2016-2017 Comprehensive Program Review Form and Instructions ACADEMIC AFFAIRS San José City College

INSTRUCTIONS: What follows is a form outlining what should be addressed in the Comprehensive Program

Review self-study. Additional issues and information may be included, as appropriate for your

program. When identifying and analyzing trends, data should be examined for the period since

the last program review, which is typically the last four years. The document should be written

so that it is clear to external reviewers (members of the Academic Senate, College Planning

Council, and Finance Committee) who may not be familiar with special terms and acronyms.

The purposes of a program review are improvement, alignment with established objectives,

and planning for the future. The program review process provides opportunities for programs

to review their accomplishments, examine their strengths and weaknesses, and develop plans

through which improvements can be achieved. Program review conclusions and

recommendations will be used in department, division, College, and strategic planning

processes as well.

While the guidelines may be adapted to meet the needs of a particular program, they should be

followed as closely as possible. The Office of Research and Institutional Effectiveness, the SJCC

Research Analyst or the Division Dean can assist the department in locating much of the

quantitative information and data needed.

Descriptions and data are important in order for readers to understand the Program Review

conclusions and recommendations. It is essential that careful analysis be provided in order to

extract the maximum value from the process. This includes not only an examination of trends

from the past to present but projections into the future. Since this is a process for self-

improvement, it is encouraged that the Program Review delves into the important future

challenges and opportunities for the program and takes advantage of both self-reflection and

dialogue among administrators, faculty and staff. We are also introducing a new Data

Worksheet, which we hope will make the process easier and more effective. It is optional this

year.

A word of caution is in order regarding solving problems or making improvements exclusively

with the use of new resources. Program review is not an opportunity to list what the program

can do only if the funds become available. It is expected that many solutions and improvements

can be accomplished with careful planning and a focus on the most effective use of existing

resources.

2016-2017 Comprehensive Program Review ACADEMIC AFFAIRS - SAN JOSÉ CITY COLLEGE

PROGRAM: Accounting Department

PREPARED BY: Linda Ferrell

ADMINISTRATOR: Dr. Maniphone Dickerson

PROGRAM REVIEW SUBMISSION DATE: November 29, 2016

PART ONE: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Description of the program components, function and purpose. The Accounting Program is part of the Business and Workforce Development Division. Accounting offers an Associate of Science degree and a Level 2 Certificate of Achievement. The courses meet the needs of transfer students as well as vocational students. The program allows transfer students to obtain their lower division classes at a community college. Vocational students can take accounting courses to acquire job skills to obtain employment. In addition, some students are required to update their accounting knowledge by their employer and take only a course or two. Other students may take a few courses in order to acquire enough units to qualify to sit for the C.P.A. (Certified Public Accountant) exam or to refresh their accounting knowledge to pass the C.P.A. exam. Accounting has seven courses:

Accounting 20-Financial Accounting Accounting 21-Managerial Accounting Accounting 30-QuickBooks Accounting 62-Cost Accounting Accounting 63-Intermediate Accounting Accounting 97-Accounting for Income Taxes Accounting 101-Bookkeeping for Small Business

1.1 Describe current program staffing. The accounting department consists of one full-time faculty and four adjunct faculty. The accounting instructors have worked for years in their fields before becoming faculty. All instructors have practical accounting experience in public accounting and industry. Some instructors are C.P. A.’s or are retired C.P.A.’s. One instructor has his Ph.D. The tax instructor is an enrolled tax agent. Last year we had six adjunct faculty but two adjunct faculty left. Other adjunct faculty were not hired to replace those who left but instead their loading were covered by current adjunct faculty. The one full-time faculty is Linda Ferrell. The current adjunct faculty are Gurdeep Chawla, George Chow, Steven Hurst, and Daniel Torres.

2. Describe Program Goals and how they support the college’s mission. “The mission of the college is to serve our students and the community by offering high quality, relevant, and innovative instruction for basic skills, career pathways, university transfer, and life-long learning. We strive to accomplish this by awarding certificates and associate degrees to eligible students taught in a multicultural environment where student achievement, successful learning and social justice are highly valued, supported, and continually assessed.” The accounting department supports the college’s mission by providing education for

accounting careers, university transfer as well as life-long learning and refresher courses.

The department offers both an Accounting certificate and provides undergraduate courses

to enable students to transfer to a four year university. An A.S. in Accounting is offered

and accounting courses are part of both the A.S. Business Administration - Transfer degree

and the A.A. Business Administration degree. Life-long learning is provided when students

take one or two courses to refresh their knowledge for work or to obtain enough credits to

sit for the C.P.A. exam. Instructors value and support teaching methods to help students

be successful in a supportive classroom environment. The accounting department also

supports the college mission of serving the community by promoting accounting students

to train and volunteer to prepare income taxes for low-income individuals with the

VITA/IRS (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance /Internal Revenue Service) program. There is a

tax site on the SJCC campus as well as other places in Santa Clara County. Many of our

students volunteer at the nearby Campbell library site as well as the site on campus.

3. Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs). The accounting student learning outcomes are as follows: PSLO.0 General and Theory – Compute, classify, record, and verify numerical data to develop and maintain financial records and statements. PSLO.1 Communication – Receive, process and interpret financial information for management, investors, clients and other interested users. PSLO. 2 Critical Thinking – Demonstrate the ability to identify key issues, research relevant data, and think critically and analytically about possible solutions for financial problems.

PSLO.3 Global Awareness and Social Justice –Demonstrate the ability to work and interact effectively in teams consisting of individuals with differing interests, gender, global backgrounds and professions. PSLO. 4 Personal Responsibility, Ethics and Responsibility – Ability to understand and implement the ethical responsibility of the accountant to society. PSLO.5 Technology – Record and prepare financial records and statements using accounting software. PSLO. 6 Aesthetics & Creativity – Using accounting concepts and methods, make business decisions given accounting data and situations.

4. How do the Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs) align with San Jose City College’s Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs)?

The accounting program’s student learning outcomes (PSLOs) are numbered to directly align with the College’s Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs).

1. ISLO 1 - Communication is the accounting department’s PSLO.1. 2. ISLO 2 - Critical and Analytical Thinking is the accounting department’s PSLO.2. 3. ISLO 3 - Global Awareness and Social Justice is the accounting department’s PSLO.3. 4. ISLO 4 - Personal Responsibility, Ethics and Civility is the accounting department’s

PSLO.4. 5. ISLO 5 - Technology is the accounting department’s PSLO.5. 6. ISLO 6 - Aesthetics and Creativity is the accounting department’s PSLO.6.

5. What were the enrollment trends for the previous four years (FTES, WSCH, # of Sections, Headcount, Seat count, Day/Evening, etc.)? Discuss how these trends impact your program. (Optional but recommended: use the Program Data Worksheet for this section)

Institutional Effectiveness (Fall 2015)

Program SJCC

Capacity 77.59% 85.04%

Productivity (Goal = 525) 485.40 446.95

Is your capacity rate higher or lower than the campus? The accounting department’s capacity rate is 7.45% lower than the campus.

Is your productivity goal higher or lower than the campus?

The productivity rate is 8.6% higher than the college’s productivity.

Headcount: Who are our students? (Fall 2015)

Day or Evening Student Headcount Pct of Total SJCC

Day 84 30.22% 45.65%

Day & Evening 131 47.12% 31.41%

Evening 48 17.27% 18.39%

Unknown 15 5.40% 4.55%

Academic Load Headcount Pct of Total SJCC

Full Time 117 42.09% 28.65%

Half Time 107 38.49% 38.23%

Less than Half Time 47 16.91% 31.33%

Overload 7 2.52% 1.76%

Withdrawn - 0.03%

Compare your program’s students to the rest of the campus, who are your students? Are they more likely to be evening students? Are they more likely to be full time students? How do these differences impact your program? Our students are mostly both day and evening students. This is normal for the accounting department as some of our accounting courses are only offered in the evening. We have more full-time students than the college average and about the same percentage of half-time students. More of our students are either full or half-time than the college. Our students are busy as many of the students also work in addition to attending school. This can make teaching challenging as students need to do homework to learn the material. Since students also work, instruction has to be creative to ensure students can learn accounting hands on. The subject is a practical subject, not conceptual. Accounting requires hours of practice.

(OPTIONAL) Other data relevant to your program. If you would like to request additional faculty, please include FTES, FTEF, WSCH, # of Sections, and any other pertinent data points.

6. What were the student demographics of your program in the previous five years (student population served/demographics-age, gender, ethnicity, income, previous education, etc.)? Discuss how these demographics impact your program. (Optional but recommended: use the Program Data Worksheet for this section)

Seatcount Disaggregation (Enrollment, Fall 2015)

Seatcount Program Seatcount

Program SJCC

Total 322 N/A 23611

Pct Change from Previous Year -0.6% -4.19%

Seatcount Make Up (Pct of Total)

Gender Seatcount Pct of Total SJCC

Female 202 62.73% 54.89%

Male 117 36.34% 44.81%

No Value Entered 3 .93% 0.30%

Age (Pct of Total) Seatcount Pct of Total SJCC

17 & Below 2 .62% 3.13%

18-24 129 40.06% 53.24%

25-39 140 43.48% 31.68%

40 and Over 48 14.91% 11.90%

Unknown 3 .93% 0.04%

IPEDS Race Ethnic Classification (Pct of Total) Seatcount Pct of Total SJCC

American Indian 1 .31% 0.33%

Asian 94 29.19% 22.74%

Black or African American 13 4.04% 6.73%

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 3 .93% 0.68%

Hispanic 124 38.51% 42.26%

Two or More Races 10 3.11% 4.58%

Unknown 27 8.39% 7.36%

White 50 15.53% 15.33%

Is your program seatcount (percent change from previous year) greater than or less than the campus?

The seat count in Fall 2014 was 324. The seat count was 2 students less in Fall 2015. This is a very slight decrease of 0.6%. This decrease is much lower than the 4% decrease of the college. The change in seat count is minor and insignificant.

What gaps have you identify in your program? How is your program enrollment similar or different from the campus? Which gender, age, and/or ethnic group are proportionally smaller than campus make up? We have a higher percentage of women than the college overall and a lower percentage of men. Accounting students are typically older than the average college student. We have about 13% less students than the college in the 18-24 age group. The accounting department has approximately 12% more students than the college does in the 25-39 age group. For ethnicity we have roughly the same as the college with a few exceptions. We have about 6.45% more Asian students, about 3.75% less Hispanic students and about 2.69% less Black students. Accounting is not an easy subject. It is very time consuming and therefore attracts an older, more serious demographic. Quite a few are returning students who have already graduated but either cannot find work with the prior major or do not find their current employment fulfilling or leading to career advancement.

7. What were the student retention, persistence and success rates for your program? Were there any significant differences by gender, age or ethnicity? Discuss these trends as they apply to your program. If applicable, offer a plan for improvement of success,

retention and persistence. (Optional but recommended: use the Program Data Worksheet for this section)

Student Success Success Rate Program SJCC

Fall 2015 77% 69.80%

Program Success Baseline/Standard Program Success Goal

66.68% 70%

Program Success Baseline Standard: It is recommended that programs identify a success standard. This standard should reflect the baseline success rate.

Recommendation: 90% of the average success rate in the last 8 terms could be your program standard. Add the last 8 terms of success rate, divide by 8, and multiply by 0.9.

Program Success Goal: It is recommended that programs identify a success goal. This goal should reflect the success rate to which your program aspires.

Is your program success rate higher or lower than the campus? The accounting program has a very good success rate of 77%. It is 7.2% higher than the college average.

If your success rate is higher than the campus, how are you helping students succeed in and outside the classroom? If your program success rate is lower, what are some strategies your program is implementing to improve? Part of the success is due to the availability of tutoring. Many students will drop out due to lack of tutoring as it is hard to get the students to come to instructor office hours. In addition, the instructors have the students work in groups in the classroom and encourage students to do homework in groups outside of the classroom. Working in groups help improve accounting students’ success.

Success_Persistence Rate by Race (Fall 2015)

Success Rates: Are our students passing the class? Program (Success Rates) SJCC

American Indian 100% 63.24%

Asian 85.71% 78.80%

Black or African American 76.92% 62.98%

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 100% 73.05%

Hispanic 66.67% 64.72%

Two or More Races 77.78% 67.66%

Unknown 91.67% 71.79%

White 75.56% 73.89%

Persistence Rates: Are our students, enrolling the following semester? Program SJCC

American Indian 100% 69.23%

Asian 67.82% 68.34%

Black or African American 83.33% 64.66%

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 100% 63.46%

Hispanic 68.57% 64.72%

Two or More Races 44.44% 61.54%

Unknown 71.43% 67.44%

White 67.50% 63.40%

With respect to success rates, how are your program success rates similar to different from the rest of the campus? What equity gaps have you identified? The accounting program success rate is higher for all ethnicity groups than the campus overall. American Indian and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander were both 100% successful. That is a misleading statistic as there was only one American Indian student and only three Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students. Those four students were successful but not enough to be statistically significant.

With respect to persistence rates, how are your program persistence rates similar to different from the rest of the campus? What equity gaps have you identified? For persistence, the rates were either higher or roughly the same in all ethnicities except for one group, two or more races. The program persistence rate was 17.1% less than the college overall. As there were only ten students in this group, it is difficult to make a statistically significant conclusion.

PART TWO: PROGRAM CONTENT

1. Provide a comprehensive course listing including dates of last revision, advisories, co and prerequisites, and articulation with four year colleges for your program.

Accounting 20, Financial Accounting, was last revised on 11/13/12 and is currently being revised this semester, Fall 2016. The course has advisories of reading 3, writing 3, and math 2. It has no co-requisites. It has a prerequisite of either Accounting 101 or Math 111. It is articulated with UC and CSU systems. Accounting 21, Managerial Accounting was last revised on 11/13/12 and is currently being revised this semester, Fall 2016. The course has advisories of reading 3, writing 3, and math 2. It has no co-requisites. It has a prerequisite of Accounting 20. It is articulated with the UC and CSU systems. Accounting 30, QuickBooks, was last revised 9/23/14. The course has advisories of reading 3 and writing 3. It has no co-requisites. It has a prerequisite of either Accounting 20 or Accounting 101. The course is articulated with the CSU system.

Accounting 62, Cost Accounting, was last revised 4/28/15. The course has advisories of reading 4, writing 4, and math 2. The course has no co-requisites and a prerequisite of Accounting 21. The course is articulated with the CSU system. Accounting 63, Intermediate Accounting, was last revised on 2/22/15. The course has advisories of reading 4, writing 4, and math 2. The course has no co-requisites and a prerequisite of Accounting 21. The course is articulated with the CSU system. Accounting 97, Accounting for Income Taxes, was last revised on 4/28/15. The course has advisories of reading 4 and writing 4. The course has no co-requisites or prerequisites. The course is articulated with the CSU system. Accounting 101, Bookkeeping for Small Business, was last revised on 4/28/15. The course has advisory levels of reading 3 and writing 3. The course has no co-requisites or prerequisites. The course is articulated with the CSU system.

2. Include a list/diagram of courses reflecting course sequencing and how often courses have been offered.

Accounting 20-Financial Accounting: can be taken after the student has learned basic algebra or passed Accounting 101. The course is offered every semester, day, evening, and online. Accounting 21-Managerial Accounting: can only be taken if the student has completed Accounting 20 with a C or better. The course is offered every semester, day and evening. Accounting 30-QuickBooks: can be taken after the student has completed either Accounting 101 or Accounting 20 with a C or better. This course is offered every semester online. Accounting 62-Cost Accounting: can be taken after the student has completed Accounting 21 with a C or better. This course is only offered in the spring semester evening only. Accounting 63-Intermediate Accounting: can be taken after the student has completed Accounting 21 with a C or better. This course is only offered in the fall semester evening only. Accounting 97-Accounting for Income Taxes: can be taken anytime as the course has no prerequisites. The course is offered every semester evening only. Accounting 101-Bookkeeping for Small Business: can be taken anytime as the course has no prerequisites. The course is offered every semester day only.

3. In what capacity have your program and course SLOs been mapped? Please provide three examples of how the course SLOs map to the Program SLOs.

All course SLOs have been mapped to all the Accounting Program’s SLOs. The mapping has been completed and entered onto the college’s reporting system, TracDat. Examples would include the mapping of the four course SLOs for Accounting 20, Financial Accounting. SLO#1 is recognize and record financial transactions through the accounting cycle following Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Assumptions and Constraints. This SLO meets PSLO.0 General and Theory and PSLO.2 Critical Thinking. SLO#2 is prepare, analyze, and interpret the four basic financial statements to communicate financial information to others. This SLO meets PSLO.1 Communication, PSLO.2 Critical Thinking, PSLO.3 Global Awareness and Social Justice, and PSLO.6 Aesthetics and Creativity. SLO#3 is determine, evaluate, and interpret income, cost of goods sold, inventories, depreciation, receivables, and liabilities. SLO#3 meets PSLO.2 Critical Thinking, PSLO.3 Global Awareness and Social Justice, and PSLO.6 Aesthetics and Creativity. SLO#4 is identify the ethical implications inherent in financial reporting and apply internal control principles to protect a company’s resources and maintain the accuracy of the financial records. This SLO meets PSLO.4 Personal Responsibility, Ethics and Responsibility.

PART THREE: PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT/ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT

1. What process is used to review and revise the curriculum? Include information on advisory committee and workforce data (if applicable).

Accounting faculty discuss the course content and student learning outcomes when reviewing and revising the curriculum. Consideration is given to ensure course transferability to UC and CSU systems. Consideration is also given to C.P.A. exam requirements and units necessary to qualify to take the exam as well as content of the exam. Employment is also considered. The advisory committee is consulted on both the course curriculum and content of the courses. Annual surveys have been conducted to determine the goals of accounting students. The goals run the gamut. Some students want to transfer to a four year university while others want accounting skills to obtain an immediate job. Others just need a few accounting courses to qualify to sit for the C.P.A. (Certified Public Accountant) exam or upgrade their job skills. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 142,000 new accounting jobs from now until 1924. All but one accounting faculty are adjunct. It is difficult to require adjunct to attend an unpaid departmental meeting. In addition, all adjunct have different schedules so it has been difficult to find a mutually agreeable time to meet. The department meets on the Professional Development Days when the college allows time for departmental meetings. Otherwise the meetings are done via email.

2. Indicate how program and course-level Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are assessed on a regular basis.

A schedule has been made to ensure all program and course level student learning outcomes are assessed at least every three to four years. Most are assessed more often. Linda Ferrell tracks the PSLO and CSLO on a spreadsheet to ensure the assessment schedule is adhered to every semester. This schedule dictates exactly which PSLO and course SLO are assessed each semester. All assessment data has been consistently entered into TracDat.

3. How have Student Learning Outcome (SLO) assessments and program data been utilized to improve instruction in the program? Please share one or two success stories about the impacts of SLO assessment on student learning. One example deals with the PSLO.4 which is the ability to understand and implement the ethical responsibility of the accountant to society. Students who had completed or are taking three or more accounting courses at SJCC were given a department survey. On part of this survey, they were asked the following question. Should a certified public accountant change an account balance at the request of management without supporting documentation? In Fall 2013, fourteen of the twenty-six students or 54% successfully answered the question. Since then, Accounting instructors emphasized accounting ethics in their courses. In Fall 2015, the question was asked to the thirty-two accounting students who had completed or are taking three or more accounting courses. Twenty-eight or 87% successfully answered the ethics question.

4. How is data collected on student satisfaction of your program? To what extent are students satisfied? How is this feedback used in program enhancement and revision?

The Accounting program just started collecting data regarding student. Surveys were given to students who had taken three or more accounting courses. On a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high), students ranked their satisfaction with the courses taken. The average ranking was 3.94. Students had a variety of suggestions to enhance the program. These suggestions included offering additional sections at different times to take the courses, more day sessions, less expensive textbooks or no textbook, more on-line offerings, more in-class time for problem solving, and less homework. Students also suggested an auditing course be developed along with more financial analysis courses. Faculty discussed all student comments. Faculty also will research less expensive textbooks such as open source and/or a textbook that will combine accounting 20 and 21 textbooks. Faculty will also need to research if there is enough enrollment and budget to develop and staff the courses requested.

PART FOUR: STRATEGIC PLANNING

1. Year of last Comprehensive Program Review and previous three Annual Program Reviews with validation rating. (Proficient or In Progress)

The last comprehensive program review was completed for the 2012-2013 year. This review was prepared jointly with the Business department and received a proficient rating. A joint accounting and business departments annual program review was also prepared for 2013-2014 which had a proficient rating. Subsequently, the annual program reviews were prepared for the Accounting department without Business department data. The Accounting department annual reviews were completed for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 years. All program reviews received a proficient rating.

2. Describe any changes in the program that have occurred since the last Comprehensive Program Review. (See intervening Annual Program Reviews.) Since the last comprehensive review there have been changes in the beginning level accounting course as well as feeder departments to the accounting department. Full-time faculty have retired. Sharon Youngblood who taught Bookkeeping, a feeder course to Accounting 20, has retired as a full-time instructor. Many accounting students are Business majors and to a lesser degree are CIS - Programming majors. Two full-time Business faculty, Jim Black and Dennis Wahler, have retired and not been replaced. In addition, CIS, Computer Information Science, full-time instructor Dan McElroy has retired. His position was just replaced Fall 2016. Although, adjunct instructors are very good, full-time instructors are more easily available to students and therefore help retain more students. Another change occurred in the accounting department has to do with the A.S. Business -Transfer degree. Evergreen Valley College changed the Accounting courses 20 and 21 from 5 units, 5 lecture hours per week to 4 units, 4 lecture hours per week. SJCC was able to complete the A.S. Business -T degree without making this change. We will need to see if this affects our future enrollment. San Jose State University had a conference with community college Accounting faculty in the past. In this conference they emphasized to Accounting faculty that the community college student needed more accounting work and practice to keep up with their counterparts when they transfer at the university level. Many needed remedial level review. I worry that changing accounting 20 and 21 from 5 hours per week to 4 hours per week, thus losing 16 hours of instruction plus 32 hours out of class studying per semester for each course will affect our student success rate at the University level as well our own program’s success rate. At one time, Accounting 20 and 21 were both 4 units, 5 hours lecture per week. Perhaps we need to see if we should go back to that compromised combination to keep student success and retain enrollment. This will need further study.

3. What are the current strengths of the program? Include faculty and staff training, projects and other achievements.

One strength of the accounting department is its experienced faculty. Gurdeep Chawla has a doctorate from Golden Gate University and is a C.P.A. (Certified Public Accountant). He is a full-time professor at the School of Business and Management at National University. He has taught for more than twenty years of which he has taught fourteen at San Jose City College as an adjunct instructor. George Chow graduated from University of Toledo. He began teaching at San Jose City College in 1989. He also teaches at Evergreen Valley College. He has his own tax practice since 1986. He is an enrolled tax agent. He also speaks at various seminars on tax topics. Linda Ferrell is a retired C.P.A. She earned her M.B.A. (Master’s in Business Administration) with a concentration in accounting from Santa Clara University. She has experience working in public accounting with Ernst & Whinney (subsequently merged with Ernst & Young) in auditing, taxation, and consulting. She has worked in corporate accounting and internal auditing for Hewlett Packard and Silicon Graphics. She has taught accounting for twenty years. Seventeen of these years have been as a full time instructor at San Jose City College. Steve Hurst has an M.B.A. and forty years working in accounting for public firms, private firms, non-profit firms, start-ups as well as venture capital backed firms. He has also represented businesses with the Big Four Accounting firms. He has served as a pro-bono auditor for a non-profit. Dan Torres has an M.B.A. from University of Phoenix and a certificate of Advanced Accounting from Santa Clara University. He has worked for thirty years in a variety of industries such as Automotive, Aerospace, Food and Bio-Tech. His experience included consulting, Chief Operations Officer, and Vice President of Operations. He has taught a variety of accounting and business courses over the years. A second strength of the accounting department is its commitment to the annual VITA/IRS, IRS (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance /Internal Revenue Service) project. The biggest problem most students have when they graduate is a lack of work experience. This project helps students obtain valuable work experience in tax accounting. Students work hard on their own time taking VITA/IRS classes to learn how to prepare income taxes for low-income individuals. Students must also pass an IRS tax preparer exam. Then they volunteer their time to prepare low-income individual’s tax returns. There is a site on the SJCC campus as well as other places in Santa Clara County. The SJCC site is in its fourth year. Last year they prepared 250 income tax returns. Many of our students also volunteer at the site at Campbell library. Allison Redington, the head coordinator at the Campbell

library site, has worked with our accounting department for many years recruiting students for this project. Not only do the students obtain needed work experience but they learn a valuable life-long skill and perform community service. Students who complete the project state that the experience was both educational and heart-warming. It gave them a new outlook on life and they saw themselves as a productive part of society.

4. What changes to the program do you plan to (would you like to) implement before the next Comprehensive Program Review?

The accounting program would like to analyze the viability of adding an auditing or a financial analysis course to the curriculum. The accounting department would like to investigate options for less expensive textbooks such open source textbooks or purchasing a two-semester textbook for Accounting 20 and 21. Accounting textbooks are expensive but necessary to the success of the students. Tutoring is critical to student success. We need to obtain consistent tutoring. For example, this semester as of the end of October 2016, there is still no accounting tutor available for our students. All students have had their first exam. I expect our success rate in Fall 2016 to be lower than in previous semesters. It is very difficult to obtain accounting student tutors because as soon as the students obtain enough knowledge to tutor, they graduate and move on to a four year university or employment. I would like to see if the college would hire a permanent tutor or employ San Jose State University students as tutors. Right now, this is not allowed. We need marketing for the accounting department’s courses. There are jobs out there for accounting students. We need to advertise that along with our department.

5. How will these changes impact student success, instructional techniques, and course offerings?

Lower cost textbooks should increase student success and retention. Available and consistent tutoring should increase student success and retention. New course offerings should increase enrollment. Marketing should increase enrollment.

Budget: Please address current status and projected needs in the following areas and indicate how each supports Program/College Goals and/or PSLOs and SLOs. Include specific cost information. Please separate ongoing budget needs from one-time expenditures.

STAFFING Ongoing Budget Needs:

Some semesters it is very difficult to find student tutors for accounting. As soon as a student has completed several accounting courses, they usually either transfer to a four year university or find employment. It would be helpful if the tutoring center would be allowed to higher San Jose State University students. I think this would help those students and help our students see that they can continue onto to San Jose State. Otherwise, hiring a permanent accounting tutor would cost roughly $50,000 plus benefits annually. An accounting tutor would increase student success and student retention. One-time Expenditures:

FACILITIES Ongoing Budget Needs: There are adequate accounting classes currently available in the Tech Building. One-time Expenditures:

LIBRARY Ongoing Budget Needs: As not all students can afford textbooks, it would be helpful if the library could purchase multiple textbooks for accounting courses, especially for Accounting 20 and 21. Textbooks for students would increase student success and student retention. One-time Expenditures:

EQUIPMENT / SUPPLIES / TECHNOLOGY

Please use the Budget Justification Template for all equipment, supplies and technology requests. Accounting 30, QuickBooks, requires an annual educational license combined with the Intuit software. The cost is approximately $400. See Budget Justification Template for Accounting combined license/software requested. The software license is a legal requirement to teach the course. Teaching technology aligns with the college’s technology student learning objective.