Program Planning and Assessment (PPA)
for Academic Programs
Comprehensive Review, Annual Review & Action Plan
Spring 2014
The purpose of Program Planning and Assessment at Hartnell College is to obtain an honest and
authentic view of a program and to assess its strengths, opportunities, needs, and connection to the
mission and goals of the college. The process is based on the premise that each academic program
reviews assessment data and uses these data to plan for improvement. The results of these annual
cycles provide data for a periodic (every five years) comprehensive review that shows evidence of
improvement and outlines long-range goals.
The Program Planning and Assessment process will improve and increase the flow of information
about student learning, student success and student behavior at Hartnell College. The result of the
process will also improve institutional effectiveness.
Program/
Discipline
Political Science
Date Completed (must be
in final form by 3/31/14)*
3/31/14
Date Submitted
to Dean
3/31/14
*Please note that you should work with your colleagues and dean to ensure that this report is
completed, revised as needed, in its final form and submitted no later than the end of March.
List of Contributors, including Title/Position
Lawrence J Adams III, Political Science Instructor (tenured)
This PPA report is organized in 3 sections and 11 subsections as follows:
I.
II.
III.
Comprehensive Review – a. Overall Program Effectiveness, b. Instructional Staffing,
c. CTE Programs – Labor Market & Achievement, and d. Program Goals.
Annual Review – a. Course Data & Trends, b. Teaching Modality, c. Curriculum,
d. Outcomes, and e. Previously Scheduled Activities.
Annual Action Plan – a. New Activities and b. Resource Requests.
INSTRUCTIONS
 For programs/disciplines scheduled for comprehensive review in spring
2014, please complete Sections I, II, and III.
 For programs/disciplines scheduled for annual review, please complete
Sections II and III.
I.
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
Please complete this section for programs/disciplines scheduled for
comprehensive review in spring 2014. Go to Section II for programs/disciplines
scheduled for annual review in spring 2014.
A. OVERALL PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
1. Describe your program in terms of its overall effectiveness over the past several
years.
Please consider the questions below in describing your program/discipline/area.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How are students/employees served by the program?
What are the unique aspects of the program?
How does the program relate to the needs of the community?
How does the program interface/collaborate with other programs on campus?)
What is working well in the program/discipline?
If there is a sequence of courses in your program, what process or framework is used to
ensure alignment?
How is consistency maintained between/among multiple sections of a single course?
Has the program explored alternative scheduling approaches?
Do prerequisites, co-requisites and strongly recommended skills continue to meet program
needs? Are there special considerations regarding capabilities of incoming students?
What professional activities have faculty recently (last three years) participated in?
[Begin response here]
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B. INSTRUCTIONAL STAFFING
1. In the table below enter the number of sections offered and the number of full
time and adjunct faculty in your program/discipline by term over the past several
years.
Term
No. of
Active
Sections
Full-time
Faculty
Adjunct
Faculty
2. What staffing factors/challenges have influenced the effectiveness of the program?
[Begin response here]
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C. CTE PROGRAMS – LABOR MARKET & ACHIEVEMENT
Please complete this section if the program is Career Technical Education
(CTE). Go to subsection D if the program is not CTE.
1. Describe the demonstrated effectiveness on the program over the past several
years with levels and trends of achievement data, including degree/certificate
completions (awards) and employment statistics.
[Begin response here]
2. Describe the number of, activities of, and recommendations resulting from
advisory committee meetings that have occurred over the past two years. What
information and/or data were presented that required or currently require
changes to be made to your program?
(Please attach copies of meeting minutes over the past two years and a list of committee
members and their respective industries/areas.)
[Begin response here]
3. Does labor market data and/or the need for additional education indicate that
changes should be made to your program? Does the program (continue to)
meet a labor market demand and/or fulfill an important step toward
higher/additional education?
[Begin response here]
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D. PROGRAM GOALS
1. List and describe program/disciplinary goals for the next comprehensive
review cycle—Fall 2014 through Fall 2018. Be sure to highlight innovative,
unique, or other especially noteworthy aspects.
A new mission and vision is currently before the board for approval in February. In considering
your program’s future goals, please review the proposed new mission and vision statements.
VISION STATEMENT
Hartnell College will be nationally recognized for the success of our students by
developing leaders who will contribute to the social, cultural, and economic vitality of
our region and the global community.
MISSION STATEMENT
Focusing on the needs of the Salinas Valley, Hartnell College provides educational
opportunities for students to reach academic goals in an environment committed to
student learning, achievement and success.
[List and describe program goals here]
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
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II. ANNUAL REVIEW
This section must be completed for ALL academic programs, including those
scheduled for a comprehensive review in spring 2014.
A. COURSE DATA & TRENDS
1. Please evaluate the 3-year trend of enrollment and success of courses in your
program/discipline. Identify the courses you are choosing to examine this
current year in the list below. You do NOT need to evaluate trends for each
course every year.
Course
Number
POL-1
POL-2
POL-3
Course Name
American Political Institutions
Contemporary Governments Abroad
Introduction to International
Relations
Does the course have any DE
(online or hybrid) sections?
Yes
No
No
Please use the data that have been provided. Analyze trends that you observe with respect to
the data for the identified courses and answer the following questions.
ENROLLMENT
2. Review the enrollment data. Describe and analyze any patterns or anomalies
that you notice. What do you make of these patterns or anomalies? What
actions should be taken to ensure continuous improvement?
POL-1: The discernible pattern regarding enrollments in this course is the consistently larger
number of students that enroll in the spring semester than the fall semester. No anomaly is
present since the pattern of enrollment is persistent commencing in academic year 2010-2011
through academic year 2012-2013. No action is necessary to ensure continuous improvement.
POL-2: The enrollment pattern in this course is a consistent range of 53-54 students, obviously
no anomaly is present and there is no need for action to ensure continuous improvement.
POL-3: The enrollment pattern in this course appears somewhat consistent with two semesters
with an enrollment of 50 students and a third with 43. Additional enrollment data over a
longer period of time is required to determine if an anomaly is present, furthermore there is no
need for action to ensure continuous improvement.
SUCCESS
3. Review the success data. Describe and analyze any patterns or anomalies that
you notice. What do you make of these patterns or anomalies? What actions
should be taken to ensure continuous improvement?
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POL-1: The success rate in POL-1 is a two-tiered pattern based on the fall and spring
semesters. The fall semester has greater variance than the spring semesters:
fall 2010 = 67%
spring 2011 = 59%
fall 2011 = 57%
spring 2012 = 65%
fall 2012 = 72%
spring 2013 = 63%
My first two questions after analyzing the data is centered on individual instructors assigned
to face to face classes and distance education classes; was there a change in instructors or
assignment to a different teaching modality? Is there a higher rate of success in day classes,
night classes, and classes held at the King City center? In order to determine the answers to
these questions additional data is required. Without the data required to answer the two
questions no current action is being considered to ensure continuous improvement.
POL-2: Based on two semesters of data the success rate in POL-2 is a consistent range of 8085%, no anomaly exists, no action is being considered to ensure continuous improvement.
POL-3: Based on three semesters of data the success rate in POL-3 is 84%, 81%, and 94%. No
anomaly exists and no action is being considered to ensure continuous improvement.
DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES
4. Describe the demonstrated effectiveness of the program over the past several
years with levels and trends of achievement data, such as degree and certificate
completions/awards.
The data provided by the Chancellor’s Office leaves out the discipline of Political Science
both in the area of the Liberal Arts degree with an emphasis in Political Science and the
AA-T degree in Political Science. Over the past three academic years I have observed
students graduating from Hartnell College earning these degrees; furthermore many have
transferred to four-year institutions with an AA degree in Political Science.
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B. TEACHING MODALITY
1. Enter the number of Distance Education Courses, both fully online and hybrid
sections, along with the number of full-time and adjunct faculty.
Term
Fall 2010
Spring 2011
Fall 2011
Spring 2012
Fall 2012
Spring 2013
No. of DE/
Online
Sections
1
2
2
2
2
2
No of
Hybrid
Sections
0
0
0
0
0
0
Fulltime
Faculty
1
1
1
1
1
1
Adjunct
Faculty
4
4
4
4
4
4
2. Compare student success in the DE teaching environment with success in the faceto-face teaching environment in the same course. Are there differences? To what
do you ascribe the differences in your program? Discuss any other relevant factors
regarding diverse teaching modalities and environments, such as specific
locations.
There is a visibly clear difference in the success rates of face to face classes when compared to
distance education classes. After the fall 2010 semester rate of 68% the success rates in DE
sections of POL-1 fell off dramatically: 56%, 35%, 49%, 49%, and 38%. I believe the difference
is found in the assignment of a DE instructor that teaches Political Science at the college level
as opposed to the previous instructor that designed the course to be too easy and more along
the lines of high school civics.
3. Describe the process to change and improve student success in DE
courses/sections in your program, and any other relevant factors regarding
diverse teaching modalities and environments, such as specific locations.
The process to change and improve student success might have to be found in the students
themselves as many students register in DE courses with the idea that they will be easier to
pass or earn a letter grade of “A”. Perhaps the college could do a better job at informing
students that success in a DE course requires a high degree of self-discipline and dedication to
study. Or perhaps I could assign an instructor that would dumb-down the material such as
the previous DE instructor who landed the job in part to the intervention of his wife – a
tenured instructor at the college.
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C. CURRICULUM
Complete the following tables pertaining to courses scheduled for review.
Courses scheduled for
review during AY 201314 as previously
specified
POL-3
POL-45
POL-99
POL-5
Courses scheduled for
review during AY 201415
POL-2
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Faculty member(s)
responsible for
coordinating
Lawrence Adams
Lawrence Adams
Lawrence Adams
Lawrence Adams
Faculty member(s)
responsible for
coordinating
Lawrence Adams
(a) Was the course
reviewed and (b) taken
through the curriculum
process?
Yes
Yes
Yes
No (pending)
Date of approval (or
anticipated approval)
by Curriculum
Committee
11/21/13
11/7/13
11/7/13
Target semester and
year—Fa 2014 or Sp 2015
Fall 2014
D. OUTCOMES
Use your Program Outcome Maps to assist you in this subsection. As you plan your course
assessments, keep the higher level program outcome in mind. While course level assessment
serves the purpose of examining the teaching and learning for that particular course, it also
provides the data that will be viewed collectively for assessment of the associated program
level outcomes.
PROGRAM LEVEL OUTCOMES
1. Please complete the following tables.
List Program level outcome(s)
scheduled for assessment as
previously specified
Demonstrate an ability to
evaluate the governmental
structures established by the
Constitution of the United States
of America and the California
State Constitution.
What changes have occurred
in the program/discipline as
a result of dialogue?
None, the assessment was
within the target range of
70% or above.
Was the Program
Outcome Assessment
Summary completed?
Yes
Apply critical thinking skills in
reading, comprehending, and
interpreting political science
scholarship.
Additional reading and
assessment requirements
are currently being
implemented
Yes
Employ political science research
methods to address political
questions using primary and
secondary sources.
None, the assessment was
within the target range of
70%
Yes
List Program level outcome(s)
scheduled for assessment in
AY 14-15
Have your course level
SLOs needed for this
program level outcome
been assessed or
scheduled for assessment?
Yes
Develop a uniform methodology
to analyze SLOs in POL-1.
2. Describe how program level outcomes were specifically addressed by the
program/discipline during the past year.
For example, were data gathered at the course level? Was there review and analysis of the
data? How did the discipline faculty engage in discussion? Were any interventions conducted?
Are there any plans to make changes to certificate/degree programs or improvements in
teaching and student learning?
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Data was gathered at the course level by utilizing SLO assessment reports and individual
instructor data derived from examinations. The discipline faculty engaged in discussions by
individual meetings held each semester between the tenured and adjunct instructors. No
direct interventions were conducted, the discipline agreed to meet each semester in order to
review data, trends, and explore solutions to anomalies if required.
CORE COMPETENCIES
3. Describe how Core Competencies were specifically addressed by the
program/discipline during the past year. For example, were data gathered at
the course level? Was there review and analysis of the data? How did the
discipline faculty engage in discussion? Were any interventions conducted? Are
there any plans to make changes to courses or improvements in teaching and
student learning?
Core competences were addressed in faculty meetings, review of syllabi, data derived from
examinations, and the review of SLO data. The discipline agreed that additional data is
required to provide a better framework for analysis.
COURSE LEVEL STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
4. Please complete the following tables.
List courses scheduled for
SLO assessment as previously
specified
POL-1
POL-2
POL-3
POL-5
POL-6
In what term was
the course
assessed?
Fall 2013
Fall 2012
Spring 2013
Spring 2014
Fall 2013
List courses scheduled for
SLO assessment in
AY 2014-15
POL-2
POL-1
Faculty member(s)
responsible for
coordinating
Lawrence Adams
Lawrence Adams
Was the Course
Assessment Summary
Report completed?
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Target semester
and year—Fa 2014
or Sp 2015
Fall 2014
Spring 2015
5. Describe course level assessments results and how they will influence your
plans moving forward.
The course level assessment results meet the achievement standard in POL-1 in every semester
measured to date. In the electives the standard has not been met in any semester measured,
however this result is tempered by the fact that each elective course has the highest retention
and success rates when compared to POL-1. The anomaly in this case is found due to the fact
that the elective courses are demanding and to date the SLO has been embedded in the first
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midterm examination. The hypothesis is that the SLO will meet the achievement standard if
measured on the second midterm examination or the final exam.
6. Describe assessment activities that need to be strengthened or improved. What
are the challenges to achieving these improvements?
The assessment result that needs to be improved, as the ACCJC views pedagogy, is the outcome
in the elective courses (as explained in number 5). The hypothesis referenced previously is
being measured in spring semester 2014 as the SLO is being measured on both midterm
examinations and the final exam. The retention rates and success rates in these courses
suggest that marked improvement will be achieved by students when measured later in the
course. The discipline foresees no academic challenges to improvement in this regard.
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E. PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES
This subsection focuses on activities that were previously scheduled. An activity can address many
different aspects of your program/discipline, and ultimately is undertaken to improve or enhance your
program/discipline, and keep it current.
Activity scheduled
What success has
been achieved to
date on this activity?
Will activity
What challenges
existed or continue continue into
AY 14-15?
to exist?
Will activity
continue into
AY 15-16?*
1. Course revisions
POL-3, POL-5 (in
progress)
The inactivation of
ETH-5 as POL-5 is
no longer going to
be cross-listed
with ETH-5
Maybe, I hope
not
No
2. Course deletions
POL-45, POL-99
None
No
No
3. Assessment
POL-1, POL-2,
POL-3, POL-6, (pol5 in progress)
None
No
No
* For each activity that will continue into AY 2015-16 and that requires resources, submit a separate
resource request in Section III.
1. Evaluate the success of each activity scheduled, including activities completed and
those in progress. What measurable outcomes were achieved? Did the activities
and subsequent dialogue lead to significant change in student learning or program
success?
Each activity was successful as evidenced by the approval of the course revision of POL-3 and
deletions of POL_45 and POL-99; the revision of POL-5 is currently underway. The
assessments of all courses are completed or in progress (POL-5). No significant changes have
been made or are being considered at this time.
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III. ANNUAL ACTION PLAN
This section must be completed for ALL academic programs, whether scheduled
for annual or comprehensive review in spring 2014.
A. NEW ACTIVITIES
This subsection addresses new activities for, and continuing new activities into, AY 2015-16. An
activity can address many different aspects of your program/discipline, and ultimately is undertaken to
improve, enhance, and or keep your program/discipline area current. A new activity may or may not
require additional resources. Activities can include but are not limited to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
NEW CURRICULUM
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM OR SERVICE
GRANT DEVELOPMENT AND PROPOSALS
FACULTY AND STAFF TRAINING
MARKETING/OUTREACH
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
STUDENT SERVICES
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
SUPPORT OPERATIONS
FACILITIES
1. List information concerning new projects or activities planned. Please keep in mind that
resources needed, if funded, would not be approved until spring 2015 and provided until
FY 2015-16. Ongoing activities involving resources that will no longer be available from
grant funds starting FY 2015-16 must be planned for appropriately.
Activity
1.
Guest
speaker
series
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Strategic
Plan
Goal(s)
No. &
Letter
(e.g.,
5A)*
Realworld
needs of
Hartnell
students
Related
Courses,
SLOs,
PLOs, or
goals
Desired
Outcome(s)
Resources
Needed
Person
Responsible
Estimated
Date of
Completion
(can be more
than one year
in length)
POL-1
POL-2
POL-3
POL-5
POL-6
Students
evaluation of
the real world
as it applies to
the discipline
domestically
and
internationally
The main
stage, speaker
system,
possibly a
stipend
Lawrence
Adams
Five years
Comments
2.
AA-T
Recruitment
3.
Improve
student
learning
POL-1
POL-2
POL-3
POL-5
POL-6
Improve
student
learning
Poster
boards,
marquee
listing,
website
listing
Lawrence
Adams
4.
5.
* See Appendix A for a list of the 11 goals in the college’s Strategic Plan.
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Two years
*** Please complete this page for each new activity. ***
2. This item is used to describe how the new activity, or continuing new activity, will
support the program/discipline.
Consider:
• Faculty
• Other staffing
• Facilities
• Equipment (non-expendable, greater than $5,000), supplies (expendable, valued at less than
$5,000),
• Software
• Hardware
• Outside services
• Training
• Travel
• Library materials
• Science laboratory materials
a) Describe the new activity or follow-on activity that this resource will support.
Guest speaker series: real world needs of Hartnell students
b) Describe how this activity supports any of the following:
1) Core Competency
2) Program level Outcome
3) Course level Outcome
4) Program/Discipline Goal
5) Strategic Priority Goal
Program level outcome: apply critical thinking skills in reading, comprehending, and interpreting
political science scholarship
c) Does this activity span multiple academic years?
YES
If yes, describe the action plan for completion of this activity.
1. Organizing of the series
2. Securing the main stage
3. Obtaining funding of stipends for speakers
4. Finding speakers
5. Completing steps 1-4 and actually holding an event
d) What measureable outcomes are expected from this activity? List indicators of
success.
I do not know if there are measureable results from holding a guest speaker series, and
realistically speaking there is no deed for a measureable result when holding an event for
individuals as each will gain their own personal insight from the event.
e) What are the barriers to achieving success in this activity?
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The securing of the main stage and funding of stipends are the two primary barriers to success.
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*** Please complete this page for each new activity. ***
2. This item is used to describe how the new activity, or continuing new activity, will
support the program/discipline.
Consider:
• Faculty
• Other staffing
• Facilities
• Equipment (non-expendable, greater than $5,000), supplies (expendable, valued at less than
$5,000),
• Software
• Hardware
• Outside services
• Training
• Travel
• Library materials
• Science laboratory materials
a) Describe the new activity or follow-on activity that this resource will support.
AA-T Recruitment: improve student learning
b) Describe how this activity supports any of the following:
6) Core Competency
7) Program level Outcome
8) Course level Outcome
9) Program/Discipline Goal
10)
Strategic Priority Goal
Program level outcome: employ political science methods to address political questions using
primary and secondary sources in conjunction with an increase of Political Science AA-T majors
c) Does this activity span multiple academic years?
YES
If yes, describe the action plan for completion of this activity.
1. Organizing of recruitment events
2. Reserving Steinbeck Hall or a classroom
3. Reserving speaker system
4. Developing flyers and handouts
5. Completing steps 1-4 and actually holding a recruitment event
d) What measureable outcomes are expected from this activity? List indicators of
success.
Increase the number of students majoring in Political Science.
e) What are the barriers to achieving success in this activity?
None
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B. RESOURCE REQUESTS
If new/additional resources are needed for your program/discipline, it is important that you identify
them and project their cost, and that these resources and costs be considered through the College’s
integrated planning (governance, budget development, funding decision making, and resource
allocation) processes. A resource is likely to be something needed to support an activity that you have
identified in IIIA. above, in which case you must link the resource with a specific activity number (first
column below). ). All resource requests completed in the various columns of a specific row
must be linked to the new or continuing activity numbered on the first column of that
same row. A resource could also be something necessary for your program/discipline to function
properly to improve student learning, such as updated equipment in a classroom; in such case be sure
to note that the resource is NOT tied to a specific activity.
Activity
No.
1.
Personnel
Classified
Staff/
Faculty
(C/F/M)*
Guest
Speaker
2.
Supplies/
Equipment
(S/E)**
Use of
speaker
system
Technology
Hardware/
Software
(H/S)***
Contract
Services
Training
Travel
Library
Materials
Science
Labs
Stipend
3.
4.
5.
* Personnel: Include a C, F, or M after the amount to indicate Classified Staff, Faculty, or Manager.
** S for Supplies, E for Equipment. If additional supplies, for example, are needed for ongoing activities, this
should be requested through the budget rollover process.
*** H for Hardware, S for Software.
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Projected
Costs
$300
APPENDIX A. Strategic Priorities & Goals
(from Hartnell College Strategic Plan 2013-2018)
Priority 1: Student
Access
Goal 1A: Hartnell College will provide higher education, workforce development, and lifelong
learning opportunities—with seamless pathways—to all of the college’s present and prospective
constituent individuals and groups.
Priority 2: Student
Success
Goal 2A: Hartnell College will provide a supportive, innovative, and collaborative learning
environment to help students pursue and achieve educational success.
Goal 2B: Hartnell College will provide a supportive, innovative, and collaborative learning
environment that addresses and meets the diverse learning needs of students.
Priority 3: Employee
Diversity and Development
Goal 3A: Hartnell College is committed to 1) increasing diversity among its employees; 2)
providing an environment that is safe for and inviting to diverse persons, groups, and
communities; and 3) becoming a model institution of higher education whose respect for
diversity is easily seen and is fully integrated throughout its policies, practices, facilities, signage,
curricula, and other reflections of life at the college.
Goal 3B: To attract and retain highly qualified employees, Hartnell College is committed to
providing and supporting relevant, substantial professional development opportunities.
Priority 4:
Effective Utilization of Resources
Goal 4A: To support its mission, Hartnell College is committed to the effective utilization of
its human resources.
Goal 4B: Hartnell College is committed to having its physical plant, furnishings, and grounds
maintained and replaced in a planned and scheduled way to support learning, safety, security,
and access.
Goal 4C: Hartnell College will maintain a current, user-friendly technological infrastructure
that serves the needs of students and employees.
Goal 4D: Hartnell College is committed to maximizing the use and value of capital assets,
managing financial resources, minimizing costs, and engaging in fiscally sound planning for
future maintenance, space, and technology needs.
Priority 5:
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Innovation and Relevance for Programs and Services
Goal 5A: Hartnell College will provide programs and services that are relevant to the realworld needs of its diverse student population, while also developing and employing a culture of
innovation that will lead to improved institutional effectiveness and student learning.
Priority 6: Partnership
with Industry, Business Agencies and Education
Goal 6A: Hartnell College is committed to strengthening and furthering its current
partnerships, in order to secure lasting, mutually beneficial relationships between the college
and the community that the college serves.
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