The Instructional Program Review

Narrative Report (MUSIC)

College: College of Alameda

Discipline, Department or Program: Music

Date: 3-10-2010

Members of the instructional Program Review Team:

Department/Committee Chair-Glen Pearson, Division Dean Maurice Jones

Faculty-Herbert Mims Jr. and Lonnie Williams

2. Narrative Description of the Discipline, Department or Program:

Music involves studies in the areas of history, theory, and performance. The main goal and objective the Music program at the College of Alameda is to provide an increased awareness of music’s role in daily life from both an historical and contemporary perspective as well as to provide opportunities for both amateur and professional musicians to enhance their performance skills. Our general education courses not only meet the transfer requirement for Humanities and Arts, but also aim to inspire critical thinking and analysis. Students are encouraged to consider and assess the cultural, social, economic and political factors that both shape and influence the creation of popular styles of music. Through a combination of lectures, films/videos, discussions, comparative listening, analysis, performance demonstrations and concert attendances, students acquire an increased awareness of music’s role both historically

and currently. Studies in traditional music theory are enhanced through student access to an online tutorial as well as a keyboard/piano lab. Opportunities for enrichment and performance are offered through classes in piano, small jazz ensemble and a community Jazz Big Band.

Presently, the department offers no specific A.A. degree or certificate. However, we do offer courses that meet the Inter-segmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) and the California State University General Education (CSU) Breath requirements. These courses consist of Music 10A-Music Appreciation, Music 15A-Jazz,Blues and Popular Music History (1840-1940), Music 15B-Jazz, Blues and Popular Music History (1950-Present) and Music 1A-Musicianship.

Enrollment Data (DEMOGRAPHICS: 2007-2009)

HUMAN / ASIAN / 48 / 21.5% / 92 / 32.2% / 112 / 34.3% / 79 / 29.4%
AFRICAN AMERICAN / 48 / 21.5% / 65 / 22.7% / 87 / 26.6% / 76 / 28.3%
FILIPINO / 17 / 7.6% / 16 / 5.6% / 12 / 3.7% / 8 / 3.0%
HISPANIC/LATINO / 19 / 8.5% / 36 / 12.6% / 23 / 7.0% / 27 / 10.0%
NATIVE AMERICAN / 0 / 0.0% / 1 / 0.3% / 1 / 0.3% / 4 / 1.5%
OTHER NON WHITE / 5 / 2.2% / 10 / 3.5% / 13 / 4.0% / 11 / 4.1%
WHITE NON HISPANIC / 66 / 29.6% / 52 / 18.2% / 62 / 19.0% / 45 / 16.7%
UNKNOWN / 20 / 9.0% / 14 / 4.9% / 17 / 5.2% / 19 / 7.1%
Total / 223 / 286 / 327 / 269

3. Curriculum:

  • Is the curriculum current and effective? Have course outlines been updated within the last three years? If not, what plans are in place to remedy this?
  • The Music curriculum is current and effective. In spring 2008, all courses were updated through the Curriculum Committee.
  • Has your department conducted a curriculum review of course outlines? If not, what are the plans to remedy this?
  • The Music department, in Spring 2008, conducted a curriculum review of course outlines.
  • What are the department’s plans for curriculum improvement (i.e., courses to be developed, updated, enhanced, or deactivated)? Have prerequisites, co-requisites, and advisories been validated? Is the date of validation on the course outline?
  • The music department currently offers courses that are compliant and comparable to those of any university-level curriculum. A further aim of the music department is to develop and offer practical/vocational courses in the areas of music technology, business and entertainment law. Such courses would facilitate the pursuit of as well as become a potential primer for those seeking or considering a career within the music/entertainment industry.
  • All prerequisites and advisories were updated in 2008 and the dates of validation are included in the course outlines.
  • Describe the efforts to develop outcomes at the program level. In which

ways do these outcomes align with the institutional outcomes?

  • As of 2009, College of Alameda acquired the funds to implement Department Chairs as well as Clusters. The cluster for the Music Department includes Humanities, Philosophy and have co-chair with the Communication and Art departments. The Communication Department have had and will continue to have Departments meeting to review our current/updated Course Outlines of Record and moving forward toward meeting the ACCJC Rubric deadlines for Student Learning Outcomes along with utilizing both TaskStream and CurriCuNet as applicable
  • At this time, the Music Department does not have Program Outcomes but plans to have them for the future, and they will be included with the proposed establishment of certificated courses and programs.
  • By 2012, the goal of the Music Department is to have developed and implemented courses and courses of study that will result in the acquisition of certificates in the areas of music technology and business and management.
  • Recommendations and Priorities:
  • The Music Department will continue designing new courses and developing pedagogy that will meet the needs of ever changing and increasingly diverse student population.

4. Instruction:

  • Describe effective and innovative strategies used by faculty to involve students in the learning process. How has new technology been used by the department to improve student learning?
  • The department strives to remain current with texts and other related resources. Our full and part-time faculty members strive to bring new methodologies to the learning environment that allow for the generation of new as well as seasoned students to be engaged in our curriculum offerings. We have all taken time to communicate with colleagues at other community colleges and four-year institutions in as part of an ongoing effort in determining which methods have proven to be effective and then applying some of those resources and techniques within our own curriculum.
  • An additional step that has been taken in the effort to be even more effective has been the hiring of a Dedicated Departmental Teaching Assistant. While this is a work studies student he is at the same time knowledgeable in the area of Music and is able to assist in clerical duties, maintenance of the Department’s website, equipment, and music library, and the scheduling and grading of student assignments, as well as peer tutoring.
  • The Music Department’s current utilization of facilities and equipment include the following equipment: a portable video projector and a VCR/DVD recorder/ player, an Overhead Projector, an older stereo system consisting of a receiver/amplifier, CD player and turntable, and a laptop computer. As for facilities, the majority of instruction takes place in room G-119 which is our main lecture and rehearsal facility. The remaining instruction takes place in G-118A, which is our piano/keyboard and music tech facility.
  • Technology and equipment that would enhance classroom instruction and effectiveness, for classrooms and for on-site teaching in a Music Theory and Performance environment need to include but not be limited to: a new compact LCD/DLP Projector (XGA or what is small/portable that is “State of the Art”), laptop computers able to access both the PC and MAC platforms, a Digital Video Recording device, and a Digital Audio Recording device compatible for uploading onto a computer for editing and creating CD/DVDs of lectures, rehearsals and performances.
  • How does the department maintain the integrity and consistency of academic standards within the discipline?
  • Integrity and standards within the discipline are maintained by ensuring that students clearly understand the grading, attendance, and academic policies for our courses. This information students is made available through incorporation into course syllabi

(grading policies, assignment due dates, blogs, resource links, etc.) In addition, as part of our effort to create and maintain classroom environments that are conducive to the learning process, general guidelines and rules of student conduct are reiterated throughout the course of each semester (e.g., no cellphone use, disrespectful behavior, etc.). If any problems arise, we always work with students individually or seek help from colleagues, managers and/or other administrators to resolve any potential conflicts.

  • Discuss the enrollment trends of your department. What is the student demand for specific courses? How do you know? What do you think are the salient trends affecting enrollments?
  • As indicated by the chart data, there has been a significant increase in enrollment for Music courses.
  • Are courses scheduled in a manner that meets student needs and demand? How do you know?
  • There has been a consistent enrollment of students in both prime-time morning (10AM-12PM) and early afternoon and early afternoon (1PM-3PM) courses.
  • Recommendations and priorities.
  • The Music Department would benefit greatly from and there are steps currently being taken to incorporate both hybrid and online courses into the Music curriculum.

Courses by time of day

Term Subject Catalog Section Description AVE ENR Time
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 10 / A1 / MUSIC APPRECIATION / 47 / MORN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 15A / A1 / JAZZ/BLUES/POP MUSIC / 35 / AFTERN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 15B / A1 / JAZZ/BLUES/POP MUSIC / 9 / EVEN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 1A / A1 / MUSICIANSHIP / 20 / EVEN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 15A / A2 / JAZZ/BLUES/POP MUSIC / 33 / EVEN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 28 / A1 / SMALL ENSEMBLE IMPROV/JAZZ / 27 / EVEN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 28 / A1L / SMALL ENSEMBLE IMPROV/JAZZ / 27 / EVEN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 28 / A1L / SMALL ENSEMBLE IMPROV/JAZZ / 27 / EVEN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 28 / A1L / SMALL ENSEMBLE IMPROV/JAZZ / 27 / EVEN
Fall 2009 / MUSIC / 28 / A1L / SMALL ENSEMBLE IMPROV/JAZZ / 27 / EVEN

5. Student Success:

  • Describe student success, retention and program completion (degrees, certificates, persistence rates) trends in the department. What initiatives can the department take to improve retention and completion rates?
  • The overall retention and completion rate for the Music Department based on the Data received from the District Researcher Debra Banks appears to be above average with a low of 89% and a total percentage of 93%. The success rates appear to range as follows: a low range between 39-60 percent, a middle range between 70 to 86 percent and a high range of 92 to 97 percent.
  • Two key factors that seem to impact student learning are : The cost of textbooks and the ability to qualify for financial assistance. In recognition of these there have been proposals and discussions within our academic senate regarding textbook rentals, online textbooks, and small scholarships for students to buy books or necessities to stay in school including the cost of admissions
  • Another crucial area besides textbooks and finance is campus atmosphere, culture, and sense of college community. Since community colleges are open to practically everyone there tends to be mixed of culture of students with clearly defined goals alongside those seeking purpose and direction. This is often reflected through such incidents as the trashing of restrooms and other activity that reflect a lack of respect for the college environment. Some students are perhaps choosing not to come and/or go to other institutions because to them the college does not feel like a college.
  • There are students that are not doing well, that are on the verge of dropping, withdrawing, or failing courses. For such students an early-alert system/method needs to be implemented (online and direct personal contact) where those that are missing key materials, performing poorly on quizzes/assignments, have missed a certain number of classes can be notified. In addition, there needs to be a focus on retention via ethnicity – especially African-American and Latino males – since, in my experience so far, some of these students tend to get “lost” in the system or do not get the attention they need to succeed in a college environment. In addition, we plan to improve our curriculum to address the life concerns and cultural backgrounds of our students.
  • What are the key needs of students that affect their learning? What services are needed for these students to improve their learning? Describe the department’s efforts to access these services. What are your department’s instructional support needs?
  • It is evident that there is a need for an ongoing collaborative effort between faculty, counselors and other support staff in an effort to address an affect the academic experience and outcomes of marginal students. Our faculty do their best to help students gain access to vital resources; however, given the large size of some classes, limited support services, and only one full-time faculty member, students can easily get “lost” in the system, when they really need more help. Our department evidently needs more resources or funding for instructional support to help create more student small-group workshops outside of class, study groups, learning communities, mentoring programs, clubs, etc.
  • Describe the department’s effort to assess student learning at the course level. Describe the efforts to assess student learning at the program level. In which ways has the department used student learning assessment results for improvement?
  • Our department has incorporated SLOs into all of its courses. SLOs are currently assessed by focusing on lecture content and certain questions on quizzes and exams as they relate to comprehension and student success. By focusing on certain questions and qualitative data such memorable topics, it can be determined where there is room for improvement as far as topics and the conveyance of information.
  • Recommendations and priorities.
  • Our program will assess more SLOs in both formal and informal ways to gather data important for improving our pedagogy.

MUSIC / Fall / 123 / 6 / 1.25 / 13.9 / 11.09 / 142 / 7 / 1.45 / 15.74 / 10.83 / 221 / 9 / 1.83 / 23.73 / 13 / 214 / 9 / 1.83 / 23.27 / 12.74 / 219 / 9 / 1.83 / 22.75 / 12.45
Spring / 159 / 8 / 1.68 / 17.67 / 10.52 / 156 / 8 / 1.63 / 17.05 / 10.45 / 146 / 7 / 1.4 / 15.39 / 11 / 185 / 9 / 1.8 / 19.99 / 11.11 / 209 / 9 / 1.83 / 21.8 / 11.93
MUSIC Total / 282 / 14 / 2.93 / 31.57 / 10.76 / 298 / 15 / 3.09 / 32.79 / 10.63 / 367 / 16 / 3.23 / 39.12 / 12.13 / 399 / 18 / 3.63 / 43.26 / 11.93 / 428 / 18 / 3.65 / 44.55 / 12.19
DEPT / CRS / CODE / A / B / C / CR / D / F / INC / NC / IP / W / TOTAL / RETENTION / SUCCESS
MUSIC / 010 / 44012 / 0 / 16 / 7 / 0 / 6 / 10 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 5 / 45 / 89% / 51%
MUSIC / 028 / 44022 / 14 / 0 / 1 / 8 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2 / 25 / 92% / 92%
MUSIC / 001A / 44009 / 3 / 3 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 5 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 14 / 93% / 50%
MUSIC / 015A / 44014 / 1 / 10 / 8 / 0 / 5 / 7 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 1 / 34 / 97% / 56%
MUSIC / 015A / 44013 / 0 / 11 / 6 / 0 / 8 / 10 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 39 / 97% / 44%
MUSIC / 015B / 44015 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 3 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 9 / 89% / 44%
MUSIC Total / 20 / 41 / 24 / 8 / 19 / 35 / 6 / 2 / 0 / 11 / 166 / 93% / 56%
CAT / DESCRIPTION / SECT / CENSUS / ENRL / FTES TOTL / FTEF CONT / FTEF EXSV / FTEF TEMP / FTEF TOTL / PROD
MUSIC:10 / MUSIC APPRECIATION / 1 / 47 / 44 / 4.7 / 0.2 / 0 / 0 / 0.2 / 23.5
MUSIC:15A / JAZZ/BLUES/POP MUSIC / 2 / 77 / 75 / 7.93 / 0.4 / 0 / 0 / 0.4 / 19.83
MUSIC:1A / MUSICIANSHIP / 1 / 20 / 15 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0.2 / 0.2 / 10
MUSIC:28 / SMALL ENSEMBLE IMPROV/JAZZ / 1 / 27 / 25 / 3.6 / 0 / 0 / 0.23 / 0.23 / 15.88
Grand Total / 5 / 171 / 159 / 18.23 / 0.6 / 0 / 0.43 / 1.03 / 17.76

6. Human and Physical Resources(including equipment and facilities)

  • Describe your current level of staff, including full-time and part-time faculty, classified

staff, and other categories of employment.

  • We currently have one full-time instructor and two part-time instructors
  • Describe your current utilization of facilities and equipment.
  • Currently, our one full-time instructor utilizes the bulk of our equipment resources. The lecture facility/classroom for the music department, in spite of recent construction, is still somewhat outdated: there is a need more reliable wireless connections, and projector/speaker equipment that is easily accessible to both faculty and students.
  • Are the human and physical resources, including equipment and location, adequate for all thecourses offered by your department (or program)? What are your key staffing and facilitiesneeds for the next three years? Why?
  • No, there is not an AV projector that the entire department can utilize. Because of the frequent difficulty with both availability and reliability of equipment from our AV department the full-time instructor often utilizes his own personal equipment. We would like SMART classrooms in the distant future, and for the near future, at least a permanently mounted projector, audio system, and audio/visual recording devices to really enhance the student learning experience.
  • Recommendations and priorities.
  • Human Resources: We desperately need at least one additional part-time faculty member capable of undertaking part of the academic course load. This would also allow for an expansion of course offerings that would include online as well as certificated and vocational programming
  • Physical Resources: SMART classrooms, set of new tablet laptops (Macintosh, preferably), to be used in our keyboard lab for both academic and technical applications. A new Grand piano for our lecture and rehearsal facility; a set of cheap audio recording devices (20 for students to borrow for various projects), and at least one new projector/speaker system,

Productivity and Human Resources:

Year 06-07
Subj / Term / Census Enrollment / Sect / FTEF / FTES / FTES/FTEF
MUSIC / Fall / 121 / 9 / 1.83 / 23.73 / 13
Spring / 146 / 7 / 1.4 / 15.39 / 11
MUSIC Total / 367 / 16 / 3.23 / 39.12 / 12.1
Year 07-08
Subj / Term / Census Enrollment / Sect / FTEF / FTES / FTES/FTEF
MUSIC / Fall / 214 / 9 / 1.83 / 23.27 / 12.7
Spring / 185 / 9 / 1.8 / 19.99 / 11.1
MUSIC Total / 399 / 18 / 3.63 / 43.26 / 11.9
Year 08-09
Subj / Term / Census Enrollment / Sect / FTEF / FTES / FTES/FTEF
MUSIC / Fall / 219 / 9 / 1.83 / 22.75 / 12.5
Spring / 209 / 9 / 1.83 / 21.8 / 11.9
MUSIC Total / 428 / 18 / 3.65 / 44.55 / 12.2

7. Community Outreach and Articulation

  • Describe the department’s connection with industry. Is there an Advisory Board or Advisory Committee for the program? If so, how often does it meet? Is the program adequately preparing students for careers in the field?How do you know?
  • A number of our students have transferred into music industry vocational programs such Expressions institute in Emeryville, California. Many such programs require that music technology students also posses a working knowledge and understanding of formal music theory and terminology. This enables those working from the technical side to understand and work more effectively with musicians and composers within the studio environment.
  • Have students completing the program attained a foundation of technical and career skills? How do you know? What are the completion rates in your program? N/A
  • What are the employment placement rates? Include a description of job titles and salaries. What is the relationship between completion rates and employment rates? N/A
  • What industry trends are most critical for the futureviability of the program?How do you know? What are the implications of these trends for curriculumdevelopment and improvement? N/A

For transfer programs:

  • Describe the department’s efforts in meeting with and collaborating with local 4-year institutions. Is the program adequately preparing students for upper division course work? How do you know?
  • We have made sure that our courses fulfill important breadth requirements and meet rigorous academic standards. We maintain regular contact with the articulation officer at COA and staff within the UC and CSU systems to make certain that our courses both fulfill transfer requirements and prepare students for upper-division course work at any college of university.