Educational Planning Committee
Minutes
November 19, 2008
Attendance: Belinda Acuna, Kathleen Burke-Kelly, Arax Cohen, Daryl Kinney, Daniel Marlos, Betsy Manchester, Joyce Moore, Nancy Pierce, Reri Pumphrey, Maria Reisch, Ken Sherwood, Bernadette Tchen, Kalynda Webber
Absent: Thelma Day, Maryanne Des Vignes, Merrill Eastcott, John Freitas, Mickey Hong, Joe Meyer, Gayle Partlow, Andrew Walzer
Guests: Pamela Michael Critelli, Tammy Robinson, Anna Badalyan, Nick Arman
Convened: 12:15 PM
Agenda: The minutes of the November 5 meeting were approved as presented.
The EPC was asked to elicit seven volunteers to participate in the validation reviews for Administrative Services Program reviews. Those who volunteered to participate are: Vaughn Obern, Kalynda Webber, Maria Reisch, Pamela Atkinson, Joe Meyer, Dan Wanner, and Daryl Kinney. The initial meeting of the validation review teams follows the EPC meeting today. The timeline is set up to complete the Admin Services Program reviews before the beginning of the spring semester.
The validation report for the Philosophy Program Review was presented. The department was commended for being the first program to complete the program review process, for its alignment with the LACC Core Competencies, for its annual scholarship, for its methods of assuring course consistency with course outlines, and for its currency with course Title 5 updates. The department received several recommendations, including, 1) to provide a more thorough analysis throughout the entire program review, especially in the section on course scheduling; 2) to begin assessment of SLOs; 3) to investigate ways to strengthen student success; 4) to expand the section on professional development to more clearly reflect what the faculty has done in the past six years; 5) to encourage students to use academic support services; and 6) to address future additional equipment and technology needs in the document if those areas are, indeed, areas of need. The department chair took exception to some of the comments in the review, but the committee felt that the comments were based on information in (or not addressed completely in) the program review document itself. Once again, the EPC stated that the validation reviews are for the content of the Program Review and reiterated that the comments are not in any way meant as an evaluation of the department itself. Program Review is a self-evaluation and planning document.
The English/ESL Department program review was presented for validation. The department was commended for continuing to meet the challenges they've been facing due to the Wilshire Center/s problems, drastic class cancellations, campus construction, and reduction in full time faculty; for interdepartmental collaboration and engagement of students in clubs and productions such as the Citadel; for developing new modes of course delivery and student assessment; and for being current with Title 5 updates. The department also received several recommendations, including 1) to formulate action plans for the stated goals; 2) to change the acceptance of 59% student success rate from satisfactory to needs to improve, followed by targeted action plans; 3) to follow trough with its past goals, especially the 2006 goals; and 4) to complete Section X: Final Summary by Discipline (ESL and Linguistics).
Because it was not possible to review Media Arts or Theatre, it was decided to meet next Wednesday to review those departments and to discuss the remaining items on this week’s agenda, namely:
1. Annual Unit Plan Preparation revisions
2. Educational Master Plan/College Planning Calendar changes
3. NEC update
The meeting was adjourned at 2:35.
EPC subcommittees scheduled meetings:
Educational Master Plan:
Program Review:
Satellite:
Distance Education:
EMaP:
Essential Skills:
Next EPC meeting: November 26 at 12:30 in the PCR.