ABE ARTICULATION STEERING COMMITTEE April 27th – 28th, 2006 Malaspina College, Nanaimo Campus Nanaimo, B.C. Attendees: Name: Glenda Hunter Barb Coombs Guests: Stephanie Oldford Patty Beatty-Guenter Sue Hanley Cheryl Porter Committee Members: Lesley Watts Patricia Corbett-Labatt Costa Karavas George Korman Alison Duperron Fred Cunningham John Harris Jill Auchinachie Jennifer Dreier Lana Stowe Robert Ferro Carol Schoen Brent Langlois Geoff Dean Gary Lawrence Gord Buzzard Larry Bolingbroke Kathy Hamilton Bryan Richards Sue Brigden Lee Emery Hilary Rourke Alison Bowe Marilyn Smitshoek Maggie O’Sullivan Absent: Bonnie Wai Dilbagh Dhammi College Malaspina (Chair of Steering Committee) Selkirk (Co-Chair) BCCAT Ministry First Nations Technology Council BCCampus NIC (Chair of English) NIC VCC (Chair of Mathematics) College of the Rockies College of New Caledonia TRU TRU – OL Camosun Camosun IIG – All Nations Yukon College Capilano College (Chair of Socials) Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (Chair of First Nations) Kwantlen VCC (Chair of Science) Malaspina NCC Okanagan University College TRU (Chair of Computers) University College Fraser Valley TRU Douglas College Camosun Douglas College SLP – Deans & Directors Ministry Capilano Colllege 2 The meeting was called to order at 9:03 am. Dean Dennis Silverstone thanked the Committee for the great work they have done on Adult Basic Education. Glenda Hunter (Chair) welcomed and thanked everyone for their work. Everyone introduced themselves. Minutes 2005 Mentioned from Chair that she has received emails from Committee members with corrections. Any further corrections or additions to the Minutes. Laurie Jensen was to be added to the Minutes in terms of attendance. Minutes 2005 was adopted and accepted. Agenda 2005 Members were asked if any additions or changes to be made to the Agenda. Bonnie Wai from the Ministry of Education was unable to attend the meeting. Her presentation will not be available at this time. Meeting dates and co-chair is to be discussed today (Thursday) rather than Friday due to some members not able to attend the meeting on Friday. 2005 Agenda was approved. INSTITUTION REPORTS Copies of the Institution Reports were sent by email to the Chair and will be distributed to Committee members. Selkirk College Last year enrollment was down 10 per cent. This year enrollment is down 8 per cent. Enrollment in Nelson is steady. This is due to withdrawal of funding through the various agencies. Students are choosing to work rather than go to school. All textbooks are supplied by our library. Many staff are retiring this year and we are hoping to bring in new people. Kwantlen College The Report distributed to members. This report does not include fundamental levels. Geoff Dean mentioned there are various courses being offered at Kwantlen including advanced level in the Math department. He is pleased that FTEs will be discussed today as it concerns ABE. There is an indication that we are reaching people for ABE, particularly those who do not have Grade 12. There are challenges to be faced which include retirement and transitions to universities; the pathways are great but could be a problem in the future. Failure rates are half. We need better assessments of courses. Students at the high school level need 90 per cent for an A and at the college level students need 80 per cent. The Chair asked about the graph. This is just a demographic graph. Thompson River College – Open Learning Enrollment is down. Students are not attending. It is hoped that enrollment will increase as potential students are made aware that open learning is available through TRU. Revision of courses is in the process. Concern was expressed of competition for open learning due to Athabasca University now offering open learning n various courses and degrees. This makes it hard to compete. This is now considered a Canada-wide open learning. 3 Camosun College Enrollment is up overall with a possible recruitment for more students. There is a continuing trend in English; we are losing students which has resulted in offering few sections. There is an increased proportion of part-time students and an increased number of students with multiple barriers. A study is being conducted for more accessibility to students. Some additional funding was accessed and work is in the process for financial aid and other funding. Textbooks are available in the library. Assessment – Many students are entering in at low levels. We need to set up alternate assessment procedures for English and Math. Students work in small groups and one-to-one discussions which works well at the fundamental level. The Assessment Center is piloting an online assessment for the writing part (essay). ABE Department has been broken into several departments and is coordinating with other departments to increase access to the college, particularly in the business and upgrade courses. Students who are in the trade programs struggling with the math skills can receive support and help with these skills. Camosun is continuing to offer Saturday mornings, evening courses and partners with First Nations. Registration has become complicated. We have hired an employee to simplify the registration. In the Nursing Program students who are on the waitlist are contacted take courses to become ready when they enter the program. We are contacting business offering employers to encourage employees upgrade skills. Some hotels in Victoria are thinking about working with the college in offering upgrade courses to employees. There was discussion concerning the advanced math course in that students must have at least Principals Math 11 to enter the Nursing program at the college. The ABE Steering Committee was asked to raise this concern about the math requirements for the Nursing Program since Athabasca Distant Learning is offering stats course without any prerequisite. Vancouver Community College – Co-Chair for Math VCC is about to create a nursing program for the future. Students entering the LPN program need to obtain an A in order to enter the program. VCC continues to be tuition-free for students who have graduated from high school. Funding still available for ESL students. There is a decline in enrollment, however, other programs are growing, particularly in hospitality and trades. The campus will be tripling in size with construction starting in Fall for Phase 1; Phase 2 will be starting 2010. VCC has developed new courses for new immigrants in high school in English and ABE courses. Any one who would like more information about the new course can contact Jane Parker at VCC. Essential skills for trade program – technical training for workplace consists of math, reading and field trips. Michele McLeod is the coordinator for this new course. Question – Does VCC have international students taking courses. VCC has had very few international students this past year. The trend seems to be less and less. There seems to be smaller schools, particularly in the Vancouver, that is marketing international students. 4 Yukon College The enrollment has declined a little this past year. In ABE advanced enrolments have been good using video conferencing with 12 community campuses. We are offering Math and English and will be offering Science through internet. In the fall, Yukon piloted trade-related Math and Science exam. This seems to have worked well and will become part of regular offering as well as some electives that will be career-related. Funding is $300 per semester and $150 per course. Next year the college campus will be closed for 3 weeks as we will be used as the athlete village for the winter games. Okanagan College There is a need to remove tuition fees for all high school students with revision of admission and evaluation. Better cooperation with other departments in college community and operation. We have a few pilot projects with the introduction to college studies which is a one week presemester for all students. Another pilot course is the supplemental instruction course for first year English. There is a supplemental trades math course being developed. We have 150 volunteers in the community promoting the college. Admission requirements have changed – lower admission requirements now. Students complete the upgrades through the high schools in order to enter into programs rather than through the college. There is a change in student profile due to declining enrollment, having to adapt and change which require support. Students are working. We need to work with flexible classes, evenings, alternative schedules in order to attract students to the college. Space is an issue that needs to be addressed. Assessment – we are looking at ways and tools to better assess students. College of New Caledonia Enrollment has increased at regional campuses. Advanced and provincial courses are attracting students. There is an issue with multi-cultural society where students are being sent to ABE rather than ESL Most of the courses are instructor-led. We do not offer any courses during the summer which seems to be an issue with students who would like courses to be offered during the summer. We have a large number of students entering into the health-related programs who do not have lab preparation. All courses are tuition-free with class sets of textbook available in the library. Students pay a computer and tech fee for all courses. The college has asked that provincial chemistry be a prerequisite to enter the health programs. There is considerable concern about some lay-offs and how it will affect programs. Capilano College There is great support for ABE at this college. We have seen a decrease in enrollment, particularly at the North Vancouver campus. English classes are not as full; math and science courses are growing. The Squamish campus is growing rapidly whereas the Sechelt campus remains quite small. We are seeing more multi-varied and severely disabled students and are not sure how to deal with this issue. Capilano is offering courses in socials and advanced math with ABEL courses online. 5 Douglas College Enrollment has been steady. Fees are substantial – 2.2 per cent. All health care programs are moving to the other campus. We have managed to keep programs full, seeing more and more younger students, especially high school. Students need to upgrade English 12 and are having to attend Douglas College to upgrade as they are not prepared for first year. We are offering foundation courses which allow students to combine reading/writing courses with upgrade courses at the same time. This has been successful. Prebusiness foundation program integrates reading, math, writing, computer and upgrade of business courses to start in September. Assessment is a large component with students going through several departments for assessments. Accuplacer program is a successful program that is used for assessing students. Scores are articulated for specific skills with subscores within this program for assessments. Kwantlen College is considering using Accuplacer assessment for trades. All students are asked to write the Acculacer assessment at Selkirk College in Nelson. This uses all aspects of math and reading comprehensive tool which provides excellent results. Northwest Community College Northwest Community College has new initiatives – essential skills for work for First Nations. There has been a loss of funding relating to First Nations at the fundamental level – English, career planning, math, essentials skills for work. Basic skills are offered combining with a 4-6 week of work experience for First Nations. This has been well accepted in the First Nations communities with very strong attendance. It is still a pilot program having to create simulated work experience due to high unemployment in the First Nations. It is a successful program (3 months) extending to Terrace and Smithers. We are working on a trades access program which ran in Prince Rupert spread over 2 semesters for students wanting to do trades combining it with shop and safety skills. Question: How many hours are students taking classes? Classes are 4 ½ hours per day. Nicola Valley The report was distributed to members. Each page was briefly summarized. Enrollment was a struggle this year as students needed all courses to graduate. We have had to drop courses due to low enrollment. We are working closely with administrating, looking at stronger modular learning and job-specific trades. We are also working closely with the local school district to have high school students take some ABE courses through the college. We have not had to justify to save the ABE program. We are offering some language courses for First Nations. Elders are in residence for student consultation as well as elder involvement at all levels. North Island College The enrollment is steady at the ABE level. We are not meeting government target and are trying ways to attract more students. Tuition continues to be free for ABE students. Students have to buy own textbooks and lab fee. UT courses have WebCTs for instructors to post assignments, online math and online provincial physics courses. We are offering business courses, upgrade courses for health field to attract as many ABE students. We are also looking at Accuplacer for student assessments. Intermediate Math is now online except the test. Students can purchase physics lab kit for home but must obtain permission. 6 University College Fraser Valley – Abbotsford Campus Class time is flexible with classes running two weeks longer for contact time with students. CCP will be moved to Chilliwack which is a concern as it is located on the outskirts towards Cultus Lake. Most students come from the downtown core. Trades is also moving to Chilliwack. There is a push for university status but nothing has come of it yet. Summer semester was offered for the first time last year which will provide three full semesters for students and a 300 per cent increase in FTEs. It has also increased enrollment as students can continue to work and not lose the math skills. Adult Special Education has a work place task for adults with special needs, offering fundamental skills. We will not be able to offer that program due to no space at Abbotsford. There is a good connection with community due to outreach in community schools. There is an increased number of multi-barrier students. Night courses are over-enrolled. We will be conducting course review with a need for more consistency in assessments in business and tech math courses. Thompson River College TRU has completed its first year under the new name. A new collective agreement has recently been signed with faculty members. Departments have more responsibility with a 3 year program plan. Student enrollments are down this year which predominately at the lower fundamental level. There is a concern about attrition and money not available for ABE regional courses. There is an initial learning community program to support First Nations students in first semester. Departments are involved in supportive learning and first year experience in student focus groups. There is a marked increase in utilization of university prep centres by students coming for extra help due to the work of the coordinator. The Centre has instructors and work study tutors. The micro lab has drawn students for helping completing assignments. There is a general feeling of anticipation and optimism of a move for open learning activities in Kamloops to be completed by Spring of 2007. College of Rockies Numbers are down about 10 per cent. We are offering some online courses for provincial English. There is discussion of Essentials English going online. Building construction is in place for trades. Tuition fees are continuing to be free but are referred to as student and tech fees. We are not using Accuplacer as we have hired within the Faculty Association to do the assessments. This allows observation as students take the assessment test and track students for 2-3 years after they have graduated from programs. ABE students are assessed as well. We have 7 regional campuses with one under review. Malaspina Malaspina has a peer tutoring program for students of multi-barrier and learn network for students who need help. This is working very well as it brings a good network of students. Enrollment seems to be fine at the moment. We have evening programs. Students going into health sciences can access courses day and evening. We have a teaching and learning centre for Faculty which provides a good feedback from peers. Research needs to be done in the classroom with students concerning failure rate. The Chair will provide more information if anyone is interested. This will help to address these concerns of students failing. We have an elder in residence for student consultation and will be very valuable with peer mentoring, elder 7 mentoring and faculty mentoring for evaluating students. This is our strategic plan for future ABE students. Gord Buzzard asked the committee for a favour as he has chosen Articulation as his thesis topic. Motion: Request evaluation of courses when change of mode of delivery. This was defeated at the last meeting. Many courses have not been evaluated for a long time. Gord has done some preliminary research on this topic for his thesis. He requests a small working committee be formed so that he can report his findings – how do they work; which ones might apply to the ABE system, review and renewal structure. This is where good ideas can be shared. The Chair reminded members about the tour to the Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary at the end of the meeting on Thursday, April 27th. There will be some handouts provided for the tour. BCCAT UPDATE (Stephanie Oldford) Stephanie Oldford provided a powerpoint presentation of BCCAT and its website of Education Planner which provides some marketing and programs in ABE. The website provides information concerning admission requirements, tuition, overview, application deadlines, etc. Stephanie asked how many members were aware of Education Planner website as it is a good advising tool to let students in the school system become aware of this website. There will be a redevelopment of the website with a new logo for BCCAT. This will aid students as a communication tool to explain the BC Transfer Guide. The Education Planner is not just for public institutions but also private institutions have access. There are currently 4 private institutions in the transfer system which increases transfer opportunities for students to private institutions. There has been many changes, reorganization and changes to the transfer model. Stephanie compiled a summary of the social activities and guests at Articulation Committee from past meetings. The Articulation Handbook needs to be reviewed as there are many questions concerning ABE changes received every year. Stephanie asked members to look at the Articulation Handbook and submit any changes for improvement. She expressed concern that BCCAT does not always have information from the Articulation Committee of new chairpersons or members retiring. She would like to offer each Articulation Committee a home page where Minutes of Meetings and Reports can be submitted. BCCAT also has a course outline template for university transfers. It was suggested that an ABE English course template be on website as a tool. Another suggestion was to market BCCAT and transfer system for students to be able to transfer to different colleges for courses particularly for those working students. Location of meetings can be problem particularly in the lower mainland. Some meetings are on a rotation basis. The Articulation Committees decide what is best. BCCAT co-markets and partners with BCCampus which would be more efficient even though separate agencies. Communication is extremely important. One issue was raised concerning Articulation between other provinces. Redesignation is something to think about. Institutions wanting to offer degrees must consult with BCCAT as there are stipulations and policies regarding out-of-province institutions who are offering degree programs for transfer and/or accreditation. 8 The Chair thanked Stephanie for her presentation. Counting FTEs (Patty Beatty-Guenter) Patty thanked the Committee for inviting her to the meeting. The whole development area of education is being worked on. How does this affect 21 institutions is part of this project which began in February 2003. 2005 will have the first official FTE Report. New FTEs are a measure of student spaces, not a measure of cost, nor a measure of institutional effort. This is studentfocused and method is out of date. She mentioned different kinds of approaches and inconsistencies. She provided a detailed explanation of the differences in reporting of FTEs. Patty distributed a handout for members which provided examples. There will be changes from hours to credits, program length, coding be moved to a standard code called CIP to bring in line with other projects and jurisdictions. Langara and BCIT do not have an ABE program as they offer certification programs which are short programs that use 450 hours to get 1 FTE. Initial results were that 4 had to resubmit data; 11 were down and 11 were up in data. This is a new method in counting FTEs. Overall as a province STE went up 4 per cent. Apprenticeship was a struggle in the new method but not part of the targets. Contracts and cost recovery are included in this new method. Patty suggested to make a subcommittee to work with the Ministry. There was considerable discussion concerning FTEs particularly students who stop and start courses. Students can reregister for courses such as fundamental math. There is a course stable date which means that it provides 2 weeks after enrollment date to catch students who have come into the course after two weeks – it reflects reality. Maggie O’Sullivan has offered to work with Patty on the subcommittee. Cathy, Larry and Jennifer D were recognized for service. Provincial Math Credentials (Robert Ferro) Robert Ferro posed the question: does the Committee have any suggestions or strategies concerning students transferring whole programs or courses to universities. It was suggested that courses be taken at college for first year and then transfer to university. ABE students are welcome but must contact Registrar or Deans of Departments. There was discussion and concerns expressed on this issue. VCC offers to ABE students a first year course for transfers. Universities go by high school transcripts. It was suggested that a representative from the Articulation Committee go to University meetings to advise them what the colleges are doing and present the university representatives with the Articulation Handbook. BCCAT Website offers an excellent document entitled ABE Students Transferring to Universities. WORKING GROUP REPORTS Social Sciences A handout of the Minutes of the Meeting were distributed. The Chair provided highlights of this meeting. She asked the Steering Committee for direction on FTE, students taking online courses, mode of delivery be identified on the transfer guide. Distant courses are on BCCampus. It was suggested that the Articulation Handbook be used to find courses. BCCampus is advertising courses but not actually offering them. Item 8 hopes to identify what social science courses are currently being offered online and the Chair will compile a list of what is being developed right now. 9 Computer Studies The meeting was held in Burnaby BC. Enrollment remains low. We are developing a computer assessment test as there is a great demand for computing assessment tests for students entering the program. Some colleges are having mixed classes – online/instructional and involvement of First Nations. BCCampus supports WebCT based courses but there is concern of exams. ABE students need one-on-one contact rather than online. Other highlights of the meeting were briefly summarized from the handout. The Chair reminded members to think about dates and location for next year’s meeting. Date: April 27 and 28, 2007. Location was not yet decided. Education and Career Planning Committee Report. The Co-Chair provided a brief summary of this report. There was concern raised on the issue of employment outcomes and how the data will be used. This report was presented by PowerPoint for discussion. A document was distributed concerning grant money. Bonnie Wai’s Report from the Ministry is included in the Math Report. Outcome study results will be available end of March English A brief summary of the report was presented at the meeting. Motion – Support the Articulation of Provincial Essential English 056 at Northwest Community College with changes recommended (corequisites and poetry). There was discussion concerning the last set of Minutes. First Nations Report A handout was distributed to members. A subcommittee was formed to organize learning outcomes. A copy of Vision Statement was attached. There are four courses currently being offered – First Nations literature, health and education and two language courses which are at provincial and advanced level. Motion (Brent) – To Articulate all four courses. Recognition of First Nations learning must be developed with community development. The Chair provided a summary on the native literature for First Nations. Motion – The First Nations and other ABE articulation working groups will work collaboratively to acknowledge First nations community driven and developed programs, courses and learning outcomes. Carried. Barb Coombs suggested that First Nations courses be identified in the Transfer Guide as a First Nations course and included in the Articulation Handbook. Courses that First Nations take in other areas such s science should be consulted and approved with that department. Every course must be co-articulated – stand-alone First Nations courses and courses that are transferable. It was mentioned that in the Minutes that there is an administrative dean for Thompson River, not academic dean. This correction was noted. 10 Fundamentals Seven new or replacement members Motion: We recommend that whenever possible online instruction at the fundamental level is supported by face-to-face instruction. Motion – We recommend that the BCCAT ABE course outline template be completed and submitted for ABE courses. New Articulation – Break courses into manageable chunks and continuing funding for them for student success. Math (Robert Ferro) It was noted in the Minutes of the grading system. There is not too much for the long range planning. It was suggested to look at common themes for next year. There is a problem with provincial math not being accepted at UBC. The Chair asked about a template for learning outcomes. The Minutes of the Math Working Group are attached. Science Motion – That all science sub-committees within the next three years will review the core content and revise where appropriate. Minutes attached. Motion – That each set of Working Group Reports be accepted. Carried. NEW ITEMS Barb Coombs mentioned the Dogwood Program. She suggested we should revisit with no changes but open it slightly. We should look at work experience which is accepted in the school system and include it in the Dogwood Diploma program. Some courses such as First Aid is not on the list and should be included in the diploma; continuing education courses requiring certain amount of courses of instruction be included. It was suggested that a working committee be implemented and report back to the Steering Committee. A number of members have volunteered to be on the committee (Sue, Barb, Cathy and Fred). ABE Students Post-Secondary Grading Schemes The Co-Chair made a brief presentation concerning this issue. It is a good idea to ask for raw scores as well as letter grades which would go to the Registrar level. There are some differences in letter grades such as an A being 95 per cent in some institutions and 80 per cent at others. Discussion followed. Students receive a T222A for income tax for tuition – full-time and part-time. The Chair suggested that working group reports be submitted n a consistent template being submitted to Deans and Directors meeting. If you have any concerns, members can talk to her. 11 There has been an offer to go to Kelowna for the next ABE Steering Committee Meeting. Gord Buzzard has offered to let his name stand as Co-Chair next year. First Nations Technology Council (Sue Hanley) This report was presented by PowerPoint. Sue Hanley explained briefly each page. Progress between First Nations in communities has been phenomenal. This would connect communities of First Nations with technology. It would promote distant education with remote communities and train health professionals in First Nations such as E-Health and video conferencing. A brochure was distributed for all to peruse. - provide eco-tours - role – lobbying government – integrating community and programs - program delivery of FNTC Conference; Education is a crucial part of bridging the gap. - priority – working on providing internet to all communities. - FIT – Fully Integrated Technology – seen as a means to integrate all services within the community - It will provide qualified tech support to communities and ongoing computer training for citizens The whole community is connected to build relationships with other areas (business, health) - NVIT Pilot is working on education and work experience with 3 weeks at NVIT; use of hands-on and provide mentors. - Strategy Plan – to find more corporate sponsors. Most communities have education coordinators to help with distant learning BCCampus (Cheryl Porter, Coordinator for ABE at BCCampus and Online Program Advising Group) There are 3 proposals and 1 new course (Advanced English and Provincial Biology) that meet learning outcomes. BCCampus is working closely with English and Biology subcommittees. Also 2 proposals in Fundamental English and Fundamental Computer Studies; Advanced Computer studies will be reviewed t meet learning outcomes – material not changing. Students had to purchase physics lab kits at $250 – this is a concern as the price is too high. It is best for students to learn in class but some can’t get into a class; online works well and sometimes BCCampus is the only option for these students. Cheryl mentioned to keep the flow of communication open with the Steering Committee. There are 10 institutions involved with BCCampus ABE with funding being a concern; FTE overall met. Non-institutions do not receive block funding and to look at formula to offset support costs for ABE students doing courses elsewhere rather than home institution. Courses are live courses set up with student passwords to enter the site. Instructors of courses must be consulted before access obtained to those courses. Question – what is mixed delivery – a bit of online and a bit of face-to-face. Question – Will there be ASAP funding for students to purchase kits – Yes, it is part of course requirements; therefore eligible for funding. This is being reviewed for the physics course/lab. The Chair asked if there were any other questions or concerns. There needs to be more clarification about BCCampus and are prepared to make courses work. If there are any institutions wanting to join BCCampus, send Cheryl Porter an email. BCCampus is trying to encourage all ABE coordinators to get students registered and enter grades into the BCCampus system. Students when registered receive a welcome letter and 12 personally meet individual students. There is a help desk/support for students working online with BCCampus website. Question – How does the fee structure work?. Students pay home institution fees Question – How successful is BCCampus? Registration is up by over 70 percent for ABE students for this year across the province. We offer 5 new courses as students need to work and this is an option for them to complete courses. Technical support is a help desk to help students with computer tech support. If students are having trouble while online, they can access support from instructors. FTE from registration counts get some funding. The home institutions receive the FTE but the teaching institutions receive the block funding which comes from the Ministry. Students must follow home institution policies. Question was asked concerning tests – all institutions have people invigilate tests. BCCampus is constantly looking at the demand of courses to meet the needs of students (Biology for the health field and Advanced English) A new brochure is being developed that will list courses and coordinators for contact. Question - Is there a course evaluation? It is up to the instructor to do a course evaluation and student survey. The Chair thanked Cheryl Porter for coming and for her report. The document on Federation of Post-Secondary Education of BC is available to read it anyone is interested. The Chair asked for volunteers to work on sub-committee for working committee summary to look at Minutes, ABE Articulation Value Statements, ABE Articulation Policy Review All Minutes from the Steering Committee and Working Group Reports to be sent to Stephanie Oldford at BCCAt and Bonnie Wai at the Ministry. Geoff Dean suggested to open nominations for co-chair. It was also suggested to wait and set up a nominating committee for next year so that it will give people time to think it through. Glenda Hunter was thanked for chairing and hosting the Steering Committee Meeting.