Annual Instructional Dashboard Trends –January 6, 2011 Planning Document E TRANSFER
ANNUAL INSTRUCTIONAL DASHBOARD: PROGRAM TRENDS
TRANSFER PROGRAMS
2010-2011
Discipline /Dept.:
Geology
Date:
Is this program / department reviewed by any other agency?
Yes
No
4/16/12
X
Please describe:
1.
Enrollment: (Core Theme 1: Access & Diversity)
All aFTEs by discipline
Enrollment target for next year
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
29.775
29.22
28.665
28 aFTE
Comments/Analysis of Enrollment Trends: Annualized FTEs have decreased as more fully online sections are
offered. This decrease is due to the smaller course capacity for online classes (25 students). Online sections are
extremely popular and fill every quarter, often with waitlists. The program consistently offered 10 sections per
academic year, including Summer Quarter.
2.
Staffing: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
Average student : faculty ratio for transfer
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
18.88
22.29
21.50
Student: Faculty Ratio per discipline
18.88
22.29
21.50
FT faculty :PT faculty ratio
Technical Support (e.g., the number of lab
assistants, technicians, etc.)
2.94
3.91
4.00
0
0
0
Comments/Analysis of Staffing Trends: There is one tenured faculty member, teaching three sections Fall and
Winter Quarters and two sections Spring Quarters. There is a part-time faculty member available who can teach
a section when waitlists are extremely long or when another section is needed Spring Quarter. There is no
support technician.
3.
Financial Status: (Core Theme 5: College Stewardship)
2007-08
3- year cost per aFTE per discipline
(Note by discipline and not program; also
includes tech support)
Program revenue (fees, other)
2008-09
2009-10
$2,363.90
$2,005.46
$2,079.19
$6,250.00
$6,250.00
$6,250.00
Comments/Analysis of Discipline Financial Trends: Revenue figures are estimated based on a $25.00 lab fee
per student. The program has a Goods and Services budget of roughly $5000.00 per year, while Maintenance
and Support costs averaged roughly $19,500 for the three years under consideration. Supplies and Equipment
costs for the same period averaged $2,000. The program appears to be in good financial shape.
Annual Instructional Dashboard Trends –January 6, 2011 Planning Document E TRANSFER
4. Student Success by discipline: (Core Theme 1: Educational Attainment and Student Success)
For face-to-Face
instruction
Class completion rate
by discipline by each
Qtr (% starters
finishing with 2.0)
% starts receiving a W, V,
I or Z grade
% starts who achieve a
<0.7 grade
% starts who achieve a
<2.0 grade
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
--
89.66
83.87
73.33
--
81.48
77.42
94.44
--
78.57
87.5
67.74
--
3.45
3.23
3.33
--
3.70
6.45
0.00
--
3.57
3.57
9.68
--
0.0
0.0
8.33
--
3.70
8.06
0.00
--
3.57
1.79
9.68
--
6.90
12.90
13.33
--
11.11
8.06
5.56
--
10.71 7.14 12.90
For online instruction
Class completion rate by
discipline by each Qtr (%
starters finishing with 2.0)
% starts receiving a W, V, I
or Z grade
10.42% starts who achieve a
<0.7 grade
% starts who achieve a <2.0
grade (P=2.0)
2007-08
69.2
60.5
52.3
2008-09
57.7
79.2
45.8
68.0
2009-10
75.0
72.7
62.5
71.4
41.7
7.69 23.26 1.36 11.54
4.17 20.83 20.00 4.17
9.09 10.42 14.29 8.33
5.13 9.30 13.64 9.23
2.08 10.42
4.0 4.17
6.82 10.42 7.14 4.17
12.82 6.98 22.73 11.54
12.50 22.92
8.0 6.67
11.36 16.67 7.14 45.83
For hybrid instruction
Class completion rate by discipline by
each Qtr (% starters finishing with 2.0)
% starts receiving a W, V, I or Z grade
% starts who achieve a >0.7 grade
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
Insert lines
% starts who achieve a >2.0 grade (P=2.0)
Comments/Analysis of Student Success by discipline: Students appear to generally do well in the geology
courses, although a significant percentage of students accept grades lower than 2.0 rather than withdraw. Since
passing at many transfer institutions is between 1.0 and 2.0, it would seem that many non-science majors simply
want the credit for the lab science class. Geology 101 is one of the few lab science classeses that is not in
extremely high demand from allied health students and appeals to many non-science majors.
The success rate for the online sections of Geology 101 is signifiantly lower than for the face to face sections.
This could result from students having unrealistic expectations of an online course, perhaps substantiated by the
very high rate of withdrawals. Students also may find that they need more help than is available in an online
class. It will be interesting to see the statistics for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, to see if these trends continue.
5. Discipline Excellence: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
Comments
Describe how the discipline is kept up to
date.
In response to high student’s demand for online lab science,
Geology has moved more Geology 101 course offerings online in
Annual Instructional Dashboard Trends –January 6, 2011 Planning Document E TRANSFER
Describe the adequacy of facilities, including
classrooms spaces, labs, equipment, etc.
Describe the level and breadth of staffing,
including faculty qualifications and key
professional development activities.
the period 2007-2011. In the last 2 academic years, two sections
of Geology 101 have been offered every quarter including
summer quarter. Usually, one section of Geology 101 or other
introductory geology course with lab is still offered in fall and
winter quarters. These sections also have an online components
and resources. The full-time tenured geology faculty is keeping
discipline content current by being engaged on a consistent basis
in professional development activities especially in the area of
elearning including participation in several elearning faculty
learning communities and elearning and geology conferences.
Curriculum and teaching tools are constantly updated in both the
online and f2f sections following best practices in elearning and
Quality Matters (QM). Service-Learning components have been
added to two f2f geology courses that are taught at least once a
year.
There is one classroom/laboratory (2920) with a small attached
storage area that is dedicated to geology. It is crucial for
teaching needs for the face-to-face sections offered and shared
with Geography and other disciplines when not in use for
geology classes.
There is one tenured faculty member, Emanuela Agosta. Dr. Agosta has
a PhD in Earth Sciences (Volcanology) from the University of Perugia in
Italy and a “Laurea” degree in Geological Sciences from the University of
Rome. She is active in local and national professional organizations such
as the Northwest Geological Society, the Association for Women in
Geoscience and the Geological Society of America. She also participated
and presented at geology national conferences such as the 2009 annual
meeting of the Geological Society of America in Portland, OR and in
science regional Institutes and faculty learning communities (FLC) such
as the Bioregion Initiative Institutes and FLC lead by the Washington
Center’s for Improvement of Undergraduate Education in 2008, 2009
and 2010-2011. She also recently presented at the ATL conference in
May 2012.
Received Grant from National Science Foundation to present on
Shoreline’s Service Learning projects in Boeing Creek External recognition of faculty and/or
discipline?
What are the strengths of the discipline?
List the discipline’s student learning
outcomes (if established).
Describe how the discipline assesses
student learning.
How has the discipline used the results of its
program assessments for program
improvement?
“Monitoring the Fluvial System of Boeing Creek (Shoreline, WA): A
Service Learning Opportunity” at the Annual Meeting of the Geological
Society of America held in Portland, OR.
Published a teaching activity in the SERC database of Carleton College as
part of the work of the Bioregion Initiative Faculty Learning Community.
High academic standards, high-quality teaching in both f2f and
online learning, a commitment to student success, and the
incorporation of service learning are hallmarks of the program.
These can be found in the MCOs for each Geology courses and in
course syllabi.
Exams, homework assignments, laboratory reports, photo or
video journals, lab practicals, online discussions, students’
presentations, field projects.
N/A First year report
Comments/Analysis of discipline excellence: Dr. Agosta has been one of the leaders in eLearning in the Science
Division and her energy and enthusiasm communicates itself directly to her students. Her passion drives her to
Annual Instructional Dashboard Trends –January 6, 2011 Planning Document E TRANSFER
keep her courses current. She is a leader in corporating service-learning into her courses, which really helps
students see how the discipline is relevant intheir lives.
6. Partnerships and External Relations: (Core Theme 3: Community Engagement)
Comments
Relationship to transfer institutions,
including articulation agreements, etc.
What are the ‘like’ disciplines at nearby
colleges?
Discipline support potential from partners?
Discipline’s connections at SCC or other
colleges? Linkages to the Five Star
Consortium?
K-12 linkages?
All SCC Geology courses are accepted at all transfer institutions.
Geology is offered at all neighboring community colleges,
including, North Seattle, Seattle Central, South Seattle, Bellevue,
Cascadia, Edmonds and Everett Community Colleges.
N/A
At SCC, the discipline with more connections with Geology is
Geography. Collaborations are ongoing with geography faculty
especially in terms of sharing teaching space and materials and in
the Service-Learning arena.
The geology faculty also has professional connections with all
geology faculty colleagues of the neighboring Puget Sound area
community colleges and some Universities. She also manages the
Northwest Earth Science Listserv, a network that connects
geology faculty and professional geologists in our region.
Geology faculty has offered assistance to K-12 teachers, and
brought materials and gave presentations at local K-12 schools
science fairs.
7. Contribution to the College Mission (Core Theme 4: Access & Diversity)
2007-08
What is the ethnic diversity in the
discipline?
White
Pac. Is
Other
Nat. Am
Nat. aw
Multi
Hispanic
Asian
Alaska
African
Blank
138
0
4
1
2
12
1
56
0
10
20
2008-09
2009-10
125
1
7
2
4
18
1
53
1
12
26
103
0
13
2
1
10
2
43
0
9
64
8. Summary of Curriculum Changes in the past year: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
Activity
List
GEOL&110
Courses Added
Explanation for Activities Undertaken
Geology&110, Environmental Geology, is a new lab
science geology course created and offered for the first
time at SCC in winter 2010. Its creation responded to the
college’s interest and commitment to offer more courses
Annual Instructional Dashboard Trends –January 6, 2011 Planning Document E TRANSFER
in the area of Sustainability and Environmental Issues.
Courses Deleted
GEOL& 103
GEOL 201
Courses Modified
N/A
GEOL&103, Historical Geology, has not filled when
offered. GEOL 201, Geological Study Tour, is a study
abroad class that has not been offered for many years.
Planning sheets are updated yearly by the Science
Division Academic Advisor, Joyce Fagel in collaboration
with the Geology Faculty. All sheets were updated to the
new format last year.
Planning Sheets
Revisions
Other Development
Activities
N/A
Non-Traditional
Delivery Courses
N/A
Unmet Needs
N/A
PLAN:
Analysis of curriculum change in the past year: Geology has responded to the college’s commitment to
environmental concerns by creating a new Environmental Geology course. Classes that have not filled or have not
been offered in many years have been dropped from the course offerings. Curriculum updates to keep material
current are done in an ongoing fashion. eLearning best practices are incorporated into the online sections.
9. Other Influencing internal and external factors: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
Describe any non-college-related (external) factors that have significantly influenced your discipline during
the last year:
The program was one of the earliest to respond to the need for fully online lab courses. Students from
other colleges and universities take geology 101 online at SCC as it is one of the few fully online lab science
courses taught anywhere in the region.
The Geology and Geography programs have partnered with the City of Shoreline Surface Water and
Environmental Services Program to conducts stream monitoring field work/service learning student projects
at Boeing Creek in several geology and geography courses.
Describe any college-related (internal) factors that have significantly influenced your discipline / department
during the last year: The program was one of the earliest to respond to the need for fully online lab
courses. In response to this need and students’ demand the ratio of offerings between f2f and online has
been shifted to 2:1 (online vs. f2f). Geology 101 online is currently the only fully online lab science course
that is offered every quarter at SCC.
10. Summary of Goal Attainment in past year: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
Discipline Objectives from last year
Accomplished/ Still in progress? Modified?
Improve online lab assessment by
means of revision of online lab
assessment tools
Accomplished by creation of new assessment tools (online lab
photo or video journals)
Annual Instructional Dashboard Trends –January 6, 2011 Planning Document E TRANSFER
Incorporation of Quality Matters (QM)
standards in online courses
In progress.
Comments/Analysis of goal attainment in past year:
Online lab photo/video journals have proved to be a very successful assessment tool to document
student’s work in online labs and assure both the academic integrity in students’ lab work and students’
achievement of lab learning outcomes.
Faculty has been engaged in the work of in several elearning faculty learning communities in the last 2
years (including the SCC award-winning Science elearning Community SeLC) and in “Best Practice
Teaching and Learning Online “. These professional development activities have informed her work in her
own online classes and lead to the incorporation of many of the QM teaching standards and online
teaching best practices. Faculty member is also scheduled to participate in QM formal training course in
summer and fall 2012 and is planning to have the Geology 101 course go through the QM formal
evaluation process in the near future.
11: Online learning by discipline: (Core Theme 4: Access & Diversity)
# of totally online courses
developed
Online headcount
Online annualized FTEs
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
1
1
1
152
16.89
144
16.00
144
16.00
Comments/Analysis of online learning by discipline: There is only one fully online course in Geology, GEOL&101.
There are two sections of this course offered every quarter, including Summer Quarter. Classes fill quickly and
there are normally long waitlists. This is one of the few lab science courses that is offered in a fully online modality
and Geology 101 online is currently the only fully online lab science course that is offered every quarter at SCC,
hence is very popular with non-science major students who wish to fulfill a laboratory science distribution credit
online.
12. Hybrid learning by discipline: (Hybrid = some displaced class time with web-based learning.)
# of hybrid courses developed
Hybrid headcount
Hybrid annualized FTEs
2007-2008
0
0
0
2008-2009
0
0
0
2009-2010
0
0
0
Comments/Analysis of hybrid learning by discipline: There are no hybrid course offerings in this discipline.
GENERAL COMMENTS: The program is notable for an outstanding tenured faculty member who is able to
juggle the demands of keeping a program current with little institutional support while communicating an
infectious enthusiasm and love of geology to students enrolled in program courses. Dr. Agosta’s success is easily
seen in the large numbers of students who sign up to take her classes.