Annual Instructional Dashboard Trends –January 6, 2011 Planning Document E TRANSFER
Annual Instructional Dashboard: Program Trends
Transfer Programs
2010-2011
Discipline /Dept.: / Chemistry / Date: / 4/16/12Is this program / department reviewed by any other agency? / Yes / No / No
Please describe:
1. Enrollment:(Core Theme 1: Access & Diversity)
2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10All aFTEs by discipline / 146.738 / 156.042 / 165.518
Enrollment target for next year / 167 aFTE
Comments/Analysis of Enrollment Trends: There has been a increasing demand for all chemistry courses, both allied health related and transfer courses. The program has added sections to try to meet student demand, but is limited by laboratory space and lack of part-time faculty. We currently offer 6-9 sections of Chem&121 per quarter, 1 section of Chem&131 each quarter, three general chemistry sequences (beginning Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters) and two organic chemistry sequences (beginning Fall and Winter Quarters). In addition, we have added two quarters of biochemistry in response to student demand and a request from the University of Washington Pharmacy School.
2.Staffing: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10Average student : faculty ratio for transfer / 22.20 / 21.15 / 19.81
Student:Faculty Ratio per discipline / 22.20 / 21.15 / 19.81
FT faculty :PT faculty ratio / 1.29 / 1.02 / 0.796
Technical Support (e.g., the number of lab assistants, technicians, etc.) / 1.0 / 1.0 / 1.0
Comments/Analysis of Staffing Trends: The average student:faculty ratio has declined over the time span of this report, but the program has added additional sequences of majors organic chemistry where the course capacity is only 18. Enrollment has also increased in the majors freshman inorganic sequence and the third quarter of that sequence also has a course capacity of 18. The course capacity for the rest of the sections offered is 24, determined by available laboratory space. Both safety issues and the American Chemical Society best practices determine course capacity. Because of limited laboratory space, it is impossible to take too many overloads in sections. In general, program sections are full every quarter, with long waitlists. There is one full-time instructional technician offering support for the laboratory portions of the course. The instructional technician supervises from 1-4 work study students any given quarter. This is the minimum level of support needed to maintain the number of labs offered.
3. Financial Status: (Core Theme 5: College Stewardship)
2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-103- year cost per aFTE per discipline
(Note by discipline and not program; also includes tech support) / $1,997.51 / $2,092.23 / $2,230.49
Program revenue (fees, other) / $13,804.69 / $15,012.68 / $19,666.60
Comments/Analysis of DisciplineFinancial Trends: Supplies/Equipment costs have averaged $22,175, while Maintenance/Support costs have averaged $75,959. There is one full-time Instructional Technician responsible for ordering supplies and equipment, setting up labs, and supervising work study students. Without this person, faculty would not be able to handle the necessary work to keep the program running, especially since the program runsat virtually 100% capacity.
Major equipment purchases for this program tend to come every few years, since instruments tend to be pretty expensive. Student fees were slightly increased to help offset equipment costs as state support declined. In addition, student fees were used to help remodel the ventilation system in the laboratories, resulting in a safer environment for students, staff and faculty. The program is committed to keeping student fees as low as possible.
4.Student Successbydiscipline: (Core Theme 1: Educational Attainment and Student Success)
For face-to-Face instruction / 2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10Class completion rate by discipline by each Qtr (% starters finishing with 2.0) / 87.9 / 79.2 / 76.9 / 82.9 / 80.1 / 74.9 / 76.8 / 76.2 / 80.6 / 75.1 / 82.7 / 77.9
% starts receiving a W, V, I or Z grade / 1.86 8.79 9.38 8.53 / 9.42 11.24 7.66 8.61 / 10.81 8.10 6.58 8.05
% starts who achieve a <0.7 grade / 1.86 3.27 4.09 1.18 / 1.57 3.98 3.72 2.43 / 1.80 3.41 2.26 3.22
% starts who achieve a 2.0 grade / 6.05 7.29 8.41 5.92 / 6.28 9.37 10.28 12.36 / 4.95 12.15 8.23 10.26
For online instruction / 2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10
Class completion rate by discipline by each Qtr (% starters finishing with 2.0)
% starts receiving a W, V, I or Z grade / Insert lines
% starts who achieve a 0.7 grade
% starts who achieve a 2.0 grade (P=2.0)
For hybrid instruction / 2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10
Class completion rate by discipline by each Qtr (% starters finishing with 2.0) / --- / 65.2 / 84.0 / 56.5 / -- / 92.0 / 88.9 / 92.9 / -- / 82.6 / -- / --
% starts receiving a W, V, I or Z grade / --- 13.04 12.0 13.0 / -- 4.00 11.11 7.14 / -- 13.04 -- --
% starts who achieve a <0.7 grade / --- 17.39 0.0 13.04 / -- 0.0 0.0 0.0 / -- 1.80 -- --
% starts who achieve a 2.0 grade (P=2.0) / --- 4.35 4.00 17.39 / -- 4.00 0.0 0.0 / -- 4.35 -- --
Comments/Analysis of Student Success by discipline: Chemistry is generally considered to be one of the more difficult courses students take, particularly for those students interested in Allied Health programs such as nursing. Despite the difficult subject matter, students generally do fairly well. We have seen our success increase since we instituted prerequisite checking, particularly the English prerequisite. These statistics do not break down student success by course and it would be interesting to see the comparison between Chem 121 and the majors sequence, Chem 171/172 and 173. We suspect that the success rate would be slightly higher in the general chemistry sequence since those students tend to be better prepared. It has been a learning experience for everyone concerned with the hybrid Chem 121 course. The statistics show that students tend to withdraw from that course rather than stay in to earn a lower grade. Students may not realize the amount of work involved or may not be able to learn online as well as they would like. Faculty teaching the hybrid have been actively participating in eLearning workshops to improve the delivery and content.
5. DisciplineExcellence: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
CommentsDescribe how the discipline is kept up to date. / Faculty all participate in the WCCTA (Washington College Chemistry Teachers’ Association), are members of the American Chemical Society, including the local Puget Sound Section, and subscribe to several journals, including the Journal of Chemical Education.
Describe the adequacy of facilities, including classrooms spaces, labs, equipment, etc. / The main lecture hall is badly in need of remodeling to replace small tablet chairs with desks to facilitate group work. Both the lecture hall and seminar room were updated to smart classroom status over the summer, but the seminar room needs a smaller screen to the whiteboards can be used more effectively. The entire 2700 building could use better wireless access. Labs could use more laptops and a data acquisition system. The Chemistry Learning Center is using the old Chem Tech lab room and could use a substantial remodel to make it more student- friendly. Equipment is adequate, but the majors organic chemistry sequence is severely handicapped by not having a proton NMR.
Describe the level and breadth of staffing, including faculty qualifications and keyprofessional development activities. / There are currently four tenured faculty and five part-time faculty. Two of the tenured faculty hold PhD degrees. Areas of expertise include physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, polymer chemistry and analytical chemistry. Part-time faculty include recent graduates who have chosen to teach at the community college level, faculty working in research who teach because they love it and retired faculty wishing to continue contact with students. Faculty subscribe to several journals, including Science, Science News, Journal of Chemical Education and Physics Today. At least one faculty member attends the yearly WCCTA conference.
External recognition of faculty and/ordiscipline? / One of the current tenured faculty won the Faculty Excellence Award and one of the part-time faculty is a retired professor who was the recipient of the very first Faculty Excellence Award given.
The University of Washington has several programs, including the School of Pharmacy, that send students to us for chemistry courses.
What are the strengths of the discipline? / Faculty teach and assess fundamentals, emphasizing critical thinking skills. In addition, there are rigorous laboratory exercises teaching skills with application to current ACS standards. Computers are used for data analysis and presentation. Faculty work together to maintain consistency between sections of each course, both in content and standards.
List the discipline’s student learning outcomes (if established). / Student learning outcomes are listed in the MCO for each course.
Describe how the disciplineassesses student learning. / Assessment methods are also listed in the MCOs, but include homework, quizzes, exams, group work, individual and group projects which include written and oral components, standardized grading guides for multiple sections of the same course, laboratory practical exams to assess lab skills and standardized ACS exams to compare from year to year.
How has the disciplineused the results of its program assessments for program improvement?
Comments/Analysis of discipline excellence:
6. Partnerships and External Relations: (Core Theme 3: Community Engagement)
CommentsRelationship to transfer institutions, including articulation agreements, etc.
What are the ‘like’ disciplines at nearby colleges?
Discipline support potential from partners?
Discipline’s connections at SCC or other colleges? Linkages to the Five Star Consortium?
K-12 linkages?
7. Contribution to the College Mission (Core Theme 4: Access & Diversity)
2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10What is the ethnic diversity in the discipline? / White / 315
Pac. Is / 3
Other / 31
Nat. Am / 7
Nat. Haw / 7
Multi / 38
Hispanic / 9
Asian / 271
Alaska / 1
African / 51
Blank / 86
/ 389
2
18
4
4
55
17
256
0
40
141
/ 379
1
17
2
2
59
11
215
0
70
207
8. Summary of Curriculum Changes in the past year: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
Activity ListExplanation for Activities Undertaken
Courses Added / Chem 255,256 / Biochemistry classes equivalent to the University of Washington’s Biochemistry 405, 406 were added, in response to a request from the School of Pharmacy.Courses Deleted / Chem 139 / Prerequisite checking has meant that students are generally well prepared for chemistry courses. Students are reluctant to take more credits than absolutely necessary for their programs.
Courses Modified / All courses, particularly
Chem 271/272 / Faculty continually work to provide a better learning environment. Supplemental materials are incorporated where appropriate. Blackboard and Google sites are used to post supplemental materials and links of interest to students. Lab practicals have been instituted for Chem 271/272 to determine if students are truly learning organic chemistry techniques.
Planning Sheets Revisions / All planning sheets revised / The Science Division Academic Advisor revises all planning sheets annually.
Other Development Activities / Laboratory Exercises / Laboratories for all courses are constantly revised, trying to bring students a more relevant and interesting laboratory experience. Use of instrumentation is increasing.
Non-Traditional Delivery Courses / Chem & 121 / One section of Chem& 121 is offered as a hybrid in response to student demand. The program is planning to offer this section quarterly and better ways to deliver instruction are planned. Students prefer the face-to-face sections, but for some that option is very difficult.
Unmet Needs / Non-majors laboratory course / PLAN: Faculty are working to develop a hybrid course, CHEM &110, suitable for non-science majors. Plans are to offer this course Winter Quarter 2013.
Analysis of curriculum change in the past year: Faculty constantly revise and update curriculum in an effort to stay current. Better, more modern and safer laboratory experiments are introduced each year. In response to a request from the University of Washington, a two-quarter Introductory Biochemistry sequence was developed and successfully offered during Winter and Spring Quarters. These courses transfer to UW as BIOCHEM 405 and 406. Faculty participate in the Science Division eLearning community in an effort to improve the web-enhanced and hybrid course offerings. We are still working on a non-majors laboratory course, one of our primary goals.
9. Other Influencing internal and external factors: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
Describe any non-college-related (external) factors that have significantly influenced your discipline during the last year:
Describe any college-related (internal) factors that have significantly influenced your discipline/ department
during the last year:
10.Summary of Goal Attainment in past year: (Core Theme 2: Program Excellence)
Discipline Objectives from last year / Accomplished/ Still in progress? Modified?Increase retention / Still in progress, although seems to be improving
Offer a non-majors course / Delayed to next year
Improve hybrid CHEM& 121 / Partially accomplished, still more to be done
Improve laboratory space / Accomplished
Comments/Analysis of goal attainment in past year: Prerequisite checking has greatly improved student retention and success. Prior to enforcing prerequisites, students often registered without the necessary math and English skills to succeed only to find that they failed the course or had to withdraw. By actually checking for proficiency, students have a much better chance to succeed. Increased demand for sections has caused a delay in developing a non-majors course, CHEM& 110, maybe as a hybrid offering. There are plans to develop a section of this course for Winter Quarter 2013, since many non-majors students are currently taking CHEM& 121 in place of CHEM& 110. Our current hybrid CHEM& 121 has been greatly improved with the addition of Tegrity lectures and other techniques shared by the Science Division eLearning community. Without doubt, the most important goal attained in the past year has been the addition of a new ventilation system in the laboratories, new vented safety cabinets in the stockroom, and new carpet, tile and paint in the labs and seminar room. Air quality and thus the health of students, staff and faculty has greatly improved. Students have commented that the labs look modern, even though they are some of the oldest rooms on campus. It should be mentioned that student fees as well as dedicated repair funds were used for this process.
11: Online learning by discipline:(Core Theme 4: Access & Diversity)
2007-2008 / 2008-2009 / 2009-2010# of totally online courses developed
Online headcount
Online annualized FTEs
Comments/Analysis of online learning by discipline: Chemistry faculty are strongly opposed to fully online classes for any Allied Health or majors chemistry sequences. While the lecture portion is doable in an online format, the hands-on laboratory experience cannot be duplicated. Students taking these courses are future nurses, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, scientists, etc., and absolutely need the actual laboratory experience.
12. Hybrid learning by discipline: (Hybrid = some displaced class time with web-based learning.)
2007-2008 / 2008-2009 / 2009-2010# of hybrid courses developed / 1 / 0 / 0
Hybrid headcount / 71 / 80 / 23
Hybridannualized FTEs / 7.89 / 8.89 / 2.56
Comments/Analysis of hybrid learning by discipline: Although one hybrid CHEM& 121 section per quarter was offered during 2007-08 and 2008-09, faculty dissatisfaction led to only one section being offered during 2009-2010. Student demand and greater expertise on the part of the faculty teaching the course have led us to reinstate one hybrid section per quarter. There are plans to develop a hybrid non-majors course for next year. This is not a major source of FTE for the program, but there are a few students who have very limited access to campus and this course appears to serve them well.
GENERAL COMMENTS: