Standard II A
The institution offers high-quality instructional programs, student support services, and library and learning support services that facilitate and demonstrate the achievement of stated student learning outcomes. The institution provides an environment that supports learning, enhances student understanding and appreciation of diversity, and encourages personal and civic responsibility as well as intellectual, aesthetic, and personal development for all of its students.
- Instructional Programs
The institution offers high-quality instructional programs in recognized and emerging fields of study that culminate in identified student outcomes leading to degrees, certificates, employment, or transfer to other higher education institutions or programs consistent with its mission. Instructional programs are systematically assessed in order to assure currency, improve teaching and learning strategies, and achieve stated student learning outcomes. The provisions of this standard are broadly applicable to all instructional activities offered in the name of the institution.
- The institution demonstrates that all instructional programs, regardless of location or means of delivery, address and meet the mission of the institution and uphold its integrity.
Std# / Questions
A.1 /
- How does the institution ensure that all institutional offeringsfit the stated mission of the institution?
- How does the institution ensure that its programs and services are high quality and appropriate to an institution of higher education?
- How does the institution choose the fields of study in which it offers programs?
- What are the student achievement outcomes of the institution’s programs; i.e., to what extent do students complete degrees and certificates, gain employment, or transfer to four-year institutions?
- By what means are programs assessed for currency, teaching and learning strategies, and student learning outcomes?
- To what extent are programs current?
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
The College’s mission statement declares that “Santa BarbaraCityCollege is committed to the success of each student, providing a variety of ways for students to access outstanding and affordable higher education programs that foster lifelong learning. SBCC works to ensure academic success for all students as they earn a degree or certificate, prepare for transfer, or gain the occupational competencies and academic skills needed to advance in their careers.” This commitment is demonstrated by providing high quality instructional opportunities in a variety of locations and through diverse methods of delivery (including online, hybrid and technology enhanced courses), to meet the ever changing needs of the community. The College ensures that this commitment is met by regular reviews of curriculum and program offerings as achieved through the Program Review Process and with input from advisory committees for CTE programs..
The College’s commitment to the quality and integrity of allcredit and non-credit programs and courses follows a process whereindepartment/program faculty discuss ideas for new courses and/or changes to existing courses and programs with their colleagues and administrators and then submit a formal proposal to the Curriculum Advisory Committee (CAC). CAC is an Academic Senate Committee consisting of a faculty member from each division as well as an administrative liaison and the College’s articulation officers as well as additional resource specialists (DSPS, Scheduling Office).. The review process is rigorous and takes into account local needs, state mandates related to curriculum development,general education requirements and how a course in one department potentially affects courses offered by other departments. All online courses are reviewed separately and include the Distance Education course addenda ( Coursesand program recommendations are forwarded to the Board of Trustees for approval. Proposals for new and/or changes in existing degree and certificate programs are submitted to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for final approval. (SBCC Curriculum Review Handbook ).
Santa BarbaraCityCollege remains innovative in curriculum and program development while at the same time providing greater access by expanding off campus sites and distance learning options. The development of course, departmental and institutional student learning outcomes (SLOs), and the Partnership for Students Success (PSS) have been major areas of focus for College initiatives since 2004. In both cases, the College has engaged in an extensive and inclusive dialogue involving faculty, staff and administrators.
Instructional programs are systematically and continuously examined through the Program Review processto verify that transfer, certificate and degree programs are current and serve the changing needs of the students and the community. Recent changes in the process will ensure that planning is more closely aligned with budgeting processes and that all programs are reviewed more frequently. The SBCC Continuing Education Division regularly reviews course offerings to assure that it is meeting the changing needs of the over 50,000 local residents who enroll annually. (
SELF-EVALUATION
PLANNING AGENDA
- The institution identifies and seeks to meet the varied educational needs of its students through programs consistent with their educational preparation and the diversity, demographics, and economy of its communities. The institution relies upon research and analysis to identify student-learning needs and to assess progress toward achieving stated learning outcomes.
A.1.a /
- What research is conducted to inform what student learning needs are?
- What means does the institution use to assessstudents’ educational preparation?
- How is this information incorporated into program planning?
- What kind of research is being conducted to determine if students are achieving stated learning outcomes?
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
The College has a long history of conducting research to determine the educational needs of students coming to the campus and incorporating this information into program planning and program evaluation. Every year data is reported in the College’s Institutional Effectiveness Reports related to preparation of applicants and enrolled students, progression through Basic Skills courses, etc. [Institutional Effectiveness Annual Report p. 15) The Student Satisfaction Survey, conducted every 3 years, provides additional data for institutional planning. (2008 Student Satisfaction Survey)Examples of how recent research results have influenced program planning include changes in the College’s dual enrollment program for high school students, expansion of the Basic skills Initiative, increasing the use of distance education and extension of continuing education program offerings. ( Continuing Education Program Review Manual and Timeline)
Meeting the needs of high school students has remained anarea of focus since the last accreditation visit. High school students and their parents along with their principals have increasingly sought educational opportunities for students to begin college level education while still in high school. Santa Barbara City College is proud that the strong collaboration with the Santa Barbara High School District, the Carpentaria Unified School District and South Coast Regional Occupational Program (ROP) which has resulted in a model Dual/Concurrent Enrollment Program. In Spring 2008, more than 1,800 students were enrolled in 110 college classes in 32 disciplines on their high school campuses. In addition to academic courses that are UC and CSU transferrable, there are 12 Tech-Prep and ROP pathways as well as high school academies to prepare students for occupations or continued coursework after high school graduation(Dual Enrollment Grids 2002-2008). The successful implementation and tremendous growth of collaborationrequires frequent communication among all institutions and clear, consistent procedures. In 2006, a handbook was developed to provide information on relevant legislation, codes, policy, procedures, applications and forms (Concurrent/Dual Enrollment Handbook). This handbook outlines the procedures for ensuring that all courses taught at high schools meet the same standards as courses taught on the SBCC main campus. In addition to college classes taught at the high school, students may also register for SBCC main campus classes and earn both high school and college credit. For the 2007-08 academicyear a total of 2,429 local high students attended courses on the SBCC campus as well as at their high schools. This does not include high school students enrolled in online courses. Another option for high school students is MiddleCollege, which originated on the SBCC campus in 1997 as collaboration between the College and the Santa BarbaraHighSchool District, specifically La Cuesta High School. This option for independent study combined with college coursework has grown over the past decade from 1 teacher and 10 students to 3 teachers, 45 students (
Basic Skills courses are an important academic service provided by SBCC, particularly because they address the needs of the students who come to campus with minimal preparation for college-level courses. Basic Skills courses are offered through the English, English Skills, English as a Second Language, and Mathematics departments. The departments have established proficiencies from one level of pre-collegiate classes to another and from pre-collegiate classes to college-level classes. Chairs of these departments work in collaboration with their faculty and administration to address the academic needs and provide support services to students enrolled in Basic Skills classes. The College is committed to raising the visibility of successful practices leading to completion of Basic Skills courses and specifically to use those to close the achievement gaps between various student populations. The Continuing Education Division basic skills courses are designed to lead to an AdultHigh School diploma, GED, Adult Basic Education Certification in Reading, Writing and Math and transition into the SBCC credit division.(Sbcc.edu/academicsenate/website/studentsuccessinitiative.pdf)(SBCC 2008-2009 College Catalog) (Program Review Reports)
The College’s commitment to the quality and integrity of its distance education programs is demonstrated by a process for online course approval that follows the model for classroom-based instruction undertaken by the faculty through the Curriculum Advisory Committee (CAC). All courses must first be approved by the Dean of the OnlineCollege and the Executive Vice President of Educational Programs (EVPEP) in consultation with the Faculty Resource Center Staff. After which the course is submitted to the CAC for review and approval.( Upon approval by the committee, instructors develop their courses in conjunction with their instructional design team ( Online courses are evaluated through the normal process of faculty evaluation. In addition, the Online College regularly provides students an assessment mechanism, most recently in the issuing of a Web-based Online College Student Experiences Survey, conducted in Spring 2008 (Online College Student Experiences Survey). Directions for distance education growth and evolution stem in part from an analysis of these quantitative and qualitative responses.
The Continuing Education Division serves a significant portion of the Santa Barbaracommunity. It relies on the outreach efforts of its Student Services program, the CE Community Advisory Council, relationships with K-12 District and other educational institutions, community organizations and businesses representing individuals with educational needs to assist in determining appropriate offerings and locations for classes {CE Advisory Council Documents). Aside from two Continuing Education Centers, classes are offered in many other locations, with an attempt to offer basic skills and bi-lingual classes, when possible in the neighborhoods of the students targeted. These include classes at the Santa Barbara and VenturaCounty jails. (CE Schedule of Classes, Fall 2008)(Pedotti Jail Pilot Program Proposal) Using enrollment figures, input from CE faculty, advisors and counselors, student evaluations and surveys and the results of program reviews, CE staff adjusts the type of offerings, timing and locations on a term-to-term basis.(CE Program Review History). In the basic skills program (ESL. Adult High School/GED, Adult Basic Education, Short-term Vocational) student needs assessment is conducted in more formal ways with all students and teachers negotiating appropriate educational goals for the term with each student. (Basic Skills Assessment Tools document)(LearningCenter Instructor Training Manual).
[Are there other areas that should be included?Consider including info r/t role of RHORC in identifying need for and support in development of health career programs on campus and in the region. -KH]
SELF-EVALUATION
The College has exceeded standards in providing education for high school age students.
Because student success is perceived as an important campus-wide area of concern, the basic skills courses are continually reviewed and evaluated through the program review process so faculty can examine the challenges that students face and consider ways in which these challenges might be overcome.
The programs of the Continuing Education Division are well-loved and respected by the community. Organizations are eager to assist and to provide advice and collaboration. Relying on their input has contributed to the success of the program. Using the program review process has ensured a more systematic approach to assessment of student learning needs andhas incorporated research and data analysis into the process of planning and evaluating course offerings.
Two areas of special focus for SBCC in the 2008-09 academic year will be the nature of its OnlineCollege growth, and the infusion of rich media to increase student-faculty interaction. In addition, the OnlineCollege will be evaluating its course offerings in relation to college-wide certificate and degree programs with the intent to foster strategic growth. In some cases, this may require the College to submit proposals for Substantive Program Change to the System Office (Substantive Change Form).In 2007-08, with the advent of rich media technologies, theOnlineCollege began a three-year process to transform its teaching paradigms toinclude an enhanced student-centered model that encourages social presence and collaboration. This transformation requires significant faculty retraining, both in terms of technical preparedness for synchronous and asynchronous pedagogic strategiesand communication environments. This will require faculty to move to a new standardized course learning management system by the fall of 2009 (Moodle).
PLANNING AGENDA
In Spring 2008, SBCC was awarded two grants to support outreach to support middle school and high school students in career/technical pathways. The SB 70 grant will develop a VirtualCareersAcademy for online delivery to middle school students. TheConcurrent Courses: Pathways to College and Career Initiatives grant from the James Irvine Foundation grant will provide professional development for teachers, tutors for classes, updated textbooks and software, and outreach to parents and students, particularly low income or underserved students. (SB 70 Proposal/ Concurrent Courses: Pathways to College and Career Initiatives – SBCC proposal/and or Sub-award Agreement).
Faculty members currently teaching online have agreed to undertake rigorous training in Moodle in a series of cohorts throughout 2008-09 ( This training will be both classroom-based, through the Faculty Resource Center (FRC), and online through the @One program. Faculty will simultaneously work with an instructional design team in the FRC to re-design their classes, taking this opportunity to transition from Blackboard/WebCT to Moodle and also to use the new tools available within the new course/learning management system to increase student engagement through enhanced use of interactive, Web 2.0, and rich media technologies. By Fall 2009, a new orientation to learning online will be available for students which willassess and instruct prospective students to increase academic success and retention in their online courses.
The Continuing Education Division will conduct student satisfaction surveys on a more regular, timely basis using the credit division survey forms as a template and will implement the program review timeline and SLO cycle (Curriculum Oversight Committee Calendar, Timeline and Flowchart).
- The institution utilizes delivery systems and modes of instruction compatible with the objectives of the curriculum and appropriate to the current and future needs of its students
A.1.b /
- How does the institution determine that delivery of instruction fits the objectives and content of its courses?
- How are delivery methods evaluated for their effectiveness in meeting student needs?
- What dialogue is taking place about delivery systems and modes of instruction?
- How effectively are delivery systems and modes of instruction facilitating student learning?
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
The college is committed to delivering instruction through a variety of methodologies to increase access to courses and programs and to maximize student success. Through the program review process, faculty across the campus have been encouraged to examine courses within their disciplines to determine suitability of offering content in various venues (face-to-face, online, hybrid, short courses, dual enrollment, etc.) in order to meet the needs of target audiences
SBCC has made significant efforts to meet the educational needs of a wide range of students through distance education. The SBCCOnlineCollege offers enhanced student access through time-and-place convenience in 135 unique courses spanning 39 departments and 4 fully-online degrees. ( Approximately 6,829 unduplicated students were enrolled in online courses in the 2007-08 academic year, representing traditional and non-traditional students as well as local and out-of-region students.
The Continuing Education Division makes every effort to provide an opportunity for adult students to learn throughout their lifetime, providing classes to suit their busy (and often complicated) lives. Modes of instruction vary depending on the educational needs of the students. For instance, at the two CE Centers and the Santa BarbaraCounty jail, multi-media learning labs serve students with varied schedules, educational goals and learning styles. There are computer labs with bi-lingual teaching staff to provide instruction to underserved students located in their neighborhoods.