Instructional Program Review
American River College
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Instructional Area:
Instruction - A (Library and Learning Resources)
Department:
Humanities
Discipline:
English as a Second Language
Submitted: Sunday, April 2, 2017
Mission Statement
Over the last six years, please describe how your program has supported the College's mission as shown above.
Stated Outcomes and Recommendations from Previous Program Reviews
Recommendation from Previous Program Review Report
Were the previous program review outcomes, addressing strenghts, achieved and how did these outcomes improve student learning?
Were the previous program review outcomes, addressing challenges, achieved and how did these outcomes improve student learning?
Were the previous program review outcomes, addressing SLOs, achieved and how did these outcomes improve student learning?
Analysis of Data: A 6 Year Reflection
Student Enrollments and Characteristics
After each data set below, provide a narrative reflection about the significance of the data for the program for the past five years.
Includes the following sections:
Using the course enrollment and demographic profile. Are there any data that are significantly different then the college? If yes, can you explain why there is a difference?
Does the difference affect the program, planning and/or student success?
What, if anything, can you do to address these differences?
Student Success Reflection
Curriculum
For all programs with degree and certificates: How well do your courses support the program student learning outcomes? How do you know?
Are students able to complete the courses required for your degrees and/or program in a "normal" timeframe?
Explain major additions, changes, or deletions to the program's curriculum over the last six years.
Have all course and program outlines been updated within the last 6 years?
No
Information Literacy
Information literacy is a college-wide goal. Using the checklist below, how do your courses help students learn to recognize when information is needed and give students the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information? Choose all that apply.
Lecture, in-class discussions, or activities
Research-based assignments
Research workshop(s), led by a librarian or other research specialist
Online library research guide or instructional video tutorials
Individual guidance from a librarian or the instructor
Assigned readings or other course materials
Other
Does not apply
List the courses in your discipline that include the components identified above. (example: ENGWR 300, STAT 300)
If the questions above do not pertain to your discipline, please explain why your discipline does not include components of information literacy in your program.
This question is for English, ESL, and Business only (i.e. departments fulfilling ARC General Education Requirement II-A, CSU GE Pattern A-2, and IGETC Pattern A-1). How are information literacy skills evaluated in your program?
Student Success
After each data set provide a narrative reflection about the significance of the data for its programs for the past five years.
Provide a short, written reflection for the following sections:
Course sequence and scheduling: How effective are course scheduling, offerings, and sequence in students completing their educational goal? How do you know?
How successful are students in your courses? How do you know?
SLO Assessment
Please provide a summary of your discipline’s SLO Assessment results over the last 6 years.
Based on your discipline’s SLO assessment work, what improvements to student learning have occurred?
List, as a set of outcomes, the discipline’s plans for continuous quality improvement for student learning outcomes.
Maximize Professional Development Activites - Develop a strategic plan to split professional development activities between ESL faculty (on-campus/off-campus PD; professional conferences/workshops/training; special speakers/outside resources) so a variety of information and resources can be shared department-wide.
Accelerated learning and CTE-specific-instruction - Increase student use of language program acceleration and supplementation materials and CTE-specific modules currently in use in the ESL Center; create, compile and expand additional materials to strengthen the academic and career and technical skills of ESL Center students.
Comprehensive Snapshot of ESL Population Needs - Monitor and, when necessary, compile additional demographic information via the intake process for the ESL Program and ESL Center in order to better track growth trends of various ethnic groups in our geographical area. Closely track the academic and CTE interests and declared majors of our student population. Proactively adjust current curricular offerings, create new curriculum, or develop modules to address the language needs of new and continuing populations.
Distance Education
For every course offered in both Distance Ed and face-to-face formats:
For distance education courses: What percentages of your student population enroll in DE courses?
How successful are students who enroll in DE courses? How do you know?
Compare and contrast success rates for Distance Education sections of the same course offered in face-to-face sections. How does a distance education course differ from face-to-face? (e.g., offerings, scheduling, and success rates)
Vocational Programs Only
A. How well does your department prepare student for a job? What are the indicators?
B. Does your program provide any assistance with job placement? If so, describe the activities and include any data you have on results.
Optional: What evidence exists that program completers (or near completers) are successful on the job? What, if available, are their beginning salaries?
Findings
Based on the analyses and reflections conducted during the program review precess, answer the following questions:
What other major developments and accomplishments occurred over the last six years?
Conclusions and Recommendations
Based on the analyses and reflections conducted during the program review process, answer the following questions:
1A. What are the strengths of the program?
1B. List, as a set of recommendations, your plans for maintaining the quality of the instructional program.
ESL Parrot Newsletter - Provide vehicle for student writing that reflects the diversity of our ESL population to be published and disseminated to ESL and non-ESL students on campus as well as the surrounding communities.
Accelerated learning and CTE-specific-instruction - Increase student use of language program acceleration and supplementation materials and CTE-specific modules currently in use in the ESL Center; create, compile and expand additional materials to strengthen the academic and career and technical skills of ESL Center students.
Maintain access to effective ESL instruction - Secure highly qualified faculty replacements, including those with experience with ESL/Basic Skills initiatives, to ensure ESL students retain one of the highest success rates on campus.
Recruit and hire classified temporary IAs and Master Tutors as well as student help student help to adequately staff the ESL Center
Incorporating Appropriate Classroom Technology - Increase student success, interest, persistence, and retention through the use of different forms of classroom technology such as clickers, ipads, etc.
In addition, any addition/upgrade of technology should include the appropriate changes in wiring or the addition of furnishings that ensure the ease and effectiveness of operating the technology in an efficient and ergonomically sound manner.
Evening IA Support in the ESL Center - Based upon expanding enrollment and greater use of the ESL Center during evening sections, we are requesting a 27-hour permanent evening IA position in the Center. In order to offer students attending in the evening the same opportunities to earn credit as students who attend during peak hours, we must have qualified workers to run the multi-media sessions, grade advanced level workbooks, and score tests (tasks for instructors and IAs) as well as monitor students in the general study area.
2A. What are the challenges of the program?
2B. List, as a set of recommendations, your plans for addressing these challenges.
Appropriately-sized classrooms for ESL courses - Serving nearly 1500 individual students with over 3000 enrollments, the ESL faculty continue to work in small and minimally technologically-assisted spaces. ESL faculty at ARC have insufficient space to easily and safely engage students in group activities that promote meaningful interaction in English.
Portable Laptop Cart - Access to a portable lap top cart has merit for faculty and students alike. Many of our courses are supported by on-line workbooks, but booking a lab on campus for a hands-on orientation is almost impossible. Laptops can be used for many other classroom activities and testing purposes to promote student engagement and digital literacy.
Dedicated Counselor for ESL - Serving nearly 1400 individual students with over 3000 enrollments, the English as a Second Language students at ARC deserve a counselor understanding of and dedicated to the needs of this special population.
ESL Welcome Center for New Students - In the spirit of starting right, it is essential for all students to understand how to navigate the college system in order to connect early with the resources and classes they need. This is especially difficult for ESL students who do not yet have the language skills or cultural knowledge to understand even the most basic steps in enrolling and connecting with support services. New ESL students do not have a dedicated space where they can get the information in a language they understand in order to start right.