20102011
Truckee Meadows
Community College
School of Liberal Arts
COMMUNICATIONS AND
FOREIGN LANGUAGES
PROGRAM/UNIT REVIEW SELF STUDY
Communications and Foreign Languages
Introduction
Languages are the repository of past and present cultures, and as such are and should be the sine qua non of a
college’s academic mission. The study of language plays a part in developing the ability to acquire knowledge by use
of reasoning, intuition, and perception, sharpening analytical abilities, and understanding sameness and differences of
the human cognition. At a time when preparing students for work in a global environment has become a mandate of
higher education, without the study of languages, monolingual and even bilingual American students would be at a
serious disadvantage in a multilingual world. Language learning helps bring to students a greater understanding of
different cultural perspectives and helps meet a community need for greater cultural awareness in the modern world.
Mission Statement
The mission of Communications and Foreign Languages is to promote cultural awareness in the modern world and
expand reasoning, perception, and analytical abilities through the study of language. We bring the world to life
through language. The mission of Communications and Foreign Languages supports both the mission of the
Humanities Department and Truckee Meadows Community College.
The mission of the Humanities Department at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is to bring the world
to the community. The Humanities Department provides a wide variety of courses in foreign languages, core
humanities, philosophy, humanities, speech and communications. An emphasis is offered in philosophy. The
Humanities Department includes the study of languages and culture, film and philosophy, ethics and morality. The
high quality of teaching and learning offered by the Humanities Department helps in our search for answers to life’s
fundamental questions, including everything human.
Truckee Meadows Community College promotes student success, academic excellence and access to lifelong learning
by delivering high quality education and services to our diverse communities.
Degrees, Certificates, and/or Non-Credit Courses offered
TMCC offers the following 43 courses in 9 disciplines in Communications and Foreign Languages: American Sign
Language (AM 145, 146, 147, 148), Communications (COM 113, 135, 285), French (FREN 111, 112, 198, 211, 212),
German (GER 111, 112, 198, 211, 212), Hebrew (HEB 113, 114, 198, 221, 222), Italian (ITAL 113, 114, 213, 214),
Japanese (JPN 101, 102, 198), Russian (RUS 111, 112, 211, 212), and Spanish (SPAN 101, 102, 111, 112, 198, 211,
212, 225, 226, 227). There are currently no degrees, emphases, or certificates offered.
Primary Goals and Objectives
Students will demonstrate the ability to read, understand, interpret, and communicate through spoken and/or written
language as well as gain an awareness of other cultures by being able to identify personal values and cultural mores
different than their own in custom and usage.
Factors Expected to Affect Future
Communications and Foreign Languages have gone from five full-time, tenured faculty members (Bill Baines, Dianne
Cheseldine, Nancy Faires, Carlo Ferguson-McIntyre, and Beverly Turner) to three and, currently, one faculty member
is in phase-in retirement and another is serving as chair. This leaves one full-time, tenured faculty member solely
dedicated to teaching in this diverse area. The part-time pool frequently lacks qualified applicants. We need to hire
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3
more full-time, tenure-track faculty for the growing areas of AM, Foreign Languages, and COM. The issues affecting
the future of Communications and Foreign Languages are staffing, articulation, and degree requirements.
Recently there were two associate degrees that required 14 credits of foreign languages, Philosophy and Criminal
Justice, now there are none. This will affect the Foreign Languages in the future.
Future work on improving articulation with the baccalaureate institutions will stress the importance of the 14-credit
foreign language requirement at the undergraduate level and this could prove beneficial to foreign languages at
TMCC. TMCC’s transfer degrees are neither emphasizing nor assisting students with the baccalaureate foreign
language requirement.
The Humanities Department is exploring offering emphases in Foreign Languages.
DEMOGRAPHICS AND ENROLLMENT
General Student Demographics
The data provided by Institutional Research (Appendix C) illustrate no significant differences between fall and spring
semesters in terms of general student demographics. The graphics provided for this segment focus on the spring
semesters as they show the most recent data from year 2010. This review focuses on Communications and Foreign
Languages as a single unit and, therefore, these data were collapsed for the unit of analysis. We compared the patterns
of Communications and Foreign Languages with the School of Liberal Arts and the college when the data were
available.
Age
70%
60%
65%
61%
59%
65%
53%
50%
0-17 yrs
40%
18-24 yrs
30%
21%
20%
10%
11%11%
4%
4%
22%
20%
10%
7%
9%
3%
19%
6%
8%
3%
25-34 yrs
21%
5%
8%
2%
35-49 yrs
50+ yrs
4%
0%
Spr 06
Spr 07
Spr 08
Spr 09
Spr 10
The group of students 18-24 years old is the main group that enrolled in Communications and Foreign Languages
between spring 2006 and spring 2010. During this time period, there was a 12% increase in enrollment in this age
group in Communications and Foreign Languages, while there was no increase in the college as a whole for this age
group which was at 54% in spring 2006 and at 54% in spring 2010. This may reflect that most students enrolled in
Communications and Foreign Languages are doing so to fulfill the baccalaureate requirements for transfer.
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Gender
Spring 2010
41%
Female
59%
Male
As illustrated in the above graph, the female to male ratio is fairly similar to the college as a whole. Over the period
for this review there were some trends to note. The percentages of male to female varied from 37-41% for males
versus 63-59% for females reflecting a 4% increase of males. The male population went from 44% in fall 2004 to
45% in spring 2010 at TMCC, so the increase of the male population was 3% higher in Communications and Foreign
Languages compared to the college as a whole. The college as a whole did not have the same increase as in
Communications and Foreign Languages.
Ethnicity
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Spr 06
Spr 07
Spr 08
Spr 09
Spr 10
Similar to the college as a whole, the white population of students is the most numerous in Communications and
Foreign Languages. The most noticeable change in ethnicity was the Hispanic population that increased from 11% in
spring 2006 to 18% in spring 2010. The Hispanic population was 17% at TMCC in spring 2010, so the Hispanic
population in Communications and Foreign Languages was 1% higher compared to the college as a whole. This
change reflects a similar, but slightly smaller increase for the college as a whole. This was primarily due to the
increase of the percentage of Hispanic students enrolled at TMCC and Hispanic students enrolled in courses in
Communications and Foreign Languages.
Student Status
Educational Status
100%
90%
86%
90%
89%
85%
85%
80%
70%
60%
Continuing
50%
New
40%
New Transfer
30%
20%
10%
4%
9%
5%
10%
6%
9%
5% 6%
6% 4%
0%
Spr 06
Spr 07
Spr 08
Spr 09
Spr 10
The majority of students enrolled in Communications and Foreign Languages are continuing versus new enrollments
or transfers from other schools. The trend is similar compared to the college as a whole.
Enrollment Status
60%
50%
50%
46%
40%
36%
30%
20%
18% 17%
15%
18% 20%
16%
Spr 06
Spr 07
25%
20%19%
32%
35%
29%
21%19%
23% 22%
20%
<1/2 time (0-5)
1/2 time (6-8)
3/4 time (9-11)
Full-time (12+)
10%
0%
Spr 08
Spr 09
Spr 10
The enrollment pattern in Communications and Foreign Languages is changing, decreasing from 50% to 23% for the
less than half-time student group and increasing from 17% to 35%, almost double, for full-time students between
Truckee Meadows Community College
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spring 2006 and spring 2010. In the college as a whole, the percentage of full-time students went from 12% in spring
2006 to 22% in spring 2010. The enrollment of full-time students in Communications and Foreign Languages is 11%
higher than the college as a whole. This may reflect the fact that the age group that predominately enroll in
Communications and Foreign Languages are of typical, college-going age and are, therefore, likely seeking to fulfill
the required courses in Communications and Foreign Languages for a degree and/or transfer.
Student Recruitment Activities
We participate in the Welcome Back Fair to recruit students. We have a Speech and Debate Club to support and
foster Communication students. We added SPAN 226 and 227 for the increasing number of Spanish-speaking
students that want to take Spanish. TMCC faculty members have made efforts to engage with the high school
administrators, teachers, and students in an effort to recruit. Dagmar Bohlmann, the new German instructor, is
working with the high schools where German is taught, McQueen and Yerington, to attract students. Professor
Carlo Ferguson-McIntyre holds forums at local high schools to encourage language study. Dr. Nancy Faires
worked with the student group Latinos Unidos Nevada Association (LUNA), an ASTM-recognized club (ASTM is
now SGA), in an outreach effort with Latino high school students to encourage them to go to college. Future work
on improving articulation with the baccalaureate institutions will stress the importance of the 14-credit foreign
language requirement at the undergraduate level and this will help to recruit students to complete four semesters of
a foreign language at TMCC.
Underserved Student Populations
The Hispanic group seems to be the only underserved population group growing. We have added SPAN 226 and
SPAN 227, Spanish for Heritage Speakers, to serve this underserved population. These Spanish classes address the
demand for Spanish for Spanish speakers. Students with backgrounds from many of the Spanish-speaking countries
enroll in SPAN 226 and SPAN 227. Before, TMCC only offered Spanish for non-native speakers.
Enrollment Patterns
Number of Sections
50
4342
41
39
45
40
Spring Terms Spr 08
30
Spring Terms Spr 09
25
20
15
5
Spring Terms Spr 07
33
35
10
Spring Terms Spr 06
555
77
1212
78
Spring Terms Spr 10
33334
1 111
121
5
223 2
21121
3
3
1 22
ITAL
JPN
RUS
0
AM
COM
FREN
GER
HEB
SPAN
The total number of sections offered by Communications and Foreign Languages increased by 23 sections, 21% of the
total increase of sections in the college as a whole, from spring 2006 to spring 2010. American Sign Language,
Communications, Russian, and Spanish showed the biggest increases. The increase in sections in these disciplines
were driven by student demand. The other courses remained relatively steady. In the same period of time, the School
of Liberal Arts increased by 76 sections, 70% of the total increase of sections in the whole college, and the whole
college increased by 108 sections. (For the complete data about Number of Sections see Appendix C.)
Communications and Foreign Languages are a very important and robust segment of the increased number of sections
offered by TMCC as a whole given the increased demand for these courses.
Full-Time Equivalent Enrollment
200
177
180
160
146
140
Spring Terms Spr 06
120
Spring Terms Spr 07
100
80
Spring Terms Spr 09
60
40
Spring Terms Spr 08
68
25
39
35
20
8
Spring Terms Spr 10
21
4
6
6
HEB
ITAL
8
4
5
5
6
0
AM
COM
FREN
GER
JPN
RUS
SPAN
For clarity, the graph only shows the full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE) numbers for spring 2007 (because this is
the first term that Communications was offered) and spring 2010. FTE increased by 128 FTE in Communications and
Foreign Languages between spring 2006 and spring 2010. In the same period of time, FTE increased by 803 FTE for
the School of Liberal Arts, 55% of the whole college increase, and by 1,458 FTE in the whole college. Therefore,
Communications and Foreign Languages account for 9% of the increase in FTE of the whole college between spring
2006 and spring 2010. The largest increases in FTE in Communications and Foreign Languages were likely due to
students attempting to fulfill undergraduate requirements. (For complete FTE data see Appendix C.)
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Retention Rates
120%
100%
89% 90%
80%
71%
80% 81% 78%
80%
97%
88%
82% 83%
92%
77%
69% 72%
58%
60%
Spring Terms Spr 06
Spring Terms Spr 07
Spring Terms Spr 08
40%
Spring Terms Spr 09
20%
Spring Terms Spr 10
0%
AM
COM
FREN
GER
HEB
ITAL
JPN
RUS
SPAN
For clarity, the graph only shows the percentage of retention rates for spring 2007 (because this is the first term that
Communications was offered) and spring 2010. The highest retention rates (90% -97%) are shown by American Sign
Language, Italian, and Russian. The other courses varied from 65% to 83% retention rates with one exception, the
retention rate in German in spring 2008 was 30% and in spring 2009 was 100%. A new German instructor began in
fall 2008 and the retention rate increased sharply. Overall, retention has increased in Communications and Foreign
Languages. In spring 2010, the average retention rate for Communications and Foreign Languages was 77%
compared to 74% for the School of Liberal Arts and also 74% for the whole college. (For complete Retention Rates
data see Appendix C.)
Student to Faculty Ratios
30
28
25
25
21
24
22
22
21
20
15
15
18
17
13
16
13
Student to Faculty Ratios Spr 06
Student to Faculty Ratios Spr 07
Student to Faculty Ratios Spr 08
11
9
10
Student to Faculty Ratios Spr 09
8
Student to Faculty Ratios Spr 10
5
0
AM
COM
FREN
GER
HEB
ITAL
JPN
RUS
SPAN
The class capacity for Foreign Languages is set at 25 for face-to-face classes and 18 for online while Communications
is set at 30. For clarity, the graph only shows the student to faculty ratios for spring 2007 and spring 2010 (because
spring 2007 was the first term that Communications was offered). The highest student to faculty ratio (28) is shown
by Communications in spring 2010. The lowest student to faculty ratios (7) are shown for Hebrew in spring 2008 and
German in spring 2009. In spring 2010, the average for the student to faculty ratios for Communications and Foreign
Languages was 20 compared to 24 for the School of Liberal Arts and 22 for the whole college.
Number of Declared Degree/Emphasis Seekers
Not applicable. The Humanities Department is currently exploring the development of Associate of Arts emphases in
Foreign Languages.
Student Success Rates
Student success is reflected in the relatively steady increase in retention rates culminating in spring 2010, when the
average retention rate for Communications and Foreign Languages was 77%. The Humanities Department has
consistently addressed issues that have significantly impacted retention, including mentoring and, if need be,
replacing part-time instructors.
Enrollment Development Strategies
Demographic Findings and Strategies
The main group of students is white women from 18-24 years old. This same pattern is reflected by the college as a
whole. The increase of the male population was 3% higher in Communications and Foreign Languages compared to
the college as a whole. Communications and Foreign Languages enrolls more students in the 18-24 year-old group
than the college as a whole. Communications and Foreign Languages enrolls more of the underserved student
population than the college as a whole. The Hispanic population in Communications and Foreign Languages was 1%
higher compared to the college as a whole. Communications and Foreign Languages are serving a need in our
community that attracts a larger segment of the population than the college as a whole of 18-24 years old, males, and
Hispanics. These classes fulfill the requirements of this segment of the population. We cover a necessity that this
poulation demands. To be able to continue responding to this demand, we are limited by not hiring full-time, tenuretrack faculty to support these positive trends. The strategy includes that current faculty members continue to do their
best.
Student Status Findings and Strategies
The enrollment of full-time students in Communications and Foreign Languages has almost doubled from spring 2006
to spring 2010, and it is 11% higher than the college as a whole. Now, full-time students are the largest percentage of
students taking Communications and Foreign Languages. Also, 90% of the students enrolled in Communications and
Foreign Languages continue at TMCC versus 10% of new enrollments or transfers from other schools. These are all
positive trends. As we expressed before, we recommend hiring full-time, tenure-track faculty to support these trends.
The Humanities Department might develop strategies to emphasize to students how Communications and Foreign
Languages fulfill undergraduate requirements to transfer and assist students with completing these undergraduate
requirements.
Enrollment Patterns and Strategies
Communications and Foreign Languages account for 9% of the increase in FTE of the whole college between spring
2006 and spring 2010. FTE has been steadily increasing in this area and illustrate that enrollment increases in fulltime students are positive in Communications and Foreign Languages. The total number of sections offered by
Communications and Foreign Languages increased by 23 sections driven by student demand. The average retention
rate was higher for Communications and Foreign Languages than the School of Liberal Arts and the college as a
Truckee Meadows Community College
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whole at 77%. These are also positive trends. There is only one full-time, tenured faculty member dedicated solely to
teach in this area. There is a clear and obvious need to hire more full-time, tenured faculty.
Student Success Rates and Strategies
Of the TMCC graduates between 2000 and 2010, 33.3% took foreign languages. Of the TMCC transfer degrees
between 2000 and 2010, 37% took foreign languages. Of the TMCC Graduate Rate Survey (GRS) cohort for fall
2006, 30.1% took foreign languages. (For complete data see Appendix E.) Student success is revealed by the average
retention rates for Communications and Foreign Languages which are superior to the college as a whole. These again
are all positive trends. Communications and Foreign Languages are doing a great job and there is only so much that
can be strategized when there is only one full-time, tenured faculty member dedicated solely to teach in this area. We
recommend hiring full-time, tenure-track faculty to support these trends.
CURRICULUM
Degree/Emphasis Assessment Reports
The Humanities Department offers neither a degree nor an emphasis in Communications and Foreign Languages.
Program and Discipline Reports in Foreign Languages were submitted in 1993 and 1997. Both reports came to the
conclusion that the program was growing. In 1985, we offered no university-parallel foreign languages courses.
Today, most courses transfer to the university.
Course Assessment Report Summaries
AM 145: How to show plurals is an area to be reinforced in AM145. 2009-2010.
FREN 111: The use of the verb in the infinitive, the verb “avoir” in expressions, and adjective agreement are areas to
be reinforced in FREN 111. 2009-2010.
FREN 112: The use of the partitive article is an area that needs to be reinforced in FREN 112. 2009-2010.
FREN 212: The pronouns “y” and “en” is an area to be reinforced in FREN 212. 2009-2010.
ITAL 113: At a 95% accuracy response of the core indicators assessed, the levels of ITAL 113 are well above
average and therefore an effort should be made to maintain such percentages. The next assessment tool for ITAL 113
should focus on the oral skills of the students participating in oral presentations. 2009-2010.
RUS 111: There is no need to revise the assessment plan as far as phonetics is concerned. It needs to be pointed out
that the vocabulary of the first-semester Russian class is limited by design. The students should feel comfortable using
correctly most of the time only nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs they learned during the semester. 2009-2010.
RUS 112: There is no need to revise. 2009-2010.
RUS 211: Devote more time for studying and practicing this particularly difficult grammatical subject of the future
tense. 2009-2010.
RUS 212: More emphasis should be made in class on differences in using comparatives and superlatives in Russian
and English. 2009-2010.
SPAN 111: Noun/adjective agreement is an area to be reinforced in SPAN 111. 2006-2007.
SPAN 112: Saber y conocer and preterite/imperfect tenses are areas to be reinforced in SPAN 112. 2008-2009.
SPAN 211: The nosotros command is an area to be reinforced in SPAN 211. 2009-2010.
SPAN 212: We are satisfied with the outcomes as they exist. There were no low accuracy outcomes. The conditional
perfect is an area to be reinforced. 2009-2010.
SPAN 226: At a 100% accuracy response of the core indicators assessed, the levels of SPAN 226 are well above
average and therefore an effort should be made to maintain such percentages. The next assessment tool for SPAN 226
should focus on the oral skills of the students participating in oral presentations. 2009-2010.
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SPAN 227: At a 95.0% accuracy response of the core indicators assessed, the levels of accuracy in SPAN 227 are
well above average and therefore an effort should be made to maintain such percentages. The next assessment tool
will focus primarily on: the imperative, the present perfect, the present perfect subjunctive, the future perfect, and
the conditional. A subsequent assessment should focus on the oral skills of the students participating in oral
presentations in SPAN 227. 2007-2008.
For a complete list of all Communications and Foreign Languages courses offered, see the Degrees, Certificates,
and/or Non-Credit Courses section in the Introduction.
See Appendix D for Program/Discipline/Course Assessment Reports (PDCARs) submitted between spring 2007
and spring 2010.
Assessment Driven Improvements
After completing assessment in SPAN 111 to 212, we organized coordination meetings for all Spanish instructors
to review programs, contents, pedagogical tools, and the results of the assessments. These meetings occur every
semester as part of professional development. Every semester the instructors attend workshops for Professional
Development where strategies are discussed to improve the performance and retention of our students.
Evaluating Relevancy of Curriculum
Course Content
The course content is of high quality, rigorous, and appropriate. The course content is reviewed regularly by the
faculty and the curriculum is updated as needed.
Degree/Certificate Requirements
Not applicable.
Methods of Instruction
We offer face-to-face and online classes. The full-time, tenured faculty member who started the online program left
in the third round of buy-outs. That left the online program floundering. The online program has since been
redesigned and invigorated.
Faculty Qualifications
These are the minimum qualifications and there are faculty with doctorate degrees.
Specialized certificate in American Sign Language.
Master's degree in a Foreign Language from a regionally accredited institution.
Master's degree in Speech, Communications, or Psychology from a regionally accredited institution.
Post Completion Objectives (transfer, job placement, etc.)
Currently, Communications and Foreign Languages do not offer a transfer degree, but do assist the student to
transfer by offering the courses that satisfy the fourteen-credit foreign language requirement at the baccalaureate
level. In addition, the Washoe County School District teachers can satisfy in-service credit and recertification
requirements through these courses. The course offerings in foreign languages provide terminal TMCC students
with the foreign language requirements, transfer students with the 14-credit foreign language requirement at the
baccalaureate level, and teachers in the Washoe County School District with in-service credit and recertification.
Secondary Student Preparation Efforts
Not applicable. TMCC does not offer credit for classes taken in Communications and Foreign Languages at the K12 level.
External Review
Not applicable.
Non-credit Training Offered
Our conversation classes in Spanish and Japanese are non-transferable, three-credit classes.
Curriculum Development Strategies
Assessment Findings and Strategies
By conducting assessment at the course level, we have identified areas to be reinforced. We are working
collectively to close the loop: plan, act, assess, and adjust. After completing assessment in SPAN 111 to 212, we
organized coordination meetings for all Spanish instructors to review programs, contents, pedagogical tools, and
the results of the assessments. These meetings occur every semester as part of professional development. Every
semester the instructors attend workshops for Professional Development where strategies are discussed to improve
the performance and retention of our students. We plan to continue to coordinate efforts to use the assessment
findings to improve the teaching of the courses. Also, we are planning to start a second cycle of assessment. This
second cycle would begin with the assessment of the same courses for a second time.
External Resource Recommendations and Implementation Plans
Not applicable.
Anticipated Factors Affecting Curriculum and Strategies
The full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty members lead curricular change and assessment of student learning
outcomes. As the number of our full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty dwindles, the demand on the remaining
full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty creates a potential to exhaust their strengths. In addition, it is more and
more difficult to meet the enrollment demands without relying more and more on part-time faculty. The reliance on
part-time faculty creates difficulties in providing consistency and continuity in the curriculum. We will not be able
to meet the demand of our students without relying more and more on contingent faculty.
TMCC is the only institution within Nevada State Higher Education that offers online basic Spanish instruction.
The Spanish online program has been in the process of re-design after the retirement of the full-time, tenured
faculty member who initially designed and grew the program. Currently, we rely on part-time faculty to develop
and maintain this program which has led to difficulties with continuity and warranted a re-design of the program.
The online program now includes activities such as recordings by the students where they have to speak and record,
webconferences with the instructor for oral tests, writing compositions in Spanish, as well as the regular activities
in the textbook, workbook, and lab manual that include writing, reading, speaking, and listening comprehension.
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The Humanities Department plans to expand the emphases offered to include an Associate of Arts in Foreign
Languages. There is a potential demand in this area. We will need to hire more full-time, tenure-track, foreign
language faculty to offer this degree.
American Sign Language and Communications are two growing disciplines where full-time, tenure-track faculty is
needed. There is currently no full-time, tenure-track or tenured faculty in these areas so advancing these curricula is
difficult and problematic at best.
Communications and Foreign Languages have continued to advance curricula; however, with increasing student
demand and the decreased availability of full-time, tenure-track or tenured faculty it might prove difficult to
sustain. Therefore new tenure-track lines are essential. This recommendation will be addressed more fully in the
next section, Resources, of this report.
RESOURCES
Faculty and Staff
Communications and Foreign Languages are made up of three tenured full-time faculty members and one full-time
faculty under a one-year contract who teach foreign language courses. One of the tenured faculty members is in
phase-in retirement and she will retire in 2015. The unit also features 35 adjunct faculty members. The entire faculty
is comprised by qualified instructors who possess both the required credentials and the experience in the classroom
that make the Communications and Foreign Languages unit successful. Due to the increased number of students
interested in Communications and Foreign Languages, both as a requirement for graduation and as courses of interest
for the community at large, full-time, tenure-track faculty is needed to meet demand. As part of the Humanities
Department, Communications and Foreign Languages have one full-time Administrative Assistant III and one student
worker.
Required Faculty Credentials
A master’s degree in the field of Communications and Foreign Languages by a regionally accredited institution is the
minimum requirement for faculty teaching university-parallel courses at TMCC. Native speakers with a degree in a
related field are sometimes hired for the teaching of non-transferable conversational courses. In both cases, proven
classroom teaching experience and the literacy in the handling of the latest teaching technologies are qualifications
generally preferred in the hiring of faculty. A certificate is required to teach American Sign Language. A master’s
degree in the field of Speech, Communications, or Psychology from a regionally accredited institution is required to
teach Communications.
Full-Time to Part-Time Faculty Ratio
1.2
100%
1
100%
75%
0.8
100%
100%
100%
73%
69%
0.6
Spr 10 FT
0.4
31%
27%
25%
Spr 10 PT
0.2
0%
0
AM
0%
COM
FREN
GER
0%
ITAL
0%
JPN
0%
RUS
SPAN
For clarity, the graph only shows the Full-Time (FT) to Part-Time (PT) Ratios in percentages for spring 2010.
American Sign Language, German, Japanese, and Russian were taught only by Part-Time Instructors. Italian was
taught only by a Full-Time Instructor. Communications, French, and Spanish were taught by both Full-Time and PartTime Instructors. However, the ratios for Spanish do not reflect the reality. In spring 2010, Dr. Nancy Faires taught 8
credits for Independent Study students, and Professor Carlo Ferguson-McIntyre taught 12 credits for Independent
Study students. If we subtract 20 credits from the total of 45 credits taught by Full-Time Faculty in spring 2010, the
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Full-Time to Part-Time Ratio was 20% to 80%. This is a much more accurate ratio. Hebrew is not shown in the graph
because it was not offered in spring 2010; it is taught only by a Part-Time Instructor. These data illustrate the point
that the ratio is out of step with the college goal of a ration of full-time to part-time ratio of 60:40. We recommend
hiring full-time, tenure-track faculty to begin to change this ratio. (For complete Full-Time to Part-Time Ratio data,
see Appendix C.)
Required Classified Credentials
Communications and Foreign Languages is part of the Humanities Department at TMCC and require the credentials
of at least an Administrative Assistant. The Humanities Department is down from two Administrative Assistants, one
at full time and the second at half time, to only one full time.
Classified FTE
The Administrative Assistant III works full time.
Facilities
Because the first year of foreign language instruction is comprised by 4-credit classes, there is a need for at least three
dedicated classrooms to facilitate scheduling. Currently, we have only two dedicated, tier-status classrooms which, by
only having two, complicate scheduling. There also exists the need for a dedicated language lab to support and foster
language learning. The smart classrooms need to be updated regularly because of the inherent characteristics of
technology to be immediately outdated.
Technology
TMCC provides Communications and Foreign Languages with smart classroom technology. This technology is
essential in the success of the program since a variety of methods are used. The program greatly benefits from direct
internet access and the audio and visual equipment with which the classrooms are appointed. The smart classrooms
need to be updated regularly because of the inherent characteristics of technology to be immediately outdated.
Funding Sources
The Humanities Department has a budget line that has a small operating budget for Foreign Languages. There is a
need to increase that budget by $1,500 to cover the copy expenses sufficiently for this area.
Resource Development Strategies
Staffing Issues and Strategies
With only three full-time, tenured faculty members, the success of the program with its increasing enrollment
numbers must depend heavily on the instruction of adjunct faculty who carry 75% or more of the courses offered.
Although the full- to part-time ratio is very heavily weighted toward part-time, we have been very efficient in
conducting effective assessment of student learning outcomes. The addition of two full-time, tenure-track faculty
members would greatly benefit both the strength and solidity of the foreign languages and one full-time, tenure-track
faculty member for communications.
We recommend replacing the lost Administrative Assistant position so that the department is staffed with two
Administrative Assistants. This would aid in completing schedules, book orders, reports, and serving our students.
Facilities and Desired Capital Improvements
We recommend the addition of one dedicated classroom to 4-credit language classes for a total of three tier-status
classrooms to facilitate scheduling, a dedicated lab to support and foster language learning, and to regularly update the
smart classrooms.
Funding Allocations and Development Strategies
The Humanities Department has a budget line that has a small operating budget for Foreign Languages. There is a
need to increase that budget by $1,500 to cover the copy expenses sufficiently for this area.
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APPENDIX A.
Dean’s Analysis of Funding Resources
The Humanities department has a budget line that has a small operating budget for foreign languages. However,
currently that account does not cover the expenses sufficiently for this area. In addition, while there is a separate
account for the foreign languages area it is not separated by language and thus specific details by language are not
available.
State-Supported Operating Budgets
As indicated above, the foreign languages area has a separate budget line within the Humanities department.
However, this area does not appear to have sufficient funds for making copies and must rely on the larger Humanities
budget to cover its copy costs. While the foreign language area has tried to make adjustments, with faculty utilizing
web assisted sections for example, it is still in need of additional funds of approximately $1500.00/year to cover the
costs of its expenditures.
Lab Fees
None
Special Fees
None
Grants
None
Non-Credit Training Income
None
Donations
None
Other
None
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APPENDIX B.
Degree and Certificate Worksheets
Not applicable.
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APPENDIX C.
Institutional Research Data
APPENDIX D.
Program/Discipline/Course Assessment Reports (PDCARs)
AM 145 completed spring 2010
FREN 111 completed fall 2009
FREN 112 completed spring 2010
FREN 212 completed spring 2008
ITAL 113 completed fall 2009
RUS 111 completed fall 2009
RUS 112 completed spring 2010
RUS 211 completed fall 2009
RUS 212 completed spring 2010
SPAN 111 completed spring 2007
SPAN 112 completed spring 2009
SPAN 211 completed fall 2009
SPAN 212 completed spring 2010
SPAN 226 completed fall 2009
SPAN 227 completed spring 2008
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APPENDIX E.
Other data from Institutional Research.
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