Program Unit Review Committee
PURC FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Program/Unit Reviewed: Graphic Communications
Self-Study Chair(s): Dan Bouweraerts
Division: Liberal Arts
Year of Review: 2014-2015 (originally scheduled 2013-2014)
Date Submitted to VPAA:
Committee findings of self-study strengths:
Curriculum:
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Provides programs that allow students to find entry-level employment in the graphic communications
industry as well as skills updates for current graphics professionals.
According to the self-study, assessment of each course is ongoing, active and reflective. The CAR
process is one of the tools used to guide program curriculum development and change.
Faculty are aware of the many factors affecting curriculum, and strive to stay on top of trends to better
meet the needs of students and industry.
Course content is responsive to local industry through Advisory Committee, which keeps curriculum
relevant. Committee meets once per semester. Advisory Board membership is representative of the
industry, and input, when given, is valued.
All FT faculty possess advanced degrees and relevant graphic industry experience. Both FT and PT
faculty are experts in their fields which provides for better education for their students.
Many different teaching modalities used to enhance student learning and promote course and program
completion.
Faculty members act as mentors and advisors for program students, which is evident in retention
efforts.
Faculty is active in many recruitment activities, including those involving WCSD students, such as
WCSD Signature Academies, classroom visits and presentations to students and groups. Kudos!
Currently exploring Skills Certificates that would lead to Adobe certifications.
Report Strengths:
Good job informing the committee of the purpose of the program, and efforts aimed to continuously assess
curriculum content and course offerings. Additionally the report clearly explains faculty efforts to recruit,
retain and graduate program students.
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1 of 4; Program Unit Review Committee findings and Recommendations
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Created: 11/19/2014; Rev: 12/18/2014
Demographics and Enrollment:
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GRC students enroll in (i.e. attempt) significantly more credits, on average, than other TMCC students.
Likewise GRC students earn significantly more credits on average than other TMCC students.
Recruitment and outreach efforts are “ongoing, significant, and very productive”.
GRC continues to explore outreach opportunities to underserved and underrepresented populations.
Higher retention rate in GRC courses relative to the Division and TMCC as a whole.
The program is working on offering a 4-year degree.
Resources:
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Full-time faculty have industry experience in addition to their qualifications.
Courses are mainly taught by full-time faculty.
The department is funded by many different sources, which appear to be adequate for the
department’s current needs.
Committee findings on self-study weaknesses:
Curriculum:
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Unclear what specific assessment-driven improvements have taken place. A commitment to
assessment-driven improvements was noted in the report, but descriptions of those improvements
were not included.
Self-reported: The 2008 GRC curriculum change resulted in fewer required GRC courses for graduation,
low enrollment in some courses, and according to faculty, a decrease in the amount and quality of
student work in the capstone course. Some emphasis courses not taught anymore due to low
enrollment.
Difficult to find experienced PT faculty. Part-time pay perceived to be a problem in attracting
instructors to leave lucrative private sector jobs to teach at TMCC.
The dean’s comments suggest that assessment in all courses is up-to-date, but the committee was
unable to determine assessment activities using the CAR summary because it was not included in the
report. According to the summary (see attached), CARs are missing on record with Office of
Assessment and Planning for courses scheduled to be assessed Spring 2014 or earlier.
No plan or update to the program’s 5-year course assessment cycle was included.
Many course objectives/student learning outcomes have not been evaluated since 2010 or before.
Advisory Board attendance is inconsistent with no direct mechanism other than meeting minutes, i.e.,
formal reports, to give input or suggestions to faculty.
Report Weaknesses:
● Unable to determine assessment activities using CARs. Reports for GRC 107, 109, 124, 125, 126,
127, 128, 130, 131, 132, 135, 136, 137, 138, 144, 153, 156, 175, 183, 188, 239, 284, 294 are not
included in the report, although the dean says they are current.
● The report speaks to working with charter and CTE schools, but it is unclear whether a formal CTE
program agreement exists.
Demographics and Enrollment:
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Despite average 5-year FTE decreases of 3% and 4% in the Liberal Arts Division and College,
respectively, FTE has only decreased an average of 2% in GRC over the past 5 years.
Classroom limitations and safety concerns limit the size of classes.
2 of 4; Program Unit Review Committee Findings and Recommendations
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Rev.: 12/18/2014
Resources:
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There is no dedicated administrative assistant to the program. The current administrative assistant for
the Visual and Performing Arts Department works for many different programs.
There is a need for a full time computer technician to help with computer lab maintenance and
technical support.
SIER 205 is small and may not be able to accommodate future increases in GRC enrollment.
The sound editing facility is small and not always accessible for system repairs and upgrades.
The software ADOBE has increased in price and the cost is no longer covered by lab fees.
Report Weaknesses:
● There are no full-time to part-time faculty graphs.
● There is a list of technology being used by the department, but there is no explanation of whether it
is working for the courses.
Committee Strategies and Recommendations:
Curriculum:
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Revise the program’s 5-year course assessment cycle through Spring 2020 and submit to the
Assessment and Planning Office.
Review course objectives and student learning outcomes for GRC 120, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128,
129, 130, 131, 153, 244, 256, 288 and revise according to best practices where necessary. Submit
revised SLOs through CAP.
Look for funding sources to enable the programs and courses to remain current with dynamic
technology.
Explore faculty recruitment to strengthen part-time pools.
Review Advisory Board members, attendance and explore options to increase attendance.
Continue work on the possibility of offering Adobe or other relevant Skills Certificates.
Explore a BAS offering with caution, i.e. in such a way that it is clearly distinct from UNR Graphic Arts
and Journalism philosophies and clearly demonstrates meeting workforce needs.
Continue work to implement HTML 5/CSS3 content.
Explore course availability for WCSD high school students, a Graphic Arts Career Exploration type of
course.
Demographics and Enrollment:
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Continue your recruiting efforts with an increased focus on drawing females and minorities into the
field, such as ICDA campus visits and recruiting female PT instructors.
Resources:
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Continue to work on ensuring computer technical support or develop a plan to hire a computer
technician.
Develop a proposal towards new lab space and to move or revamp the sound editing facility and
present to dean for possibly moving forward through PEC or the Resource Allocation Process (RAP).
Secure funding sources cover the costs of ADOBE.
3 of 4; Program Unit Review Committee Findings and Recommendations
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
Rev.: 12/18/2014
PURC Members
Name
Title
Melissa Deadmond
Chair, PURC; Associate Dean of Assessment and Planning
Julia Bledsoe
Program Officer, VPAA’s Office
Gabriela Brochu
Instructor, Foreign Languages
Jody Covert
Director, Nursing
Erin Frock
Counselor, Counseling
Meeghan Gray
Instructor, Biology
Julie Muhle
Professor, Dental Assisting
Cheryl Scott
Assistant Director, Institutional Research
Henry Sotelo
Instructor, Paralegal/Law
By signing, the Self-Study Chair(s) and Dean agree to the stated findings and recommendations
made by the Program Unit Review Committee and, that following VPAA and President approval,
acknowledge that the program must continue to address recommendations until completed through
Annual Progress Reports (APRs).
Self-Study Chair(s):
Date:
Date:
Dean:
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4 of 4; Program Unit Review Committee Findings and Recommendations
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
Date:
Rev.: 12/18/2014