Spring 2009
Program Review and Forecast
Guideline for Getting Started on PrOF
Background and Context: The purpose of program review is to periodically evaluate the changes and
assess various indicators of program effectiveness to creatively plan for the future. Although many of
these plans can be implemented at the program level, many of the plans need institutional support or have
college wide impact. For this reason, the PrOF process also informs the writing of unit plans as well as
planning and resource allocation at the college level.
There are three types of programs at the College, each of which is expected to undergo the program review
and planning process every four years. All types of programs will use the same PrOF form. However,
the data provided to each type of program differs, non-instructional programs will skip the questions
related to curriculum, and non-instructional programs may have student learning outcomes and/or
service area outcomes.
o
Instructional Programs: These are programs in which the major interaction between students and
CRC faculty/staff occurs in credit-granting courses. Examples include programs from Business to
Social Science and departments from Accounting to Work Experience. In the catalog, these are
usually called “Areas of Study.”
o
Student Support/Student Services Programs: These are programs in which CRC faculty/staff work
directly with students in a variety of settings other than credit granting classes. The catalog defines
student support services as those which “…assist students with career decision-making, problem
resolution, and goal achievement” (catalog p.9). This includes a wide range of services such as
Assessment, Counseling, DSPS, EOPS, CARE, Health, Library, Math Center, Reading Writing Center,
MESA/CCP, Student Development, Tutoring, etc.
o
Instructional Support/Administrative Services Programs: These are programs that indirectly
support teaching and learning. They include Admissions and Records, Bookstore, Business Services,
CASSL, Financial Aid, Planning and Research Office, Custodial Services, Instruction Office, etc.
The PrOF process is framed around the major strategic goals in the College’s Strategic Plan. These goals are
given below to provide a context for the PrOF process.
CRC College Strategic Goals
I. Student Success
As an institution that serves a diverse community, CRC strives to support student success, promote educational
equity, and offer programs that empower students to contribute to a just and democratic society as global citizens.
CRC provides students with access to high quality services that support their success and facilitate their transition
to work or further educational opportunities. CRC also offers instructional programs designed to meet the
changing needs of industry and our global economy and programs that enhance student learning and promote
educational equity. Finally, CRC supports and provides opportunities for student learning outside the classroom.
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II. Teaching and Learning Effectiveness
CRC strives to provide the highest quality instructional programs in transfer, career technical education, basic
skills, and general education, using the best current and emerging instructional methods and technology. CRC
promotes collegiality, data-driven decision making, continuous improvement, innovation, and flexibility to
support teaching excellence, facilitate educational equity, and promote the success of its diverse student
population.
III. Access and Growth
As a community-centered institution, CRC strives to be responsive to the needs of its growing and changing
community. To meet the challenges of a highly competitive postsecondary educational market, CRC pursues
every opportunity to enhance the student experience and increase community awareness of our teaching
excellence, student success, and educational leadership. To respond to the challenges of population growth,
CRC is committed to expanding capacity through outstanding facilities management, the development of new
facilities, the implementation of new instructional technologies, and the development of programs and services
that improve student success. To facilitate educational equity, CRC assures access by reducing barriers,
promoting diversity, and offering programs and services that provide equal opportunity for all of our students.
IV. Community, Economic & Workforce Development
CRC seeks to promote the health and economic vitality of the region. As a community resource, CRC
contributes to community life through partnerships, involvement in civic affairs, and programs that serve the
community. CRC also supports economic development through career technical programs and partnerships
with business, labor and industry.
V. Organizational Effectiveness
CRC endeavors to be responsive to its changing and increasingly complex environment and enhance
institutional effectiveness by continually assessing and improving its organizational processes. CRC also
implements practices that are consistent with its values of collegiality, sustainability, fairness and mutual
respect, innovation, participatory decision-making and continuous learning.
Overview of the Process: The PrOF process includes the examination and discussion of program data,
strengths, growth areas and the creative ideation of possible activities to strengthen the program in each of the
applicable goal areas. It is expected that all members of the program/department will engage in the PrOF
process – particularly in designing recommendations for the future.
Once the program has been reviewed, program faculty and staff will identify specific activities to strengthen
the program, outline the resources that will be needed for their implementation, and identify the college
strategies addressed by these activities. Program faculty and staff will also identify longer-term or collegewide planning issues that arise during the PrOF process.
Timeline: The PrOF is to be a collaborative process that needs to be completed during the fall semester in
preparation for the next cycle of unit planning and budget allocation at the College. The following timelines
are provided as a guide, and can be modified as needed to meet program needs. However, the timelines and
process needs to solicit feedback from the department and supervisor/appropriate administrator at least two
times so that the PrOF benefits from all perspectives.
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Spring 2009
Phase One - Evaluation of Program Accomplishments, Strengths and Challenges (September/October):
Identify the primary author/authors and set up a process and timeline for the process. Complete the initial draft
of “Program Identification,” “A Look Back,” data review, identification of strengths and weaknesses,
generation of planning ideas, and program outcomes assessment review and planning (Sections IA, IB, IC, ID,
IE, IF, IG). Drafts of these sections should be disseminate to the department and the supervisor/responsible
administrator for review and editing prior to moving on to the planning and resources phase of the process.
Phase Two - Planning and Resource Needs (November/December)
Complete the initial draft of the curriculum review/plan (instructional programs only) and the identification
of specific short and long-term program and college-wide planning agenda items (with associated resource
needs) (Sections IH, IIA, IIB, IIIA and IIIB). Drafts of these sections should be disseminate to the department
and the supervisor/responsible administrator for review and editing prior to moving on to the planning and
resources phase of the process.
This timeline and task analysis is illustrated in the following diagram:
PROF PROCESS DIAGRAM
AUGUST, 2009
Phase Two
(November/December)
Phase One
(September/October)
Program Identification,
Looking Back,
Data Review,
Identification of Strengths/
Weaknesses, Planning Ideas,
Outcome Assessment
Review and Planning
Curriculum Review and Plan,
Generation of Planning Agendas,
Identification of Associated
Resource Needs, Final Review,
Approval and Submission
Generation of
Initial Draft
Modify/Edit Draft As
Needed
Generation of
Initial Draft
Modify/Edit Draft As
Needed
Solicit Feedback from
Department and Supervisor/
Responsible Administrator
Solicit Feedback from
Department and Supervisor/
responsible Adminmistrator
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Spring 2009
COSUMNES RIVER COLLEGE
Program Review Report
Program (or Service) Overview and Forecast (PrOF)
Research Office
Signature Page
This PrOF process included departmental dialog
Department Vote: ________ Agree
yes
________ Disagree
no
_________Abstain
DEPARTMENT Chair Signature (Instructional Programs ONLY): ______________________ Date: ______________
Comments:
--------------------------------------------------This PrOF is complete
Yes
This PrOF process included dialog with the Supervisor/Responsible Administrator
No
Yes
Supervisor/Responsible Administrator Signature _________________________ Date _________
Comments about the alignment of planning agendas in this PrOF with program and unit goals and the
College’s Strategic Plan:
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No
Spring 2009
COSUMNES RIVER COLLEGE
Program Overview and Forecast (PrOF)
Research Office
PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION (Roles and Functions): If the program submitted a 2005 PrOF, it
is available via links at http://research.crc.losrios.edu/APR-Completed%20Profs.htm Please copy and paste
then review and edit your program description as needed from your previous PrOF. If the program did not
complete a 2005 PrOF, please describe the programs/disciplines/services included in this review and the
rationale for grouping them together (for example: Spanish, Sign Language and Vietnamese were grouped
together last time because they had the same program student learning outcomes and Financial Aid,
Admissions and Records, and Outreach were grouped together because the had similar functions and roles).
Response:
The functions of the Research Office include the generation and dissemination of College-wide
research reports and data, the facilitation of faculty and program-based research, survey development
and administration, and model development. These functions provide information and services that
support CRC's assessment of access and growth, student success, teaching and learning effectiveness,
program and service organizational effectiveness, and community and economic development.
A LOOK BACK
Describe key accomplishments, program changes or new program initiatives over the past four years and
identify the area(s) of the strategic plan (student success, teaching and learning effectiveness, access and
growth, community and economic development, organizational effectiveness) supported by each of these
activities.
Resources: The previous PrOF and unit plan documents may help with this task. Previous PrOFs are online
at http://research.crc.losrios.edu/APR-Completed%20Profs.htm Completed Unit Plans are available at
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/Planning/Unit_Plans.htm The student learning outcomes
assessment reports may also be helpful. Curriculum actions, as cited in SOCRATES, may also be helpful for
instructional programs.
Guidance and Suggestions: Think and dialog about program activities and initiatives over the past four years
that have been implemented to enhanced access, student success, teaching and learning effectiveness,
organizational effectiveness or contribute to community and economic development (see Guidelines to Getting
Started for strategic goals and pages 10-14 from the Strategic Plan for the strategies and initiative areas).
Examples might be: changes in scheduling, new delivery modes or new services developed in support of Access
and Growth, new courses or new degrees/certificates developed to support Teaching and Learning
Effectiveness and Community and Economic Development, and new evaluation methods, new/revised
processes, new materials, new equipment/supplies were designed and implemented in order to enhance Student
Success and Teaching and Learning Effectiveness, etc.
Response:
A review of the major projects conducted by the research office during the past three years indicates
the following distribution by project type.
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Spring 2009
Proportion of Research Office Projects by Project Type (2006-2008)
2%
11%
Research
Consulting
11%
8%
Programming
Data
68%
Model Development
These various projects support the college’s assessment of its effectiveness in its five strategic goal
areas. The approximate distribution of the projects by strategic area follows. It should be noted that
many of the college-wide projects include the analysis of enrollment and student success data, which
means they support the assessment of the College’s effectiveness in the areas of access and growth,
student success and teaching and learning effectiveness.
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Spring 2009
Proportion of Research Office Projects by Planning Goal (2006- 2008)
1%
9%
31%
Access and Growth,
Stud. Succ/T & L Effect.
Pgm./Svc. Organ. Effect.
Comm./Econ./Work. Dev.
Other
59%
A review of the 2006-2008 project list indicates that the workload of the Research Office has
increased significantly over the past three years. This is due in part to the creation of a new Dean of
College Planning and Research position at the college (whose responsibilities had previously been
one component of the Dean of Instruction’s position). This enhanced productivity also reflects an
increased emphasis on data-driven decision making at the college. The establishment of CASSL,
which was implemented in part to support faculty and staff inquiry projects, has also contributed to
the increased workload of the Research Office.
In addition, during the past four years the Research Office and CASSL websites have been
reorganized and enhanced, the Research Office has supported the assessment of GE SLOs and
program SAOs in several administrative services programs, the College Researcher has engaged in
several college-wide research studies about cultural congruity, academic self-efficacy and the
assessment of several college-wide SLOs, and the oversight of CASSL has been reorganized to
separate outcomes assessment and its other functions.
SECTION I - PROGRAM REVIEW
This section asks program faculty and staff to review numerical and descriptive information about the
program and to dialog about trends and patterns that are observed to identify a) program strengths, b)
program needs, and c) planning ideas to strengthen the program in the areas of student success, teaching
and learning effectiveness, access and growth, community and economic development and organizational
effectiveness.
Resources: Information relevant to
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Spring 2009
□ Instructional Programs is located at:
http://library.crc.losrios.edu/PrOF_Data_Packets/PrOf_Research_Program_List.aspx
□ Student Support/Student Services Programs is online at
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/Research_Office/Our_College/Student_Services_Inform
ation_System.htm
□ Instructional Support and Administrative Programs is online at
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/Research_Office/Our_College/Instructional_SupportAd
ministrative_Services_Information_System.htm
A PowerPoint slide show to assist with the analysis of the Instructional Data packets is online at
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Documents/research/PrOF_Chart_Documentation.pdf
Other data is available on the College Research Office web page at
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/Research_Office.htm
The student outcomes Assessments Reports, located via a link at
http://research.crc.losrios.edu/SLO_Assessment_Reporting_System.asp
may also be relevant to this section.
IA. Briefly list observations from the data and other numerical or descriptive information that indicate
program strengths. (Note: responses should include the data element and its relevance…for example:
enrollment in English has grown by 25% over the past four years which has enhanced productivity and
enabled us to hire new full time instructors or utilization of counseling has grown by 25% over the past
four years which has allowed us to hire a counseling supervisor).
Student Success/Teaching and Learning Effectiveness
Strengths: The College Research Office, with the support of the LRCCD Office of Institutional
Research and several external data sources, has access to and provides much information to support
the College’s assessment of its effectiveness in the area of student success and teaching and learning
effectiveness.
The College Research Office, in conjunction with the LRCCD Office of Institutional Research,
provides college-wide and disaggregated data about student success to the campus community.
College-wide success data is routinely disaggregated by ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status,
enrollment status, employment status, first generation status, and first time freshmen status. Finally,
studies about the success of cohorts of students based on course level, courses type, and enrollment
status have also been conducted. These studies have been conducted to assess special and/or new
programs, to more fully investigate institution-wide data that has raised questions or concerns, or in
response to special requests from program faculty or staff.
The Research Office also posts or includes links to relevant student success reports, such as the
ARCC, VTEA core indicators and IPEDS reports, on its web site and provides access to query tools
from a variety of sources to support individual inquiry into student success. Information about
certificate and degree completion and transfer is also available.
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Spring 2009
This information can be accessed via the College’s and District’s web sites. The data and studies also
inform the development of reports, research briefs, e-mails, articles in college publications and
presentations to various constituency groups.
Program level student success data is also provided to support the instructional program review
process. The Research Office has also obtained resources to convert PrOF to a web based form with
an underlying data base that will enhance its utility to Programs and the College. Course success rates
are provided at the program level and disaggregated by ethnicity, freshmen status, instructional mode
and course level. Certificate and degree attainment is also provided to help programs evaluate their
effectiveness.
The Research Office has also assisted with the development and implementation of the outcomes
assessment process through participation on the Outcomes Assessment Task Force and the creation of
a web-based form and the programming that extracts information from the underlying database to
generate a summary report. The Research Office also developed and conducted an assessment of
several of the College Wide SLOs. Some of this work was in conjunction with Jeanne Edman’s
Student Perception Survey. The assessment of GE SLOs, however, was an independent project that
included the development of a methodology, an online survey instrument, and working through the
technology so students could be invited via the email system to participate.
The Research Office has also worked with various instructional- and/or student-support programs to
support their assessment of program effectiveness. For example, the Research Analyst recently
assessed the success of students who were using the Reading and Writing and the Math Center. The
Research Office also worked with Counseling to assess the effectiveness of a new intervention that
had been implemented for students on probation and to analyze success rates for students who utilize
counseling compared with students who did not utilize counseling. The Research Office has also
worked with the Chemistry department to analyze the effectiveness of Chemistry 300 as a prerequisite
to Chemistry 400. The research office also provided information and consultation that have informed
the development and assessment of the Basic Skills Initiative and Educational Initiatives.
The Research Office has also supported the development, implementation and analysis of student
surveys designed to assess student satisfaction, student perceptions that might impact their success
and student learning. The Noel Levitz student survey, Jeanne Edman’s Student Perception Survey,
the GE assessment survey described previously, and the Accreditation Survey are several examples of
projects of this nature.
Access and Growth
Strengths: The College Research Office, with the support of the LRCCD Office of Institutional
Research, has access to and generates a wealth of information to support the College’s assessment of
its effectiveness in the area of access and growth.
The College Research Office, in conjunction with the LRCCD Office of Institutional Research,
provides college-wide and disaggregated enrollment data. College-wide enrollment data is routinely
disaggregated by ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status, enrollment status, employment status,
first generation status, and first time freshmen status. Special studies have been conducting regarding
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Spring 2009
the enrollment of students based on geography, course level and course type. In addition, studies of
various cohorts of students, based on course level, courses type, and enrollment status have also been
conducted.
Two studies have been conducted to inform the College’s decision making with regard to access and
growth. In particular, a geographical analysis of enrollment was conducted to identify potential
placement of an interim outreach center in Elk Grove. In addition, a survey of Amador County
residents was conducted to assess their interests. These results have influenced the identification of
courses that are offered in Amador County.
This data is available via the College’s and District’s web sites. The data also informs the
development of reports, research briefs, e-mails, articles in college publications and presentations that
are disseminated to various constituency groups.
Program level enrollment data is also provided to support the program review process for instructional
programs. Data about unduplicated and duplicated enrollment is presented and duplicated enrollment
data is also disaggregated by age, gender, ethnicity, educational goal, educational level, and course
level. Productivity data and FTE is also provided to assist programs evaluate their growth.
The Research Office has also worked with various non-instructional programs to support their
assessment of their program utilization and growth. The Research Analyst has developed specialized
Student Services Program Review packets for EOP&S, Care, CalWORKs, DSP&S that looked at
number of participants, academic performance, etc. They used these packets in the last Matriculation
Site-Visit. Up until a short while ago, CalWORKs used a “tracking system” developed by the
Research Office to monitor the student’s progress through the program. In addition, the Research
Analyst has written programs that generate Crystal Reports that provide information that helps student
support or administrative support programs manage, assess and improve their programs.
The Research Office also has access to the SARSTrack database that tracks usage of most student
services and support centers on campus. The Research Office has used this information to determine
if there is any difference in average course success rates based on how many times a student sees a
counselor.
Organizational Effectiveness
Strengths: The Research Office has contributed to and supported the College’s organizational
effectiveness in several ways. First and foremost, the Research Office has been able to meet all
research requests in a timely manner with appropriate levels of quality. This has supported the
development of grants, board reports, the accreditation self-study, college promotional materials,
state-wide reports, the strategic plan, and the implementation of the PrOF pilots. In addition, the
Research Office has facilitated the College’s ability to solicit input from students and staff through its
development and implementation of web-based surveys. The Research Office has also contributed to
the effectiveness of the College’s outcomes assessment process through its development of a webbased reporting form that has a summary reporting function. The Research Office has also supported
the effectiveness of Admissions and Records and the Instruction Office through its development of
several Crystal reports. The Research Office conducted a geographical analysis of enrollment
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Spring 2009
patterns to inform the College’s planning efforts regarding its development of a Center and conducted
an assessment of needs to inform planning related to courses that are offered at the Amador Learning
Center. Finally, the Research Analyst has consulted and provided training regarding mail merge and
printing labels to various offices on campus to support their organizational effectiveness.
The Research Office also has several strengths with respect to its organizational effectiveness. The
Research Office Dean and research analyst meet once per semester to outline and discuss the major
projects for the semester and maintain consistent contact via email, phone or face-to-face as needed
throughout the semester. The research analyst has developed a very effective system for tracking and
making progress on the major projects that have been identified. This allows the Research Office to
be responsive to the ongoing (and usually unanticipated requests) for information or research while it
accomplishes its major tasks and goals.
In addition, the Research Analyst and College Researcher meet regularly to discuss various issues and
projects and the Dean endeavors to have at least one meeting per semester with the Research Analyst,
College Researcher and CASSL coordinator.
The Research Office personnel endeavor to remain current and up-to-date through their participation
on list-serves, review of publications, and participation in the regional RP group. They are also active
participants in the LRCCD Research Council and have collegial relationships with those involved in
research at the other campuses.
The Research Office has also evaluated and modified its presentations to the College Planning
Committee. In particular, instead of providing an update about activities, the Research Office has
been sharing the results of studies that are pertinent to its work and efforts.
The Research Office, in response to an increasing number of requests from individuals outside the
college who wished to conduct research at the college, has also developed and implemented an
informal IRB process. This process has contributed to the development of a district wide-process.
Finally, the Research Office has obtained resources to convert PrOF to a web-based form with an
underlying data base, which will contribute greatly to the value and the organizational effectiveness of
this process.
Community and Economic Development
Strengths:
Although most of the work of the Research Office primarily support the other goal areas in the
strategic plan, several of these projects also support the College’s efforts in the area of community
and economic development. In particular, the information about the community we serve on our
website and in the strategic plan support the college’s efforts with respect to community and
economic development. In addition, we have on occasion provided information to help with the
writing and/or evaluation of grants, presentations about CTE programs, and CTE/online program
approval documents, all of which support community and economic development. The internal
provision of information to support PrOF, which enhances the program quality of CTE programs, also
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indirectly supports community and economic development. The Research Office’s work in support of
the Amador Learning Center and our own Elk Grove Center also has community and economic
development components.
IB. Briefly list observations from the data and other numerical or descriptive information that indicate
program areas that may need a response or change over the next four years. (Note: responses should
include the data element and its relevance…for example: Nutrition 300 courses are closed within four days
of the start of registration so students cannot complete their program requirements in a timely manner or
online inquiries to counseling have doubled over the past four years, which has strained our resources.)
Student Success and Teaching and Learning Effectiveness
Weaknesses: The effective dissemination and communication of student success research data
continues to be a challenge. Despite regular communication of information to the College through
emails and research briefs and posting of information on the web, the research office often receives
requests for information that is readily available to members of the campus community. In addition,
the Research Office continues to work to enhance the utility and presentation of the data needed to
support the instructional program review process.
In addition, the College’s ability to track its students once they transfer or enter the workforce is
somewhat limited. The Research Office is hoping that access to NSLC data and EDD data will
expand the College’s ability to assess its effectiveness.
The ability of the Research Office to provide information that assesses program effectiveness for
Student Support, Student Services, and Administrative Support programs is also limited, although it
has recently developed the capacity to conduct web surveys that assess student/employee utilization
of, and satisfaction with, campus programs and services. Surveys of this nature were recently
completed for Printing/Mail Services and Facilities.
Finally, despite increased workload and enhanced productivity, the staffing level of the research
office has remained relatively unchanged. In fact, any enhanced capacity achieved through the
creation of the Dean of College Planning and Research position has been offset and overshadowed by
the enhanced research agenda that implemented since she was hired. The creation of CASSL and the
CASSL leader position has had a similar impact. In addition, when the workload becomes excessive,
there is no rubric or process in place for evaluating and prioritizing the tasks.
Access and Growth
Weaknesses: The effective dissemination and communication of access and growth research and data
continues to be a challenge. Despite regular communication of information to the College through
emails and research briefs and posting of information on the web, the research office often receives
requests for information that is readily available to members of the campus community. It should be
noted that the Research Office was one of the first departments at CRC to have a web presence and
has been posting demographic and student success data on the web for over 12 years. In addition, the
Research Office continues to work to enhance the utility and presentation of the data needed to
support the instructional program review process.
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The ability of the Research Office to provide relevant information to student services is hampered by
the fact that the SARS Trak system is not an integrated to the PeopleSoft data base that contains
student enrollment and academic information. The assessment data base is also isolated from the
PeopleSoft database, which makes it difficult to answer higher level questions related to assessment,
enrollment and success.
At the present time, the Research Office is also not able to effectively support many of the
administrative support programs, although the Research Office has recently developed the capacity to
conduct web surveys that assess student/employee utilization of, and satisfaction with, campus
programs and services. Surveys of this nature were recently completed for Printing/Mail Services and
Facilities.
Despite increased workload and enhanced productivity, the staffing level of the Research Office has
remained relatively unchanged. In fact, any enhanced capacity achieved through the creation of the
Dean of College Planning and Research position has been offset and overshadowed by the enhanced
research agenda implemented since she was hired. The creation of CASSL and the CASSL position
has had a similar impact. In addition, when the workload becomes excessive, there is no rubric or
process in place for evaluating and prioritizing the tasks. Furthermore, although a web-based research
request form is available online, we have failed for the most part in enforcing that all research
requests utilize the form to assist in scheduling and prioritizing tasks.
Organizational Effectiveness
Weaknesses: As mentioned previously the effective dissemination and communication of research
and data continues to be a challenge. Despite regular communication of information to the College
through emails and research briefs and posting of information on the web, the research office often
receives requests for information that is readily available to members of the campus community.
Similarly, despite the dissemination of information and training, the research office is asked to
perform some tasks (such as making mailing labels and doing mail merge) that do not support its core
functions.
The ability of the Research Office to provide relevant information to student services is hampered by
the fact that the SARS Trak system is not an integrated to the PeopleSoft data base that contains
student enrollment and academic information. The assessment data base is also isolated from the
PeopleSoft database, which makes it difficult to answer higher level questions related to assessment,
enrollment and success.
At the present time, the Research Office is also not able to effectively support many of the
administrative support programs, although it has recently developed the capacity to conduct web
surveys that assess student/employee utilization of, and satisfaction with, campus programs and
services. Surveys of this nature were recently completed for Printing/Mail Services and Facilities.
Despite increased workload and enhanced productivity, the staffing level of the Research Office has
remained relatively unchanged. In fact, any enhanced capacity achieved through the creation of the
Dean of College Planning and Research position has been offset and overshadowed by the enhanced
research agenda implemented since she was hired. The implementation of CASSL has strengthened
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Spring 2009
the College’s ability to develop and sustain a culture of evidence at the college. As a result, faculty
and staff engagement in research has increased, which has increased the workload of the Research
Office and enhanced the sophistication and expectations of the users of our information. In addition,
when the workload becomes excessive, there is no rubric or process in place for evaluating and
prioritizing the tasks. Furthermore, although a web-based research request form is available online,
we have failed for the most part in enforcing that all research requests utilize the form to assist in
scheduling and prioritizing tasks.
In addition, the distinction and relationship between CASSL and the Research Office is somewhat
problematic and confusing for members of the College (including members of the research office).
Although the research analyst has been able to attend several training sessions, the workload and
budget of the research office have limited conference attendance and the formation of professional
relationships with the broader research community. Resources, workload and time have also
negatively impacted the implementation of new research tools and the development of new systems.
Although the Research Office is proactive about scanning the needs and initiatives at the College to
identify research that supports these efforts and is very responsive to research requests from the
campus, the efficacy of the Research Office might be strengthened if there was enhanced input into
the development of the research agenda by the campus leadership. This might enhance the
understanding of the role and visibility of the Research Office and could expand the implementation
and utilization of its results.
The Research Office was also hopeful that the College would benefit from the research projects
conducted by individuals as a component of their graduate studies. Unfortunately, despite requests
and good intentions, the Research Office has not successfully obtained abstracts or other reports from
these sources.
Finally, as the College’s planning structures and systems continue to evolve and mature, the need for
an integrated web-based outcomes assessment, planning and budget allocation process has become
increasingly evident. Although resources to convert PrOF and Unit Planning to a web based form
with an underlying data base have been obtained, the linkages between outcomes assessment,
planning and budget allocation would be enhanced, and the workload necessary to sustain these
efforts reduced, if the College expanded its capacity in the area of web programming through training,
the provision of new resources for existing personnel, or the acquisition of new personnel.
Community and Economic Development
Weaknesses:
Although we have enhanced our ability to provide information about the community we serve, this is
the most under-developed aspect of our operations. In addition, our external scanning capabilities at
this point synthesize information that is contained in various external sources. However, a review of
the student equity plan indicates that the College should conduct a more detailed examination of
community needs. At present, the Research Office does not have the capacity to undertake this type
of project.
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Spring 2009
IC. Based on the previous discussion of strengths and needs, briefly list planning ideas that could be
employed to strengthen the program. (Note: responses should include the relevant need and strategy…for
example: To enhance access to Nutrition 300, work with the Dean to modify scheduling, obtain release
time to create online sections, and work with the VPI to increase departmental FTE or develop new
materials in Counseling that enhance our ability to respond more effectively and efficiently to the increase
in online inquiries.)
Response:
ID. If numerical or descriptive information not provided by the Research Office was used, please list these
sources below:
Internal audit of work tasks that have been accomplished. Review of the Research Office website.
IE. Program Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and/or Service Area Outcomes (SAOs) are available via
links at http://www.crc.losrios.edu/About_CRC/Student_Learning_Outcomes.htm Copy, then edit or
develop and program outcomes to complete the appropriate table(s). Note – do not include the degree
and certificate outcomes! Add or delete rows as needed. If no changes were made, please indicate that
in the space provided. Resources to help develop outcomes are available via links at
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/CASSL/Student_Learning_Outcomes.htm
Program SAOs – Research Office
P-SAO 1: Increase the College’s capacity to access and analyze information
P-SAO 2: Conduct and disseminate high quality research
P-SAO 3: Expand the utilization of data-driven decision-making
P-SAO 4: Ensure research requests are completed in a manner that meet the needs of
the requestor (acceptable quality and by the due date)
P-SAO 5: Expand the accessibility and utility of data provided to inform program and/or
College assessment and improvement
IF. The Program SLO/SAO Alignment matrix (Table 5) from previous PrOFs are available via links at
http://research.crc.losrios.edu/APR-Completed%20Profs.htm Copy, then edit or develop the mapping
between courses or activities and the program outcomes to complete the appropriate table(s). Add or
delete rows or columns as needed. If no changes were made, please indicate that in the space provided.
Activities
Research Office Web Site
CASSL
Faculty Researcher
Research Briefs
PrOF data packets
SLO Assessment Support
Online PrOF development
Customized Research Requests
(including cohort studies)
P-SAO
1:
X
X
X
P-SAO
2:
P-SAO
3:
P-SAO
4:
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
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P-SAO
5:
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Spring 2009
Annual Reports
Assessment Validation Studies
Professional Development
X
X
X
X
X
X
IG. Outcomes Assessment Plan: Review the student learning outcomes assessment reports submitted by the
program over the last program review cycle as well as other local outcomes assessment information to
complete the table that follows. If a program outcome has been assessed during the past program review
cycle, comment on the status of the changes that had been planned based on the assessment(s). If the
program outcome has not been assessed, comment on when it will be assessed.
Program SLO or SAO
Assessed
during the
Program
Review Cycle
Status of
Planned
Changes
Not Assessed
during the
Program
Review Cycle
Planned
Assessment Date
IH. For Instructional Program Only! Please consult the Course Review status report from SOCRATES
at https://inside.losrios.edu/~intranet/cgi-bin/intra/curriculum/review_overall_full.cgi (log-in will be
required.) Please complete the table below for courses that need to be reviewed in the next four years.
Note: Academic Senate good practices require all courses to go through a full review at least once
every six years.
Not Applicable
SECTION II. PROGRAM FORECAST
IIA. Local, short-term program planning: Review the planning ideas previously identified in Section IC,
then generate at most five planning agenda items for the next four years - indicate the College
Strategies supported by these Planning Agenda Item. Suggested language for facilities-related
requests is available via the PrOF Facilities Guide link on
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/Planning/Other_College_Plans.htm
Planning Agenda Item # 1
Brief Description:
Brief Rationale:
Desired Outcome (should be measureable):
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Spring 2009
College strategy supported by this Planning Agenda Item #1 (see page 4 of
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Documents/planning/StrategicPlan_Overview.pdf )
Planning Agenda Item #2
Brief Description:
Brief Rationale:
Desired Outcome (should be measureable):
College strategy supported by this Planning Agenda Item #2 (see page 4 of
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Documents/planning/StrategicPlan_Overview.pdf ):
Planning Agenda Item #3
Brief Description:
Brief Rationale:
Desired Outcome (should be measureable):
College strategy supported by Planning Agenda Item #3 (see page 4 of
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Documents/planning/StrategicPlan_Overview.pdf ):
Planning Agenda Item #4
Brief Description:
Brief Rationale:
Desired Outcome (should be measureable):
College strategy supported by Planning Agenda Item #4 (see page 4 of
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Documents/planning/StrategicPlan_Overview.pdf ):
17
Spring 2009
Planning Agenda Item #5
Brief Description:
Brief Rationale:
Desired Outcome (should be measureable):
College strategy supported by Planning Agenda Item #5 (see page 4 of
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Documents/planning/StrategicPlan_Overview.pdf )
IIB.
Long Term or Broader planning agendas: Please identify any long-term planning agenda items
or any unit/college-wide planning agenda items that have arisen. Identify the college strategy
supported by these planning agenda items (see page 4 of
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Documents/planning/StrategicPlan_Overview.pdf )
SECTION III. RESOURCE NEEDS
In the previous section, planning agenda items were identified. In this section, the curriculum changes
and resource requirements needed to implement those planning agenda items will be enumerated. This
information will be used for the College’s planning and budget allocation processes.
IIIA. Instructional Programs ONLY! Summarize the changes in curriculum needed to implement the
planning agenda items. The curriculum table will be used to update the College’s Educational
Master Plan.
Curriculum Requirements
List Courses/Programs
New Courses
New Programs
Course Deletions
Program Deletions
Other
18
Brief Rationale for
Recommended Action
Timeline
Spring 2009
IIIB. Please complete a resource requirements table for the planning agenda items listed in Section IIA
above and indicate the priority and the approximate cost for each item. This information will be
used to produce the unit plans, which will inform the College’s planning and budget allocation
processes.
Planning Agenda
Item #1
Item or Description
Approximate
Cost
Additional Resources Needed
Priority (A – urgent, B –
high, C – important)
Supplies
Software
Computers/computer
related
equipment
Non-Computer
related
Equipment
New faculty
New classified staff
New student help
Facilities*
Other (research,
release time,
professional
development,
grants)
Utilization of Existing Resources
NA
NA
* see the PrOF Facilities Guidelines link on
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/Planning/Other_College_Plans.htm
Other
19
Spring 2009
Planning Agenda
Item #2
Item or Description
Approximate
Cost
Additional Resources Needed
Priority (A – urgent, B –
high, C – important)
Supplies
Software
Computers/computer
related
equipment
Non-Computer
related
Equipment
New faculty
New classified staff
New student help
Facilities *
Other (research,
release time,
professional
development,
grants)
Utilization of Existing Resources
NA
NA
* see the PrOF Facilities Guidelines link on
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/Planning/Other_College_Plans.htm
Other
Planning Agenda
Item #3
Item or Description
Approximate
Cost
Additional Resources Needed
Supplies
Software
Computers/computer
related
equipment
Non-Computer
related
Equipment
New faculty
New classified staff
New student help
Facilities*
Other (research,
release time,
professional
development,
grants)
Other
Utilization of Existing Resources
NA
NA
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Priority (A – urgent, B –
high, C – important)
Spring 2009
Planning Agenda
Item #4
Item or Description
Approximate
Cost
Additional Resources Needed
Priority (A – urgent, B –
high, C – important)
Supplies
Software
Computers/computer
related
equipment
Non-Computer
related
Equipment
New faculty
New classified staff
New student help
Facilities*
Other (research,
release time,
professional
development,
grants)
Utilization of Existing Resources
NA
NA
* see the PrOF Facilities Guidelines link on
http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Faculty_and_Staff/Planning/Other_College_Plans.htm
Other
Planning Agenda
Item #5
Item or Description
Approximate
Cost
Additional Resources Needed
Supplies
Software
Computers/computer
related
equipment
Non-Computer
related
Equipment
New faculty
New classified staff
New student help
Facilities*
Other (research,
release time,
professional
development,
grants)
Other
Utilization of Existing Resources
NA
NA
21
Priority (A – urgent, B –
high, C – important)
Spring 2009
22