Instructional Planning Yearly Update
Date ____Dec 7, 2012________
Department __Astronomy__________________
Division ___NAS_______________
Goals and Recommendations from Program Plan
List the top five Goals and Recommendations from the last Program Plan and indicate whether they have been met?
Goals / Recommendations from six-year plan In progress
Goal Met
Comments
(identify source
of funding)
FGSS Grant
Successfully applied for FGSS grant in ’11 for first dome.
Instructor built foundation and dome installation continues.
Weatherizing has been difficult, should be done during next
extended dry period.
1. Provide two Personal Observatory Dome
units to house permanent setups for
existing lab equipment - $8200
X
2. Buy 10 Laptop computers for room 705
for Astro 8A and 9ABC students ~$11,000
X
Need has shifted. Nearly all students have their own laptops.
However, replacement existing laptops will be needed soon.
3. 3 hrs/week increase in LIA funding
X
Budget environment not suitable at current time
4. Add a new course – Planetary Climate
Science. Proposed 3 unit course would be a
CSU/UC transfer 3 unit lecture course with
special emphasis on Earth climate
evolution and climate change
X
No funding
needed
X
5. Hire outside professional to service the
planetarium projector systems, to return it
to its original capabilities. $8,000
(Maintenance of program).
Course successfully added to schedule, first offering Fall12
with 60 students enrolled, and enrollment for Spr13
progressing well. Adding course to Astronomy AS degree
course list, and adding Astro 7+8A lec/lab combo to
curriculum is in progress
Suitable for One-Time funding, when such funding returns.
Meanwhile, some help from the Director of the De Anza
College Planetarium has been forthcoming, when needs arise.
New Goals and Recommendations
Goal/Recommendation
List any new goals and recommendations identified by the department
Cost
Explanation/Evidence of Need
$0
A concerted misinformation campaign funded by industry interests
Develop web resource site on climate change
makes it particularly difficult for students to get the straight peer-
O:\Instruction Office\Program Planning\Annual Updates\Annual Plans Rcvd Fall 12\NAS\Astronomy\Astronomy Annual Update Fall 12.doc
for Astro 7 course
$2500
Purchase MacBook Pro + IDL Software for
developing, running software for new POD
Observatory telescope/CCD camera science
project set
reviewed science. Website has expanded greatly, and is an on-going
effort. Students need extensive instructor-assembled material as no
ideally suitable course texts yet exist.
Opportunity has arisen to work with UCSC Astronomy Dept. on
confirmation and new discovery of planets around other stars using
the transit method. A number of existing students are eager to take
Astro 8A to make use of this opportunity. Dovetailing with
professional astronomers, and properly train future astronomers,
requires using their hardware and software development platform.
SLO Assessment Progress: In a sentence or two, describe where your department should be on the Revolving Wheel of Assessment (what
assessment you should have done in the last year) and what was actually done. If not every thing was completed, explain why.
Assessed Astro 3 in Fall ’11.
Assessed all SLO’s for Astro 4, Astro 8A, and Astro 27 in Spr ’12.
Assessed core competency “Global Awareness” for Fall ’12 for all courses.
Fill out the Assessment Results section below.
SLO Assessment Results: List SLO assessments, dialogues, and priorities identified as a result of your assessment below. Attach
Departmental Assessment Analysis Forms completed in the last two semesters.
Core Competency, Course
SLO, or CTE Program SLO
Assessed. Example: all course
SLOs for English 1A, 1B and 2
All SLO’s for Astro 3
Date of meeting where
analysis / dialogue took
place. Example: Department
Meeting 8/27/10
Dec 1, 2011
All SLO’s for Astro 4, 8A and
Astro 27
May 22, 2012
Priorities identified for program as a result of assessment. Example:
Develop strategies for teaching research and documentation skills; share
rubrics for research papers; provide more instructional support outside of
class.
Update material on “Other Solar Systems”, expand text options for students,
enhance/encourage demo at observatory
Clarify some quiz questions. Add observing lab equipment, labs, interaction
with professional astronomers w/ POD facility. Expand / enhance the nature
and role of science in society for Astro 4, 8A students w/ new lecture
material.
O:\Instruction Office\Program Planning\Annual Updates\Annual Plans Rcvd Fall 12\NAS\Astronomy\Astronomy Annual Update Fall 12.doc
Core Competency “Global
Awareness”
Dec 1, 2012
Add material on astrology vs astronomy online for Astro 3 and 4. Add,
enhance my online material “On Teaching” philosophy essay. Create/add
lecture, PowerPoint, and web material in Astro 7 for global climate change
science vs politics. Add lecture in Astro 8A, 9 on relation of procedures at
Cabrillo Observatory to those at professional research observatories. Finish
install / checkout of new POD Observatory facility, and purchase/install of
hardware and software.
O:\Instruction Office\Program Planning\Annual Updates\Annual Plans Rcvd Fall 12\NAS\Astronomy\Astronomy Annual Update Fall 12.doc