Program Review Update 2013-14
Early Childhood Education
(Report Due: October 15, 2014)
Program Description (source: Faculty)Early childhood education (ECE) is the study of child development and developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Career paths chosen by students pursuing undergraduate studies in ECE commonly include infant/toddler or preschool teachers and administrators.
Careers in the discipline that generally require graduate-level degrees include teachers and administrators of government funded programs like Head Start and state preschools. Even students who choose not to major in ECE find that coursework in the field improves their parenting skills.
College of the Desert’s ECE curriculum includes course offerings that provide a general overview of the discipline, as well as teaching strategies that are developmentally appropriate for young children. Students earning ECE certificates may also choose to continue their study toward an associate, baccalaureate or advanced degree in the field. Students earning an associate’s degree in ECE may pursue entry-level positions as preschool teachers or may choose to continue their study in the discipline toward a bachelor’s or graduate degree. COD has transfer agreements with CSUSB, in this discipline/ program. However, transfer requirements at four-year colleges and universities tend to vary from institution to institution; students should consult with a counselor for specific information regarding the transfer requirements of their preferred college or university.
Students Served (source: Faculty)
· ECE Student Survey Results (Appendix A): Of the 199 students reporting, the trend of younger students continues with 78.9% reporting that they are under age 30. Only 11.5% are over 40.
· Of the students, 39.7% (approximately 5% less than last year) reported English is not their native language.
· Of the students, an increasing number are pursuing an ECE degree: 79.2% (up from last year), while about 20% are working on a liberal studies or other AA degree. Student long term goals are primarily to work with children ages 5 and younger (88%), special education, elementary school and work in a related field are also very high.
· Many students expressed a desire for more classes overall, when asked when they would prefer classes, results reflect that the majority of students are currently enrolled during the day. Overall, students indicated that more choices and offering more than one section of classes would be beneficial to them, especially once they begin working.
· Approximately ½ of the students reported being enrolled in the Fast Track, however only 16% have completed, indicating that many of the students taking the survey are first year ECE students. Comments from students regarding the Fast Track indicated mixed feelings. They appreciate the ability to complete 12 required units in one semester.
· ECE Student Survey Personal Challenges: Students were also asked to report on the personal challenges they are facing and the highest concerns were financial stress (54.3%) although this number is lower than last year. It may reflect the “younger” cohort who is perhaps living at home with parents. Many of our students are working more than 20 hours per week (53.8%). We need to provide flexibility in our course offerings to meet the needs of students who are working and taking courses. An additional concern that has bubbled up from the data this year is cost of textbooks.
· ECE Student Survey Responses to Faculty: Students reported ECE faculty and the specialized classroom were the greatest help in completing courses. Faculty motivated, inspired and individualized the learning opportunities to meet their needs while demonstrating best teaching practices. Students appreciated faculty experience, innovative methods, inspiration, content knowledge and time with students and could use the information in their work classrooms and as parents. They appreciated faculty inform them about the tuition stipends offered to those working in the ECE field.
· Ways to Improve Instruction: Students appreciate the flexibility of scheduling, including nights and weekends. Students continue to request more evening and weekend classes. Several students mentioned a problem with completing the required lab hours of practicum while also working. Our program at EVC for bilingual students has been highly successful and we would do well to expand our course offerings at the EVC campus and should consider a permanent ECE faculty presence on that campus
· . Weekend access to the computer lab AT INDIO CENTER and other college services are minimal. Adjunct faculty at EVC need support from the administration to be effective. Counseling, library services, computer lab and time to work with the ESL instructors are important to the success of the Bilingual Cohort and none are available on Saturdays
· Math Challenges: Only 26.6% of the students completing the survey have completed Math 40. This math course remains a critical issue for ECE students to graduate. With the adoption of the AS-T degree, this is even more critical since they will need to be able to complete a transfer-level math class to complete their degree.
Discipline/Program Learning Outcomes (source: Curriculum Specialist)
Upon completing a certificate or associates degree, students in the CTE PROGRAM will be able to:
· Transfer to a higher level learning institution.
· Fulfill the requirements for an entry- level position in their field.
· Apply critical thinking skills to execute daily duties in their area of employment.
· Apply critical thinking skills to research, evaluate, analyze and synthesize information.
· Demonstrate the skills and aptitude necessary to pass certification exams in their field.
· Exhibit effective written, oral communication and interpersonal skills.
The Early Childhood Education program's student learning outcomes are as follows:
· Integrate understanding of the needs, the characteristics and multiple influences on development of children birth to age eight as related to high quality care and education of young children.
· Design, implement and evaluate environments and activities that support positive, developmental play and learning outcomes for all young children.
· Apply effective guidance and interaction strategies that support all children's social learning, identity and self-confidence.
· Develop strategies that promote partnerships between programs, teachers, families and their communities.
· Demonstrate ethical standards and professional behaviors that deepen understanding, knowledge and commitment to the EC/CD profession.
Course Level Assessment Completed (source: Faculty & OAC Coordinator)
(See Appendix G of Academic PR)
All courses have completed the OAS review but are behind in the cycle. Last academic year, we did not complete additional reviews of courses.
Changes Implemented as a Result of the Assessments (source: Faculty utilizing OASR form)One instructor has begun giving extra credit for drafts of the key assignment for the child development course, ECE 10, final paper to help students better develop the concept of aligning the child development theories with actual life examples of development. Another instructor provides extra credit for students who make use of the writing skills lab for assistance with editing paper drafts.
Instructor redefined assignment criteria to help make it more understandable for students; continues to try alternative, classroom activities to skills in observation capacity for factual and rich data along with capacity for valid interpretation of observation data.
Program Requirements from outside agencies (source: Faculty working with Dean)
· CA Community College Curriculum Alignment Project: We are officially aligned with CAP and were among the first programs on campus to offer the AS-T degree. The CAP program has expanded to aligning three sets of electives, we are participating in the CAP expansion project and have submitted several classes for alignment.
· Elementary Education AA-T Degree: We have completed the program requirements and have aligned our course offerings for this degree. Math for Educators was rejected by the CSU for transfer. There are some minimal changes to be made to the course and once completed the degree will be offered in the catalog.
· NAEYC Two-Year Program Accreditation: The ECE program will begin gathering data on student outcomes. We will also meet in a one day retreat to work with adjunct faculty, the child development center specialists, and the mentor teachers to align our assessments and assignments.
Student Success Data (source: Office of Institutional Research)
Courses: ECE / 2010_11 / 2011_12 / 2012_13 / 2013_14
Student Success Rate: / 76.7% / 80.1% / 83.5% / 75.9%
Retention Rate: / 90.3% / 91.4% / 92.7% / 90.3%
The ECE program Student Success Rate is higher than the college average.
Note: Success rate is the percent of students who earned a grade of A, B, C, or Cr/P in course out of total enrolled in course at census. Retention rate is the percent of students retained in course until the end of the term out of total enrolled in course at census.
Narrative Interpretation (source: Faculty)
As we move into growth mode here at the college, we are trying to grow “smart”. Faculty are paying a heavy workload price. We have struggled to serve more students with less sections for many years. We are increasing our adjunct pool. However, adjuncts cannot replace the one-on-one advising and mentoring a full-time faculty member can provide. Our student success rate still exceeds the overall college rate. However, there is a sharp decline from 83% to 75%. We have begun recruiting and adding new adjunct faculty. The new faculty will need mentoring and training to bring our overall student success rates back to previous levels. Adjunct faculty have a workspace in the new building and are being provided with personal storage in the administrative hall. However, the space does not include a computer, printer, copier or scanner. Adjuncts have to go to the HILB for those types of resources. Since our classroom is as far from the HILB as possible on campus, and since our adjuncts teach mainly in the evenings, we would like to equip this room with all the necessary resources to make it a comfortable and useful workspace with the necessary technology and a faculty resource library.
Our student success rate is high partially due to the one-on-one advising and mentoring from faculty. As we rapidly add courses to the schedule, full-time faculty availability for mentoring and advising will diminish due to travel and time constraints. One full-time faculty member is available during the week days on the Palm Desert Campus for student advising and mentoring. The second full-time faculty member teaches Practicum and Observation courses which require travel and limits her availability for mentoring and advising outside office hours. . Most of our students are working (63.7%) and need a faculty member available in the evenings. Many of our students are located in the East end of the valley and have trouble making it to the main campus for faculty meetings and assistance
Resources:
Staffing (source: Research Office)FT Faculty by Load:
Narrative Interpretation (source: Faculty)We are continuing to seek out new adjunct faculty and this fall have added several new adjuncts to the pool. We will need to continue building the pool of adjuncts. Two of the new adjuncts are bilingual to help meet the high demand of students who are bilingual at the EVC campus. We would like to add one full time faculty member, stationed at the EVC campus. ECE is a signature program at the Indio campus and we have a large cohort of our students who reside in the East Valley (65%). The bilingual cohort of students would also benefit from a full time faculty presence at that campus for advising and academic planning. In the past, we were able to rely on Cynthia Vasquez, who was trained in the ECE permit process, was bilingual, and understood the complex ECE career field. With her absence, there is no one who can fill that void for the high population of ECE students in Indio.
Facilities (source: Faculty)
1) List of all facilities (Please indicate if any of these were added last year):
* New CDC Classroom: We are greatly enjoying our new ECE observation classroom, but only have room for one class. Each evening on the Palm Desert Campus there are two or more ECE courses being offered at the same time. We will still need one additional dedicated classroom to maintain high quality instruction. Additionally, the observation system is yet to be installed properly, so we are waiting to fully implement this new facility. The bond did not include retrofitting the older Child Development Center building with cameras so that we can fully use the observation system in the new classroom. We would like to purchase additional cameras for the existing building to fully implement the observation system throughout the center.
*Dedicated Classroom Space at EVC: We have a dedicated ECE classroom and are continuing to add sections to the Indio Center. We have found that our ECE 44, Health, Safety, and Nutrition Class cannot be offered at the Indio site due to lack of adequate facilities. Scott Cooper and Dean Young are investigating ways to overcome this obstacle.
Assessment of adequacy of current facilities
Child Development Center Outdoor Space: The CDC has developed plans to completely renovate the existing “playground” into a more appropriate Outdoor Learning Environment for children. Funds are being raised by outside grants and the COD Foundation.
Equipment and Supplies (source: Faculty)
1. Equipment and Supplies: Classroom Storage: The storage in the new ECE building is adequate for the needs of the faculty. However, the Indio center dedicated classroom has inadequate storage of the many supplies needed in an ECE classroom. Would benefit from built in shelving and cabinets rather than the “hodge-podge” collection of cabinets in use now.
2. Equipment and Supplies: Classroom Materials: Most of the necessary supplies for the Palm Desert class have been purchased, with some small exceptions. However, the Indio class will need additional materials as we expand our course offerings there. Duplicating many of the resources we have at the Palm Desert campus (e.g. videos, games, active learning materials) will be costly, but should be accomplished in the near future to ensure high quality instruction.
3. Equipment and Supplies: Technology: Our new Palm Desert classroom will come equipped with cameras and computer access to view the children and lab students as they work. We will need funds to secure additional cameras in the current classrooms in the McCarthy Center. We will also need to purchase laptops or tablets for adjunct faculty to be able to work on course shells and to support training.