COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONAL
PROGRAM REVIEW FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES
2008
A collaborative summary with contributions from faculty at Moreno Valley, Norco
and Riverside campuses
Nov 7 ’08 v1
A. Mission and Relationship to the College
The Life Science Discipline fulfills the missions of the Riverside Community College
District as well as the individual missions of Riverside City College, the Moreno Valley
Campus and the Norco Campus by offering a variety of general education courses for
non-science majors, allied health courses for pre-professional students in addition to UC
and CSU transferable courses for our science majors.
As part of RCCD’s mission to provide “accessible and comprehensive post-secondary
education,” the Life Science Discipline has worked to increase student access to
prerequisite courses required for professional programs. In support of the district’s
strategic initiative to increase student access to higher education, the discipline offers
open lab sections (BIO 96, 97) to any student enrolled in a life science lab course. These
open lab sections provide students with the opportunity for additional lab work as well as
study and review time. We have also attempted to increase the number of prerequisite
courses offered, as facility and faculty resources allow. Moreover, consistent with the
RCCD’s mission to “assist those who can benefit from…tutorial and supplemental
instruction for underprepared students” the Discipline has begun to offer Supplemental
Instruction (SI) in select courses. Efforts have been made to expand the number of
sections and courses that offer SI, but these efforts have been hampered by intrinsic
constraints within the SI program (i.e. funding and the availability of qualified SI
leaders).
Since the 2005 Program Review, the Life Science Discipline has begun offering sections
of the Discipline’s majors-level courses (Biology 11 and 12) at all three campuses, in
order to comply with RCCD’s mission to “provide transfer programs paralleling the first
two years of university offerings.”
The discipline has many facets that support the district strategic initiative to improve the
quality of the student experience including the offering of field biology courses, the
development of a new Human Biology course, as well as majors-level courses at all three
campuses. Additionally, the Discipline is involved in active collaborations with K-12
institutions, four-year colleges and universities as well as businesses and community
partnerships, some of which provide intern and research opportunities for students (see
sections F and G).
The discipline has also created desired student learning outcomes for each Life Science
course and has implemented an assessment process to measure these desired learning
outcomes (see section E) in support of the district’s strategic initiatives and mission to
improve student learning outcomes.
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B. History
The Life Science Discipline had three major goals listed in the 2005 Program Review:
1. Increase the number of courses offered in high demand at all campuses
2. Increase the number of courses offered for Biology majors at all three
campuses.
3. Design and implement a course-based assessment plan for all major Life
Sciences courses that were offered at all three campuses.
These goals were created on the recommendation of the discipline, which specifically
focused on supplying enough Anatomy and Microbiology courses to meet the student
demand and also on increasing the number and type of courses offered for Biology
majors in preparation for separation into individual campuses.
Since 2005, the discipline has developed and completed an assessment for the Biology 1
course. Additionally, the assessment for the Health Science course has been developed
with the preliminary data already collected in the second week of the current (Fall 2008)
semester and a timeline is being established to construct and carry out assessment for
Anatomy 2A and 2B, Microbiology and the majors-level courses Biology 11 and 12 (see
Section E, Table 4). With the cooperation of discipline faculty at all three campuses,
these additional course assessments should be completed within the next three academic
years.
Each campus has responded to goals 1 and 2 by developing various activities and projects
according to its budget, full-time faculty equivalent, and classroom limitations. The
activities taken to address the Discipline’s goals are listed below.
Moreno Valley:
The general recommendation to increase sections of anatomy was not possible at
Moreno Valley due to lack of additional anatomy lab classrooms and anatomy
faculty. Moreno Valley has also been limited on adding biology courses for
majors due to lack of qualified full-time faculty.
With the budget, faculty and facility limitations, Moreno Valley has focused on
changes that do not require anatomy lab usage and can be accomplished with the
current number of full-time faculty. In addition, some of the changes were
intended to enhance the campus’s health career focus:
 Biology 11 (Cellular Biology for majors) is now being offered on a
consistent basis each spring semester.
 A new course (an alternative to BIO-1), Human Biology (BIO-17), was
added by the discipline in the last three years in response to the growing
demand for Life Science and Health Science courses. The Human
Biology course fulfills a prerequisite in General Education area for science
courses with a laboratory, and is in the process for approval to be
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
transferable to UC and CSU. Also, this course has been added to the
Wellness and Physical Education Emphasis area, and will be offered in the
Fall 09 on Moreno Valley campus.
The hiring of one new full-time faculty as a Biology and Health Sciences
instructor enabled the Moreno Valley campus to offer more sections of
Heath Science 1 with a cap of 40 students, and an Introduction to
Biotechnology (BIT 1) course that has been taught during the Spring
semesters of 2007 and 2008.
Several improvements have been made in the last three years to improve the
quality of Life Science courses at Moreno Valley campus:
1. A water filtration system was purchased for use in Biology 11,
Microbiology, Human Biology and General Biology labs. Pure water is
essential for running experiments such as DNA gels that are sensitive to
pH or mineral contamination.
2. An Oxygen Bomb Calorimeter was purchased to add new experiments
on counting calories in food in the Biology 11, Human Biology and even
Chemistry courses. The equipment may be used as a demo in Health
Science classes as well.
3. Three sets for the running of protein gels have been purchased in the Fall
of 2008 to enrich Biology11 and Biology 12 labs, as wells as
Biotechnology (BIT 1).
4. In order to address safety and ventilation issues coming from the
autoclave, the exhaust was installed in the Science 256A (Microbiology
prep room).
Norco:
The Life Science faculty has increased to five full-time Faculty members. This
has enabled the expansion of the science curriculum to include the Biology majors
tract of Biology 11 and Biology 12. Norco continues to expand science offerings
with the addition of all classes except Biology 2A & 2B (Zoology), Biology 3
(Field Botany), Biology 9 (Natural History of Southern California) and the new
Biology 17 (Human Biology). Norco also has increased efficiency of science
classes by utilization of large lecture class instruction.
The computers in the anatomy lab have all been up-graded and approximately
$90,000.00 has been spent on new equipment to enhance the teaching of both
Biology 11 and Biology 12. This equipment has multiple uses and, consequently,
can be used to enhance the teaching of other courses in the Life Sciences as well.
Our goal at Norco is to offer all of the Life Science courses listed in the College
Catalog. With the completion of Phase 3 we will gain at least two additional Life
Science labs which should enable us to accomplish this goal as well as expanding
enrollment in existing classes.
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Riverside:
To address the high demand for some courses, the Riverside City Campus has
requested additional faculty positions and resources to accommodate an increase
in enrollment. Additionally, laboratory and classroom supplies are being
increased where possible to accommodate increased enrollment.
To address the goal of increasing the course offerings for students who plan to
major in Biology, the Riverside City Campus attempted to increase the offerings
of our majors-level courses. Unfortunately, the additional sections offered during
this one semester trial period did not fill. Outreach programs including grants
funding research opportunities at UCR have been undertaken to introduce
Biology/Science majors to professional research.
In addition to this progress, repairs have been made to the greenhouse. This
facility can now be used for class or lab projects. With additional upgrades, the
greenhouse facility could be used for student research projects.
C. Data and Environmental Scan
In general, the data provided to the Discipline for the environmental scan section were
not adequate to draw meaningful conclusions. Much of the information was inaccurate
and some of the data that were to be provided by institutional research were not, in fact,
provided. The following lists illustrate the problematic data:
INACCURATE DATA
 GPA calculations include “W” grades which gives a false low GPA
 Sum of Enrollments values—“Other” category is undefined
 Retention Rates:
1) “F” grades should be in the numerator just as “NC” grades as student may or
may not have continued attending class to the end.
2) “I” students should be excluded from the Retention Formula as this reflects a
group of students who due to some emergency situation could not finish the class.
As these students later complete the course after they complete their IC contract,
how is this reflected in the data?
 Success Rates:
1) “I” grades should be eliminated from the equation as they have not been shown
to be successful or unsuccessful
2) The “number of students” was duplicated for LS courses with separate Lecture
and Lab sections. Since the students are only given one grade for a lecture/lab
course, only those students enrolled in the lecture portion of the course
should be counted. This gave false low values since it showed twice as many
students enrolled as actually received a grade.
 Missing Data: The data for every other semester is missing for certain courses
making the calculated values that use these data inaccurate. For instance, the data
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indicate that Moreno Valley has offered only one Anatomy 2A and one Anatomy
2B course in the evening during the past five years when they have actually
offered one of each during every semester. Additionally, the day sections were
left out. The Moreno Valley campus offers four sections of Anatomy 2A and one
section of Anatomy 2B during the day every Fall but there are no data for the
Anatomy 2B sections offered during the day for those semesters. Moreover, there
are data for only three of the four sections of Anatomy 2A. This leads us to
conclude that with all of these missing data, the information is not accurate
enough to be useful.
REQUESTED DATA THAT WAS NOT RECEIVED
In the 2005 Life Science Program Review, the following information was requested
for utilization in future program review documents but has not been provided:
1. How many students who have taken Life Sciences courses at RCC
are accepted into Nursing, Physician Assistant, Dental Hygiene, or
other vocational programs? (data on transfer rates do not include these
individuals)
2. What is the success rate of students in vocational programs (such as
those mentioned above) for those students who took their prerequisite
Life Science courses at RCC compared to those who took those same
courses at another institution?
Although we know these data are more difficult to obtain, we feel it would be
a more relevant measure of success or lack of success for many of the courses taught
in our discipline and we would still like to have this information provided.
Overall Trends for the Life Sciences Discipline: Student Success
Given the errant Student Success data provided to the discipline, meaningful analysis is
not possible.
Table 1, below, shows the enrollment trends for ethnic groups based on “Valid Grades.”
Students of African-American and White ethnicity appear to be decreasing in number
from Fall 2002 to Spring 2007 while the enrollment of students in the Asian group
(Asian, Filipino, and Pacific Islander) and Hispanic group is increasing. The significance
of these enrollment trends is difficult to interpret since it is likely that these may reflect
the current population influx trends within the local community and may not be a valid
indicator of any actions within the discipline. It is difficult to surmise the reason for this
trend without knowing the overall trend for the district.
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Table 1. Enrollment Percentages for indicated ethnic groups based on Valid
Grades and summed over all three campuses.
Percent by Semester
Sp 04 F 04 Sp 05 F 05
13.2 11.9 12.4 10.1
Ethnicity
African Am
F 02
12.2
Sp 03 F 03
10.3 10.7
Sp 06 F 06
9.1
9.4
Sp 07
8.3
Asian/Fil/Pac
13
14.7
15.7
15.4
15.7
17.9
18.3
16.2
19.1
19.4
Hispanic
28.4
27.8
29.4
26.9
28.9
27.8
30.4
32.4
31.6
32.2
Native Am
.6
.9
.9
.4
.5
.6
.3
.7
.6
.8
White
40
40.2 37.7 38.3 37.8 35.3 33.9 34.4 32.9 32.5
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Enrollment trends in specific courses are difficult to ascertain from the provided data due
to the lack of information regarding numbers of students turned away from full courses,
wait-lists, and different rooms used per semester with differing cap sizes. The addition of
student numbers on course wait-lists would be particularly helpful in future program
reviews to assess this value.
Enrollment increases in the Life Sciences Discipline currently are limited by laboratory
space (particularly at the Moreno Valley and Norco campuses) and/or the number of
available full-time faculty at all three campuses. Those courses that are regularly
impacted at all three campuses (Anatomy courses, Microbiology, and General Biology)
are not likely to change in enrollment until those factors are altered. On a positive note,
due to the hiring of two full-time faculty in 2006, the Moreno Valley and Norco
campuses now offer courses specifically directed towards majors (Biology 11 and
Biology 12). Enrollment growth in these courses is expected.
It is expected that the Environmental Lab currently a part of Phase III building at Norco
(completion expected in 2010) and another Life Science laboratory are also being made
as a part of Secondary Effects will put the Norco campus in a better position to meet the
expected increase in demand for impacted courses. A new science building at the
Riverside campus will also soon provide additional lab space at that campus and will
likewise allow for additional sections to be added in the impacted areas (faculty numbers
allowing). The possible offering of classes at Rubidoux and/or Alvord also may increase
enrollment. Based on current planning, the Moreno Valley campus will not have
additional labs for 8 to 10 years and therefore will be unable to provide further sections
unless plans are altered for that purpose. The Maas Co. report predicted the Moreno
Valley campus to have the largest growth in the next 20 years, particularly in the
sciences, so it is unfortunate that the district and campus have not made a greater effort to
provide for more lab classrooms in the near future on that campus.
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D. Programs and Curriculum
1. What programs/course sequences does the Life Science Discipline currently offer?
The Life Science Discipline offers a wide variety of courses, designed for the non-science
major, science major, the pre-professional student, as well as providing transfer programs
paralleling the first two years of a four-year college/university curriculum. The content
of the Life Science courses require students to assimilate and master abstract concepts
and theories. Courses offered focus on students learning the scientific method, and to
apply the scientific method to solve problems, analyze data, develop critical thinking
skills, form logical conclusions, and recognize the limitations of science. These courses
give students background information requiring them to apply their knowledge to solve
problems in the classroom, or to come up with answers to questions. By learning to think
critically, students can apply the relevance of biological principles to their daily lives, to
make informed decisions regarding personal choices, government and environmental
issues, and toward their own health. Courses offered also facilitate the development of
cultural and social awareness, critical and independent thought, and self-reliance.
Courses offered by the Life Sciences Discipline for the Non-Science Major
Non-science major students take Life Science courses as part of the general education
requirements, including Associates of Arts and Associates of Science degrees, Bachelor
of Arts, and Bachelors of Science Degrees.
Number
BIO 1
BIO 3
BIO 5
BIO 6
BIO 7
BIO 8
BIO 9
BIO 10
BIO 14
BIO 17
BIO 30
BIO 31A
BIO 31B
BIO 34
BIO 36
HES 1

Name
General Biology
Field Botany
General Botany
Introductory Zoology
Marine Biology
Principles of Ecology
Introduction to the Natural History of S. California
Principles of Life Science
Soil Science and Management
Human Biology
Human Reproduction and Sexual Behavior
Regional Field Biology Studies
Regional Field Biology Studies
Human Genetics
Environmental Science
Health Science
Units
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
4
3
1
2
3
3
3
Most of the courses listed above meet the general education laboratory
requirement for transfer students. Human Biology (BIO 17), if approved for
transfer in January 2009, would be an alternative course to General Biology (BIO
1)
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
Health Science (HES 1) not only fulfills a general education requirement but is
also required for students obtaining a California teaching credential. This course
satisfies the California state requirement for drug, alcohol, tobacco and nutrition
education for teacher certification.
Courses offered by the Life Sciences Discipline for Science Majors
Science major students take Life Science courses as part of either their Associates of
Science degree patterns, or as transfer courses towards their Bachelors of Science or
Bachelors of Arts degrees in science.
Number
BIO 2A
BIO 2B
BIO 11
BIO 12
Name
General Zoology I, Invertebrates
General Zoology II, Vertebrates
Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology
Introduction to Organismal and Population Biology
Units
5
5
5
5
Courses offered by the Life Sciences Discipline for Pre-Professional Students
Pre-professional students take Life Science courses as part of their prerequisite course
requirements for allied health programs such as licensed vocational nurse, registered
nurse, dental hygiene, physical therapy, physician assistant, radiation technician,
emergency medical technician, respiratory therapy, or other related biomedical programs.
Number
AMY 10
AMY 2A
AMY 2B
BIT 1
MIC 1
Name
Survey of Human Anatomy and Physiology
Anatomy and Physiology I
Anatomy and Physiology II
Biotechnology
Microbiology
Units
3
4
4
1
4
The Discipline works closely with faculty in other disciplines, especially those in which
our curriculum impacts. For example, the nursing department at Riverside is consulted
on a regular basis to ensure that the necessary courses and curriculum are offered to meet
the needs of all nursing students. This includes working with nursing faculty when
establishing or changing prerequisites or altering the sequence of courses offered.
There are pre-professional programs that are specific to each college (i.e. physician
assistant/dental hygiene at Moreno Valley and nursing at Riverside) which may also
impact prerequisite courses offered by the discipline at that particular college.
In addition, combinations of life science course offerings provide for students entering
pre-veterinarian, pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, forestry, agriculture,
environmental science, landscape design, horticulture, naturalist, and general nature
studies.
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Courses offered by the Life Sciences Discipline for Under-Prepared Students
The Discipline provides pre-college, tutorial, and supplemental instruction for underprepared students, having created two new courses (BIO 96 and BIO 97), which are open
labs available to any student enrolled in a biological science lab course. They are
designed to provide an environment for faculty-guided extra laboratory studies, group
work, and computer or peer tutorials. Moreno Valley and Norco have made the
conscious effort to devote laboratory facilities to enhance student success, and this is at
the expense of offering other courses that could generate more FTES.
Courses offered by the Life Sciences Discipline across the District
The Discipline offers many courses across the district. Listed below is a table
summarizing what courses are offered at either Moreno Valley, Norco, or at Riverside.
This gives a general idea of what courses are offered, what courses should be offered, and
a more complete understanding of the limited space and faculty which adversely impacts
the ability to offer courses and programs.
Table 2. Life Science Courses Offered by Campus
AMY 10
AMY 2A
AMY 2B
BIO 1
BIO 2A
BIO 2B
BIO 3
BIO 5
BIO 6
BIO 7
BIO 8
BIO 9
BIO 10
BIO 11
BIO 12
BIO 14
BIO 17
BIO 30
BIO 34
BIO 36
BIO 96
BIO 97
BIT 1
HES 1
MIC 1
Moreno Valley
Norco
Riverside
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
It is obvious that Riverside City has the ability to offer a wider variety of courses
consistently, although its ability to offer more sections is restricted by laboratory space
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and the availability of faculty. Moreno Valley and Norco are more severely restricted in
both their course offerings and sections, due to the severe limitations of laboratory space
and the number of tenure-track faculty.
2. Summary of Recent Curricular Activity
Faculty in the Life Sciences Discipline continually re-assess and re-examine their course
offerings and curriculum, in order to maintain course content and information. Life
Sciences is a dynamic area of endeavor, which must be reflected in its course offerings.
Course Additions
Using the basic time-frame since the last discipline program review, the life sciences
discipline has added three new courses.
Number
BIO 6
BIO 14
BIO 17
BIO 31A
BIO 31B
Name
Introductory Zoology
Soil Science and Management
Human Biology
Regional Field Biology Studies
Regional Field Biology Studies
Units
4
3
4
1
2
Biology 6 (Introductory Zoology) is a survey course of the animal kingdom, designed for
non-science majors. It has been offered at the City Campus twice since the last discipline
program review.
Biology 14 (Soil Science and Management) has been developed and approved through
the District’s curriculum process, as a response to specific need nationwide for Soil
Scientists who qualify for Federal employment at the GS-5 level. It has not been offered
as of this program review, but will be offered in the Fall of 2009. In addition, a
supplementary laboratory component (BIO 14L) is currently being developed and is also
planned to be offered in the Fall of 2009.
Biology 17 (Human Biology) has been developed and approved through the District’s
curriculum process, and is designed as an option for most non-science majors to Biology
1 (General Biology), with more of an emphasis placed on the human body. It will be
offered at the Moreno Valley Campus as soon as it is approved for UC and CSU transfer
(approval is anticipated in March, 2009).
Regional Field Studies (BIO 31A (1 unit) and BIO 31B (2 units)) have been developed in
order to give students a chance to travel to various locations of biological interest. There
courses were developed/patterned after existing geology field courses.
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Course Revisions
Since the last discipline program review, Environmental Science (BIO 36) was rewritten, with its previous title (Man and the Environment) being changed to update its
course outline of record.
Introduction to Biotechnology (BIT 1) is currently under revision to focus the course on
Biotechnology in Medicine and increase the unit number to 3 or 4 in order to enhance
course enrollment.
Adequacy of Course Offerings
Courses offered by the Life Sciences discipline have historically been adequate,
especially when considering the types of courses currently being offered. Where the
discipline is inadequate in its course offerings generally are due to the fundamental
limitation of laboratory space, and qualified faculty, in order to teach more sections of
each course. Because of these limitations, although all three campuses continually strive
to offer adequate selection and numbers of courses to meet student needs, some areas
continue to fall short.
Course offerings towards the general education student seem to be adequate, including
basic Biology and Health Science 1 sections. Where the discipline may be able to
improve is in both numbers of sections and in the variety of course offerings.
Transfer programs have been geared mainly towards pre-professional programs, with
tremendous effort in course offerings, faculty, facilities and supplies within the discipline
dedicated to the support of essential courses in Anatomy/Physiology and Microbiology.
If provided with adequate qualified faculty and facilities, additional sections could be
offered, and would immediately be filled to capacity, based on current need. The use of
the “waitlist” as part of the registration process has been a valuable tool in order to assist
faculty in course enrollment, but also to ascertain the present “need” or demand of a
course. Specifically, courses such as Anatomy 2A/2B and Microbiology are continually
in demand, and as such can never be offered enough to accommodate all students needing
the courses. Despite recent addition of sections on all campuses, some students continue
to wait for up to two years to get into a class. Often, there are more than 100 students
trying to add Anatomy 2A/2B on the first day of class, as evidenced by waitlist rosters.
Offerings of these courses are limited by space at Riverside because laboratory
classrooms are not available for additional Anatomy and Microbiology classes. Moreno
Valley and Norco are limited by the number of qualified full-time faculty, and by
available laboratory classrooms. Both campuses rely heavily on adjunct instructors. This
lack of qualified full-time faculty has made it impossible to continue increasing the
number of sections offered. On the Norco campus, there are only two equipped labs
on the campus for use in all Life Science courses which the discipline offers. The
Moreno Valley campus has only three Life Science laboratories, two of which were
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originally lecture rooms that were converted to labs. As such, the Microbiology lab
is much too small and can only accommodate 24 students in cramped quarters.
The time, effort, and energy of our discipline to support pre-professional programs has
impacted the ability to offer courses for our science-major students. The need for
additional major-level courses (Biology 11 and Biology 12) at each college is strictly
dependent on facilities and qualified faculty. Moreno Valley and Norco have yet to offer
the science-major course sequence consistently, whereas Riverside City has been able to.
Entry Skills and Competencies
Most courses offered by the Life Sciences discipline are open-entry courses, with no
limitations of enrollment. Life Science courses offered which do have a limitation of
enrollment include:





Anatomy 2B has a sequential prerequisite of Anatomy 2A.
Biology 11 has a prerequisite of Chemistry 1A.
Biology 12 has a sequential prerequisite of Biology 11.
Bio 96/97 has a limitation of enrollment of “concurrent enrollment” of any Life
Science course with lab.
Microbiology has a prerequisite of Chemistry 2A, as well as one of the following
courses (AMY 2A, 2B, 10, BIO 1, 2A, 2B, 5, 8, 11, 12, or 34).
Courses which have an advisory (which are not enforceable) include:


Biology 2A has an advisory of high school biology.
2B has an advisory of BIO 1, BIO 2A, or high school biology.
The discipline continually re-assesses entry skills and competency levels of its course
offerings. Discussions regarding the need for certain courses to have prior science lecture
or lab experience, whether skills such as minimal reading or mathematics levels are
required continue. As part of curriculum content review, discipline members are
evaluating past performance of students in our courses, and whether additional skills
would ensure student success.
Placement Tests and Validation
At this time the Life Sciences discipline has no courses in which placement tests are used
in the placement of students entering into its courses. There are courses that are offered
which have prerequisite courses. This includes MIC 1, which has a prerequisite of
Chemistry 2A, plus one of the following (AMY 10, 2A, 2B, BIO 1, 2A, 2B, 5, 8, 11, 12,
or 34). This was done to ensure that students entering Microbiology have Chemistry
experience, as well as Biology lecture and lab experience. For the MIC 1 prerequisite,
the Chemistry Discipline has designed an assessment exam, as part of the student’s
ability to challenge this prerequisite, due to possible impacts on Nursing students. This
assessment exam was derived as a result of discussions with the School of Nursing and
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the Chemistry Discipline. For BIO 11, a prerequisite of Chemistry 1A has been
established.
3. Course Outline of Record Currency
All courses offered by the Life Sciences Discipline have current course outlines of
records. The district’s curriculum process has recently adopted a streamlined paperless
process (through CurricUNET), where additional course proposals and revisions will be
automated. Several faculty within the discipline have received training in CurricUNET.
4. Curricular Issues Pertaining to Particular Colleges
As our district is diverging into three independent colleges, there are fundamental
problems and issues which need to be addressed. Among these include a district-wide
curriculum and course coordination, the scheduling of course offerings among the three
colleges, the need for science major level courses, the specific need for additional faculty
and facilities at each particular college, and the need for additional faculty at each college
to participate in discipline business.
Moreno Valley College
Biology 11 (Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology) is now being offered
consistently in the Spring semester. However, Biology 12 (Introduction to Organismal
and Population Biology), a sequel to Biology 11 and essential for Biology majors, is not
being offered at the Moreno Valley Campus, due to a need for additional full-time faculty
and limitations in laboratory facilities. Biology 17 (Human Biology) was recently
introduced by the Moreno Valley faculty, but as yet has not been offered. Courses such
as Principles of Ecology (Biology 8) and Environmental Science (Biology 36) were
removed from course offerings, and will resume only in the event that the number of
courses being taught by adjunct faculty is reduced drastically. Upon completion of
course revisions, Biotechnology (BIT 1) will likely be offered again in the Spring of
2009. Moreno Valley faculty have also participated in the development of other classes
for other disciplines, for example the Medical Genetics (PHT 20) course for the
Physicians Assistant program, is staffed by Life Science faculty from Moreno Valley
College.
Norco College
Norco College has worked to increase efficiency in its course offerings by offering fewer
sections, including courses such as Anatomy and Physiology 2A and 2B, Biology 1, and
Microbiology 1. This school year, Biology 11 (Fall 2007) and Biology 12 (Spring 2008)
were offered for the first time. Norco’s goal is to increase its variety in course offerings,
including Zoology courses (Biology 2A, Biology 2B, and Biology 6) and Environmental
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Science (Biology 36) in order to better serve science-major transfer students. Norco will
continue to offer general education courses and support courses for pre-professional
programs as well as offering additional sections and additional course offerings as space
become available.
Riverside City College
Riverside City College has historically had the most complete course offerings both in
course numbers and in total sections. This is due to the limited faculty and space at both
Moreno Valley and at Norco. An effort has been made to increase the offerings for the
Science major. Biology 11 regularly fills two sections per semester, and Biology 12
generally fills one section. Riverside faculty have recently developed new courses,
including Biology 6 (Introductory Zoology) which has been offered twice, and Biology
14 (Soil Science and Management) which will be offered in the Fall of 2009. There have
been administrative suggestions of offering courses at satellite campuses. Rubidoux High
School is currently offering RCC courses, and the Riverside Life Science department was
given responsibility for the few courses offered there (Biology 36 and Health Science 1)
which were originally offered by Norco. Suggested course offerings of Anatomy 2A,
Anatomy 10, and Biology 1 at Rubidoux High School have led to faculty discussion on
adequate faculty and support staff, and the quality of laboratory facilities. In addition to
the Rubidoux complex, the administrative suggestion has been made to also offer courses
at the Alvord complex, sparking the same conversations regarding the logistics and
feasibility of offering these courses. The department at Riverside has requested that the
current half-time laboratory technician position be made into a full-time position, prior to
the addition of laboratory-intensive courses at either Rubidoux or Alvord.
E. Student Outcomes Assessment
1. Review of Outcome Assessment Activities
Currently, all Life Science course outlines include student learning outcomes that were
created by a cooperative effort including discipline faculty from each specific subject
area at all three campuses. These SLO’s are then utilized to design appropriate
assessments to test for the desired outcomes in each subject area.
Methods of assessment vary from course to course and often include but are not limited
to the following:
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
Laboratory practicals requiring identification of structures, understanding
of physiological principles, and demonstration/interpretation of specific
laboratory skills.
Sectional and cumulative final lecture exams requiring in depth
understanding of subject area concepts and requiring analytical thought
processes.
Periodic lecture or laboratory quizzes to ensure daily understanding and
proficiency in the required objectives as they are addressed.
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Laboratory field trips to offer students “real life” experience, in applying
biological principles and concepts to living systems.
Written reports, assignments, and/or in-class presentations concerning
topics discussed in class or extracurricular subjects related to the course as
a whole.
Evaluation of student self assessments utilizing logs of diet, exercise,
stress and other areas significant to personal health.
Evaluation of projects related to the student’s personal health.
Use of scientific method to determine the answer to a hypothesis,
accompanied by a written scientific paper on their findings.
In addition to the methods currently being utilized for assessment, during the academic
year 2004-2005, plans for developing additional assessment tools for the Biology 1
laboratory course were developed and a schedule of implementation was determined.
The Biology 1 lab was selected for our first assessment because of the large volume of
students participating in the course and because of the importance of the development of
critical thinking skills among students who successfully complete this course.
The Bio. 1 assessment included:
1. Collection of data using the course assessment plan.
2. Discipline discussion of learning outcomes for the course and
revisions to the course.
3. Analysis of data from Institutional Research for information on student
success, gender, ethnicity, age, unit load, educational goals, and
college preparation to better understand our student population.
4. Analysis of relevant data on student transfer and success.
Biology 1 Laboratory Assessment Plan
Each participating full-time Biology instructor submitted enzyme laboratory write-ups
from one (or in some cases two) entire Biology class(es) for assessment by the discipline.
Four Biology instructors submitted student lab reports for assessment while one
instructor opted not to participate. In all, 166 labs were evaluated collectively from all
three campuses. The evaluations took place over a two semester time period
(Spring/Fall’06).
The lab reports were required for all students in the selected lab courses and were
completed during the assigned laboratory exercise during week 6/7 of the semester. A
rubric constructed by the discipline was utilized to assess all collected lab reports during
a grading session including the participation of all Life Science faculty. Assessment
design and rubric construction were based upon the desired student learning outcomes
listed on the course outline of record.
One flex day in the Spring of ’06 and another in the Fall of ’06 were utilized almost
entirely to evaluate the lab reports. All Life Science Discipline (from all three campuses)
16
participated in the evaluations. Since the time allotted in the two district flex days was
not adequate to complete the assessments, faculty from all three campuses contributed
additional time throughout the Fall’06 semester to finish evaluating the labs. Assessment
forms were utilized for all evaluations to make the evaluation process and the collection
of data more consistent in format and therefore less problematic (see attached forms).
The rubric was utilized to evaluate five categories:
1. Question and Hypothesis
2. Experimental Design
3. Data Collection
4. Data Analysis
5. Conclusion
Each category was given a total value of 4 points possible for a total of 20 points possible
for the entire report.
The discipline completed this first assessment at the end of the Fall semester of 2006.
Data was collected and results were calculated for individual instructors (using an
anonymous letter connotation for each instructor) and for the Biology Discipline as a
whole.
Table 3. Biology 1 Assessment Results
Area
Assessed
Question
and
Hypothesis
Experimental
Design
Average
for all
Students/
Instructors
Percentage
of Points
Possible
2.50
2.07
62.48%
51.86%
Data
Collect
Data
Analysis
Conclusion
2.76
2.10
2.03
11.46
68.99%
52.55%
50.67%
57.31%
Total
While individual instructors may utilize the results from the assessment of their own labs
to modify instruction/laboratory exercises as they feel necessary, there were no
significant differences between the results of individual instructors. Overall, the weakest
area for the students seems to be the formation of an appropriate conclusion while the
strongest area seems to be data collection.
The outcome of this assessment was discussed by the discipline at the required faculty
service day on February 9th, 2007. A summary of the major points of discussion are
bulleted below:


Many students taking BIO 1 have had no previous experience with laboratory
experiments or write-ups since there is no pre-requisite for the course.
The results of the assessment reinforced what many of the instructors already
believed to be true: We can’t assume that the students taking the class have the
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adequate skills to be successful.
Is it important that the students can complete a laboratory write-up properly
or is the analysis of data and arrival at a logical conclusion more important?
(instructors agreed that the latter of the two was most important)
Faculty discussed the use of more manipulatives or the use of a sequence of labs
that each time require more independent, analytical thought by the students in
an attempt to ease the students into the scientific method process rather than expect
them to do an entire experiment on their own all at once.
Faculty also discussed including data analysis/ conclusion type questions in
each lecture exam to expose the students to critical thinking.
Discipline members felt the dialogue that was initiated by the assessment
process was useful.
The discipline agreed that we did not need to change our SLO’s for BIO 1.
Discipline members concluded that the results for the first BIO 1 assessment reflected the
fact that this was the first science course for many students. The data showing all areas
were met by 52%to 69% of the students indicates that a fair amount of students obtained
the SLO’s despite the fact that this type of thinking process was new to many of them.
As a result of the assessment, the following changes have been made in an attempt to
improve the SLO’s in Biology 1:
1. Phil Galicia, Biology instructor at MVC, worked with an English instructor on
campus who agreed to teach a course on writing research papers. This course
will be coordinated to coincide with skills and concepts necessary for success in
Biology 1.
2. The Riverside Campus Biology faculty are including more lab write-ups that
require the formation of a hypothesis. They have also switched from having prelab quizzes to doing more lab write-ups.
This first assessment has been a learning experience for the discipline. Considering the
enormity of the task, the process went rather smoothly. However, some faculty were
concerned that the rubric and items evaluated were too general and therefore difficult to
evaluate without knowing what took place in the classroom prior to conduction of the
experiment.
2. Plans for Assessing Student Learning Outcomes Over the Next Four Years
The discipline has determined that the type of assessment utilized to assess Biology 1 is
much too time consuming. We do not have enough time to allocate a year of assessment
to each subject area as we did with this first assessment. The process was much too labor
intensive and faculty do not have the time necessary to complete this type of process for
each Life Science course. With this in mind, the discipline is in the process of creating a
new means of assessing its courses. The process will include creating questions that
require analysis level thought processes addressing each desired student learning outcome
for the subject area. All faculty for that subject area will include these questions on their
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final exam and those specific questions will be statistically analyzed to determine if the
SLO’s were achieved.
The timeline for assessment of each major Life Science course is given in the table
below:
Table 4. Timeline for Assessing GE Course SLOs (2008 – 2012)
Course Name and
Number(s)
HES 1
Anatomy 2A
Anatomy 2B
Microbiology 1
Biology 11 and
12
GE SLO(s) to Be
Assessed
Expected Assessment
Methods to Be
Employed
Multiple Choice
Exam
See narrative
See narrative
See narrative
See narrative
Expected Date
Assessment Data
Generated
Expected Date Data
will be Analyzed
Fall 2008
Spring 2009
Spring 2009
Spring 2009
Fall 2009
Spring 2010
Fall 2010
Fall 2009
Fall 2009
Spring 2010
Fall 2010
Spring 2011
F. Collaboration with Other Units
The members of the Life Science Discipline have demonstrated a sincere commitment to
collaboration and outreach activities with other educational institutions, local businesses,
and the community at large. From our calculations, our department has spent 750
documented hours over the past academic year to benefit hundreds people on our
campuses and in our community.
Collaborations with Four-Year Institutions
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During the past year, Dr. Scott Herrick (RCC) worked with faculty from both
UCR and the California Institute of the Arts to design standards-based
Math/Science curricula for grades 4 through 6. As part of this program, we
worked with over twenty teachers from the Jurupa Unified School District by
demonstrating how these Math and Science projects can be integrated into their
existing curriculum. This program culminates in a week long workshop in which
the teachers work with small groups of students to hone their skills in
implementing the new curricula. Over 80 elementary school students participated
in the workshop week.
In February 2008, Dr. Scott Herrick (RCC) participated in the “Community
College Teaching Panel Presentation” that was part of UC Riverside’s Careers in
Mathematics and Science Education Seminar course. Over 25 students are
enrolled in the course. These students were able to ask the panel members
various questions pertaining to community college teaching. This course is
sponsored through the CaTEACH-Science/Mathematics Initiative (SMI).
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Dr. Heather Smith (RCC) is currently Project Director on the $294,000 USDA
CSREES project 2006-03481 “Building Bridges Across Riverside Through Water
Quality Research”. This program provides an eight-week intensive summer
research experience in Environmental Engineering at the Bourns College of
Engineering at UCR. Students are able to continue their research experience
throughout the academic year. Detailed information can be found at
http://www.bridges.engr.ucr.edu/.
Dr. Heather Smith (RCC) has been Outreach Coordinator for the UCLA Center
for Biological Radioprotectors funded from a $14 million dollar grant from the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and Homeland
Security. She has developed curriculum in Radiobiology that has been presented
at RCC as well as other nursing and first responder programs throughout the state.
Dr. Heather Smith (RCC) has been working with the University of Oklahoma as
part of the NSF funded project “Cyberinfrastructure Education for Bioinformatics
and Beyond”. As part of this $249,974 project, RCC has participated in webinars
originating from the OU campus.
Dr. Heather Smith (RCC) has been working with the Bourns College of
Engineering as part of the NSF funded project “REU Bioengineering Research
Institute for Technical Excellence (BRITE)”. As part of this $350,000 project,
three RCC students have participated in the 10-week intensive summer research
program. Student projects can be viewed at http://www.engr.ucr.edu/brite/.
Dr. Heather Smith (RCC) has been the RCC Outreach Coordinator for “MY BEST
@ UCR (Mentoring Year-round in Biological Engineering, Science and
Technology at University of California, Riverside)”. This NSF funded $508,519
grant provides RCC students with year-round mentoring and research
opportunities in STEM fields at UCR. Detailed information can be found at
http://www.engr.ucr.edu/mybest/.
Mr. Felipe Galicia and Dr. Joanna Werner-Fraczek (MVC) are respectively PI,
and co-PI of the NSF STEPS project submitted in September 2008. Among other
benefits, grant will provide underrepresented students with extensive
opportunities for experience in a biotechnology firm for which Dr. Joanna
Werner-Fraczek has established collaboration with Advanced Sterilization
Products Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company.
Collaborations with K-12 Institutions:

The Moreno Valley Campus Science faculty will be working with Dr. Diane
Marsh, who is submitting an NSF grant that will support the development of
partnerships with Laselle Elementary School. MVC Science faculty will mentor
faculty at the elementary school, develop science demonstrations and pedagogy
appropriate for science at the elementary level. The objective is to take the fear
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out of teaching science and help students develop an interest in science at an early
age.
The Moreno Valley Campus Science faculty is welcoming students to their
Science courses from the Nuview Bridge Early College High School in Nuevo, a
Bill and Melinda Gates High School.
During the past year, Dr. Joanna Werner-Fraczek (MVC) worked with Farm
School: a public charter middle school in Redlands. She has organized a DNA
workshop for 20 students in which they learned DNA fingerprinting techniques
and other activities in molecular biology.
Dr. Joanna Werner-Fraczek (MVC) has provided internship opportunities for
students from the Farm School in Education. The students discuss strategies for
the lecture, participate in classroom demonstrations, and are introduced to the
work behind the scenes such as preparing power points, grading, etc.
Dr. Monica Gutierrez (NCC) has been a Science instructor for Norco’s Upward
Bound Program for 60 high school students that will be first generation college
students at risk for leaving the sciences.
Dr. Monica Gutierrez (NCC) has been a science instructor in the Puente Mentor
Program. This program for first generation college students and served about 60
students.
As part of the “Building Bridges Across Riverside Through Water Quality
Research” program, Dr. Heather Smith (RCC) participated in the Riverside
Unified School District’s Science Fair. Several awards in Environmental
Sciences were given to participating students. The USDA CSREES grant
provided the funding for the medals and monetary awards.
In January 2008, Dr. Scott Herrick (RCC) served as a co-organizer of the Alcott
Elementary School Science Fair. As part of his efforts, he recruited two current
and one former RCC student to work as judges for the more than 115 projects
submitted by Alcott students.
Collaborations with Other Disciplines

The life science faculty at Moreno Valley are working with Dr. Diane Marsh
(Chemistry; Physical Science) to provide a college hour seminar for the
community and college providing educational health information on topics such
as antioxidants, trans-fats and other chemistry related health topics.
G. Outreach
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Outreach with Business:

Dr. Heather Smith (RCC) has been working with ISCA Technologies on the NSF
funded project “SBIR IICC- Supplemental Funding for Minority-Serving
Community College Research Team”. Through this $160,000 grant, nine RCC
students have been employed as interns with ISCA Technologies since October
2006.
Outreach within the Community:
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The Moreno Valley Science faculty (Felipe Galicia, Ellen Lipkin, Rebecca
Loomis, Diane Marsh, Stephen Wagner, Joanna Werner-Fraczek) are creating an
outreach program in the form of mini seminars for the Fall of 2008. The topics
designated for the Moreno Valley community and college will include health
issues such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic X syndrome, trans-fats, options for
nutrition and exercise in a fast food world, etc. Faculty will alternate giving
lectures/question and answer sessions during the college hour each month.
Moreno Valley faculty will attend the Experimental Biology conference in San
Diego in April 2008 to gather more current information on these topics.
Moreno Valley Life Science faculty hope to drive the development of a healthy
menu in a new cafeteria on campus premises that would include fruit, salad and
juice bars and would require nutrient information on each item offered.
Dr. Joanna Werner-Fraczek (MVC) is an active participant in the PIE Club (Poles
in the Inland Empire) by giving seminars oriented for the non-scientific audience
on various topics such as genetically modified foods and the Human Genome
Project. More information on PIE can be found at www. klubPIE.com.
Dr. Joanna Werner-Fraczek is an active member of the One Book One College
project at MVC. She will deliver a seminar regarding the selected book for the
academic year 2008/2009 “Exposed” on her perspective of the book as a scientist
on October 14, 2008.
H. Long Term Resource Planning
1. Significant long term resource needs that need to be addressed by the entire
district in the next four years:
District:
Facilities at each of the campuses in the district are inadequate to meet current needs. The
Norco campus has begun phase III buildings and the Life Science Department will be
allotted additional laboratory space due to secondary effects. More space will still be
needed. The Riverside Campus has plans to build a new Science/Nursing complex that
will alleviate many of the problems that campus currently experiences. The Moreno
Valley campus not only has inadequate facilities but there are no current plans to correct
the situation in the near future. As the designated health science campus, administration
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needs to immediately address the issue of adequate instructional facilities for this
campus. Additionally, Moreno Valley does not have a budgetary process that is linked to
the current program review process making the future appear quite grim. Growth of Life
Science related programs across the district is impossible without addressing facility and
equipment needs of the Life Science Discipline. The development and implementation of
plans to increase the useable space for Life Sciences on these campuses is therefore
imperative in order to meet current and future demand.
Moreno Valley:
Resources are generally inadequate to meet the needs of students and faculty. Teaching
science is an expensive undertaking. The Life Science Discipline is often asked to offer
classes (especially laboratory courses) without adequate resources to do the job
appropriately. Adding sections of Anatomy, Microbiology, or any General Biology class
at Moreno Valley has been problematic for the following reasons: First, with only one
anatomy lab and minimal stock room space availability, instructors are already struggling
to find time to prepare and administer lab exams. The lab classroom is being utilized
continuously, with no time allotted for instructors to set up the room for practicums or
other lab activities. Although instructors have coordinated their efforts to the best of
their ability by coming in early or late to prepare labs and exams in the stock room, the
models, microscopes, slides and other equipment needed for lab exams is often in use by
another class and cannot be removed for exam preparation. Another Anatomy laboratory
classroom desperately needs to be constructed. There are no plans to build laboratory
classrooms or more stockroom space in the phase 3 building as such rooms will not be
funded by the state for that particular structure.
Second, with future growth in mind, a larger Microbiology laboratory is also needed to
provide for more students. The current Microbiology lab is too small to accommodate
students safely. The lab is currently overcrowded. Refrigerators and incubators needed
for the increase in sections have been added, however, there is no room for continued
growth beyond what has already been done. The refrigeration and incubation capacity is
at its maximum. A larger Microbiology laboratory needs to be constructed that includes
a larger prep and storage room. Once a new Microbiology lab is constructed, the existing
lab can be renovated and utilized as an additional lab for Biology or Physics classes. The
phase III construction does not include a Microbiology lab either. We suggest moving
the current Anatomy lab to a location with two side-by-side Anatomy labs and utilizing
the current Anatomy lab for the new Microbiology lab.
Measure C monies should be utilized to provide additional laboratories on the
Moreno Valley campus. Moreno Valley taxpayers agreed to pay additional taxes
with the assumption that a fair portion of the money would be spent on their
campus. Among the list of items that taxpayers agreed they would be most willing
to fund, the addition of science labs was number one on the list.
For the most part, the existing laboratories and classrooms on the Moreno Valley Campus
are well-equipped at this time. The campus has worked to provide science students with
microscopes, models, and other necessary equipment. However, the Life Sciences have
23
steadily increased the number of sections offered in Biology, Anatomy, and
Microbiology and have added new courses such as Ecology, Cell Biology, and Human
Biology without obtaining a permanent budget increase to guarantee these courses may
continue being offered. Each additional lab section that is offered may cost anywhere
from $300 to $2000 per section per semester depending upon the course. The cost of
supplies for science laboratory courses is inflated each year anywhere from 3 to 5%. This
inflationary budget increase and the increased number of laboratory sections offered each
semester are not taken into account each year when the budget amounts are determined.
Also, with the addition of new faculty, new courses, and potentially new laboratories
comes a need for a substantial budget increase for the purchase of equipment to fill those
labs. New faculty need additional equipment to change and update existing lab exercises.
Lab exercises, particularly in the area of Biotechnology, are often costly. In order to
offer courses for Biology majors, such as BIO 11 and 12, or other new course like Bio 17
(Human Biology) and BIT 1 (Biotechnology), the campus will need to purchase new
equipment (such as spectrophotometers which cost approximately $1700.00 each). None
of these courses can be offered regularly until this equipment is budgeted and purchased.
Although the annual program review documents allow for consideration of additional
equipment purchase, they do not take into account the increased cost of scheduling
additional sections of a lab science or the annual inflation of prices on items purchased
from scientific supply companies. The base budgets have not increased so we are already
operating on a base budget that did not consider the number of sections offered and the
cost per section for these courses.
Norco:
Utilization of Space
Norco Campus has begun phase III buildings. The new environmental lab will be located
in this new building as well as a greenhouse and laboratory prep and storage space. The
environmental lab will house the following biological science classes: BIO 12 –
Introduction to Organismal and Population Biology for Majors, BIO 8 – Principles of
Ecology, BIO5 – General Botany, and BIO 7 – Marine Biology.
Additional science classes may be housed in this lab space such as, BIO 34 – Human
Genetics or BIO 36 – Environmental Science. However, the priority of scheduling will
be for the aforementioned classes. The relocation of BIO 12, BIO 8, and BIO 5 to the
new building will free up lab space in the currant Science and Technology building for
rooms ST 207 and ST 211. This new availability will allow for the expansion of BIO 1 –
General Biology (non-majors), MIC 1 – Microbiology, and BIO 11 – Introduction to
Molecular and Cellular Biology (majors) and well as the addition of new AMY 2A/2B –
Anatomy and Physiology I lab sections. Furthermore, new lab space will be generated
on the upper level of the current Science and Technology building. These rooms (ST 203
& ST 204) are small lecture classrooms. The long term plan is to convert these
classrooms into new laboratory space with the inclusion of a new laboratory prep room.
However, at this juncture it is still unclear if both rooms will be converted into new lab
space. One room may remain a small classroom.
24
Finally, negotiations between JFK High School and the Norco Campus are in progress to
ascertain the possibility of housing AMY 2A/2B in the high school anatomy classroom.
This is a short term solution to the shortage of laboratory science rooms on the Norco
campus.
Staffing Needs
Addition of the new environmental science lab requires the opening of a new full time
Lab Technician position. Currently, the 1st priority for a new full time faculty position at
the Norco Campus is an Anatomy and Physiology instructor. Our campus was informed
on 5/7/08 that a year one full time temporary position has been created. Furthermore, a
new full time Health Science instructor is ranked 8th overall.
Riverside:
Normal resource requests will be discussed in the department and will become part of the
annual review. Those requests should be minimal since transition to a new facility
should take place within the next four to five years.
Long term planning for space has been addressed with the development of plans for a
Science-Nursing complex which will meet current student needs. The primary concern at
this time should be that plans are made to ensure that the complex will have adequate
equipment, personnel, and space for the programs that are to be located there. With the
completion of the complex the Life Science Department will be able to add more
laboratory and lecture sections to meet current needs, although we will probably be
limited from growing much beyond current demand. If space is adequate for existing
demands, the department will expand in the direction outlined in the Life Science section
of the Academic Master Plan.
Faculty will need to be hired to teach the increased number of sections. Currently, steps
are being taken to address that need. We suggest that faculty be hired in successive years
leading up to occupying the new facility. Currently, we have eight full time tenure track
faculty compared to our historic high of twelve (1990-91).
I. Summary
The Life Sciences Discipline has addressed each of the three primary goals outlined in
the 2005 Program Review. As budget, faculty and space resources have allowed, each
campus has strived to increase the number of sections of high demand courses (e.g.
Anatomy, Microbiology and Biology 1) and expand our Biology majors program.
Additionally, the Discipline has developed a three-year timeline for the assessment of
student learning outcomes in key life science courses (Health Science, Anatomy 2A and
2B, Microbiology and Biology 11 and 12).
1. Summary of goals and objectives for the next four years:
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1) Increase the number of sections of high demand courses
2) Increase the number of sections of our majors program
3) Develop effective and efficient assessment strategies of student learning outcomes
in key Life Science courses.
2. What is needed from the college/district for the Discipline to achieve its goals?
The extent to which each campus can address these goals is ultimately limited by
laboratory space and the number of qualified faculty available to expand course offerings.
In fact, there are only two Life Science laboratory classrooms at the Norco campus. The
Moreno Valley campus has only one Anatomy laboratory classroom and an overcrowded
Microbiology lab. Additionally, Moreno Valley faculty are hindered by inadequate
stockroom space which prevents adequate lab preparation. Space limitations are not as
dire at the Riverside campus and long-term space needs figure to be addressed by the new
Science-Nursing Complex. However, expansion of course offerings at all three campuses
is constrained by the number of full-time faculty. Currently, both the Moreno Valley and
Norco campuses rely heavily on adjunct instructors. The Riverside campus has only nine
full-time tenure-track faculty – down from 12 in 1990-1991 (a decrease of 25%).
Despite repeated efforts to establish a plan for use of annual and comprehensive program
reviews for budget allocation, the Moreno Valley campus has still not established a
process through strategic planning for the use of these documents in prioritizing
budgetary needs. Sample rubrics, flowcharts and prioritized budgets from both the
Riverside and Norco campuses were given to all department chairs, the Dean of
Instruction, the chair of strategic planning and the VP of Business Services to use as
examples. Although a process has finally been established to prioritize faculty hires, no
such process has been established for budget.
We strongly recommend some direction from administration at the Moreno
Valley campus in guiding the MV Strategic Planning Committee and campus with
the establishment of a process utilizing annual program reviews for prioritizing the
campus budget allocation.
In addition, both the Riverside and Norco campuses have concrete plans for expanding
the number of science labs on those campuses while the Moreno Valley campus
still has no plan for increasing the number of labs (despite the fact that it is the health
science focused campus). The Life Science faculty have repeatedly supplied data
documenting the present and future need for expansion, yet no plans have been made.
Again, we recommend direction and financial support in this area from college and
district administration.
Despite these profound resource limitations, the Discipline has developed and is/has
implemented several new course offerings (Biology 6, Biology 14 and Biology 17).
Additionally, the Norco campus has begun to offer both majors-level courses, Biology 11
and 12, while the Moreno Valley campus has began to offer Biology 11 during the Spring
semesters. Unfortunately, without additional laboratory space and qualified faculty it
26
will not be possible to adequately meet the enrollment demands of impacted courses such
as Anatomy 2A & 2B and Biology 1.
During the Spring and Fall of 2006, the Discipline implemented its first assessment plan.
Discipline faculty assessed a lab paper assignment from Biology 1. In all, 166 labs were
collectively evaluated from all three campuses. Moreover, the Discipline has discussed
strategies for increasing the efficiency of the assessment process as we go forward with
the assessment of additional classes, beginning in the Fall of 2008 with Health Sciences.
The Discipline has continued to collaborate with four-year institutions, K-12 schools as
well as local businesses and community groups with 750 documented hours over the past
academic year alone. As a result of the Discipline’s outreach efforts, faculty have hosted
individuals from local businesses and universities who have given research and
recruitment talks to Life Science students. Furthermore, efforts have been made by
Discipline faculty to involve and appeal to under-represented student groups. To this
end, faculty are involved in the WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) student
organization as well as the UJIMA program which focuses on increasing the academic
success of African American students.
In conclusion, for the Life Science Discipline to continue to meet the existing and future
needs of our students significant budgetary challenges must be overcome. The lack of
adequate laboratory space limits both the number of courses and the type of courses that
can be offered at the Moreno Valley and Norco campuses. Moreover, all three campuses
are limited by the relatively few full-time, tenure-track faculty. Without increasing the
number of faculty at each campus, it will be increasingly difficult (if not impossible) to
meet the needs our students, particularly in high demand courses such as Anatomy.
Finally, due to the exceptional expense of scientific equipment, models and materials the
Discipline is concerned that department budgets will not be able to provide the teaching
resources necessary to provide our students with the best possible learning environment.
27