Spring 2009

Program Review and ForecastGuideline for Getting Started on PrOF

Background and Context: The purpose of program review is to periodically evaluate the changes and assess various indicators of program effectiveness to creatively plan for the future. Although many of these plans can be implemented at the program level, many of the plans need institutional support or have college wide impact. For this reason, the PrOF process also informs the writing of unit plans as well as planning and resource allocation at the college level.

COSUMNES RIVER COLLEGEProgram (or Service) Overview and Forecast (PrOF)

Instructional Programs

PROGRAM: Los Rios Study Abroad Program

PROGRAM REVIEW LEAD (Dept. Chair, Lead Faculty, Supervisor, Manager, etc):

Ellen Arden-Ogle, Director, Study Abroad (Manager)

Name/Signature Date

List of Participants/Contributors:

Faculty Discipline Home college

Rob KnableDiane Richy-Ward

MusicArt/Art History* not teaching a full schedule as she is using Type C leave

SCCARC

Patrice Gibson Anthropology ARCKim Codella* replaced Martin Morales

Humanities CRC

Diane Richie-Ward

Art and Art History ARC

Mark Stewart Psychology ARCLanny Hertzberg Anthropology CRCPatti Redmond Communication Studies SCCDan DuBray Communication Studies CRCAmanda Wolcott Anthropology CRCEdward Hashima History ARCDian Self Anthropology/History ARCJeannie Campanelli

English ARC

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COSUMNES RIVER COLLEGEProgram Overview and Forecast (PrOF)

Instructional Programs

PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION (Roles and Functions)

Program Identification:

Study Abroad is a comprehensive program for students authorized under Los Rios Board Policy P-7151 and administered under Regulation R-7151 which states, “The District shall provide opportunities for international education within the community college experience.” To facilitate this opportunity, Los Rios has participated with the Northern and Central California Community College Foreign Study Consortium each semester since 1985. Currently, Los Rios is a partner in the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium (NCSAC). The Los Rios program is coordinated through Cosumnes River College, which provides administrative and clerical support, and authorizes all the fte for the academic classes, but is a district program, and is open to students and faculty throughout the district.

The program requires twelve units of completed college work (in non-performance classes) with a minimum GPA of 2.5 in order for students to be accepted into the program. They must enroll and maintain a minimum of 12 units during their semester abroad. Foreign language instruction is offered as part of the program, as well as required cultural instruction specific to the country of the semester or summer program.

All Los Rios tenured faculty members are invited to apply to teach in the program. The Study Abroad Director reviews all applications for completeness but takes all qualified applications forward to the NCSAC program selection and design meeting. The academic deans and directors from NCSAC make the final faculty and class selection for each program. Tenured faculty from NCSAC travel with the program and teach regular college credit classes during a 13-week semester (5-6-weeks during summer). Adjunct and non-tenured faculty are welcome to apply for summer programs. Faculty are paid their regular salary by their home college district and are further compensated by a housing stipend, plus one round trip airline ticket, and subsidized entrance to all Life and Culture class activities that are included in the student program fee (e.g., cooking lessons in Italy, play attendance in London, ballet in France, etc).

Program locations alternate in locations for fall and spring semesters and summer sessions.

Fall semester programs are offered every year in London, England. Every other year, an additional fall program is also offered in Spain (split between Granada and Madrid) or alternating with Paris, France.

The Spring semester program takes place in Florence, Italy.

Summer programs have been offered in Madrid and Salamanca, Spain; in Costa Rica; Dublin, Ireland; Beijing and Shanghai, China; Rome and Florence, Italy; and Capetown, South Africa.

NCSAC contracts with the American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS), which provides the logistical support for travel, housing, and classroom space, in addition to on-ground student support offices and student residential advisors. No NCSAC students are ever left to fend for themselves if a difficulty arises. Students are responsible for paying their instructional enrollment fees to the colleges and then contract directly with AIFS for the program services.

The Study Abroad office is located on the CRC campus in the Visual and Performing Arts complex. Through the Study Abroad program, Los Rios has institutional memberships in California Colleges in International Education (CCIE), Institute for International Education (IIE) and other study abroad organizational memberships. The Study Abroad Director (SAD) is responsible for reporting all information on Los Rios to the IIE and CCIE, and attending NAFSA national conferences to report on program status as professional development funds allow.

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The Study Abroad office is responsible for processing all student applications from initial intake through final processing to receipt of airline tickets. The SAD conducts all orientation meetings, recruits and monitors faculty, assesses student progress toward acquiring global competence as part of the student learning outcomes, functions as the certified Gilman Scholarship advisor for all Los Rios applicants, is the NCSAC student learning outcome coordinator and responsible for monitoring NCSAC Articles of Operation, conducts associate member orientation for NCSAC, is responsible for keeping abreast of changes in the laws and researching same, and assessing the effectiveness of the program, as well as acting as the program dean on a rotating basis for the NCSAC. In addition, because the district supports individual faculty taking students on international study trips, the SAD has taken on the task of acting a resource person and clearance for faculty members who don’t know what forms need to be filled out and when. The SAD also meets with Los Rios Risk Management, the Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology, individual faculty as needed, and the International Education Committee to report on these, and other, issues.

A LOOK BACK

Describe key accomplishments, program changes or new program initiatives over the past four years.

a. For the first time, the Study Abroad program has a separate logo to identify the program. The logo is part of a coordinated marketing and promotion campaign to raise student awareness about the program. (Access and Growth and Organizational Effectiveness)

b. A definition of “global competence” was developed that guides the structure and function of the various parts of the program. (Teaching and Learning Effectiveness)

“Global competence is a continuing process of acquiring specific economic, historical, and geo-

political knowledge which support the intercultural communication skills and authentic lived

experiences that allow a person to function in another culture, and result in attitudes of cultural

appreciation and interdependence.”

c. Student Learning Outcomes were developed for the Study Abroad program, and some may be used by the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium (NCSAC) of which Los Rios is a partner. (Student Success and Teaching and Learning Effectiveness)

Los Rios Study Abroad Program Student Learning Outcomes

1. Global Competence2. Personal Growth3. Continued Interest in Travel

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4. Knowledge Acquisition5. Development of Skills and Experiences6. Attitude Enhancement and Change

1. As a result of participating in the Study Abroad program, the student will be able to contextually appreciate, analyze, and articulate global competence.

2. The student will be able to successfully live and thrive in a culture not the student’s own and grow individually and personally from the experience.

3. The student will incorporate an interest in international travel into the student’s lifelong learning plan.

4. The student will incorporate specific cultural, geopolitical, economic, and social knowledge into academic and personal contexts.

5. The student will develop skills to appreciate visual, historical and experiential cultural products of cultures different from the student’s own.

6. As one consequence of participating in the Study Abroad program, the student will question, analyze, and potentially change attitudes about the host culture that the student had prior to the experience, and this attitudinal analysis will result in less ethnocentric behavior.

d. Program Assessment – this component of the Study Abroad Program has been strengthened and rewritten to assess student learning outcomes. Because global competence breaks into three distinct sections: Knowledge; Skills and Experiences; and Attitudes, the assessment questions are open ended questions tied to those areas and the student learning outcomes. (Student Success, Teaching and Learning Effectiveness, Organizational Effectiveness)

Study Abroad Program Evaluation

Directions: As the last step in your Study Abroad program, please complete this overall program evaluation. Student feedback is incorporated into our next set of orientations and helps us improve the study abroad experience for everyone. Thanks for your help. (If you need more room to answer, please feel free to use the back of this form as well. You can sign your name or not as you wish.)

1. Where did you live in [city/country of study] (apartment, homestay or dorm facility) and what do you wish you had known before you came to [city/country of study]? [slo# 1, 2]

2. What were your initial impressions of [city/country of study]? How have those initial impressions changed? [slo #1, 2, 6]

3. What classes, cultural events, Life and Culture guest lectures contributed to your own understanding of the political, economic, social, artistic, and historical background of the culture? [slo # 4, 5]

4. How have your study abroad experiences affected your views about other cultures, and what did you discover about your attitudes towards other cultures? [slo #4, 5, 6]

5. What in your study abroad experience had the biggest impact on your attitudes about

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cultural appreciation and interdependence? [slo # 4, 5, 6]

6. Did your study abroad experience encourage you to want to continue to travel and spend time in other cultures? [slo #3]

7. Would you recommend this program and why or why not? Would you go again? What would you tell a student considering the [city/country of study] program? (These can be practical tips or more general observations) [slo# 1, 2, 6]

PROGRAM REVIEW

Section I

A. Briefly list observations from the data and other numerical or descriptive information that indicate program strengths.

ACCESS and GROWTH

The Study Abroad program relies on students mainly from ARC and CRC. There are minimum numbers that we must meet in recruitment in order to cover the basic faculty costs of the program. In the last four years we have gone from barely meeting these numbers (and consequently having to rely on other members of the NCSAC to over-enroll in order to cover faculty housing stipends, airfare, etc.), to sometimes being over.

Program # LRCCD students

Faculty Discipline Home college

Spring 09 Florence 33 Rob KnableDiane Richy-Ward

MusicArt/Art History* not teaching a full schedule as she is using Type C leave

SCCARC

Fall 08 London 13 Patrice Gibson Anthropology ARCFall 08 Granada and Madrid

11 Kim Codella* replaced Martin Morales

Humanities CRC

Spring 08 Paris 23 Diane Richie-Ward Art and Art History ARCFall 07 London 21 Mark Stewart Psychology ARCSpring 07 Florence 20 Lanny Hertzberg Anthropology CRCFall 06 London 16 Patti Redmond Communication Studies SCCFall 06 Granada and Madrid

18 Dan DuBray Communication Studies CRC

Summer 06 China 11 Amanda Wolcott Anthropology CRCSpring 06 Paris 22 Edward Hashima History ARCFall 05 London 23 Jennifer Richie*

replacement for Dian Self of ARC

Anthropology/History SCC

Another Access and Growth area is in the new use of the Gilman scholarship program. The Gilman is part of the Fulbright Scholarship program and associated with the Institute for International Education. The Study Abroad Director has attended certification sessions and is registered as the Gilman Advisor for the Los Rios district. Students who are also receiving the Pell Grant, are eligible to apply for the

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Gilman. In the academic year 08-09, 50% of the students who worked with the Study Abroad Director on essays and follow-on projects, were awarded scholarships up to $5000. This is a slightly higher award rate than the four year colleges and universities, which have roughly one third of their applicants accepted.

STUDENT SUCCESS and TEACHING and LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS

According to Study Abroad program assessments, the required Life and Culture class has great student support and feedback:

“The program's Culture class (and all of the classes offered) enhanced my learning experience by integrating us into the everyday life of [city name], be it interviewing locals about their views of the U.S. election (for my political science …class from…) to the art history lessons at the [museum].”

“The Life and Culture program was excellent and enhanced our experience greatly.  I would have been in the dark so much of the time without that class.”

COMMUNITY, ECONOMIC, and WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Have begun to work more extensively with the Gilman scholarship program

B. Briefly list observations from the data and other numerical or descriptive information that indicate program areas that may need a response or change over the next four years with respect to access and growth.

ACCESS and GROWTHThe dismal economic situation that accelerated in the fall 2008 has had a devastating effect on the Study Abroad program. Additionally, it is very difficult for students to save enough money for summer programs (given the higher air fares because of seasonal adjustments in the air fares) without the availability of financial aid.

STUDENT SUCCESS and TEACHING and LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS

More detailed pre-departure meetings to address questions such as the following: “What do you wish you had known before you arrived in [country]?To bring school supplies with you”

More widespread coverage of programs, financial aid, application due dates.

Better integration and set up of the web page.

COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Enhanced financial aid information

C. Based on the previous discussion of strengths and needs, briefly list planning ideas that could be employed to strengthen your program

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ACCESS and GROWTH

The greatest need for the Study Abroad program is financial aid for student applicants. While the Gilman is a good resource, it is limited to Pell Grant students and there are not many other sources of financial aid other than student loans. The Study Abroad Director has contacted each of the Los Rios college Foundations to solicit one travel scholarship, which would pay for airfare for one student from the college in each program, but this request has yet been funded.

The other great need is for a larger more coordinated marketing campaign and strategy to get the word out about the program. There are numerous local and NCSAC plans, best practices, and innovative approaches that might be tried to increase attendance at program orientations and recruitment meetings, but there is a significant lack of time to complete all of these plans.

STUDENT SUCCESS and TEACHING and LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS

Better and more widespread advertising and marketing to increase student awareness and participation at all four colleges.

Ads in all college newspapers Ads on ITVS between classes Mass email to Pell Grant students Attend as many on campus fairs as possible Make sure faculty pass on the tri fold standing display boards

Work with students on Gilman applications, essays, and follow on projects.

Develop more contacts with NAFSA, CCID, IIE, and other governmental agencies to enlarge base of strategies, contacts, and opportunities for LRCCD Study Abroad students.

ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Coordinated marketing campaign with perhaps regional assistance and collaboration from NCSAC.

Continued work with the Gilman scholarship program.

Provide enhanced financial aid information

COMMUNITY, ECONOMIC and WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Work with NCSAC partners on coordination of efforts and Articles of Operation normal review.

Marketing to outside sources.

D. If you used numerical or descriptive information that was not provided by the research office, please list these sources below:

Study Abroad office records, BOT Policies and Regulations, NCSAC records and minutes of meetings, and interviews/discussions with Study Abroad Faculty, Study Abroad program assessments, and NCCSAC Articles of Operation

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E. Program Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Program SLOs P-SLO 1 As a result of participating in the Study Abroad program, the student will be able to contextually appreciate, analyze, and articulate global competence.

P-SLO 2 The student will be able to successfully live and thrive in a culture not the student’s own and grow individually and personally from the experience.

P-SLO 3 The student will incorporate an interest in international travel into the student’s lifelong learning planP-SLO 4 The student will incorporate specific cultural, geopolitical, economic, and social knowledge into academic and personal contexts.

P-SLO 5 The student will develop skills to appreciate visual, historical and experiential cultural products of cultures different from the student’s ownP-SLO 6 As one consequence of participating in the Study Abroad program, the student will question, analyze, and potentially change attitudes about the host culture that the student had prior to the experience, and this attitudinal analysis will result in less ethnocentric behavior

___X_ No changes were made this review cycle to the program outcomes as this is the first PrOF

F. Program SLO Alignment matrix

Courses or Activities

P-SLO 1:

Global competenc

e

P-SLO 2:

Personal

Growth

P-SLO 3:

Travel Interes

t

P-SLO 4:Knowledg

e

P-SLO 5:Skills &

experiences

P-SLO 6:

Attitudes

Life and Culture class X X X X X XResidential choice X X X XAcademic classes X X X X XPre-departure orientation X X XLocation orientations X X X X XHost Country Field trips X X X X X XOptional travel opportunities

X X X X X

Departure activities X X X X XAIFS student services X X X X X X

___X_ No changes were made this review cycle to the program outcomes as this is the first PrOF

G. Outcomes Assessment PlanReview the program student learning or service area outcomes assessments submitted by your program over the last program review cycle as well as other local outcomes assessment

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information and respond to the following:

Briefly summarize the program assessments conducted over the past review cycle and what was learned or changed as a result of these assessments

Students confirmed value of the Life and Culture class in all Study Abroad locations, support and value of AIFS staff and programs (optional and part of program), value of orientations and program features (including guided field trips and guest lectures). Called ‘program features’ in assessment grid

Students were unanimous in their preference for the housing situation they had selected; students in homestays affirmed that this was the best way to become integrated into the host culture, while apartment living students felt their residential situation allowed them to become more a part of the life of the host city. Paris students who opted for the dorm situation were more pleased because of the location and inclusion of a meal plan. Called ‘Residence choice’ in assessment grid

Student assessment confirmed academic rigor of classes offered through the NCSAC model. Called ‘academic rigor’ in assessment grid

Students confirmed value of program by 100% recommendation to other students to go on a program. Several students indicated interest in going on another NCSAC program. Called ‘student recommendation’ in assessment grid

Levels of global competence were demonstrated by varying degrees in responses to assessment questions. Called ‘response matching’ in assessment grid

Student grades in academic subjects are indicative of knowledge, skills and experiences being acquired by students at an appropriate level. Called ‘grades’ in assessment grid

Can you relate these Assessments to the PSLOs for us? P-SLO 1:

Global competence

P-SLO 2: Personal Growth

P-SLO 3: Travel Interest

P-SLO 4:Knowledge

P-SLO 5:Skills &

experiencesP-SLO 6: Attitudes

‘program features’

X X X X X

‘Residence choice’

X X X

‘academic rigor’ X X X X‘student recommendation’

X X X X

‘response matching’

X X X X X X

‘grades’ X X X

What program outcomes have NOT been assessed over the last review cycle? NA

Status of Planned Changes: NA

Briefly discuss your assessment plan for the next four years (what you will assess, when you will assess the outcomes, and how you might assess the outcomes).

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Continue with assessment measures as currently used and explore the possibility of creating one assessment measure for all of NCSAC so a body of assessment measures can be used for continuous improvement. Do you have a planned date for this? Spring 10

Explore the possibility of collecting student journals for on-going qualitative assessment in an interpretive social science case study methodology. Do you have a planned date for this? Still in discussion stage as to value and doability of this as the task would fall to me. May try to shoot for Spring 10 to Florence program

PROGRAM FORECAST

I. Local, short-term program planning : Review the planning ideas you previously identified in Section C of the four planning areas (Growth/Access; Student Success & Teaching/Learning Effectiveness; Program Organizational Effectiveness; and Community, Economic and Workforce Development). Please identify the ideas you plan to implement in the next four years below:

Planning Agenda Item # 1. Activity: Better and more widespread advertising and marketing to increase student awareness and participation at all four colleges.

Ads in all college newspapers Ads on ITVS between classes Mass email to Pell Grant students Attend as many on campus fairs as possible Make sure faculty pass on the tri fold standing display boards

Rationale: to enhance participation in the program, particularly for students from lower socioeconomic levels (is this valid?) Yes although the Gilman (#2) really targets the Pell Grant studentsTimeline: Fall, 2009 (modify as needed) Yes

Planning Agenda Item #2. Activity: Work with students on Gilman applications, essays, and follow on projects.Rationale: decreased cost for program participants, therefore enhanced participation and improved access. (is this valid?) Yes it is valid although I probably would have phrased it as increased funding support through Gilman grants to decrease costs and increase participation of Pell Grant studentsTimeline: Spring, 2010 (Modify as needed) OK

Planning Agenda Item #3.Develop more contacts with NAFSA, CCID, IIE, and other governmental agencies to enlarge base of strategies, contacts, and opportunities for LRCCD Study Abroad students. Rationale: Enhanced program quality YesTimeline: Fall, 2009 (NAFSA) Yes

Spring, 2010 (CCID) Yes Fall, 2010 (IIE) Yes

II. Long Term or Broader planning agendas : Please identify any long term planning agenda items for your program or identify any unit/college-wide planning agenda items based on your PrOF.

Work with CTE faculty to develop short term programs of particular application to specific CTE programs so those students have the ability to also participate in study abroad.

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Seek partnership arrangements with organizations that might contribute financially to study abroad scholarships.

Work with interested faculty and third party vendor to develop non-traditional study sites.

III. In the previous section, you identified planning agenda items you hope to implement in to improve your program.  In this section, you will list the curriculum changes and resource requirements needed to implement those planning agenda items.  This information will be used in college planning.

A) Summarize the changes in curriculum needed to implement your planning agenda items. The curriculum table will be used to update the college’s educational master plan. Not applicable to Study Abroad.

B) Please complete a resource requirements table for each planning agenda item listed in section I above

and indicate the approximate cost.  The resource requirements tables from the programs in your unit will be used to produce the unit plan. Copy and paste as needed to complete a chart for each Planning Agenda Item!

Resource RequirementsPlanning Agenda Item #1

Item or DescriptionAdvertising and

Marketing campaign

Approximate Cost

Priority (A – urgent, B – high, C – important)

Supplies Posters, brochures, postcards

~$3000 A using current budget (budget money for Study Abroad comes from DO)

Computers/computer related equipment

Study Abroad dedicated laptop to take to presentations, orientations and recruitment meetings

~$1500 C need to write and submit COB/ITMB item in the next round of funding

Non-Computer related Equipment

Display boards, travel cases for pre-departure and meetings

~$500 B using current budget

New classified staff Access to the Graphic Designer for assistance in professional layout and design

~?? B using college resources

New student help One student help at each college

~6 hours a week x 4 colleges x student wage

B Some student hours could be funded from the current budget but more allocation would be needed from colleges/district or work study students could be used.

Facilities Ability to use district facilities for more central meeting places

C

Other (research, release time, professional development, grants)

Advertising in each of the college papers

~$1000 A using current budget

.Will you be using existing resources also to do this? If so, please list.

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Planning Agenda Item #2

Item or DescriptionGilman Program

Approximate Cost

Priority (A – urgent, B – high, C – important)

Supplies Duplicating forms, scholarship materials, printed copies of exemplary submissions

~$800 A using current budget

FacilitiesOther (research, release time, professional development, grants)

Attend Gilman selection meetings in May and November

~$500 B funding from Gilman

.Will you be using existing resources also to do this? If so, please list.

Planning Agenda Item #3

Item or DescriptionOrganizational

membership and participation

Approximate Cost

Priority (A – urgent, B – high, C – important)

Other (research, release time, professional development, grants)

Attendance at NAFSA, CCIE, CCID, IIE and other study abroad conferences and potential partner agencies (time and support are also critical here)

~$3000 A using combination of current budget and Professional Development funds (not all organizations meet every year)

.Will you be using existing resources also to do this? If so, please list.

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