INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING REPORT 
WOMEN’S STUDIES PROGRAM
2011-2012
I. BACKGROUND, EVALUATION & ANALYSIS
A. Program Description
Although quite a small program, offering just 9 units per term during the past 3 years,
Women’s Studies [WS] plays an important role in meeting the general education and
transfer mission of the College. It is also integral in supporting the College’s mission of
enhancing the cultural vitality of our diverse community and providing an accessible
learning environment.
All WS courses offered by the Program are approved for the College’s A.A./A.S.
degrees. As indicated in the table below, the majority meet CSU/UC GE requirements
and some also fulfill Lifelong Learning and Self-Development and Multicultural Studies
requirements.
The main aim of the WS program is to provide an intellectually engaging environment in
which students can develop college-level reading, writing, and critical thinking skills to
aid them in their academic, professional, and personal lives. Every course offered by
the program emphasizes the development of social scientific analytical skills and the
cultivation of global awareness and social responsibility. Given the interdisciplinary
nature of WS courses, students are presented with the challenge and opportunity to
study within and make connections among different academic fields. Precisely because
the coursework is interdisciplinary, the WS Program gives students a comprehensive
liberal arts background and prepares them for upper division work in a variety of majors,
not just Women’s Studies.
For the past 3 years, the WS Program comprises two faculty members:
Teresa Macedo, contract, currently teaching 4 Sociology courses & 1 Women’s
Studies course per term
Shirley Flores-Muñoz, contract faculty on Reduced Workload Program, currently
teaching 2 WS classes and 1 History class per term
During the past 4 years, the WS Program has offered the following courses:
COURSE
WS1: Introduction to
Women’s Studies
WS 2: Global
Perspectives on Women
WS 5:
La Mujer
WS 7: Psychology of
Women
WS 11: Feminist Theory
& Methodology
REQUIREMENTS FULFILLED
CSU/UC major prep; CSU/UC
GE; Lifelong Learning and SelfDevelopment
CSU/UC major prep; CSU/UC
GE; Multicultural Studies
CSU/UC major prep;
Multicultural Studies
CSU major prep; CSU/UC GE
CSU/UC major prep; CSU/UC
GE
FREQUENCY
1 SECTION PER YEAR, FALL
TERM ONLY
1 SECTION PER YEAR,
SPRING TERM ONLY
4 SECTIONS PER YEAR, 2
EACH FALL AND SPRING
DUE TO TU REDUCTIONS,
NOT OFFERED SINCE FA08
DUE TO TU REDUCTIONS,
NOT OFFERED SINCE SP09
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According to the institution-level analysis conducted by the Program Reduction and
Discontinuance Task Force presented December 2011, the WS Program ranks 18 of
the 50 transfer and basic skills departments on campus based on the criteria of: 1)
efficiency, 2) core mission, 3) student success, 4) access, and 5) community support.
B. Relationships
WS transfer courses are fully articulated with UC and CSU systems. Our offerings are
consistent with lower-division offerings at other educational institutions within the vicinity
(UCSC, SJSU, CSUMB, UCB), though courses at other institutions are classified
variously as Women’s Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, Feminist Studies, or
Critical Gender Studies.
The WS and History Programs traditionally have had strong ties. History 14: Women in
America is a core class in the WS Model Program. The Human Services and
Bilingual/Bicultural Studies Programs identify either WS 1 or 2 as approved electives.
C. Cost & Efficiency
The data that follow are drawn from the 2011 Cabrillo College Fact Book.
Program Load: At the Program level, FTES is very low, as would be expected from a
program that typically offers 9 units per term. The FTEF has varied from .8 to .6
because there are no FTC faculty whose full load is constituted by WS classes.
A comparison of the WS Program Load with the College average indicates that the WS
Program enrollment and expense patterns in the present planning cycle are largely
consistent with the College’s.
As the tables and chart below indicate, from FA06 through SP11 the WS Program’s
load was mostly on par with the College at large.
Program data:
College data:
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As the chart below indicates, from FA06 through SP11 the WS Program’s Load was
94% of the overall College rate. The upward trend FA09 through FA10 suggests there is
an opening for increased productivity within the Program, particularly through increased
enrollment. The Productivity rate of WS rose precisely when we increased enrollment
caps for WS 1 and 2 from 30 to 49. Since this is a policy we plan to keep in place, the
long-term net effect is likely to be positive.
Program Base Expenditures: The Base Expenditures table below shows that from FA06
to SP09 the Program did not bring quite as much income in as was expended at an
average rate of 8% higher than the College rate. Since the 09-10 academic year,
however, WS closed the income/expense gap to 1.5% over College average.
Academic
year
Program
income
College
income
2006/7
2007/8
2008/9
2009/10
2010/11
$71,429
$61,306
$66,770
$58,206
$60,364
$26,934,725
$29,023,043
$28,658,802
$27,072,480
$26,778,795
percent
of
income
.192
.171
.189
.211
.198
percent
of
expense
.265
.211
.233
.215
.225
Income
expense
ratio
.72
.81
.81
.98
.88
Due to the slightly lower Program Load of the WS Program to the College at large, the
Income/Expense ratio has not consistently tilted in the direction we would hope for in
the Program, especially in times of great budgetary contraction. However, we are
confident that in the coming years, our costs will decline as we fully operationalize
programmatic changes in curriculum and enrollment made during the current planning
cycle.
Additionally, the WS Program is expected to become far more cost-effective beginning
FA12 when Shirley Flores-Muñoz, who has been on the Reduced Workload Program
will retire. That will bring down the expenses of the Program since the two courses she
has taught each term in the WS Program will be funded at the Adjunct/Overload rate
rather than the Contract Faculty rate.
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Fill rate: The WS Program has the highest fill rate of any Transfer or Basic Skills
Program at the College. The demand for WS classes is due in large part to the
aggressive recruitment efforts of WS faculty over the past few years.
D. Student Learning Outcomes
SLO/Core Four Assessment: During the current program planning cycle the three
courses that have been offered consistently over the past 3 years have been reviewed
and revised to include the four core competencies and student learning outcomes.
We have assessed SLO’s for the 3 courses taught in the last 3 years: WS 1, WS 2, and
WS 5. All in all, we are pleased with the assessment result data because they indicate
that we are teaching to the SLOs, and assisting our students in reaching them.
Admittedly at this point in time, there is a marked incompleteness in the WS
assessment results, especially in the area of the Core Four. These irregularities and
gaps can be explained in large part by the fact that before FA09 when Teresa Macedo
became PC, WS did not have someone who was tasked specifically with updating
curriculum and managing the SLO/Core Four assessment process. The leadership gap
has made it challenging to implement a comprehensive assessment plan. WS, quite
simply, did not ever really get on the revolving wheel of assessment.
A serious downside of not institutionalizing assessment on a regular basis is that the
assessment done in FA12 does not capture all the evaluation of teaching and learning
that took place outside of the formal assessment process, including:
Soliciting student feedback on course design, assignments, assessment tools,
classroom activities and making adjustments as necessary
Creating new and retooling existing assessment tools to better promote and
gauge student learning [ex: assignments that encourage students to apply
course material to real-life situations]
Assessing major areas for student improvement (i.e., lack of preparedness) and
designing supplemental resources and activities to address these issues [ex:
reserving ample time during regularly scheduled classes for exam preparation,
posting examples of model student writing on course website]
Researching active learning pedagogies and incorporating them in the classroom
What has become very apparent over this past year of program planning is the
necessity of routinizing the assessment process. To that end it is our goal to implement
a plan to bring WS in compliance with the assessment process in the next program
planning cycle. The SLO coordinator has worked with us to create a multi-year plan for
the regular assessment of both SLOs and the Core Four.
Now that there is a standard set shared course SLO’s in place for the WS courses that
remain after the most recent curriculum review, it will be much easier to implement and
maintain the assessment process. Also, due to the fact that the two faculty members
teach on different campuses, we completed our assessments individually, which does
not allow for the department conversation we are supposed to have regarding our
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assessment results. We will schedule face-to-face meetings and more thorough email
exchanges in the coming cycle.
E. Student Success
The tables and charts below illustrate how the WS Program’s student success and
course completion rates in the last Planning cycle do not significantly depart from the
College trends in these areas.
Completion and retention rates: The chart below illustrates how with the exception of
SP08 when there was a notable but puzzling gap in completion rates, the WS Program
has been either roughly on par with or slightly above the College’s completion rates.
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Success rates: The chart below illustrates that the WS Program has in 7 of the 10
semesters in the current evaluative cycle recorded equal or higher success rates than
the College as a whole. We would like to see more stability in this area and predict that
will be the case in coming years. FA06 through SP11 was a period of dramatic change
in the Program, seeing the appointment of a new PC, the significant revamping of
existing curricula and the introduction of entirely new curricula, all of which may have
contributed to some erratic results in success and completion rates.
Access: Additional data from the Fact Book indicate that the WS Program, while striving
to address the degree and transfer needs of all students, also plays a notable role in
serving the needs of students from underrepresented minority backgrounds. WS is
second only to ESL in this area and has the highest level of minority student enrollment
of all social science programs in the College. This is largely due to the fact that 2 of 3
regularly scheduled classes in the department per semester are WS 5: La Mujer, a
course in which the vast majority of participating students are Latinas. Because this
course is offered on the Watsonville campus and centrally addresses many of the
issues facing this population, it comes as no surprise that such a high percentage of WS
enrollment is constituted by Hispanic students.
This unique characteristic of the WS Program should be recognized as a major
strength. While WS 1 and 2 function primarily as transfer/GE preparation, WS 5
operates primarily – though not exclusively – as a “gateway” course which targets and
serves the needs of students who are just entering the college environment. Given that
the College has a mission “to enhance the…cultural…vitality of our diverse community,”
a “purpose…to provide an accessible and effective learning environment…,” and a core
value of “respect for all peoples and cultures,” WS 5 plays an important role in helping
our institution fulfill its mission statement. Additionally, having been designated a Title V
Hispanic Serving Institution, the WS Program also supports the College’s imperative “to
expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students.”
F. Results of Student Survey
Though a sample of 59 students is quite small, the results of the survey conducted in
FA10 cast a favorable eye on the Program.
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Quantitative data: Notable findings from standardized portion of the survey point to
some of the success of the WS Program. When asked to respond the statement “The
class outline/syllabus provided by the instructor reflects what is actually taught in class,”
97% of students responded Accurately. To the degree that student success is due in
part to their sense that they are being assessed fairly and taught in a predictable
manner, these data reflect well on the Program. These views may have 91% of them
responding Yes to the question “Would you recommend classes in this department to
other students?”
Qualitative data: The results of this portion of the survey were overwhelmingly positive
with just a few suggestions that the Program work on ways of reaching out to and
recruiting more male students into WS classes and incorporating more community
service activities into the curriculum.
The vast majority of the suggestions for improvement centered around the desire for
more WS classes, both in sheer number as well as different topics. While the possibility
of offering more sections in this moment in time is extremely unlikely, it does reflect well
upon the program that students expressed such enthusiasm for additional classes.
In broad strokes, students identified the major strengths of the WS Program in the
following ways:
Instructors who are knowledgeable, engaging, helpful, passionate, and
enthusiastic
Course content that is interesting, relevant, informative, and even “fun at times.”
Diversity of teaching modalities, including lecture, discussion, media, and “handson” activities
Introduction to an academic field that:
o “is applicable to many aspects of life and to many majors.”
o focuses on the “struggles of women in our culture as well as men.”
o gives “insight into other ways of thinking about society. It makes you
rethink your action of predisposed notions within our society and to
change them, individually and on a wider scale.”
o “really opens your mind to actual problems in the world today. Can
actually use the skills learned in this class in real life.”
o “provides a deeper insight to the backgrounds of families I work with and
support.”
These comments confirm that WS courses are equipping students to achieve their
transfer, degree/certificate, and/or CTE goals by providing a strong grounding in social
science.
G. Curriculum Review
For this Instructional Plan process, Program curricula went through a thorough review in
consideration of the appropriateness and currency of our course offerings. Perhaps the
most significant action was to streamline WS curriculum by deleting 16 courses that had
outdated content and had not been offered in many years.
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During this planning cycle another major accomplishment in the area of curriculum has
been to wholly restructure the two “core” or foundational courses – WS 1 and 2 – and
get them approved for the CSU/UC GE lists.
Core mission: With the exception of WS 5, the 4 remaining WS courses at the College
can be taken to fulfill UC and CSU General Education requirements. In the past two
years, the WS Program has utilized all of its 36 allotted TU’s in a way that supports the
College’s core transfer mission. During this time frame all WS TU’s supported courses
were those determined to be core for transfer program.
Course outlines: WS faculty worked to revise SLOs, course objectives, course content,
methods of evaluation and textbooks for most courses. The main goals were to
streamline course SLOs based on a core set of Program SLOs, which are:
1. Assess how social institutions, public policies, and cultural formations affect the lives
of women [adjusted to address specific course focus].
2. Formulate feminist analysis of the life experiences of women [adjusted to address
specific course focus] using social scientific theories, concepts, and research.
All proposed revisions were submitted to the Curriculum Committee and are on track to
be approved SP12.
Model Program: We also revisited and revised our department’s model program,
making SOC 5: Gender and Society a Core Class to offer an alternative to WS 11:
Feminist Theories and Methods, since SOC 5 has been offered every term for several
years, whereas WS 11 has not been offered in years due to TU reductions.
One omission in the curriculum review process was the revision of WS 5, which
previously had been approved for CSU/UC GE list but was removed due the outside
committee’s concerns about outdated texts and unclear learning objectives. A goal of
the Program in the 2012-13 academic year is to revise and resubmit the course outline
so it can be added back onto the GE lists. WS 7: Psychology of Women did not go
through curriculum revision because neither of the two faculty members in the Program
is knowledgeable enough in this area to update the course outline. If the class were to
be offered again, we would rely on the qualified instructor to assist with course outline
revisions.
II. NEW DIRECTIONS
Over the past few years the WS Program has seen a major restructuring with a marked
shift from a focus on personal development to transfer/major preparation which moved
the department to a more close alignment with the College’s core mission. There was a
concerted attempt to revitalize the program by:
1) Formulating SLOs for core courses with a more pronounced emphasis on
academics.
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2) Updating course outlines to:
a. reflect contemporary intellectual trends within the field.
b. incorporate traditional and emerging scholarship in the field.
3) Submitting revised/new course outlines to the College Curriculum Committee,
external CSU/UC approval committee, and Faculty Senate/Academic Council to
make courses fulfill as many A.A./A.S. and GE requirements as possible.
4) Increasing enrollment though an advertising campaign targeting both counselors
and the student body to raise awareness of and enthusiasm for new/updated
classes.
5) Maximizing productivity by raising enrollment caps on WS 1 and 2 from 30 to 49.
We would like to build upon the transformation that occurred during the last planning
cycle, moving the Program more in alignment with other community college transfer
programs and university/college programs. The foundation of this trend will be surveying
other community college offerings in Women’s/Feminist/Gender Studies. It will be
important to investigate the articulation agreements in the fields mentioned above.
Another direction is to increase the number of courses that articulate with 4-year
institutions, including WS 5 (Global Perspectives on Women) which was previously
approved for the UCSC Feminist Studies Program major requirement but had been
taken off that list in recent years.
III. GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Program will continue to build upon its accomplishments. In the next planning cycle,
there is one first and foremost goal of the Program - to weather the current budgetary
storm so that we may continue to support the College’s core transfer mission and its
status as a Hispanic Serving Institution. To that end the chief priorities are:
GOAL #1: Increase student success and transfer rates by offering more classes that
fulfill GE requirements and provide opportunities to master very high-order thinking skills
(CMP Objective A4: Increase the number of transfers and/or the transfer rate; CMP
Objective B1: Increase access to educational resources and support services and
strengthen basic skills to ensure student success and persistence).
a) Revise and resubmit WS 5: La Mujer course outline for reconsideration by
external GE/IGETC oversight committee in order to be reinstated to GE lists.
b) Reinstate 3 units per year to offer WS 11: Feminist Theories and
Methodologies. This would not only enrich the educational experiences of students who
intend to enter university-level WS/Gender Studies, but would also prepare majors from
an array of social science-related disciplines to master upper division coursework
requiring comprehension of advanced theoretical material.
GOAL #2: Increase student engagement with class material by encouraging students to
see the real world applicability of course content and to identity openings for social
change within our community (CMP Objective B4: Promote awareness of the
interdisciplinary nature of emerging trends, such as global sustainability, social justice,
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and community service; CMP Objective E2: Promote communication and collaboration
between Cabrillo and other organizations in the community).
Recruit guest speakers from community organizations to increase students’
awareness of gender-related social issues and different interventions used to
address them. (Cost: $0)
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