Natural Lifecycle of a Program: Program Development Currency Updates and Discontinuance

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Natural Lifecycle of a Program Program
Development Currency Updates and Discontinuance

• Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, Pierce College
• Lesley Kawaguchi, Santa Monica College
• Shaaron Vogel, Butte College

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Learning Outcomes

• The learner will be able to
• Describe the difference between program
  development, program review and program
  discontinuance.
• Describe key components of a program
  discontinuance policy.
• Describe the curriculum committees role in
  program development, program review, and program
  discontinuance.

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In the Beginning Program Development

• It begins with faculty
• Student and community need
• Purpose
• Title 5 language
• Curriculum committee role

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Title 5 Program DevelopmentTransfer versus CTE
Requirements

• Program and Course Approval Handbook
• Page 41 - 66
• CTE requirements are different than GE/transfer
  programs
• CTE
• Labor market data and analysis job market study
• Employer survey
• Approval by Regional Consortia
• Page 51 form

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The Program Changes, Grows, and Keeps Current to
its Changing World

• Program Review
• Self Study
• Chances to show your program quality and success
• Chance to build a plan of correction
• Advisory Committees
• Ensure campus, student, community involvement
• Curriculum Review

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Program Review It is NOT a Tool to be Program
Discontinuance

• One of the Ten Plus One for Academic Senates and
  role of Faculty
• Purpose of Program Review Self Study
• Recognize quality
• Improves and updates
• Educational Planning
• Accreditation
• Budgetary Processes
• Curriculum Process
• Student Equity

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The Accreditation Link in the Chain of the
Program Lifecycle

• Documentation of What You are Already Doing
• Link to mission
• Program Review reflects institutional
  effectiveness
• Standard II A Instructional Programs
• Mission and Need
• Assures Quality and Improvement After Evaluation
• Student Learning Outcomes
• Philosophy, Degrees, and Certificates
• Leadership and Governance

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Program Discontinuance

• Faculty Role
• Where it began so should it end faculty and the
  curriculum committee
• Policy and Procedure Board Policy
• Ensure faculty, student and community role
• Did the program get a chance for improvement?
• Lots of criteria to look at

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Questions to Ask in Program Discontinuance

• Ask in development of process and on curriculum
  committee
• Who involved and their role
• Criteria
• How it effects students and other programs on
  campus
• How does this fit in with educational planning
  and budget processes
• Regional effects
• Transfer effects
• Community Effects

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Early Intervention is the Best Policy!
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One Example Butte College Proposed Program
Discontinuance Policy

• Started in 2002
• Approved by constituent groups and academic
  senate in 2003
• Has been in administrations hands since then
  awaiting approval
• Now they want to change it and we are starting to
  meet again!!

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One Example A Cautionary Tale from Santa Monica
College

• Budget Crisis, 2002-2003
• March 10, 2003 Special Board Meeting to
  eliminate programs (to meet the March 15th
  deadline)

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Programs proposed for elimination

• Architecture
• Fashion Design and Merchandising
• Geographic Information Systems
• Interior Architecture Design
• Office Information Systems
• Public Safety
• Recreation
• Respiration Therapy
• Tourism/Hospitality
• Transportation Technology

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Timeline

• March 7, 2003 Academic Senate leaders meeting
  with Supt/President and senior administrators
• March 10, 2003 meeting of Board of Trustees
  resulted in vote to eliminate the programs

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Outside of process

• Program Review done by academic senate executive
  committee and senior administrators, not Program
  Review Committee
• Conclusion No valid academic or educational
  reasons to eliminate the programs all were
  viable
• Budget Committee voted to support a budget
  scenario that pruned the programs and not
  eliminate them College-wide Coordinating Council
  never had opportunity to vote

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May 15, 2003 meeting

• Program Discontinuance voted on by Board
• Architecture
• Geographic Information Services
• Public Safety
• Recreation
• Respiratory Therapy
• Tourism/Hospitality
• Transportation Technology
• Fashion Design and Merchandising and Interior
  Design were pruned (faculty here had other FSAs)
  Office Information Services folded into Computer
  Information Systems

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Outcomes

• Loss of tenured faculty student academic careers
  disrupted
• Anger of classified staff and faculty
• Academic senate call for vote of no confidence in
  Supt/Pres resulted in 413 of 481 votes cast (86)
  in favor
• Classified staff also had vote of no confidence
• Loss of CTE programs from which the college has
  not recovered not likely to return in near
  future due to current economy

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Positive outcomes

• New Program Discontinuance Policy crafted during
  good time
• New Supt/Pres

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Pierce CollegeViability Review of Educational
Programs
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Pierce CollegeViability Review of Educational
Programs

• Instituted Under Normal Circumstances
• Sincere Process to Distinguish Need for Help from
  Irrelevance.
• Focus on Student/Community Need and Prospects not
  Current State of Program.
• Developing/Practicing the Process Routinely
  Builds TRUST in the Process NOT Guaranteed
  Outcomes.

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Pierce CollegeViability Review of Educational
Programs

• Existing Policy
• Special Process NOT PROGRAM REVIEW
• Possible Outcomes
• Program Initiation
• Discontinuance
• Modification and Improvement
• Departmental Reorganization

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Pierce CollegeViability Review of Educational
Programs

• Who Initiates and Who Conducts Viability?
• What is the Process?
• What to Consider Before Discontinuance?
• Who Makes the Decision?

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Recent History

• Registered Veterinary Technician Program, 2005
• Horticulture, May 2007
• Equestrian, November 2007
• CAD/CAM/CNC, Ongoing

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Sample Findings

• Examples of Modification and Improvement
• Horticulture Viability Review and Recommendations
  for Improvement
• Equestrian Viability Review and Recommendations
  for Improvement

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Recommendation for Discontinuance

• Mule Handling Program Recommendation for
  Discontinuance
• A number of years ago, the department developed
  a new program in mule handling that led to an
  16-unit certificate in Mule Handling and
  Management. While this innovative program
  initially attracted students from great
  distances, its popularity was not sustained.
  Enrollments and course offerings in recent years
  were extremely limited. Both department faculty
  and the Statewide Visiting Committee recommended
  that the program be eliminated.

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