsequently
developing an SLO assessment plan.
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.
New lab exercises have been tested, demonstrated, and applied in the courses.
13. Identify curricular revisions, program innovations, and new initiatives planned for the
next year.
We will implement student learning outcomes through the process of updating course
outlines. Some of this occurred during the spring 07 semester; however, those outlines did
not progress to the point of being approved the curriculum committee.
We plan to update the course outlines for Phys 2A, 4A, and 10 and to develop an
assessment plan of the student learning outcomes (see #16, goals for next year).
14. Complete the grid below
Course
Phys 10
Phys 4A
Phys 4B
Phys 4C
Phys 2A
Phys 2B
Year Course Outline
Last Updated
1996
1991
1995
1990
1999
1988
Year Next Update
Expected
Fall 2007/ 08
Fall 2007/ 08
Fall 2007/ 08
Fall 2007/ 08
Fall 2007/ 08
Fall 2007/ 08
Goals and Plans
15. If you have recently undergone a comprehensive review, attach your Quality
Improvement Plan if applicable.
N/A
16. If you do not have a QIP, what goals and plans does your area have for the coming
year?
Our plans for the next year:
1. Recruit a pool of Associate instructors to teach the Physics 2 and Physics 4 series in
spring ‘08, as well as Physics 10.
2. Continue to make the case for hiring a full-time physics instructor once the District
is in a financial position to fill vacant positions
3. Update course outlines for all physics courses.
4. Develop an SLO assessment plan based on the SLOs in the updated course outlines
5. Assess the status of the physics lab equipment and develop a plan for updating
equipment (within the financial limits that currently exist).
6. Continue asking that the science faculty be involved in facilities planning.
Instructional Program Review—Appendix B: Annual Update Forms
Annual Program Review Update
Campus/Program Needs Worksheet
Faculty
This section to be filled out by the program at each campus
Please list/summarize the needs of your program on your campus below
We need a full-time instructor to teach the trigonometry- and calculus-based physics series,
as well as our introductory courses.
The District’s one full-time physics professor resigned at the end of the spring, 2007 semester.
Because physics is one of the fundamental areas of preparation for science transfer students and it is
a cornerstone of all of the physical science, it is essential that this position be replaced as soon as
fiscally possible. Part-time faculty can provide some assistance with instruction; however, they are
difficult to find for the trigonometry- and calculus-based courses and they do not provide the
necessary administrative authority to keep this discipline functioning. For that reason, CR has had a
full-time physics instructor for the 42 years of its history. The success of our transfer students in the
sciences, mathematics, and engineering has been achieved, in part, because of the strength of this
position. Without physics we will undoubtedly experience a steady decline in the sciences (including
life and natural sciences students that require physics instruction) as well as in the areas of
mathematics, engineering, and computer science. It is imperative that the District understand how
this cornerstone position is linked to CR’s reputation for preparing students in science, math, and
engineering. Appendix B (faculty request) is attached to justify this position.
This section to be filled out by
Subcommittee
Degree of
Justification (as
substantiated by
the program
review)
Approval
Status
1. Full-time faculty position in Physics
7
Low
Moderate
High
Not
Approved
Very
High
List Faculty Positions Needed for Academic Year___Physics: ’08/’09____
Approved
While, these courses represent a full load, a physics instructor could also teach a variety of other
science courses if student demand for physics courses fluctuated. There is currently sufficient
demand in the following areas to support the load of a new instructor: Astronomy, Meteorology,
Biology, Earth Sciences, and Mathematics. Therefore, a secondary degree in one of these other
science fields would be desirable.
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