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PROGRAM REVIEW
SPEECH COMMUNICATION
SELF-STUDY REPORT
Shasta College
2004-2005
First Level Team:Second Level Team:
Ron Johnson, DeanCarolyn Borg, Counselor
Terry Turner, ChairLeimoneWaite,
Richard Saunders Horticulture Instructor
Robb LightfootSteven Main, Teacher,
Chuck Endres, adjunct English/Publications/Yearbook,
Melissa Maney, student Anderson New Technology High
Program Review Executive Summary
Program Strengths:
The Shasta College Speech Program teaches communication theory, skills, and competencies that are crucial for success in personal and business relationships and that create better participation in the robust dialogues of a democratic society. The critical thinking skills and analytical tools students learn as a part of communication better prepare them to be effective citizens and advocates. The Speech faculty adapts our materials and modes of delivery to help students succeed. For example, we offer Interactive television (ITV) courses for students in distant sites, and we teach students how to make effective PowerPoint presentations. We have offered Argumentation and Debate as an online course, and we are in the process of preparing another online communication course. Our faculty have an impressive breadth and depth of professional and teaching experience.
All speech courses help students fulfill transfer requirements and all but one (Oral Interpretation) meet Shasta College’s graduation requirement for oral communication. Oral Interpretation meets a Humanities graduation requirement. In addition, we have articulation agreements with more than 13 California State Universities and Universities of California.
The feedback from our students is positive. They tell us that the skills and knowledge they learned in our speech courses gave them advantages in their upper-division studies and in the workplace and were beneficial in their personal relationships. The quantitative data support student assertions. According to the research gathered, the Speech program had the following percentages of “Closed” sections: 85% of 72 sections in 01-02, 79% of 86 sections in 02-03, and with the addition of a new full-time faculty member, at 27% of 97 sections in 03-04. (Sections are often closed before open registration begins.) During the three-year span of 2001-02 to 2003-04, the Speech Program generated an average of 193 FTES (Full Time Equivalent Students). Shasta’s Speech Programs generated $818,418.86 in FTES dollars, saw an average of 85 sections offered, and had average enrollments of 25 per section.
Improvements Needed:
- Hire additional full-time faculty. We have been approved for four full time instructors, and to meet student demand, we at least need to return to this prior staffing level. One full-time faculty member took another position and has not been replaced. One full-time faculty is retiring at the end of 04-05. Many speech classes are closed near the beginning of open registration or before. Instructors are forced to turn away students every semester, with the resultant loss of FTEs. We urgently need new faculty.
- Allocate permanent office space for adjunct faculty.
The institution has wisely recognized the need to support adjunct faculty. The administration needs to secure suitable office space for adjuncts. This ensures that students of adjunct faculty are on an equal footing with students of fulltime faculty.
- Upgrade and standardize classroom technology on and off the Redding campus.
Speech students in ALL classrooms on and off campus need PowerPoint projection equipment and video recording equipments on a par with those in our primary classrooms on the main campus for performance courses.
- Purchase new chairs for 633 and 638.
The current chairs are metal folding chairs and are highly uncomfortable for the students, and are over twenty years old.
Program Review Narrative
I. Program Description and Staff
Subject matter areas
The subject matter areas covered in Program Review include public speaking, interpersonal communication, small group communication, intercultural communication, oral interpretation, argumentation and debate and special topics in speech communication.
Full-time faculty
There are three full-time program faculty: Richard Saunders, Robb Lightfoot, and Terry Turner. Each can teach all of the courses offered by the Speech Communication Department. Richard Saunders typically teaches interpersonal communication, public speaking and intercultural communication. Terry Turner usually teaches interpersonal communication, small group communication, public speaking and oral interpretation. Robb Lightfoot typically teaches argumentation and debate, public speaking, and oral interpretation. We vary what courses we teach from semester to semester, adjusting schedules to best meet students’ needs.
Diversity: Full-Time Faculty
There is gender and ethnic diversity among the full-time instructors. There are two male and one female instructor. There is ethnic diversity among the full-time instructors, as one is Native American.
There is a rich diversity of professional experience and interests among the full time faculty.
Richard Saunders has over thirty years of teaching experience in speech. He developed the first interpersonal communication course at Shasta College over thirty years ago. He was instrumental in the development of other speech courses at Shasta College in the 1970s. Richard is one of the first faculty members to offer classes using Shasta College’s new ITV system in 1997. In the years since 1997, Richard has taught interpersonal, intercultural and public speaking classes using the ITV system. Over the last several years Richard has taught interpersonal communication, intercultural communication and public speaking as web-enhanced classes. Richard Saunders uses state of the art technology in all of his classes. Last semester and this semester year Richard has served as a mentor for a new multimedia lectern in Room 638. In January 2004 he led a workshop for Fine Arts & Communication Center staff members who will be using the multimedia lectern. Richard Saunders will be retiring from Shasta College at the end of the spring 2005 semester after 33 years of teaching speech in the Communication Arts Department.
Robb Lightfoot has been a member of the Communication Arts Department at Shasta College since 1990. Robb currently teaches classes in public speaking, oral interpretation and argumentation and debate. Robb recently developed courses in mass communication and multimedia design and production. Robb was selected for and participated in an NEH summer program at Columbia University focusing on the American Playwrights of the Twentieth Century. Robb teaches web-enhanced classes. Over the last year Robb has been using even more dynamic supplementary material, including Flash animations and Content Management Systems (CMS) software. In the past Robb taught an online argumentation and debate class for Shasta College. Robb is without question the most experienced and knowledgeable person in our Department regarding software, fully online and web enhanced classes. Although Robb has much interest in state of the art technology, his primary interest remains face-to-face contact with his students in the classroom.
Terry Turner has been a member of the Communication Arts Department at Shasta College since 1993, and was hired full-time in 1996. Terry is one of the most outstanding teachers at Shasta College. Her name appears in the Who’s Who for American teachers in 2002. Terry has helped design, coordinate and teach the L.I.F.E. (Learning Integrated with the Future Environment) class, which was the longest running and most successful learning community at Shasta College. She has designed and presented a variety of workshops for staff, faculty and ASB at Shasta College. Terry Turner teaches a wide variety of classes at Shasta College, and is active in campus life. She has chaired the Program Review for the Communication Arts Department. Terry has served on numerous campus committees including the Academic Senate, Curriculum Committee, and the Faculty Association. She has extensive experience in designing, teaching and leading management training programs, and other courses and workshops at McDonnell Douglas Corporation.
Adjunct Faculty
There were five adjunct instructors in Fall 2004. Brad Turner typically teaches small group communication and interpersonal communication. Chuck Endres usually teaches public speaking. Nancy Hills teaches interpersonal communication, small group communication, and public speaking. Nancy Hickson usually teaches interpersonal communication. Claudia Coon typically teaches intercultural communication and interpersonal communication. (Claudia Coon will be leaving the Department at the end of this semester for a new position elsewhere.)
Diversity: Adjunct Faculty
There is gender and ethnic diversity among the adjunct faculty. Our adjunct faculty currently include three female and two male instructors. One of our adjunct faculty members is African -American.
There is diversity of professional experience and interests among our adjunct faculty.
All of our current adjunct instructors have many years of experience teaching speech classes at the college level. There is a diversity of professional experience and special interests among our adjunct instructors. A list of topics of special interest and professional experience for our adjunct faculty includes, but is not limited to, organizational and small group communication, intercultural communication, communication workshops at Shasta College and in the community, public speaking, interpersonal communication and coaching students for competitive speech contests.
Development Activities:
The Speech Communication faculty has been very active in a wide variety of development activities. We have attended national, state and local conferences. We have attended training in ITV, WebCT or equivalent, and computer programs such as Power Point. Our faculty have developed and taught in learning communities. We are currently involved in faculty mentoring programs. We stay current with trends in the field through contact with other instructors throughout the state as well as by reading current publications in the field.
There are many other examples of recent development activities. Richard is mentoring the Fine Arts & Communication faculty with newly installed Title III technology in Rooms 633 and 400. Robb has recently developed classes in mass communication and multi-media design and production. Terry Turner has completed an online Interpersonal Communication class with the University of Phoenix. She has completed training in WIDS on measurable learning outcomes. Terry has given communication workshops both at Shasta College and for community businesses.
In addition, the program faculty is very active on campus committees. Our activities include serving on a variety of committees: the Curriculum Council, the Academic Senate, the Faculty Association, the Affirmative Action and Diversity committee, Affirmative Action Representative on multiple hiring committees (now called “Equal Employee Opportunity” representative), co-chair on the Accreditation Committee, a member of the Accreditation steering committee, preparing a Faculty Mentoring proposal for Partnership for Excellence, a member on multiple hiring committees, on multiple tenure review committees, faculty mentors, General Education Committee, Partnership for Excellence Center committee, Administrative Review committee.
Development Needs:
To best continue individual staff development, instructors need money to attend additional conferences. We would recommend the reinstitution of faculty sabbaticals to support and encourage professional growth among our instructors.
Quantity and Quality of Program Staff:
The most urgent need of the Speech Program is that vacant faculty positions be reinstated and replaced. We look at our Speech Program and see four indicators of this critical need:
Shortage of qualified adjunct instructors. We are concerned over the lack of available adjunct faculty due to our geographical isolation. Sudden departures of adjunct faculty force us to cancel classes. When we lose adjuncts, or otherwise cannot staff scheduled classes, they must be cancelled. With the small number of full-time instructors, we must offer fewer sections, and have to cancel sections when we lose an adjunct.
Shortage of full-time instructors. As an example of this, in Fall 2004, we had scheduled 12 sections to be taught by adjunct faculty. As noted above, this can create real problems.
On campus classes cancelled due to lack of instructors. Each semester, at least two and as many as five classes have been cancelled (or not offered in the first place) due to lack of instructors. Students are frustrated since classes offered often close during “registration by appointment”. Due to the resignation of one adjunct faculty member, we have had to cancel three classes for Spring 2005.
Outreach classes cancelled. Several outreach speech classes were cancelled in Fall semester due to the lack of qualified instructors. They probably will be cancelled again in Spring 2005.
- Research (In addition, please refer to data on next page on “Sections Cancelled.”)
** The documentation from the Research office is attached as Appendix A
Item(data available by academic year, not by semester) / 2001-
2002 / 2002-
2003 / 2003-
2004 / Three Year
Average
Total Course Enrollments / 1,913 / 1,882 / 1,991 / 1,929
FTEs / 193.97 / 184.62 / 200.14 / 192.81
Average Class Size
(first day only - census not available) / 28 / 25 / 23 / 25
Grade Point Average - all Classes
(Departmental GPA) / 3.051 / 2.986 / 3.027 / 3.02
Retention Rate / 89.9% / 89.7% / 89.5% / 89.7%
Success Rate / 81.7% / 79.4% / 80.3% / 80.5%
Number of Sections Offered
(All courses are transferable) / 72 / 86 / 97 / 85
Number of Sections Closed
by last day of registration / 61 / 68 / 26 / 51.7
Percent of Sections Closed
by last day of registration / 85% / 79% / 27% / 64%
List of Sections Cancelled with the Enrollment at the time of canceling and the instructor:
Fall 2001:
Section 2560 – SPCH 10 – 0 – staff
Section 2636 – SPCH 10 – 20 – Cooper
Section 2564 – SPCH 60 – 0 - staff
Section 2562 – SPCH 54 – 0 – staff
Section 2565 – SPCH 60 – 0 – staff
Spring 2002:
Section 4838 – SPCH 20 – 0 – staff
Section 6877 – SPCH 60 – 0 – staff
Fall 2002:
Section 1113 – SPCH 10 – 0 - Lee, S.
Section 1123 – SPCH 10 – 0 – staff
Section 1124 – SPCH 54 – 0 – Lee, S.
Section 1127 – SPCH 54 – 0 - staff
Spring 2003:
Section 7181 – SPCH 60 – 0 - staff
Section 7182 – SPCH 60 – 0 – staff
Section 7169 – SPCH30 – 0 – Warner, W.
Fall 2004:
Section 3865 – SPCH 10 – Saunders, R. **
Section 4065 – SPCH 10 - Saunders, R. **
Section 2674 – SPCH54 – Cooper, J.
Section 2675 – SPCH 54 – Cooper, J.
Section 2682 – SPCH 60 – Cooper, J.
**All five of Jeff Cooper’s classes were going to be cancelled, since Jeff had left Shasta College. Richard Saunders cancelled two of his sections and took two of Jeff’s that were at a more “prime” teaching/student need time.
Commentary on significant features of the data
There are implications in two areas:
- We need to have additional full-time faculty to meet demand.
- We need to have suitable rooms in which these classes can be taught.
At the conclusion of our first program review, we offered 61 sections. During 03-04, we offered 97 sections, with 12 cancelled. This leaves 85 sections, with class enrollments of 1,991 students. We are generating $818,418.86 in FTEs.
Because of the unique economic features of Redding, many of our students work full-time to pay for their education. Consequently, these students are able to take classes only in what has become “prime instructional time”, from 8 am until 1pm. Daytime classes offered outside this window tend to have smaller enrollments.
Many Speech courses, especially all performance courses, use presentational technology. Therefore, we support having a campus-wide budget for technology maintenance. Technology aside, speech courses are inexpensive to offer.
The Speech Communication department generates an average of 193 FTEs each academic year. Our average student completion is 1730 students per year based on course enrollments of 1929 students. This figure is gained by taking each year’s retention rate, then multiplying that number by the initial class enrollments. The resultant FTE revenue is $818,418.86.
It is difficult to find instructors in Redding with Master’s Degrees in Speech Communication. This limits the pool of adjunct faculty. In addition, our adjunct faculty is so talented that they regularly leave for full-time employment elsewhere. But a high turnover of faculty, even adjunct faculty, gives students a poor impression of the college.
- Program Mission/Function
Students are able to complete the oral communication requirement necessary for CSU transfer students and the oral communication requirement for the A.A. Degree at Shasta College by selecting appropriate speech courses from a diverse and rich variety of courses. Students also may chose to graduate with an A.A. in Speech Communication.
As documented in repeated surveys cited in key business publications, employers are seeking employees with good communication skills. Oral communication skills are listed in the top three skills required by every business. Good oral communication skills have been documented by research to be an important factor in the health of personal relationships. These skills even have been linked to one's physical and psychological health. The competencies taught in communication courses are essential life skills.
The overall purpose of the Speech Communication Program is to offer a broad array of introductory courses in communication. These courses enable students to lead richer, more satisfying and productive lives by improving their communication in relationships and in small and large groups, in both personal and professional settings.
This program also provides our students with skills that are essential for many of the other programs at Shasta College. Speech courses are recommended or required in many Associate of Arts Degree Programs at Shasta College: Journalism; Early Childhood Education; Nursing; Dental Hygiene; Fire Technology; Agriculture; Equine; Horticulture Management; Natural Resources. Businesses benefit from hiring students/graduates with better communication skills. In a very real sense, communication is the common ground for other disciplines to interact and function within the community.
IV. Curriculum Update
Curriculum and courses are routinely reviewed to ensure that our instruction and presentational technology meet student needs and are in line with current trends in our discipline. We periodically review the four-year and two-year curricula at state universities and community colleges for current trends. We network with colleagues at differing colleges and universities to determine curriculum consistency, accuracy and relevancy with regard to quantitative and quality standards. We have attended national, regional and local conferences in the past, but in the last few years there has not been monies available for travel or sabbaticals.