Program Planning and Assessment (PPA)
for Academic Programs
Comprehensive Review, Annual Review & Action Plan
Spring 2015
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 comprehensive review that shows evidence of improvement and outlines longrange goals.
The Program Planning and Assessment process improves and increases the flow of information about student learning, student
success and student behavior at Hartnell College. The result of the process also improves institutional effectiveness.
Program/Discipline
Date Completed (must be in final
form by 3/27/15)*
ESL
Date Submitted to Dean
3/27/15
*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
Name
Title/Position
Carol King
James Beck
Instructor
Instructor
Dean’s Comments (required):
LLS&R AREA FTES
ESL
3-Year Average
61.92
Fall 2012
58.45
Fall 2013
59.70
Fall 2014
67.63
ESL enrollments have been increasing steadily and by almost 8 percentage points in Fall 2014 over Fall 2013. In addition, ESL lab
participation has grown. ESL faculty continue to develop their curriculum and analyze outcome assessments to determine
instructional improvements. However, they would like to see the minimum qualifications in non-credit courses be the same as those
for credit courses; in addition, they are advocating for an increase in hourly salary from $30 per hour to a more competitive rate.
These two issues present concerns regarding attracting qualified instructors who will not jeopardize the integrity of the program.
Kathy Mendelsohn
_____________________
Typed Name of Area Dean
May 29, 2015
_________
Date
VPAA Comments (required for comprehensive reviews):
_______________________
Typed Name of VPAA
_________
Date
This PPA report is organized in 3 sections and 11 subsections as follows:
I.
II.
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.
III.
Annual Action Plan – a. New Activities and b. Resource Requests.
INSTRUCTIONS
è For programs/disciplines scheduled for comprehensive review in spring
2015, please complete Sections I, II, and III.
è 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
2015. Go to Section II for programs/disciplines scheduled for annual review in spring 2015.
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]
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
2. What staffing factors/challenges have influenced the effectiveness of the program?
[Begin response here]
C. CTE PROGRAMS – LABOR MARKET & ACHIEVEMENT
Please complete this section if the program is Career Technical Education
Adjunct Faculty
(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]
D. PROGRAM GOALS
1. List and describe program/disciplinary goals for the next comprehensive review cycle. Be sure to
highlight innovative, unique, or other especially noteworthy aspects.
In considering your program’s future goals, please review Hartnell’s vision and mission 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)
II.
ANNUAL REVIEW
This section must be completed for ALL academic programs, including those scheduled for a
comprehensive review in spring 2015.
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
Course Name
ESL 265
English for Academic Purposes I
Does the course have any DE (online or
hybrid) sections?
no
ESL 243
Grammar, Vocabulary, & Reading 3
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?
Enrollments in ESL 265 have stayed consistent and high for the last three years, and those strong
enrollments have trickled up to better enrollments in ESL 101 during the last three or four years.
ESL faculty made ESL 265 a prerequisite for ESL/English 101 in 2008. At that time, enrollments in 265 were
often low, and this course was frequently cancelled, resulting in some distrust and angry reactions from the
ESL community. Since 2008, ESL 265 enrollments have steadily increased so now we can offer both day and
evening sections every semester. This is significant growth, and reflects efforts made by the ESL department
and the BSI Committee.
Enrollments in ESL 243 have remained virtually the same as years prior to F2013 when this course was first
offered. ESL 243 replaced ESL 245, 245L, & 248 (grammar/writing, lab, & reading/vocabulary.) ESL faculty
had some concerns that enrollments would drop because ESL 243 is now a 7-unit course.
Enrollment in all ESL courses has mirrored the college trend over the last three years; it fell in 2011-12, but
has steadily increased since then. The ESL program is growing, thanks to some supportive administrators who
allowed us to experiment with new courses (both in lab and lecture) and gave us time to rebuild our
population.
The ESL community in Monterey County, especially in Salinas and the Salinas Valley corridor, relies on wordof-mouth. When ESL was continually cut to the point of almost dismantling the program in 2008 to 2011, we
lost many students to Gavilan and MPC. Classes were cancelled despite being listed in the “guaranteed” class
schedule. The Reading/Writing and Math Labs were closed down completely in 2010, and that was an
essential academic lifeline for our ESL and basic skills students.
In the last three years (as in the previous three years,) retention in all ESL courses has stayed high—86% or
above.
For the period 2008-2011, King City enrollments reflected college trends. However, success rates were well
below the college average and ranged from 58%-63%. Lack of academic support services (especially tutoring
and Supplemental Instruction) could account for the low success.
For the period 2006-2008, King City enrollments were higher than the college average 2006-2007, but then
fell to well below college averages for the next two years. Thirty-one ESL courses were offered, with more than
half having fewer than 15 students enrolled. (Actually, 50% of these classes had fewer than 10 students.)
Success rates vacillated from 10% higher to 10% lower than college average.
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?
Success rates in ESL 265 have remained consistently high. ESL faculty hope to see even higher success rates
after ESL 233 and 243 have been taught for two years, since these newer courses include reading skills in the
curriculum.
There have been no significant changes in success rates for ESL 243. Now all ESL students at this
intermediate level are learning more reading/vocabulary skills which will help with their success in the
higher levels of ESL and transfer-level courses. Previously, the reading/vocabulary course (ESL 248) was not
required, so many students opted not to take it and then were unable to effectively comprehend and analyze
readings at the high-intermediate and advanced levels. This change was made after numerous department
discussions about how the intermediate classwork could better support the demands in our academic English
courses. SLO assessments did not always reflect these problems since many students had dropped the
courses before assessments were done.
Success rates in all ESL courses have remained high over the last three years—77% or higher—which has been
10% higher than overall college success rates in the same time period.
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.
NA—No certificates or degrees are given
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
No. of DE/Online
No of Hybrid
Full-time
Adjunct Faculty
Sections
Sections
Faculty
2. Compare student success in the DE teaching environment with success in the face-to-face teaching
environment in the same course. Are there differences? To what do you ascribe the differences in your
program?
[Begin response here]
3. Describe the process to change and improve student success in DE courses/sections in your
program.
[Begin response here]
4. Compare student retention in the DE teaching environment with retention in the face-to-face teaching
environment in the same course. Are there differences? To what do you ascribe the differences in your
program?
[Begin response here]
5. Describe the process to change and improve student retention in DE courses/sections in your
program.
[Begin response here]
6. Describe any other relevant factors regarding diverse teaching modalities and environments, such as
specific locations.
[Begin response here]
C. CURRICULUM
Complete the following tables pertaining to courses scheduled for review.
Courses scheduled for review
during AY 2014-15 as previously
specified
ESL 225 & 225L
ESL 255 & 255L
ESL 246
ESL 228
ESL 101
ESL 252
ESL 420
ESL 410
ESL 258
ESL 265
Faculty member(s) responsible for (a) Was the course reviewed
coordinating
and (b) taken through the
curriculum process?
Carol King
Carol King
Carol King
Carol King
James Beck
James Beck
Carol King
Carol King
James Beck
James Beck
Courses scheduled for review during AY
2015-16
ESL 290A
ESL 290B
ESL 290C
ESL 290D
ESL 227A
ESL 227B
ESL 237A
ESL 237B
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes (reactivated)
yes (reactivated)
Faculty member(s) responsible for
coordinating
Carol King
Carol King
Carol King
Carol King
Carol King
Carol King
James Beck
James Beck
Date of approval (or anticipated
approval) by Curriculum
Committee
12/4/14
12/4/14
11/6/14
11/6/14
12/4/14
9/18/14
10/2/14
9/18/14
5/2015
5/2015
Target semester and year—Fa 2015 or Sp
2016
F2015
F2015
F2015
F2015
S2016
S2016
S2016
S2016
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
Given an academic reading, students will select one or
more main points and produce a coherent, organized
piece of writing that expresses and supports their own
opinions about these points.
What changes have occurred in
the program/discipline as a result
of dialogue?
none
List Program level outcome(s) scheduled for assessment in AY 15-16
Given an academic reading, students will select one or more main
points and produce a coherent, organized piece of writing that
expresses and supports their own opinions about these points.
Was the Program
Outcome Assessment
Summary completed?
Yes, Jan. 2014
Have your course level SLOs needed for this program
level outcome been assessed or scheduled for
assessment?
Yes
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?
Course level data were used to look at program outcomes.
Faculty looked at course SLOs and success rates, which continue to meet or exceed expectations. No changes
are planned at this time, especially since we just introduced 6 new courses in Fall 2013.
Discipline faculty met during FLEX days in F2014 and during 2013-2014 academic year to analyze data.
Full-time faculty meet twice a month or more to discuss course-level issues/SLOs.
CORE COMPETENCIES
3. Describe how Core Competencies (Communication Skills, Information Skills, Critical
Thinking/Problem Solving, Global Awareness, Aesthetic Appreciation, Personal Growth and
Responsibility) 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?
Even though we do not offer transfer-level courses, all of the ESL classes address the core competencies
regarding communication and cultural awareness.
COURSE LEVEL STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
4. Please complete the following tables.
List courses scheduled for SLO assessment as
previously specified
ESL 233
ESL 243
ESL 255L
ESL 290A
ESL 290B
In what term was the course
assessed?
F2014
F2014
F2014
F2014
F2014
Was the Course Assessment
Summary Report completed?
Yes—Elumen
Yes--Elumen
Yes--Elumen
Yes--Elumen
Yes--Elumen
ESL 290C
ESL 290D
ESL 227B
ESL 237B
ESL 252
ESL 227A
List courses scheduled for SLO assessment in
AY 2015-16
ESL 233
ESL 237A
ESL 243
ESL 246
ESL 290A
ESL 290B
ESL 290C
ESL 290D
ESL 101
ESL 225 (now includes 225L)
ESL 228
ESL 255
ESL 258
ESL 265
F2014
F2014
S2015
S2015
S2015
S2015
Yes--Elumen
Yes--Elumen
Will be entered into Elumen
Will be entered into Elumen
Will be entered into Elumen
Will be entered into Elumen
Faculty member(s) responsible
for coordinating
Carol King
Janine Tabor/Carol King
Carol King
Marie Perucca-Ramirez/Carol
Jenny Cogswell/Carol King
Jenny Cogswell/Carol King
Jenny Cogswell/Carol King
Jenny Cogswell/Carol King
James Beck
Janine Tabor/James Beck
Susan Fujimoto/James Beck
Carol King
James Frye/James Beck
James Beck
Target semester and year—Fa
2015 or Sp 2016
F2015
F2015
S2016
F2015
F2015
F2015
F2015
F2015
S2016
S2016
S2016
S2016
F2015
S2016
5. Describe course level assessments results and how they will influence your plans moving forward.
To date, all classes have shown a 70% or higher success rate, so minimal changes are planned. Since we made
major changes to our low-intermediate and intermediate curriculum with new courses (ESL 233 and 243)
offered in Fall 2013, we plan to monitor success at those levels as well as the higher levels to see if further
modifications are needed.
ESL 290ABCD self-paced lab courses were also introduced Fall 2013, so we are closely monitoring SLO
assessments. Currently, ESL faculty are making changes to teaching methods and course assignments to
ensure better success and completion rates. These courses will be brought to Curriculum Committee F2015 to
make them into variable unit courses (up to 2.0 units for each.) After teaching these for almost four semesters,
it is clear the majority of students cannot complete all of the lessons and extensive practice offered in the
Burlington English software (although SLO assessment goals are being met.)
Many of our improvements have not been made based on SLO assessments. Regular discussion between and
among ESL faculty has led to changes. Individual instructors have observed student learning hurdles and
consequently modified curriculum and monitored results (“close the loop”) to see if the modifications made a
difference in student success.
Continual improvements are made in individual courses due to conscientious and experienced teachers.
Sometimes SLOs get in the way because they don’t capture or measure what’s really happening day to day in
the course. A good teacher has 20-30 possible improvements to implement at any point in time.
Since SLOs are more global, they often don’t represent the myriad of changes that teachers make from
semester to semester. Teachers are working at more of a micro-level that adds up to a global change.
6. Describe assessment activities that need to be strengthened or improved. What are the challenges to
achieving these improvements?
Despite our best efforts, not all adjuncts understand what SLOs are and what they’re for. Better
communication with adjuncts is still a challenge because all instructors are not using the same assessment
instrument. Everyone must know how to enter individual results in Elumen, and administration needs to
continue providing incentives for adjuncts to participate.
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?
What challenges existed or Will activity
continue to exist?
continue into AY
15-16?
Will activity
continue into AY
16-17?*
1. Continue to improve ESL lab Courses (ESL 290ABCD) first Lab Coordinator is needed
with stand-alone lab courses offered F2013 have shown
and tutoring
steady increase in enrollments
Yes, we will look at
success & retention.
Yes, we will look at
success & retention.
F2013--1986 total hrs; S2014—
2332 total hrs; F2014—3090
total hrs. (see ESL Lab Usage
Report below)
2. ESL Summer Institute
Participants from 2013& 2014 Scheduling between sessions Yes, funding request
scored significantly higher on and possibility of no funds was approved by BSI
available in future.
Committee.
post-tests in both sessions.
Students claim the confidence
they gained is immeasurable. No administrative support
3. Continue to develop bridge ESL Summer Institute included Many potential ESL students Yes, through AB86
to college with HEP and Salinas 2 HEP and 4 SAS students. HEP are undocumented. We
plan
Adult School –now through
students continue to enroll in need a consistent policy on
AB86 plan
ESL track.
how to admit them. Liaison
or “Pathway” coordinator is
needed.
Yes, but may change
to a course for credit
(or noncredit, if issues
can be resolved)
Yes, through AB86
plan
4.computerize ESL
assessment
None
5. Continue to participate ongoing meetings began
in joint meetings with
Nov. 2014
local school districts to
discuss assessment
methods and curriculum
The goal was to provide
students with a more
seamless education
experience as they move
from high school to
community college
Yes
Need someone in
Assessment to coordinate
project to determine valid
Accuplacer cut scores for ESL
at Hartnell. ESL faculty don’t
have time to lead this
project but want to switch,
if feasible. Common
Assessment Initiative should
solve this problem,
optimistically by 2016-17.
Yes
Yes
Yes
The purpose was to
understand better each
other’s courses and how
we assess students..
* For each activity that will continue into AY 2016-17 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?
1) The ESL Department needs a lab space dedicated for ESL students, and preferably not one that is shared with
students seeking assistance in English courses such as 253 and 101. ESL students have as many or more
questions about language and culture as they do about paragraphing and run-on sentences, so we want lab
instructors and assistants to be specialized in these ESL areas.
The current ESL lab has changed over the years more due to the attitudes and beliefs of administrators and
the resultant decisions on allocation of budget funds than the wants and suggestions of the ESL Dept. For
several years we were told that open lab times were either “illegal” or “unaffordable.” However, for the past
several semesters, we have had administrators who support the idea of open lab. Now we are growing a
culture of awareness among ESL students that such a lab exists for them. And data shows growing attendance
semester over semester. Still, it will take some time to unlearn that such a lab was not permitted, and thus not
offered, in the ESL program for several years.
We need a stable, full-time coordinator to schedule, grow, and manage day-to-day all of the labs currently
offered through the ESL Dept. These include INS 301, ESL 290, and corequisite labs for 225, 233, 243, and
255. We lost a full time instructor in this position as of August 2014. Without a replacement, the lab will not be
able to respond to changing students’ needs or maintain a level of effectiveness we want for Hartnell and its
students.
Hartnell College ESL Lab (D359) Usage Report by Semester
The following data was extracted from the SARS TRAK machine on April 6th, 2015. ESL 290A, ESL 290B, ESL 290C,
and ESL 290D are henceforth denoted as ESL 290s. All hours are reported in 50-minute increments, as dictated by the
academic hour. This report is not meant to be a conclusive report and analysis of lab usage but a brief insight into the
usage of the lab with some context on the developments of the ESL program at Hartnell College.
Please take note of the following important considerations when evaluating this data.
1. All data below should be evaluated within the contextual development of the program with respect to the
administration/administrative changes, number of teachers/tutors in the lab, hours scheduled for the lab, students,
etc.
2. Fall 2013 marks the first semester we implemented the “Open Lab” type of classes in Room D359. This was the pilot
for the ESL 290A, ESL 290B, ESL 290C, and ESL 290D classes. At this time INS 301 Tutoring services were not
advertised even though the SARS TRAK data indicates its use. “Open Lab” indicates the time D359 was blocked off
in the schedule for only the ESL 290s and INS 301 Tutoring classes where SARS TRAK log-in was required. For
example, an ESL 255L class is not considered an “Open Lab” type of class.
3. Spring 2014 marks the first semester we advertised and scheduled in INS 301 time in the lab but did not combine
this time when students were scheduled to use the lab for ESL 290s classes.
4. Spring 2015 marks the first semester we advertised and scheduled ESL 290s and INS 301 to be implemented as
concurring services/courses that took place during the lab during Open Lab hours.
5. Data for Spring 2015* is incomplete due to the fact we are only part of the way (Week 12) through the Spring 2015
semester. Complete data should be recorded after May 20th, 2015, the last day of instruction.
6. For a more complete depiction of growth, please see the number of students enrolled from each semester.
Fall 2013
Visits: 1300
Hours: 1986 hours and 31 minutes
Spring 2014
Visits: 1625
Hours: 2332 hours and 8 minutes
Fall 2014
Visits: 2026
Hours: 3090 hours and 0 minutes
Spring 2015* (incomplete, data from 4/9/15)
Visits: 1553
Hours: 2432 hours and 34 minutes
For additional information and/or questions about the above data, please contact Jenny Cogswell at
jcogswell@hartnell.edu
2) ESL Summer Institute 2014 was successful. Students’ post-scores on our in-house grammar and reading test
improved, and all participants expressed how much they had learned in such a short time. Students always
comment on how much confidence they gain and later come back to tell us how it has helped them succeed in
their academic career.
Tracking of these students will take place in S2015. Tracking of 2013 Institute participants showed high
persistence and success rates in ESL/English AND other content course over the following academic year.
Another institute is planned for 2015 with Basic Skills funds.
3) The ESL Dept. has participated in a few meetings and one two-day conference on AB86, the bill that proposes
adult schools and community colleges collaborate more closely than in the past, share some funding, and not
duplicate services. Currently, we are figuring out how to form an ESL work group that includes both Hartnell
ESL faculty and Salinas Adult School faculty. This work group will be responsible for part of the district’s
submission of a report to the State describing our needs and our collaboration plans. This, in turn, will trigger
funding from the State.
The AB86 plan in this area may involve offering (and creating) more noncredit ESL courses. Noncredit
courses in ESL would serve a population that the current ESL program at Hartnell is not serving. These are
students who are at levels lower than the credit program addresses, and students who are likely not able to
afford the cost per unit that a 5 or 7 unit course amounts to. In addition, residency issues make credit course
untenable for many potential students. They could, however, attend noncredit courses.
Currently, the ESL Dept. at Hartnell is made up of just two full-time instructors. A noncredit program,
however, requires planning and expertise that these instructors do not have time for or enough background
on. If Hartnell wants to commit to a noncredit branch of the ESL program, we will need to hire someone who
has experience and training to develop such a program. Short of that, we can only offer noncredit classes on a
somewhat random, piecemeal basis.
History of Noncredit ESL at Hartnell
2005—Kathleen Rose approached ESL faculty about developing noncredit program to better serve
community (having two tracks of ESL—academic & “non-academic”—had been discussed for 10 years before
this)
She was very involved in literacy in Monterey County. She also re-established contact with Salinas Adult
School and facilitated regular meetings with ESL faculty and administrators beginning in 2005
2007-08—Alejandra Gutierrez, James Beck, & Carol King met weekly for 3+ hours the entire academic year
to develop new courses & strands of noncredit ESL
Purpose—non-academic based program where ultimate goal is NOT preparation for English 1A (transferlevel English)
Audience—people who have no time to take credit program
·
·
people who need to improve skills for work or daily life (to participate in U.S. culture—be a citizen)
undocumented residents (huge need throughout Salinas Valley—certainly NOT ONLY a South County problem) who
need basic English to work
Justification for development of these noncredit courses (from our Curricunet entry):
“According to the Salinas Valley 2020 Report, a community need exists for a variety of noncredit ESL courses.
In addition to providing job and life skills, these course sill provide a gateway to credit course work.”
Three strands developed—pronunciation, conversation & vocabulary, grammar skills
1) Pronunciation —three courses (ESL 310, 320, 330)
2) Conversation & Vocabulary----four courses (ESL 410, 420, 430, 440)
3) Grammar Skills—three courses (ESL 510, 520, 530)
· All courses have managed enrollment (they have a start and end date—they are not “open-entry” “openexit” as traditional SAS classes were at the time.)
· Courses were developed to be offered 3 hours/week for 14 weeks.
· Some type of “grade” (Progress, Satisfactory Progress, No Progress) would be required in each course of
a strand to achieve the Certificate of Completion.
Oct. 2008—All courses approved by Curriculum Committee (with exception of ESL 310, which had been
approved May 2008)
Nov. 2008—All courses and certificates approved by Hartnell’s Board
Dec. 2008—All noncredit ESL courses and Certificates of Completion for all three strands were approved by
the Chancellor’s Office (Juan G. Cruz was noncredit contact)
(Courses leading to certificates earned higher apportionment from the state than stand-alone noncredit
courses.)
Spring 2009--Piloted ESL 310 at Bardin Elementary School with instructor Marie Perucca-Ramirez. Full
enrollment (25 as stated in COR)—some students continued on with credit ESL; some went back to work when
ag growing season began.
*Note that this pilot project was set up through Alejandra Gutierrez’s and Maria DeLeon’s personal contacts in
the community. Alejandra, Maria, and Marie Perucca-Ramirez dedicated their time to figuring out details and
making this noncredit class a reality. There were no college outreach personnel or counselors. In fact, no
other Hartnell personnel were involved other than our dean that year (Liz Estrella,) who we assume approved
or attained VP/President approval for this class to take place.
Alejandra Gutierrez and Maria DeLeon continued to contact local administrators and instructors at
elementary and middle schools to secure more sites. We ESL faculty were excited to start this much-needed
program. Many of those administrators were pleased to offer their students’ parents ESL instruction, and
word of the program spread.
Unfortunately, Hartnell College administration was not supportive in any substantive manner. In fact, at this
time, ESL faculty were the ONLY people on campus who understood exactly what noncredit was (and was
not.) Administrators and faculty asked us any questions they had about curriculum or enrollment issues.
This was, and continues to be, the main issue with noncredit at Hartnell. There must be total commitment to
a noncredit program across campus—administration, student services, and faculty. That has to begin with
a real understanding of what noncredit is and then a discussion about how it might fit into our
college curriculum to help our students succeed.
As King City enrollments in credit ESL bounced around and then loud, sometimes powerful South County
voices (e.g., Catholic diocese) demanded service for community members, the director of King City Center at
the time, Paulette Bumbalough, elected to replace credit ESL with our new noncredit classes. She hired
someone to teach this program that we had worked so hard to develop without any ESL department input, and
then happily announced that she had 41 students in one class and 36 in another.
ESL faculty were appalled –we could not imagine what competent language instructor would allow 41
students in a low-beginning ESL class that included many illiterate Triqi speakers. How could those students
experience any type of success in that environment? This haphazard offering of noncredit jeopardized our
program’s reputation in our predominately word-of-mouth community of ESL learners.
Subsequently, after repeated complaints to each new dean (ESL has had eight deans in the last ten years,)
Paulette began to consult with ESL faculty regarding course offerings in South County. Even with more
thoughtful offerings, enrollments and the ESL program itself never grew. Actually, credit ESL has never been
strong in King City. Data from the last 10 years shows that 70% of the courses were not cancelled even though
they had fewer than 15 students—some classes had only 5 or 6 students and were allowed to continue. Success
rates bounced around from above to below the college rates.
Just recently we discovered that Human Resources had determined these noncredit instructors in South
County would not be paid according to our negotiated contract pay scale, but rather only $30/hour even
though the noncredit instructor for our pilot class had been paid the regular hourly rate for a
credit lecture course.
With the economic downturn, Hartnell decided that noncredit was not a priority and those courses were no
longer offered. After several years of not being offered, these noncredit courses were inactivated by the ESL
Department. We did this in accordance with state regulations, and with an eye towards having all ESL courses
assessed for SLOs. Clearly, courses that were not being offered could not be assessed.
During the 2013-14 academic year, the ECE department and the King City campus requested ESL to reactivate
one or more noncredit courses. The reason given was this course was needed to pair with ECE-taught-inSpanish courses. With some misgivings, but in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration, we reactivated ESL
410 and 420 in September 2014.
In the Course Outline of Record, we stipulated that instructors must have minimum quals equal to those for
credit ESL. This is important for the integrity of our ESL program; state minimum quals for noncredit require
a B.A. plus a TESOL certificate. After some research, it is clear that a TESOL certificate does not have
consistent course requirements or academic rigor across the U.S.—especially for the numerous online
certificates awarded by private institutions. Since the COR and the minimum quals are under faculty purview
as one of the academic senate’s 10 + 1 areas, we felt it was within our rights (and actually, our responsibility to
protect the integrity our program by setting minimum quals to the same standards.)
It is important to note that reactivating noncredit courses to pair with classes taught in Spanish was not an
off-the-cuff decision. We spent many hours over emails and in meetings discussing it with ECE staff,
curriculum committee members, and administrators. In these meetings we voiced our concerns about
instructor qualifications, pay, and enrollment caps.
The end result was ESL 410 and 420 were offered Spring 2015. However, ESL 410 was overenrolled at 41
students and the instructor was paid $30/hour—about half the rate of credit instructors. In addition, the ECEin-Spanish population did not materialize in King City, and so the ECE class was cancelled. This ECE class was
the main reason we agreed to reactivate noncredit in the first place.
Future Noncredit ESL Courses at Hartnell
To move forward with noncredit, several problems must be addressed:
· common ground on the work credit instructors do inside and outside of the classroom as compared to the
work noncredit instructors do
· contract language on pay rates
· instructor minimum qualifications
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
respect of enrollment caps
methods of assessment
classroom space
student services support staff for intake, counseling, etc.
academic support services staff for tutoring
non-repetition of the services already provided by other agencies (including SAS) in the county
bridges/pathways between ESL noncredit and credit
cultural shifts—students need to know the differences between credit and noncredit
All factions on campus must know what noncredit is and commit to serving those students in an equitable
manner
Title V requires that noncredit programs have identical student services as those for credit programs, which
include placement, counseling, tutoring, and SLO assessment. Trained faculty—both fulltime and part-time—
are essential; administration must realize they are NOT community ed instructors teaching their hobby, but
trained academic professionals that must be compensated accordingly. Class sizes as negotiated and listed in
the HCAS contract must be adhered to. This is an equity issue for noncredit students.
Just because a “need” is observed, a noncredit “fix” cannot be thrown at it without careful, thoughtful
planning and agreement through Hartnell’s shared governance process. In the past (and again this year,)
mistakes have been made to accommodate outspoken constituencies, especially in South County. The
complete closure of King City and other South County Adult Schools left many agencies crying for help from
Hartnell. For whatever reason, these voices have been louder in South County than in Salinas itself; however,
there is actually more need closer to Main Campus since the Salinas Adult School has drastically cut their ESL
program. (Ten years ago, SAS served about 10,000 students; today it serves approximately 1000.)
4) ESL would like to use computerized assessment for placement, but cut scores on Accuplacer must be corrected
in order to properly place students here at Hartnell.
Currently, James Beck and Carol King read writing samples to place ESL students. This is done without any
compensation, despite the fact that small stipends (from matriculation budget) were paid to test readers until
Accuplacer was adopted in 2008.
At the very least, some stricter guidelines for re-testing for ESL placement must be drafted and followed by
Assessment Office.
The Common Assessment Initiative should resolve these issues as early as 2016-17 academic year.
III.
ANNUAL ACTION PLAN
This section must be completed for ALL academic programs, whether scheduled for annual or
comprehensive review in spring 2015.
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:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
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. The first activity listed should be the most important;
the second activity listed the second most important, etc. Please keep in mind that resources needed, if funded, would
not be approved until spring 2016 and provided until FY 2016-17. Ongoing activities involving resources that will
no longer be available from grant funds starting FY 2016-17 must be planned for appropriately.
Activity
1. ESL Lab
Coordinator
Strategic
Plan
Goal(s)
No. &
Letter
(e.g., 5A)*
Related
Courses, SLOs,
PLOs,
or goals
2A, 4A, 4C ALL ESL SLOs
2. update ESL Lab 2A, 4A, 4C All ESL SLOs
with necessary
software to
support selfpaced lab
courses ESL
290ABCD
3. ESL Lab
Maintenance
2A, 4A, 4C
4. New Lab
Curriculum
2A, 4A, 4C ESL PLO
Desired
Outcome(s)
Resources
Needed
Person
Responsible
Estimated
Date of
Completion
(can be more than
one year in length)
higher success & FACULTY
retention rates;
better SLO
assessment
scores
Dean, VP
support ESL
curriculum
Dean of
ongoing
Languages and
IT
ESL 290ABCD, 100%
ESL 225, 233, functioning
243, 255, 252 computers for
students
Burlington
English
licenses
replacement
?? Lab
Coordinator??
keyboards,
mice, mouse
pads, headsets,
cleaning
supplies
better success none
rates in all ESL
courses
ESL faculty
NA
NA
ongoing
Comments
Faculty in charge
of lab retired
suddenly in Aug.
2014, leaving a
new lab program
with no one to
oversee it.
$7000 was
requested in last
PPA for 2015-16—
and approved accd
to Dean Stephanie
Low
Computer labs
need regular
cleaning & upkeep
budget
5. new curriculum 2A, 4A, 4C ESL PLO
for advanced
speaking course
5. new curriculum 2A, 4A, 4C ESL PLO
for advanced
listening/notetaking course
better success none
rates in
transfer-level
better success none
rates in
transfer-level
ESL faculty
S2016
ESL faculty
S2016
* See Appendix A for a list of the 11 goals in the college’s Strategic Plan.
*** 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.
Activity #1 Lab Coordinator
The ESL Department needs a lab space dedicated for ESL students, and preferably not one that is shared with
students seeking assistance in English courses such as 253 and 101. ESL students have as many or more questions
about language and culture as they do about paragraphing and run-on sentences, so we want lab instructors and
assistants to be specialized in these ESL areas.
The current ESL lab has changed over the years more due to the attitudes and beliefs of administrators and the
resultant decisions on allocation of budget funds than the wants and suggestions of the ESL Dept. For several years
we were told that open lab times were either “illegal” or “unaffordable.” However, for the past several semesters, we
have had administrators who support the idea of open lab. Now we are growing a culture of awareness among ESL
students that such a lab exists for them. And data shows growing attendance semester over semester. Still, it will take
some time to unlearn that such a lab was not permitted, and thus not offered, in the ESL program for several years.
We need a stable, full-time lab coordinator to schedule, grow, and manage day-to-day all of the labs currently
offered through the ESL Dept. These include INS 301, ESL 290, and corequisite labs for 225, 233, 243, and 255. We
lost a full time instructor in this position as of August 2014. Without a replacement, the lab not be able to respond to
changing students’ needs or maintain a level of effectiveness we want for Hartnell and its students.
b) Describe how this activity supports all of the following that apply:
1) Core Competency (Communication Skills, Information Skills, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Global Awareness,
Aesthetic Appreciation, Personal Growth and Responsibility)
2) Program level Outcome (list applicable program outcome)
3) Course level Outcome (list applicable course level outcome)
4) Program/Discipline Goal (list applicable program/discipline goal)
5) Strategic Plan Goal (list applicable strategic plan goal)
This will support ESL Program outcome as well as SLOs for EVERY ESL course offered at Hartnell.
c) Does this activity span multiple academic years?
☒ YES
☐ NO
If yes, describe the action plan for completion of this activity.
Permanent lab specialist/coordinator position needed for ongoing scheduling and coordination of lab activities.
d) What measureable outcomes are expected from this activity? List indicators of success.
Higher SLO assessment scores and higher success and retention rates in all ESL courses at Hartnell.
e) What are the barriers to achieving success in this activity?
Funding
2. This item is used to describe how the new activity, or continuing new activity, will support the
program/discipline.
Activity #2 Burlington English Software for ESL Lab
a) Describe the new activity or follow-on activity that this resource will support.
ESL 290s (290A, 290B, 290C, 290D) have proven to be successful after being offered for four semesters.
Enrollments have doubled in that time, and are expected to continue growing as information about their
existence is disseminated to our community. (See ESL Lab Usage Report for more information.)
b) Describe how this activity supports all of the following that apply:
1) Core Competency (Communication Skills, Information Skills, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Global Awareness,
Aesthetic Appreciation, Personal Growth and Responsibility)
2) Program level Outcome (list applicable program outcome)
3) Course level Outcome (list applicable course level outcome)
4) Program/Discipline Goal (list applicable program/discipline goal)
5) Strategic Plan Goal (list applicable strategic plan goal)
This will support ESL Program outcome as well as SLOs for EVERY ESL course offered at Hartnell.
c) Does this activity span multiple academic years?
☒ YES
☐ NO
If yes, describe the action plan for completion of this activity.
New site licenses for Burlington English required each academic year to support ESL 290s.
d) What measureable outcomes are expected from this activity? List indicators of success.
Higher SLO assessment scores and higher success and retention rates in all ESL courses at Hartnell.
e) What are the barriers to achieving success in this activity?
Funding
Activity #3—Lab Upkeep
2. This item is used to describe how the new activity, or continuing new activity, will support the
program/discipline.
a) Describe the new activity or follow-on activity that this resource will support.
The current ESL lab has changed over the years, and we are growing a culture of awareness among ESL students
that such a lab exists for them. Data shows growing attendance semester over semester.
We need replacement parts to maintain a functioning lab.
b) Describe how this activity supports all of the following that apply:
1) Core Competency (Communication Skills, Information Skills, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Global Awareness,
Aesthetic Appreciation, Personal Growth and Responsibility)
2) Program level Outcome (list applicable program outcome)
3) Course level Outcome (list applicable course level outcome)
4) Program/Discipline Goal (list applicable program/discipline goal)
5) Strategic Plan Goal (list applicable strategic plan goal)
This will support ESL Program outcome as well as SLOs for EVERY ESL course offered at Hartnell.
c) Does this activity span multiple academic years?
☒ YES
☐ NO
If yes, describe the action plan for completion of this activity.
d) What measureable outcomes are expected from this activity? List indicators of success.
Higher SLO assessment scores and higher success and retention rates in all ESL courses at Hartnell.
e) What are the barriers to achieving success in this activity?
Funding
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. The first activity
listed should be the most important; the second activity listed the second most important, etc. 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.
Activit
y
No.
1.
Personnel
Classified
Staff/
Faculty
(C/F/M)*
Supplies/
Equipment
(S/E)**
Technology
Hardware/
Software
(H/S)***
Contract
Services
Traini Travel
ng
F
Library
Material
s
Projected
Costs
Facilitie
s/Space
e.g.,
Science
Labs
stipend (parttime) $4000
(fulltime
position=
80,000)
2
S
S
3.
E
10 keyboards
Burlington
English
$8000
$1000
10 mice
10 mouse pads
10 headsets
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.
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.
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Priority 5:
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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