Peralta Community College District
Annual Program Update Template 2010-2011
Each discipline will complete this form to update program reviews developed in 2009-2010. These will
be reviewed at the college level and then forwarded to the district-wide planning and budgeting
process. The information on this form is required for all resource requests – including faculty staffing
requests – for the 2011-12 budget year.
I.
Overview
Date Submitted:
II.
Dean:
Inger Stark
Dept. Chair:
Stephen Corlett
BI Download:
10/07/2010
Discipline:
PHYS
Campus:
Laney
Mission
The physics department offers courses that provide a foundation for students
transferring to four-year schools in engineering and in the physical and biological
sciences, as well as courses that meet general education requirements. The
physics 4A/4B/4C courses are a three semester calculus-based series for
engineering and physical science majors. The physics 3A/3B courses are a two
semester calculus-based series for biological and medical science majors. The
physics 10 course is a general education survey course.
Student Data
A. Enrollment
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
Fall 2010
236.0
249.0
269.0
5.0
5.0
5.0
Total FTES
54.08
56.41
60.29
Total FTEF
2.29
2.29
2.26
FTES/FTEF
23.58
24.6
26.63
Enrolled
232.0
235.0
N/A
Retained
173.0
182.0
% Retained
74.0
77.0
N/A
N/A
232.0
158.0
68.0
59.0
25.0
235.0
169.0
71.0
53.0
22.0
Census Enrollment (duplicated)
Sections (master sections)
B. Retention
C. Success
Total Graded
Success
% Success
Withdraw
% Withdraw
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N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
III.
Faculty Data (ZZ assignments excluded)
Fall 2010
Contract FTEF
Hourly FTEF
Extra Service FTEF
Total FTEF
% Contract/Total
1.0
0.69
0.57
2.26
44.17
IV. Faculty Data Comparables F2010 (ZZ assignments excluded) (Z assignments excluded)
Contract FTEF
Hourly FTEF
Extra Service FTEF
Total FTEF
% Contract/Total
V.
Alameda
Berkeley
Laney
Merritt
1.0
0.0
0.12
1.12
89.29
0.0
0.27
0.0
0.27
0.0
1.0
0.69
0.57
2.27
44.15
0.0
1.12
0.0
1.12
0.0
Qualitative Assessments
CTE and Vocational: Community and labor market
relevance. Present evidence of community need
based on Advisory Committee input, industry need
data, McIntyre Environmental Scan, McKinsey
Economic Report, licensure and job placement rates,
etc.
Transfer and Basic Skills: Describe how your
course offerings address transfer, basic skills, and
program completion.
N/A
The physics department makes every effort to
ensure that students acquire the skills
described in the course outlines. Students that
transfer often return and tell us that they were
well prepared for upper division work.
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VI. Strategic Planning Goals
Check all that apply.
Describe how goal applies to your program.
Advance Student Access, Success & Equity
Engage our Communities & Partners
Build Programs of Distinction
Create a Culture of Innovation & Collaboration
Develop Resources to Advance & Sustain Mission
VII. College Strategic Plan Relevance
Check all that apply
New program under development
Program that is integral to your college’s overall strategy
Program that is essential for transfer
Program that serves a community niche
Programs where student enrollment or success has been demonstrably affected by extraordinary
external factors, such as barriers due to housing, employment, childcare etc.
Other
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VIII. Action Plan
Please describe your plan for responding to the above data. Consider curriculum,
pedagogy/instructional, scheduling, and marketing strategies. Also, please reference any cross district
collaboration with the same discipline at other Peralta colleges.
Include overall plans/goals and specific action steps.
 Physics courses tend to have roughly 20% attrition during the first several weeks of the course.
Typically these students have found that they either do not have adequate background for the
course, or do not have the time necessary to put into the course. Many of these students return to
the course after a semester or two. During the remainder of the course another 10% to 20% of
students withdraw. Again, many of these students return at a later semester after completing other
courses or freeing up their schedules.
Students in continuing courses such as 3B, 4B, and 4C tend to complete those courses at a higher retention
rate.

The curricula for all physics courses are current and effective. All courses use state-of-the-art
textbooks, all instructors are familiar with current approaches to teaching physics, and students that
transfer to four-year schools report that they are well prepared for their upper division work there.

The course outlines for the Laney physics 4A/4B/4C series were substantially rewritten in 2007 to include
new prerequisites and student learning outcomes. These outlines are now in use at all of the campuses
in the district. The physics 3A/3B outlines were also rewritten in 2007 and remain current. The outline
for physics 10 has been partially updated.
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IX. Needs
Please describe and prioritize any faculty, classified, and student assistant needs.
Current faculty staffing is adequate for the courses being offered.
Currently, the laboratory technical staff is stretched between Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy. The
newly combined science cluster of Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy is currently in the process of
hiring a second full-time laboratory technician. We need to complete the hiring process so that we
provide a consistent level of support for all three disciplines.
Students are helped by the tutor services available on campus. The physics department helps identify
students capable of serving as tutors, and makes recommendations to the tutor center in the library.
The physics lab room is available for students to gather and work together or with instructors during
many hours of the day.
Please describe and prioritize any equipment, material, and supply needs.
The Physics and Astronomy laboratory needs more computer resources.
Please describe and prioritize any facilities needs.
The Physics and Astronomy programs would benefit from a new science building, like the rest of the
sciences at Laney. Facilities throughout the science departments are in need of repair and update. The
buildings themselves are proving to be expensive to maintain. The best solution to these problems
would be the construction of a new science building that would address all of the health and safety
issues that we currently face. Science departments could more effectively store equipment in a central
location that would be generally accessible. Study areas would allow students to utilize common
equipment, study areas, and computer access.
Opaque drapes are needed in lecture and lab rooms.
Currently, the tabletops in the physics laboratory (A274) are in need of refinishing.
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X.
Course SLOs and Assessment
Fall 2010
Number of active courses in your discipline
6
Number with SLOs
6
% SLOs/Active Courses
100
Number of courses with SLOs that have been assessed
0
Some instructors have
collected data,
however none of the
courses have
assessed all of their
SLOs
% Assessed/SLOs
0
Describe types of assessment methods you are using
Students in physics courses are learning to apply a set of basic concepts to all of their experience in the
physical environment. We have always done a good job of assessing student’s skills by giving exams in
which students are asked to demonstrate their ability to analyze a situation and determine numerical
outcomes.
Describe results of your SLO assessment progress
Assessment information has been collected for several physics courses and by Fall 2010 will be entered into
TaskStream.
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XI. Program Learning Outcomes and Assessment
Fall 2010
Number of degrees and certificates in your discipline
0
Number with Program Learning Outcomes
0
Number assessed
N/A
% Assessed
N/A
Describe assessment methods you are using
N/A
Describe results of assessment
N/A
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