Foreign Languages Department
College of Humanities and Arts
Program Planning Committee Report to the Provost
Academic Years 2003-2007
July 24, 2009
The Program Planning Committee (PPC) appreciates the Foreign Languages Department’s efforts in following the new program planning guidelines in the preparation of its self-study report. The Department did a good job on the executive summary. The Foreign Languages
Department offers five bachelors degrees (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish), two master degrees (French and Spanish), eight minors (Chinese, French, German, Spanish,
Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Portuguese Studies).
The PPC commends the Department for its success in obtaining external funding through the
Title VI Grant Award, additional scholarship funds, and endowed programs. The PPC congratulates the Department for receiving the Provost’s Assessment Award in spring 2007. The
PPC also acknowledges the following significant additions since the last program review: 1)
Media Center and Smart Classroom with video conferencing capabilities to offer distance learning and hybrid courses; 2) three new computerized placement tests in: Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese; 3) on-line courses in French; and 4) tutoring program for its bachelor degree students.
The Foreign Languages Department has laid a good foundation for its assessment activities, having not only developed student learning outcomes and assessment plans, and collected data for all its programs, but also having made changes to the program based on the data collected.
The WASC team in their March 2007 visit encouraged all programs to put greater focus on program (rather than course) assessment and use data (course and other sources) to evaluate the achievement of program outcomes at graduation. Should the Foreign Languages Department need help with assessment activities, the Director of Assessment and College Facilitators are available to provide support and suggestions. In accordance with the 2006 Program Planning
Guidelines, in the next program cycle, the self study should include program assessment plans, the university assessment reports, and an evaluation of the results of assessment efforts with particular attention to modifications that have been made to improve student achievement of learning goals and outcomes.
The final step in the program planning process is a meeting with the Provost Sigler (or her designee), Vice Provost for Academic Budgets and Planning Nance, AVP of Undergraduate
Studies Cooper, AVP of Graduate Studies and Research Stacks, Dean Toepfer, and Department
Chair Dominique van Hooff. The department should contact Svetla Ilieva in the Office of
Undergraduate Studies to schedule the final meeting. The following topics for discussion are summarized from the reports:

Mechanisms for meeting the needs of students without hiring additional faculty in each of the languages offered

Department name change

Use of technology such as the creation of more online courses and improvement of department website to better advertise its programs and resources

Paths for developing a university-wide second language exit requirement
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
Development of alumni tracking system

Use of teaching assistants to help with faculty workload
If the Department would like to propose other issues for the meeting, please discuss the appropriateness of the topics with your Dean.
The Program Planning Committee recommends acceptance of the self-study. The self-study provided a good examination of the issues for subsequent reviewers. The next program review for all programs in the Foreign Languages Department is scheduled for AY 2011-2012, with the self-study due in spring 2011.
2008 - 2009 members:
Debra Caires
Mary Calegari
Elaine Collins
Bob Cooper
Beverly Grindstaff
Mohamed Fayad
Xiaolu Hu
Thuy Le
Quynh Lu
Berkeley Miller
Bill Nance
Dan Perales
Annabel Prins
Lori Rodriguez
Jackie Snell
Pam Stacks
Gary Stebbins
Patricia Stroh
Sutee Sujitparapitaya
Shailaja Venkatsubramanyan
Ashwini Wagle
CC: Dominique van Hooff, Chair, Foreign Languages Department
Karl Toepfer, Dean, College of Humanities and the Arts
Mike Adams, Associate Dean, College of Humanities and the Arts
Beth Von Till, Chair, Curriculum and Research
Bob Cooper, AVP Undergraduate Studies
Pam Stacks, AVP Graduate Studies and Research
Bill Nance, Vice-Provost
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Appendix: Summary of Program Planning Report for the Foreign Languages Department
Self-Study -- Academic Years 2003-2007 (Submitted January 22, 2008)
Executive Summary

The Foreign Languages Department offers the following degrees: B.A. in Chinese; B.A. in French; B.A. in German; B.A. in Japanese; B.A. in Spanish; M.A. in French; M.A. in
Spanish.

The Department offers minors in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish,
Russian, and Portuguese Studies.

The Department also offers study in the following languages: Arabic; Greek; Hebrew;
Latin; Punjabi; Russian, and Vietnamese.

Enrollment increased from 313.40 FTES and 17.70 FTEF (2003) to 425.9 FTES and
20.60 FTEF (2007).

Degrees awarded increased from 27 (AY02/03) to 33 (AY06/07).

Number of majors increased from 139/122 (Spring03/Fall03) to 183/182
(Spring07/Fall07).

Significant additions since last program review: o Foreign Languages Minor for International Business in Chinese, French, German,
Japanese, and Spanish o Instruction in Arabic o Intermediate-level language classes for Department’s 5 B.A.s as core GE courses o French 102B as an Advanced GE course and as an on-line course o On-line, individualized courses in French o Spanish 4A and 4B (Basic Spanish) as video-based courses o Faculty-led study abroad programs to Cuba, Mexico, and Spain o Tutoring program for 5 B.A.s o Collaboration with Global Studies major to asses the students’ intermediate language proficiency required for Global Studies o Requirement of 2 college-level courses in a second foreign language o 3 new computerized placement tests in: Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese (paid for by Title VI Grant) o Mandarin Chinese added in the Single Subject Teacher Preparation to French and
Spanish o Department Chair secured Title VI Grant shared with Global Studies totaling
$166,191 (2005-2006). Money enabled Dept. to install video conferencing equipment in its Smart Classroom.

Synopsis of Previous Program Review Recommendations o Select an Associate Chair. Recommendation recognizes challenges of chairing
Dept., however, no real analysis of how this position can be financed was provided.
o Create mentoring program for junior faculty.
This is currently being done for new hires and will be done for future hires.
o Look at Goals and Objectives in light of the Standards for Foreign Languages
Learning: Preparing for the 21 st Century.
Department believes that the current program goals and objectives in the Dept. are appropriately aligned with national standards.
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o Revise Dept.’s assessment plan and provide OPI training for all faculty.
In
2007, Dept. received assessment awards from the Provost for excellence in student learning assessment. There are no current plans to provide OPI training for all faculty due to budget constraints.
o Improve the Media Center.
In 2006, the Dept. opened a state-of-the-art Media
Center and created a Smart Classroom with video conferencing capabilities to offer distance learning and hybrid courses.
o Increase level of funding for departmental operating expenses.
Dept. received the Title VI Grant for $166,191; $12,000 added to the “Paula” Scholarship fund; created new scholarship endowment for $25,000; Dept. currently working on increasing two partially endowed programs in Hebrew and Portuguese.

Curricular Recommendations o Chinese

To handle increasing enrollment and the single subject credential option in
Mandarin, a new hire is needed.

Findings from the analysis of assessment data in fall 2006 indicated the need for a new textbook package. This is currently being implemented.
o French

Orient the curriculum toward translation, create specific purposes and political and social culture courses; offer existing courses in these subjects on a more regular basis

Build a track leading to a certification in translation o German

Diversify upper-division course offerings and streamline current courses o Japanese

Based on the analysis of assessment data in spring and fall 2006, the program needs more audio and visual aids; data from spring 2007 indicated no need for further change.

Continue tutoring program o Spanish

Continue tutoring program and increase number of hours to meet increase in demand

Expand range of curricular offerings

Revise catalog listings

Offer courses in summer

Continue graduate student research and presentations at professional venues

Department wishes to change title to: Department of World Languages and Literatures

Student Recommendations o Want stronger commitment and support from College and University to create a language requirement or language graduation requirement that will enhance student competitiveness in an increasingly flat world. o Chinese

Continuation of Chinese student club to promote cultural events and films. o French

Offer more distance learning courses
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
Explore partnerships with other CSU campuses to deliver instruction by video-conference

Offer summer courses o German

Promote study abroad
 Maintain tutoring program o Japanese

Promote study abroad

Increase funding for overseas travel o Spanish

Hire new faculty

Sponsor academic conference on campus

Start newsletter o French and Spanish

Encourage graduate students to teach as Teaching Associates n the elementary language program

Support students financially to present papers at conferences

Faculty Recommendations o Chinese: Hire another professor for 2009 or 2010 o French: Hire ASAP a tenure-track faculty member with expertise in literature and translation o German: Have (quasi) permanent lecturer who teaches at least 2 classes every semester o Japanese: Has sufficient faculty. Offer a credential program and possible MA program o Spanish: One new hire for fall 2009 and another for 2011

Resource Recommendations o Dept. needs more faculty (see above) o Release time for advising responsibilities o University provide additional funds to Dept. to allow Coordinators of Dept.’s largest programs to get release time o Increase Administrative Assistant Support II from a .75 position to a full position paid through General Fund.
Summary of External Reviewers’ Report dated May 20, 2008
The external review was conducted by Edith J. Benkov, San Diego State University and Michelle
Yeh, UC Davis.
General Comments

The reviewers expressed their admiration for the accomplishments of the Dept.
Governance
 The reviewers applauded the current chair’s dynamic leadership.

Recommendation: Assigned time for program coordination. Allocate .20 to
Spanish and .20 to French, Japanese, and Chinese on a rotating basis. Include
German in rotation when program expands.
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Assessment

The reviewers congratulated the Dept. on receiving the Provost’s Assessment Award in spring 2007.

Recommendation: Adopt a more consistent approach in assessing the programs.
All programs adopt the ACTFL scale for measuring student learning in language.

Recommendation: Assign specific assessment tasks to faculty members other than the course instructor.
Foreign-Language Exit Requirement

Recommendation: Have a university-wide second-language exit requirement.

Recommendation: BA students should be required to graduate with a proficiencylevel of at least 3 semesters of a language other than English.
Name Change

The external reviewers support the Dept. in changing their title.
Curriculum

MA programs o Recommendation: Offer a “career counseling” workshop that includes scenarios for the thesis vs. examination option.

Curricular revisions o Recommendations for Chinese Program

Offer a wider variety of courses, such as Chinese film, Chinese calligraphy

Explanation of grammar should play a stronger role in language courses

Offer 3-day instead of 5-day language courses to better accommodate working students o Recommendations for French Program

BA Level: Reconfigure the literature courses (French 120A and
120B) to offer a complete “survey” of French literature

MA Level: Rethink course structure of French 250-260-270-280 to add flexibility in course scheduling.
o German Program: The reviewers recognized the challenges of a major with only one tenure-track faculty member.

Recommendation: Provide students with a feasible 2-year program.
o Recommendation for Japanese Program
 Expand course offering to include courses such as Kanji and calligraphy o Recommendations for Spanish

Increase course offerings in a stable rotation

MA level: Offer more courses with a focus on Latin American literature and culture.

To pursue a translation emphasis, the program would need an additional faculty with this specialty.
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Class Size in Language Courses

Recommendation: Class size should be kept to no more than 25 students in order to maintain the quality and effectiveness of language teaching.
Interdepartmental Collaboration

Recommendation: Expand the Dept.’s role in the Global Studies major and
European Studies major.
Courses Taught in English

Recommendation: Introduce a few lower-division GE courses in English which the reviewers feel will generate student interest in learning more about the subject area and, generally, promote language learning.
Faculty

The reviewers were impressed with the overall quality of the faculty and their many activities.

Recommendation: Provide more release time for research.

Recommendation: Additional tenure-track FTEFs for: Chinese, Spanish and
French; Japanese (if MA developed); German

Recommendation: Allocate .20 release time for Spanish coordinator and .20 release time (on a rotation basis) to other language coordinators.
Students

Recommendation: Increase the number of TAs. For TAs to be successful, increased mentoring and training would be necessary. Coordinate syllabi and exams across sections to make academic experience the same.

Recommendation: Identify possible areas for double majors and develop some targeted publicity to encourage them.

Recommendation: Tracking of alumni should be done systematically to develop a network of information and resources. Solicit alumni donations for specific program needs, especially to enhance Dept. extracurricular activities.
Resources

Recommendation: Add a .5 staff

Recommendation: All language courses should be scheduled in rooms that are appropriate to its pedagogies.
Individual Program Needs

Chinese - Recommendation: A new tenure-track FTEF be allocated to Chinese in the near future to increase the variety of courses offered, engage in campus community, and bring fresh vitality to the program.

French - Recommendation: A tenure-track FTEF will be needed in light of the anticipated retirement of one faculty member.

German - Recommendations: 1) Offer additional upper division courses to help facilitate interest in the major. 2) Increase lecturer taught sections so that program is not in a “lock step” mode and also further enrollment growth. 3) If program
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demonstrates continued growth, recommend adding a tenure-track line to replace the lecturer.

Japanese – Recommendations: 1) Hire more tutors. 2) Establish a certification program,e.g., in translation, with the necessary resources.

Spanish – Recommendations: 1) More course offerings. 2) Add more TA taught courses. 3) Hire at least 1 tenure-track faculty in the next 5 years.
Summary of College Committee Report (not dated)
 The College Committee supports the external reviewers’ recommendation that assigned time be instituted for program coordination.
 The Committee endorses the external reviewers’ recommendation that there be a second language requirement for undergraduate students at SJSU. An exit requirement would close the transfer loop whereby some SJSU students complete their studies without ever taking a foreign language.

The Committee supports the changing of the name of the Dept. after consultation with other departments or administrators who may have advice to offer on the subject.

The Committee fully understands the financial implications of recommending that the
College and University find ways to support the Dept.’s need to reduce class size in order to maintain the quality of its language instruction and ability to compete. However, without such support, the Dept. and its students will suffer in real, tangible and measurable ways.

The Committee supports hiring additional tenure track faculty in order to reduce class size, meet increasing student demand for courses in languages, literatures, and cultures programs, maintain standards of academic excellence and administration, and redistribute more equitably advising responsibilities.

The Committee commends the Dept. for its continued growth and admirable service to
SJSU and urges the College and University administration to work with the Dept. to find creative solutions to meet its needs within an era of diminishing resources.
Summary of Dean’s Report (dated March 19, 2009)
 The Dean views that the College Committee’s recommendations for small class size and hiring of new faculty are almost rote recommendations for every department undergoing program review. Such recommendations serve to weaken the significance of program review and perpetuate the perception that program review is a lot of documentation that does not help to make departments more successful in educating students.

The Dean notes that a proficiency requirement in a second language for graduation is commendable, but to implement such a policy would entail a tremendous expenditure of effort by the Department. Vice-Chancellor Reichard has suggested that to implement foreign language requirements with any expediency means involving Presidents, provosts, and deans throughout the system. If some presidents establish foreign language requirements as a priority, then Vice-Chancellor Reichard believes the system will adopt such requirements. The problem is how to approach and engage President Whitmore.
The Department along with the Dean should seek the counsel of the Provost’s office.

The College Committee makes no mention of the role of technology in shaping the future of the Dept. The Dean’s recommendation is that the Dept. consciously strive to increase its online curriculum delivery by at least two courses per year, urge students to construct
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web sites or e-portfolios that display their increasing mastery of languages, and enhance the Dept.’s web pages so that these assume a stronger pedagogical function, engage students through expanded interactivity, and project the image of the Dept. as distinctive and exciting.
 The College’s decision to hire a full time web developer should prove helpful to the Dept. in achieving these goals.
 The Dept.’s ability to attract external funding (either grants or donations) will depend on an impressive web documentation of its talent and achievements and on its capacity for pedagogic innovation involving digital technology.
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