Mathematics/Computer Science Program
Executive Summary
Program Description
The Mathematics/Computer Science Program offers a full complement of mathematics courses and computer science courses for both the transfer and the non-transfer student. In mathematics, we offer introductory (non-transfer) courses to prepare students for college level courses in mathematics and math-related fields; service courses to prepare students for vocational and technical programs; courses to satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning requirement; and transfer courses designed to prepare students for both advanced work in mathematics and science at Shoreline and at four-year colleges. In computer science, we offer programming courses for students working to upgrade their job-related skills, courses for students hoping to fulfill associate degree requirements, and courses for students just interested in learning Visual Basic and C++ along with modern programming concepts. Each of our courses provides students with an opportunity to learn skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and quantitative reasoning - all of which are essential to success in an increasingly technological workplace.
Program Analysis
The biggest issue impacting the Mathematics/Computer Science Program has been the significant number of staffing changes that have occurred over the past few years. Several of our faculty have retired or gone on to other jobs in industry. Because of this, we began the 2000-2001 academic year with only five tenured mathematics faculty and no full-time faculty teaching our computer science courses. This has taking a toll on both old and new faculty alike. New faculty are being asked to participate in department/division duties and committees before they normally should be, and tenured faculty are being asked to work on more of these duties/committees than they normally should be. This gives all of our faculty less time for teaching and helping their students and makes everyone feel over-worked. To help alleviate this feeling, we are in the process of hiring a full-time instructor for our computer science courses and are deeply devoted to making our non-tenured faculty feel welcome and supported within this program and at Shoreline.
In addition to strengthening the connections among our full-time members, we are also continuing efforts to solidify links with our part-time instructors. Since so many of our courses are taught by part-time faculty (48% during Fall 2001), it is in our best interest to make sure that our associate faculty have input into departmental issues and are involved in curriculum decisions. We are also continuing our efforts to improve evaluation of these part-time faculty by requiring student evaluations and a quarterly visit from a tenured faculty member. Our efforts have been paying off as we have seen a decrease in the number of new associate-faculty hires we need each quarter (in Fall 2001, all of our associate faculty had taught at SCC for one quarter or more).
In general, the mathematics faculty have made a point to teach a wide range of classes and not to specialize. Instructors vary the courses they teach from quarter to quarter, which provides them with a good feel for where their students come from and where they may be going mathematically. This also gives students a variety of instructors to choose from at every level of our program. To best serve our students, we have also been offering classes at non-traditional times such as evenings and weekends, and at our satellite campus (Northshore Center) in the Lake Forest Towne Centre. We also offer several condensed courses like Jump Start and Credit Express, which allow students to cover topics in two - four weeks rather than the standard ten weeks.
The Mathematics/Computer Science Program is attempting to improve retention rates in our courses. We have done this by trying to better place students from the start, facilitate their transfer to more appropriate courses if necessary, and standardize course outcomes. We have introduced a Math Placement Guide to help new students more accurately determine the appropriate math course to begin with at SCC. We have begun experimenting with entrance and exit exams to better advise students as well.
Another issue affecting the Mathematics/Computer Science Program is the lack of technology in our classrooms. Graphing calculators and overhead displays are consistently used in most math classrooms, but access to the internet and mathematical programs such as Theorist, Mathmematica and Maple is limited to two laptops (purchased last year) that rotate among the faculty. And we have only one classroom that has a LCD projector to use with these laptops. The addition of a computer lab dedicated to science courses is greatly needed on this campus. We fear that without it, students will look elsewhere to fulfill their technology needs.
Changes/Future Directions
The Mathematics/Computer Science Program will continue to focus its efforts on improving the instructional faculty mix; refining procedures for placing students in appropriate courses, assessing their placement in current classes, and transferring students to more appropriate courses if necessary; guiding and encouraging the newest members of our department in their professional development; introducing more technology into our classrooms; and exploring non-traditional times/places for teaching to better serve our students needs. We will also focus on revitalizing our Computer Science Program once a full-time instructor has been hired to aid us in this effort. And finally, we will continue to seek ways of maintaining faculty outstanding in our dedication to student success, innovation in curriculum development, and use of technology.