Substantive Change Proposal: - Accreditation · Web viewThe District has identified 8 new online...

Substantive Change Proposal

New Distance Education Programs

Associate Degrees and CTE Certificates

Sonoma County Junior College District1501 Mendocino Ave.

Santa Rosa, California 95401

April 10, 2012

Prepared by:Dr. W. Cherry Li-Bugg

Dean of Learning Resources and Educational TechnologyDr. Mary Kay Rudolph

Vice President, Academic Affairs and Accreditation Liaison Officer

ToAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Western Association of Schools and Colleges

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. Overview of Substantive Change ...........................................................................4

1. Description of Proposed Programs .......................................................................... 42. Relationship to the Institutional Mission ................................................................ 53. Rationale for Request .............................................................................................. 6

B. Description of Educational Programs To Be Offered ...........................................6C. Planning Process Leading to Request for Change ...............................................8

1. Needs and Resource Assessment ........................................................................... 102. Anticipated Effect of the Proposed Change on the Rest of the Institution ............ 113. Benefits Resulting from Change ............................................................................. 11

D. Institutional Resources and Process for Change ................................................11

1. Faculty, Management, and Support Staffing .......................................................... 112. Equipment and Facilities, Including Adequate Control Over any Off-Site Campus..153. Fiscal Resources – Initial and Long Term and Sources of Funding .......................... 164. Plan for Monitoring Outcomes ............................................................................... 16

E. Evidence of Internal and External Approvals .......................................................17

1. Administrative ....................................................................................................... 182. External Regulatory and Legal Requirements ....................................................... 183. Sonoma County Junior College District Governing Board Approval ..................... 18

F. Evidence of Maintenance of Eligibility Requirements ........................................18

1. Authority2. Mission3. Governing Board4. Chief Executive Officer5. Administrative Capacity6. Operational Status7. Degrees8. Educational Programs9. Academic Credit10. Student Learning and Achievement11. General Education12. Academic Freedom13. Faculty14. Student Services15. Admissions16. Information and Learning Resources17. Financial Resources

Sonoma County JC District: Substantive Change Proposal for Additional Online Programs 2

18. Financial Accountability19. Institutional Planning and Evaluation20. Public Information21. Relations with Accrediting Commission

G. Evidence that Each Accreditation Standard will still be Fulfilled Related to the Change and that All Relevant Commission Policies are Addressed .....................27

1. Standard I .............................................................................................................. 272. Standard II ............................................................................................................. 273. Standard III ............................................................................................................ 314. Standard IV ............................................................................................................ 315. Process for Monitoring and Evaluating the Effectiveness and Learning Outcomesexpected through the proposed change ....................................................................31

H. Appendices ..............................................................................................................33

APPENDIX 1: NEW SONOMA COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT PROGRAMS THAT CONTAIN 50% OR MORE UNITS IN DISTANCE EDUCATION .........................................33

APPENDIX 2: STUDENT TECHNOLOGY SURVEY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................34

APPENDIX 3: DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENT RETENTION, SUCCESS AND AVERAGE GPA DATA .............................................................................................................................37

APPENDIX 4: ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, DISTRICT……………………………………………..........38

APPENDIX 5: ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, ACADEMIC AFFAIRS…………………………………… 39

APPENDIX 6: SONOMA COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES ACTION TO APPROVE THE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE PROPOSAL REQUEST...................................40


A. OVERVIEW OF SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE

Description of the Proposed Program

The purpose of this Substantive Change Proposal is to request approval to add additional

online degrees and online certificates to the Santa Rosa Junior College Distance Education/Online

Learning Program. The District is seeking approval to offer the following eight (8) associate

degrees and twelve (12) certificates via the distance education mode.

MajorsAdministration of JusticeChicano and Latino Studies Digital Media: Interactive MultimediaEconomics English* Political Science*Sociology for Transfer Spanish

Certificates Accountant Assistant Adobe Certification Training in InDesignBookkeeperCIS Information Technology: Cisco Certification Training in CCNA Computer Help Desk Legal Office Support* Office Assistant Payroll*Retail Management Small Business Management Tax Assistant Clerk* Web Project Management

The degrees and programs with asterisk have not quite achieved the full 50% status; however,

they are all between 45 and 50%; therefore we have included them in this round of proposal. These

online degrees certificates are promoted on the web and in the class schedule. The Weekend

College for working adults and other impacted/interested students also directs students to online

majors as a way of completing their degrees.


Relationship to the Institution’s Stated Mission

“Sonoma County Junior College District’s Mission is to promote student learning

throughout our diverse communities by increasing the knowledge, improving the skills and

enhancing the lives of those who participate in our programs and enroll in our courses” (Board

Policy 1.1). To achieve this mission, the District provides general education, transfer, career

technical, and basic skills classes. Many of these are offered online. The District offers about 200

different online courses, about 500 sections per year.

Fifteen statements outlining the broad purposes of the District support SRJC’s Mission.

Adding more online degrees and certificates specifically addresses this aspect of the District’s

mission: “Promoting open access through actively eliminating barriers to a college education.”

Board Policy 3.12.2, adopted July 10, 2007 and reviewed January 8, 2008, makes it clear

why SRJC offers online instruction:

Online instruction, as a core component of Distance Education at SRJC, is designed to benefit student and the District by providing alternatives to traditional “on-site education.” Benefits and goals of such instruction shall include increased flexibility and convenience for students, as well as decreased use of impacted instructional space. Online teaching enables the District to better serve current and potential students both inside and outside its service area.

The vision for Distance Education supports the overall mission of SRJC with a strong

commitment to student learning and success through:

• High quality, student-centered, interactive learning experiences in online,

hybrid, or blended courses.

• Collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to learning that help students

develop meaningful and relevant connections in their lives.

• Pedagogy which encourages critical and independent thinking and is responsive

to a spectrum of learning styles.

• Flexibility in the scheduling of course offerings to meet student needs.

• Up-to-date delivery formats which equip students to be successful in an ever-

changing technological environment.

Distance Education in the form of online degrees and certificates is an integral part in the

fulfillment of the mission for the Sonoma County Junior College District.

Discussion of the Rationale for the Request


SRJC’s students are part of the increasing trend of students nationwide who are turning to

online certificate and degree programs to complete or advance their education. SRJC sees this

trend as an opportunity to provide our students with a variety of options to pursue their educational

goals, while not changing the expectations that the District has established in regard to the

importance of students’ meeting course and program student learning outcomes. The District and

the faculty have been actively responding to this student need by creating more online degrees and

certificates. The District has identified 8 new online degrees and 12 new online certificates since

the last time the District put forth a substantive change proposal to ACCJC; hence the Sonoma

County Junior College District is maintaining compliance with ACCJC and submitting this

substantive change proposal to seek approval.

Santa Rosa Junior College has been offering online courses since 1997. Between fall 2007

and fall 2011, the growth in online FTES (full-time equivalent student) at SRJC is 63%. During the

same time period, student retention has gone from 63% to close to 70%.

Even with the phenomenal growth of the online program at SRJC, students continue to

“demand” more online classes. Online classes close immediately after registration opens each

semester and on average, the “hits after close” for online classes are in triple digits versus single

digit or teens for face-to-face classes. In a recent Student Technology Survey of enrolled online

students at SRJC, 92% report that they take online classes for schedule flexibility and not having to

travel to campus. (See Appendix 2)

B. A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM TO BE OFFERED

The change in delivery mode does not constitute the creation of new educational programs.

All of the proposed online certificates and majors in this application already exist as Chancellor

approved certificates and majors, previously taught by more traditional instructional methods,

mostly face-to-face instruction. Only the instructional delivery method is new to the District.

The programs proposed in this application to be offered via the distance education mode

are already offered by the District in the traditional, face-to-face delivery of instruction. Majors,

general education and graduation requirements are identical for both distance education and face-

to-face programs. Courses, regardless of their method of delivery, share a common curriculum and


an officially approved course out of record (COR). In addition, Sonoma County Junior College

District has Board-approved procedures in place to ensure that rigor, breadth, objectives, student

learning outcomes and academic quality of courses and programs offered in the distance education

mode meet the same standards as those offered in the traditional, face-to-face delivery mode.

The Sonoma County Junior College District Catalog for 2010-2011 was used to determine

graduation requirements and individual major requirements for the Associate Degrees in

Administration of Justice

Chicano and Latino Studies

Digital Media: Interactive Multimedia

Economics

English

Political Science

Sociology for Transfer

Spanish

The fact that the District is proposing to offer a new Sociology for Transfer degree via the distance

education delivery mode is indicative of the responsiveness of the District to the changing

educational environment and student need.

The same catalog was used to determine the requirements for the following CTE certificates:

Accountant Assistant

Adobe Certification Training in InDesign

Bookkeeper

CIS Information Technology: CISCO Certification Training in CCNA

Computer Help Desk

Legal Office Support

Office Assistant

Payroll

Retail Management

Small Business Management

Tax Assistant Clerk

Web Project Management


The Curriculum Committee of the District separately approves each course proposed for distance

education delivery to ensure that the following are met:

Regular and effective contact is maintained between instructor and students through group

or individual meetings, orientation, review sessions, study sessions, field trips, library

workshops, chat rooms, telephonic contact, email or other methods of contact.

Instructors employ effective pedagogical techniques appropriate to the distance education

mode to achieve the quality and rigor of instruction equivalent to that of traditional, face-

to-face version of the course

Appropriate technologies and tools are used to achieve course objectives and student

learning outcomes

Multiple measures are used to achieve and assess student learning

Student retention, success and average GPA data are readily available through datamining at the

District and some of the relevant data are presented in Appendix 3.

C. THE PLANNING PROCESS THAT LED TO THE REQUEST FOR CHANGE.

Sonoma County Junior College District has been offering online classes since 1997. The

District has well-established policies and procedures for the development and the delivery of

distance education courses. All distance education courses and programs of study are approved by

the District’s Curriculum Committee and all online courses and program of study undergo a

separate approval by the Committee as per requirement by Title 5 of California Code of

Regulations. Policies and procedures related to online program approval are contained in the

information on the District online learning website. http://www.santarosa.edu/instruction/online-

learning.

On an annual cycle, the Institutional Planning Council (IPC), the highest planning body of

the District, develops College Initiatives that guide strategic planning for the District. For the past

several years, expansion of online learning and the creation of entirely online degrees and

certificates have been included as a goal under College Initiative #7, Enrollment

Management and Retention. Specifically, the goal of improving and solidifying the distance

education program at SRJC is to be achieved by:

focused online course development


http://www.santarosa.edu/instruction/online-learning

http://www.santarosa.edu/instruction/online-learning

implementing an alternative Learning Management System in Moodle

targeted faculty development in online pedagogy

expanding the variety of options for course delivery

In the District’s latest update to its technology plan, distance education plan is a central part of this planning. As such, the needs of distance education related to services, programs and resources are outlined and discussed in full in the technology plan. https://bussharepoint.santarosa.edu/committees/institutional-technology/Committee%20Documents/Tech%20Plan%20Narrative%206%2029%2011.pdf

For the past fifteen years, SRJC has gradually geared up for offering online certificates and

majors. Starting in 1997, the Center for Advanced Technology in Education (C.A.T.E.) was

launched and an Instructional Systems Designer was hired to create and support the software,

which is locally developed. In the last two years based on faculty feedback, the Distance

Education planned for the addition of an open source course management system in Moodle. Pilot

testing in Moodle began in the spring of 2011 and by spring 2012, there is increased adoption of

Moodle by faculty at SRJC to use as a vehicle for delivery of online course content and

management of online courses.

Initially, most of the online offerings were simply courses, many in the business and

technology area, but over the years more and more in the general education and transfer area. The

creation of online certificate and degrees has largely been an evolutionary process.

Planning for many of the proposed online certificates occurred in the Business and

Professional Services division, where faculty have for many years taken a strong interest in online

teaching. For this reason, there has typically been adequate numbers of offering to serve all

interested students.

Over the past several years, the Online College Course Development Project has provided

stipends and support for faculty to develop new online classes that were part of existing

occupational certificates and transfer degrees. The goal, documented and approved in the

planning process, was to move toward offering certificates and degrees entirely or substantially

online, thus giving students the maximum flexibility in completing their program of study.

Needs and Resources Assessment

As part of the Program and Resource Planning Process (PRPP), the Dean of Learning

Resources and Educational Technology includes an analysis of the Online Learning Program, its

expansion, and its needs for resources. The data presented in the program review document shows


https://bussharepoint.santarosa.edu/committees/institutional-technology/Committee%20Documents/Tech%20Plan%20Narrative%206%2029%2011.pdf

https://bussharepoint.santarosa.edu/committees/institutional-technology/Committee%20Documents/Tech%20Plan%20Narrative%206%2029%2011.pdf

continuous, sustained growth in online learning. Specific needs assessment including staffing,

technology, instructional equipment and facilities are listed, discussed and forwarded to the Vice

President of Academic Affairs for further prioritization and decision-making. This program review

process allows for appropriate and integrated resource allocation that meets the needs of students

and helps to achieve the institution’s mission and strategic directions.

Here are some specifics of how this program review process works effectively. PRPP helps

to identify the need for additional resources in Distance Education as the online program continues

to grow at SRJC. The need for a Director of Online Learning has been identified, and filling this

position is considered a high priority of the District. The document also verifies that existing

resources, primarily a server and an instructional systems designer, are adequate to present needs.

As the program keeps growing, an additional server will be needed. In 2009/10, an additional part-

time position, PC Trainer, was added to specifically support online learning and to train faculty on

making online courses accessible to students with disabilities. In 2010/11, a part-time management

position in the form of a Distance Education Manager was created and filled. This management

position has quickly become indispensible in facilitating the accessibility compliance review for

online courses and faculty training and development. With the addition of this half-time

management position, the District has been able to institute the six-year accessibility review of all

online courses and in reviving the once-vibrant online faculty training and development program.

In spring 2011, the District contracted with @ONE to provide a four-week online training program

for Moodle and began a brown-bag series to address online pedagogical issues such as engaging

online students with group work and social media, best practices in ensuring academic integrity in

online classes and cool tools for online and f2f classrooms. Under the management of this position,

the District continues to offer faculty training in the use of Moodle and other pedagogical issues

that come up with Distance Education delivery mode.

Anticipated Effect of the Proposed Change on the Rest of the Institution.

Since all programs of study are already approved by the California Community College

Chancellor’s Office and are currently offered successfully online, this substantive change will have

no adverse effect on the Institution. In addition, the District is accustomed to this rapid growth in

online learning and anticipates no negative impact on the rest of the institution. Each of the seven


division deans is accustomed to supporting and scheduling online courses. Making online

certificates and majors available will reduce the impact on facilities and provide our students with

more options to access their higher education.

Benefits Resulting from the Change

The District has been very intentional in the growth of online degrees and certificates as

evidenced by the deliberate inclusion of this in the College Initiatives. The intended benefits of

offering more online certificates and degrees include the following. We anticipate that the new

online certificates and majors will:

Generate less traffic congestion and less of a parking problem;

Help alleviate impacts on facilities, including lack of classroom space during

“prime time” (9 am to 3 pm);

Allow more students to access classes that fit into their busy lives;

Continue to serve large numbers of women who gravitate to online classes in part

because work and family obligations. Seventy percent of our online students are

women.

Serve increased numbers of students with disabilities, given our emphasis on

assuring that all of our online classes are accessible to persons with disabilities.

D. INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES AND PROCESS FOR CHANGE

Sufficient and Qualified Faculty, Management and Support Staffing:

Academic Affairs is responsible for Online Learning. Department Chairs are responsible

for all courses in their disciplines, regardless of location or delivery methodology. Department

chairs play a major role in scheduling, faculty evaluation, hiring, discretionary expenditures, and

other processes designed to address instructional quality. The Dean for Learning Resources and

Educational Technology, Dr. Cherry Li-Bugg, provides administrative supervision of the Online

Learning program. She reports directly to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs.

The Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) approves all courses offered at the District,

regardless of the method of instruction. Online courses are approved for inclusion in the academic


curriculum following policies and procedures outlined in the Program and Course Approval

Handbook as mandated by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office California Code

of Regulations, Title 5. This procedure generally involves initiation of a proposed curriculum

offering or curriculum change by a faculty member, approval by the Supervising Administrator,

review and approval by Curriculum Review Committee (CRC).

The Distance Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) was created in 2002 to review

proposals for online courses before they are developed. Title 5 (55213) requires that all courses

proposed for distance education undergo a separate review process to ensure that the course meets

all the standards for courses in general and for distance education listed in Title 5. DEAC reviews

online course proposals to determine if a particular course is suitable for online delivery. DEAC is

advisory to CRC and makes recommendations to CRC re the suitability of specific courses for

online delivery as proposed by faculty.

The District Online Committee (DOC) is comprised of administrators, faculty, classified

staff and students. DOC meets regularly to discuss issues related to online teaching and learning.

The committee helps introduce faculty to the pedagogy and technology of online instruction,

guides experienced faculty in the areas of more advanced technical tools and sophisticated

teaching methods, and recommends standards, guidelines, and best practices for students and

faculty in online classes.

The Distance Education department is comprised of the Dean of Learning Resources and

Educational Technology, a half-time Distance Education manager, a Instructional Systems

Designer, a PC Trainer and an Instructional Consultant (faculty). The Distance Education is tasked

with the fulfillment of the vision for distance education. As previously stated, the vision for

Distance Education supports the overall mission of SRJC with a strong commitment to student

learning and success through:

• High quality, student-centered, interactive learning experiences in online, hybrid, or

blended courses.

• Collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to learning that help students develop

meaningful and relevant connections in their lives.


• Pedagogy which encourages critical and independent thinking and is responsive to a

spectrum of learning styles.

• Flexibility in the scheduling of course offerings to meet student needs.

• Up-to-date delivery formats which equip students to be successful in an ever-changing

technological environment.

To that end, the Distance Education department enforces all policies and procedures related to

online course development and delivery. The Distance Education department also provides the

tools, training and resources necessary to ensure the quality of our distance education program.

The Computer Assisted Teaching Environment (CATE) hosts SRJC's online classes as well as

web-based instructional materials created for face-to-face classes by SRJC faculty. Most faculty

members utilize CATE's proprietary courseware management system to create and maintain their

Web-based materials. CATE provides a cluster of instructional support services and facilities,

focusing on the use of technology in the instructional program at SRJC. CATE performs the

following in support of online learning:

Acts as the central portal for online learning and maintains the necessary infrastructure,

including hardware and software to support online instruction.

Provides training and direct support to faculty and staff in use of its online instructional

software system.

Investigates and implements emerging technologies relevant to meeting the needs of the

instructional program.

Provides professional development opportunities and trainings for online faculty.

Works collaboratively with other campus service providers, such as Media Services,

Academic Computing, and Computing Services to ensure the quality of the services that it

provides.

Since spring 2011, the Distance Education department has added an alternative Learning

Management System to the mix. Moodle has provided a more up-to-date alternative for faculty to

use as their learning management tool. So far the feedback from students regarding Moodle has

been uniformly positive. Moodle is also the learning platform adopted at most California State

University campuses including our local CSU campus, Sonoma State University. The ability to use

Moodle provides an added advantage to our students who transfer to California State Universities.


Since spring of 2011, Distance Education has started to provide Moodle training to SRJC

faculty. The 27-hour training series in Moodle is being offered this spring with a mix of f2f, hybrid

and completely online options. Faculty participation is high in this training series and there is a

five-day Moodle bootcamp being planned for summer intersession. In addition, the Distance

Education department has collaborated with the Center for Teaching, Learning and Sustainability

and the Office for Staff Development to offer training in online pedagogy and best practices.

Online Instructional Faculty. Currently, SRJC has well over 100 faculty members

actively teaching online courses. Sonoma County Junior College District uses the same standards

and processes for the hiring and evaluation for all faculty regardless of delivery mode. Online

faculty members are required to meet the same State minimum qualifications that apply to on-

campus instructors. Human Resources handle recruiting new instructors with job announcements

approved by academic departments. The hiring of both part-time and full-time online faculty

follow the established procedures used for hiring of all faculty. Evaluation of instruction for online

classes follows the same contractual procedure as evaluation for more traditional forms of

teaching, including a survey of students. Beginning spring 2011, the Distance Education has

advocated with all academic departments to adopt online special expertise as part of their

procedure to assign online instructors as a way to further ensure the quality of instruction in the

online classes. To date, most departments have adopted the recommended language or more

stringent language. The recommended online special expertise language for SRJC is as follows:

Must have either (1) Taught a total of 6.0 online semester units for an accredited college or university within the last 5 years or (2) passed a class or classes totaling at least 2.0 semester units at an accredited college or university on the pedagogy of teaching online within the last 5 years or (3) demonstrate successful completion of SRJC online teaching training within the last 5 years or (4) demonstrate successful completion of at least 30 hours of certified training in teaching online from @ONE (or comparable organizations as determined by SRJC) within the last 5 years.

Appropriate Equipment and Facilities, including Adequate Control over any off-site Campus

The nature of online instruction minimizes the need for and the use of traditional physical

facilities. We utilize one server to house both CATE and Moodle. The server is housed in a secure

and locked facility in the Doyle Library. While the Instructional Systems Designer administers the

course software (CATE and Moodle), the work on maintaining the server is performed by a


System Administrator from the Instructional Computing department. Funds have been allocated to

purchase a brand-new server in 2012/13 to ensure that online course materials are fully backed up

and restorable.

Student Authentication

Sonoma County Junior College District requires that all instructors use the District-

supported learning management system, whether CATE or Moodle. The District-supported

learning management systems house hybrid and blended learning courses in addition to fully

online courses. Students are required to log on to the systems using a District established

identification system (SIDS-Student Identification System). In the CATE system, students are

required to check in during the first week of class. In Moodle, students are required to log in and

participate on the first day of class. The District’s attendance policy stipulates that students log in

and start participating in the online classrooms on the official start date of the course. See the

District’s attendance here http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/8stuserv/8.1.5.pdf

Sonoma County Junior College District also requires instructor initiated discussion forums

in online classes to address course content and engage regular and effective contact with students.

Additionally, testing and assignments are required to be submitted via the District-supported

course management system. These practices ensures the ongoing active participation of all students

in the course beyond the mere determination of course statistics. The use of multiple measures of

assessment is also encouraged at all professional development activities for distance education

faculty. All these practices taken as a whole constitute a holistic set of policies and best practices

to ensure students participate fully in online classes. The District is currently undergoing a review

of all Board policies and procedures. In the revision to Board policy 3.12.2 for Distance

Education/Online Instruction, there will be an explicit provision of faculty to maintain regular and

effective contact with students.

Fiscal Resources - Initial and Long Term and Sources of Funding

Sonoma County Junior College District has sufficient fiscal resources to cover the costs

associated with the continued maintenance of the District’s Distance Education program. Funding

for staffing and supplies is provided through the District’s general fund. It’s been stated in the

PRPP for several years that staffing needs to increase in Distance Education. There is plan to hire a


http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/8stuserv/8.1.5.pdf

full-time Distance Education manager when the half-time Distance Education manager retires in

July 2012. As for equipment, the District regularly updates its technology plan that guides the

District in meeting its technology needs. Funds from a $251 million bond measure continue to

support technology upgrades, and these technology funds will support the needs of the Distance

Education program for the foreseeable future. As stated previously, these funds will allow the

District to purchase brand-new server for Distance Education in 2012/13. The new server will

replace the current server, which will be reallocated as a full backup server for Distance Education.

Plan for Monitoring Outcomes

All programs, including Online Learning, participate in the Program and Resource Planning

Process (PRPP). In program review, the supervising administrator considers FTES trends, average

class size, program efficiency, retention rates, full-time/part-time instructor ratios, budgets, and

prior planning documents in developing a plan for Online Learning. The dean also generates

specific data on exactly how many students are enrolled in each online course. He/she can also

determine if sufficient online courses are being offered to meet the needs of students who embark

on an online program.

Each Vice President prioritizes resource requests and new initiatives (including expansion of

Online Learning). The Institutional Planning Council (IPC) reviews resource priorities to assure

they align with the District Mission and College Initiatives. The President and the Vice-Presidents

make final decisions about the allocation of resources to programs. Currently, the Online Learning

program is considered a high priority in the planning process.

The courses offered are reviewed and approved by the Curriculum Review Committee to

ensure appropriate content, length and levels of quality and rigor. Student learning outcomes and

methods of evaluation are determined for courses, regardless of delivery methodology. Currently,

faculty at Sonoma County Junior College District has identified student learning outcomes (SLOs)

for 99% of the courses -1,863 out of the 1,877 courses in the District’s curriculum database has

SLOs associated with them. Assessment of these identified student learning outcomes is ongoing,

whether in online or f2f classes. The District now has a mechanism to collect and house all the

SLO assessment data. (http://www.santarosa.edu/slo/index.php)


http://www.santarosa.edu/slo/index.php

The meeting of student needs is assessed by the number of certificates/degrees earned and

AARC data collected. In 2011, the District started a concerted effort in assessing institutional

effectiveness by coming up with measures with which to assess institutional effectiveness

(http://www2.santarosa.edu/pages/planning/institutional-effectiveness.php). The District Online

Committee also assess student satisfaction, student readiness and student workload issues in online

classes. See Appendix 2 for the executive summary of the latest student technology survey.

E: EVIDENCE OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL APPROVALS

All courses, degrees and certificates offered by the Sonoma County Junior College District

have been approved by the District’s Curriculum Review Committee, the Sonoma County Junior

College District Board of Trustees and by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.

The online degrees and certificates contained in this proposal are no exception--they have received

all necessary internal approvals. The Curriculum Review Committee with the recommendation by

the Distance Education Advisory Committee, and the Board of Trustees have approved all courses

in the proposed degrees and certificates. Externally, the programs with all of their courses have

been approved by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.

Separate course approvals for distance education courses and all other applicable distance

education policies can be found on the District’s online learning website.

http://www.santarosa.edu/instruction/online-learning/distance-ed-policies/

Administrative

Approvals for a variety of policies and functions for the Distance Education program are

generally accomplished through the shared governance process that may include the Academic

Senate, the Curriculum Review Committee, the Distance Education Advisory Committee, the

District Online Committee, the Educational Policies and Planning Committee and the College

Council.

External Regulatory and Legal Requirements

Sonoma County Junior College District keeps abreast of all changes in regulations for

distance education through a variety of means including CIO listserv and participation of its

administrator and DOC faculty co-chair in the Chancellor’s Office Distance Education

Coordinators’ meetings. Any regulatory and legal requirements and updates are communicated to


http://www.santarosa.edu/instruction/online-learning/distance-ed-policies/

http://www2.santarosa.edu/pages/planning/institutional-effectiveness.php

the chairs at Department Chairs meetings and to the deans in the Academic Affairs Council

meetings. The District has exercised due diligence in complying with regulatory requirements and

legal mandates. A prime example of this compliance is the District’s accessibility policy and

procedure on distance education and web-based instructional materials. Distance education is

subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act,

California law, and Community College Chancellor’s Office Guidelines with regards to access for

persons with disabilities. The District has approved and implemented a Board Policy for

accessibility of online courses and web-based instructional materials

(http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/3acadpro/3.12.3.pdf). The District has adopted Board procedure

to go with this policy (http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/3acadpro/3.12.3P.pdf). All online classes

undergo an accessibility compliance review with the Distance Education every six years and

corrective actions must be completed before the class can be taught online.

Governing Board Approvals

The Board of Trustees approves all new curriculum, including curriculum proposed for online

delivery. The Board of Trustees approves all new majors and certificates. An annual report to the

Board identifies any new certificates and majors that are over 50% online delivery. The report also

details student enrollment and success data compared to other methods of instruction.

F. EVIDENCE THAT EACH ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT WILL STILL BE FULFILLED AFTER THE CHANGE.

The Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) have prescribed 21 eligibility requirements

for community and junior colleges. A summary of the eligibility requirements and the impact of

this substantive change proposal (if any) on the eligibility requirements are presented as follows.

Documentation is either included in this substantive change proposal or referenced for each

eligibility requirement.

1. Authority: Santa Rosa Junior College has the authority to operate as a degree-granting

institution based on its continuous accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for

Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an


http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/3acadpro/3.12.3P.pdf

http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/3acadpro/3.12.3.pdf

institutional accrediting body recognized by the Commission of Recognition of

Postsecondary Education and the U.S. Department of Education. This authority is

published on page 5 of the District Catalog. Entire text from page 5 of the College Catalog

is quoted here: “Santa Rosa Junior College is officially accredited by the Western

Association of Schools and Colleges and also has the approval of the State Department of

Education. The University of California, and other highly ranked colleges and universities,

give full credit for appropriate courses completed at Santa Rosa Junior College. This

College is approved for veterans. All occupational curricula the College offers in fields in

which there are other evaluating agencies are accredited or approved.” The authority of

Sonoma County Junior College District is not affected in any way with this proposal.

2. Mission: The Mission Statement, most recently revised and approved by the Board of

Trustees on June 8, 2010, defines the District as an institution of higher education and

outlines its broad educational purposes appropriate for the constituency of the District

community. Revisions to the Mission Statement are based on input from diverse segments

of the District and are formally recommended by the Institutional Planning Council (IPC.)

The mission is published on the district’s Web site, in the District Catalog, and in the

Schedule of Classes. “Sonoma County Junior College District’s Mission is to promote

student learning throughout our diverse communities by increasing the knowledge,

improving the skills and enhancing the lives of those who participate in our programs and

enroll in our courses” (Board Policy 1.1). To achieve this mission, the District provides

general education, transfer, career technical, and basic skills classes. Many of these are

offered online. The creation of additional online degrees and certificates does not change

the District's mission. As mentioned earlier, increasing access for students is one of the

core values supporting the District’s mission.

3. Governing Board: A seven-member Board of Trustees that represents the five geographic

regions of the single-college district governs the Sonoma County Junior College District.

Trustees serve four-year staggered terms. The student body elects a Student Trustee, who

serves a one-year term on the Board and who votes on District business (except for closed-

session issues) in an advisory capacity. The function of the Board is to authorize official

policy and establish procedures consistent with the goals and operation of the District. The


monthly meetings of the Board of Trustees are open to the public. Notices and agendas are

widely posted in advance, and there is a standing item on the agenda for public comment.

The Academic Senate, Classified Senate, and Associated Students provide reports to the

Board on a regular basis. The majority of Board members do not have employment, family,

or personal financial interests in the decisions they make on behalf of the institution. The

Board of Trustees approves all new certificates and majors, whether delivered online or by

traditional methods of instruction. Information about the Sonoma County Junior College

District Board of Trustees including calendar, meeting agendas and minutes can be found

here http://www.santarosa.edu/district_governance/

4. Chief Executive Officer: The Board of Trustees selects the President/Superintendent. Dr.

Frank Chong, Superintendent/President of Santa Rosa Junior College, has primary

responsibility for the District and has executive responsibilities for administering Board

policies.

5. Administrative Capacity: The administration is adequate in number, experience, and

qualifications to provide appropriate administrative oversight and to support the District’s

mission and purpose including the Distance Education program. Attached to this

application are organizational charts for the District and for Academic Affairs. (Appendix 4

and 5)

The Dean of Learning Resources and Educational Technology supervises the Online

Learning program. The Dean reports to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs, who

reports to the Superintendent/President of the District. In addition each division dean

(“cluster” dean) supervisees the online classes in their division, providing the same

administrative support, budgets, supplies, and office staff as provided to all other programs

in the division. All administrators in the Sonoma County Junior College District meet or

exceed the minimum qualifications for their positions in terms of education, training and

experiences. They have the appropriate preparation and experience to provide

administrative services necessary to support the Institution’s mission and purpose. This

substantive change proposal does not require any additional administrative capacity.


6. Operational Status: Santa Rosa Junior College is operational and currently enrolls

approximately 25,000 students (unduplicated headcount) each semester in its credit and

noncredit curricula. Students are enrolled in a variety of courses leading to the associate

degree, occupational certificates, skill development, personal enrichment, and/or university

transfer. The creation of additional online certificates and degrees does not change the

operational status. Online class schedule is clearly displayed on the District’s website

(http://www.santarosa.edu/schedules/schedule_of_classes/pdf/X12.web.online.classes.pdf).

Classes are scheduled at all District site/locations as well as online so all students have the

opportunity to complete degree and/or certificate programs in a manner that meets their

individual needs.

7. Degrees. The majority of Santa Rosa Junior College’s educational offerings lead to the

associate in arts, associate in science, or university-level degree completion. A substantial

proportion of students enroll in degree-applicable courses. The implementation of online

degrees and certificates provides the students with yet one more to complete their

programs.

8. Educational Programs: Santa Rosa Junior College offers a wide variety of educational

programs for its students including general education, transfer, and vocational programs

and certificates consistent with the mission of the District. The associate degree requires a

minimum of 60 units of degree-applicable coursework, 23 units of specified general

education, and completion of major requirements in one of the District’s approximately 80

announced majors. Degree content, length, quality, and rigor are subject to review by the

Curriculum Committee and approval by the Board of Trustees. Online certificates and

majors are identical to those delivered by more traditional instructional methods, and they

have identical student learning outcomes. All online majors required at least 23 units of

general education courses and all require at least two years of academic study. Online

certificates and majors are built upon courses approved by the Curriculum committee, and

student learning outcomes are identical to courses delivered by more traditional methods of

instruction.


http://www.santarosa.edu/schedules/schedule_of_classes/pdf/X12.web.online.classes.pdf

9. Academic Credit: Santa Rosa Junior College conforms to the appropriate California

Education Code sections in its award of college credit. The Course Outline of Record

(COR) describes classroom hours and unit credit, and new or revised CORs identify

student learning outcomes for each course. The District Catalog describes institutional

policies and requirements relating to the awarding of credit. Credits are based on the

Carnegie formula of one credit per 18 hours of lecture per semester. The Curriculum

Review Committee reviews all courses for compliance with Title 5 of the California

Administrative Code. Online courses receive college credits in the same way as more

traditional methods of delivery. For example, if a face-to-face courses requires 52.5 hours

of lecture, the online course must provide at least 52.5 hours of content, either through

written text, videos, exercises, or various forms of student online interaction.

10. Student Learning and Achievement. Santa Rosa Junior College has established

institutional learning outcomes for all students who attend the District. Majority of the

programs and courses also have student learning outcomes associated with them. The

District’s Program and Resource Planning Process includes sections on the development

and assessment of student learning outcomes, and Project LEARN, the Student Learning

Outcomes initiative, oversees the development of new assessment projects on student

learning outcomes at the course, program, and institutional level. Online courses are

assessed at the same time as equivalent face-to-face courses. For example, if an assessment

is undertaken of Psych 1A, the online instructors of the course also participate in that

assessment. Program assessments for both certificates and majors include any online

students as well. Further information about student learning and assessment can be found

at http://www.santarosa.edu/slo

11. General Education: General Education courses are clearly defined and are designed to

ensure breadth of knowledge and to promote intellectual inquiry. The courses include

demonstrated competence in writing and computation skills, and reflect a quality and rigor

consistent with the academic standards of higher education. The general education

requirements are identical for online degrees as they are for face-to-face degrees. Current

policy and criteria used to evaluate courses proposed for placement in a general education


http://www.santarosa.edu/slo

category include online courses. The District is able to support online degree programs

with an appropriate selection of general education requirements that applied towards the

Associate’s degree and toward the CSU or the IGETC general education patterns.

12. Academic Freedom: The District’s academic freedom policy for faculty and students is set

forth in Board Policy 3.8 (http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/3acadpro/3.8.pdf) and the

District’s statement on academic freedom also appears in its catalog. The District’s

academic freedom policy is applicable regardless of location or method of instruction.

13. Faculty: The District has a substantial core of highly qualified full-time faculty who

provide the ongoing expertise for academic programs, supplemented by highly qualified

adjunct faculty. The District employs roughly 300 full-time faculty members and

approximately 1,000 adjunct faculty members. The District Catalog lists all full-time

faculty academic credentials. Information about adjunct faculty is kept in the Academic

Affairs offices and in the office of Human Resources. The Sonoma County Junior College

District faculty handbook provides information on faculty responsibilities, resources and

other relevant information regarding teaching and learning. References to primary

responsibilities are also contained in the faculty contract between the District and All

Faculty Association (AFA). Faculty who meet minimum qualifications as established by

the California Community College Chancellor’s Office are assigned to teach at all District

locations. However, a majority of the academic departments have also adopted the “Online

Special Expertise” language in the assignment of faculty to teach online sections.

The establishment of additional online certificates and degrees will not significantly affect

the present number of faculty employed at the District. Both full-time and part-time online

instructors are hired through the exact same hiring procedures as face-to-face faculty, and

many faculty members teach both face-to-face and online.

14. Student Services: Santa Rosa Junior College provides a comprehensive array of services

and student development programs that meet the educational support needs of its diverse

student population. Information about this comprehensive list of student services and


http://www.santarosa.edu/polman/3acadpro/3.8.pdf

learning support is displayed in the catalog. By the same token, the District’s website also

contains a long list of student services including:

a. Admissions & Records

b. Articulation

c. Assessment Services

d. CalWORKS

e. Career Development Services

f. College Skills

g. Counseling

h. Disability Resources

i. EOPS

j. Financial Aid

k. High School Career Pathways

l. International Students

m. Matriculation

n. New Student Programs

o. Scholarship Programs

p. Student Affairs

q. Student Health Services

r. Student Housing

s. Transfer Center

t. Tutorial Center

u. Veterans Affairs

These programs and services support the District’s mission by providing an integrated

student pathway through their academic experience. Detailed commentary below in the

section addressing Standard IIB concerns student services available to online students. A

detailed matrix displaying online student services and resources is available on the

District’s online learning website

(http://www.santarosa.edu/instruction/online-learning/online-student-services/index.php).


15. Admissions: The District’s admission policies are consistent with its mission and

conform to California Education Code and adopted college requirements. These policies

are published in the District Catalog and Schedule of Classes, on the District Web site, and

in appropriate department brochures. Online courses, certificates, and degrees follow the

same admissions procedures as all other courses and programs.

16. Information and Learning Resources: The District maintains two full-service

libraries/learning resource centers for student use and faculty support. There are substantial

resource materials in a wide range of formats that provide support for all of the District’s

educational programs at its two campuses and multiple instructional sites. There are

150,000 print volumes in the libraries’ circulating collection and close to 30 online

databases available to students and faculty anywhere any time. The SRJC libraries are the

first in the State of California to adopt discovery service layer that enables students to do a

“one search” for all of the libraries’ resources, whether print or online. The SRJC libraries

also maintain an active Interlibrary Loan program, both for on-campus and especially for

online students. The SRJC libraries’ eReference service aka “Ask-a-Librarian” has been

steadily expanding in the last few years and it appears that the majority of the eReference

users are online students.

17. Financial Resources: The District is predominately funded by local property taxes and

state apportionment. Additional operations funds are obtained from federal, state, and

private sources. The District maintains prudent financial management practices, including a

reasonable reserve fund for contingencies, assuring financial stability for the foreseeable

future. The creation of additional online degrees and certificates will not impact the

financial resources of the District in a material or notable way, and does not represent a

substantial change or redirection of the institution’s resources. The online program

generates approximately 1,000 FTES per year, about $4.5 million in apportionment

revenue. This revenue is sufficient to support all of the costs of the program.

18. Financial Accountability: The District is audited on an annual basis by an independent

accounting firm. Certification of the audit report is recorded by the Board and transmitted


to local and state educational authorities. The external audit firm adheres to standard

California Community College regulations. A statement of audit procedures and findings is

on file in the Business Services Office. A copy of the audit is available for review during

accreditation. The addition of new online certificates and degrees will not change these

procedures.

19. Institutional Planning and Evaluation: The District demonstrates its emphasis on

appropriate planning in a variety of ways. The SRJC Planning website contains evidence of

a comprehensive approach to strategic planning that involves faculty and staff from all

organizational components of the institution. The Institutional Planning Council (IPC)

reviews the operational goals of each component and their midyear and final reporting of

goal outcomes. The Program and Resource Planning Process (PRPP) requires evaluation of

each instructional and student services program for currency and effectiveness and provides

a direct link between planning and resource allocation. The Office of Institutional Research

and Project LEARN provide leadership in documenting and analyzing the key performance

indicators regarding student learning outcomes, student achievement, and overall

institutional effectiveness. The Dean for Learning Resources and Educational Technology

includes the Online Learning program in her program review document each year. Said

PRPP document includes online student enrollment and online student success data.

20. Public Information: The District publishes the District Catalog that accurately describes

the mission, admission requirements, enrollment procedures, matriculation guidelines,

programs and courses, degree and certificate requirements, costs and refund policies,

grievance procedures, the academic credentials of faculty and educational administrators,

and all other areas required for accreditation. The Schedule of Classes reproduces most of

this information each semester, as does the District website. Online certificates and degrees

are highlighted in the District Catalog and the Class Schedule. Online classes are listed in

the web-based schedule, and a search function allows students to easily locate online

classes. In addition, an Online Learning website walks students through the information

they need to register for and participate successfully in online classes.


21. Relations with Accrediting Commission: The Board of Trustees provides assurance that

the District adheres to the eligibility requirements and accreditation standards and policies

of the Accrediting Commission. The Board agrees to disclose information required by the

Accrediting Commission to carry out its accrediting responsibilities. As demonstrated

above, the implementation of additional online degrees and certificates does not alter the

District’s continued ability to meet the eligibility requirement.

G. EVIDENCE THAT EACH ACCREDITATION STANDARD WILL STILL BE FULFILLED AFTER THE CHANGE AND THAT ALL RELEVANT COMMISSION POLICIES ARE ADDRESSED.

Standard I: Institutional Mission and Effectiveness

As stated earlier in this substantive change proposal, Relationship to the Institution’s Stated

Mission, the current mission statement of the Sonoma County Junior College District is clearly

consistent with the establishment of programs in which fifty percent or more of the course

requirements may be completed online through distance education. “Sonoma County Junior

College District’s Mission is to promote student learning throughout our diverse communities by

increasing the knowledge, improving the skills and enhancing the lives of those who participate in

our programs and enroll in our courses” (Board Policy 1.1). To achieve this mission, the District

provides general education, transfer, career technical, and basic skills classes. Many of these are

offered online. The awarding of additional online degrees and certificates does not alter the

mission or effectiveness of the District. The SRJC mission statement includes the value of

“Promoting open access through actively eliminating barriers to a college education.” Online

learning actively eliminates barriers of time and space for students to access classes, certificates

and degrees at SRJC. The proposed substantive change will enhance SRJC’s ability to address this

value.

Standard II: Student Learning Programs and Services

Standard IIA


Online degrees and certificates conform to all aspects of Standard II, as do all certificates

and degrees at SRJC. Online courses conform to the approved Course Outline of Record, including

stated student learning outcomes.

Curriculum and SLOs. Student learning outcomes are assessed for courses regardless of

the method of delivery. Most of courses in these online certificates and majors are not new to the

District, and thus they are not new enterprises nor do they represent new directions for the District

beyond their mode of delivery. Although delivered entirely or in part online, the student learning

outcomes and objectives are the same for online courses as they are for courses delivered by

traditional methods. All courses are taught with the most appropriate pedagogy and methodology

with respect to the official course outline of record (COR) and with the use of state-of-the-art

instructional technology as previously noted in the “Facilities and Equipment” section of this

substantive change proposal. All sections in a discipline, regardless of where or how they are

offered, adhere to appropriate depth and rigor. Sections are always scheduled with consideration

for what is in the best interest of students, offering choices that will enhance students’ ability to

complete degrees or certificates in a reasonable time frame.

Integrity and student authentication. The institution ensures the integrity of student work

and verifies credits earned, and awards degrees and certificates on the same basis as campus-based

certificates and degrees.

Online instructors authenticate student work by the following methods:

Access to courses is limited to students with identification and passwords

Proctored face-to-face exams

Online timed exams with random selection of questions

Familiarity with student work (particularly student writing)

Turn-it-in plagiarism checking software

Verified student participation in online courses as in instructor-initiated

discussion forums that address course content

Online instructors qualifications and evaluation. Faculty members teaching online

courses are required to have the same qualifications as instructor’s who teach campus-based


courses, and the same hiring process is used. Online faculty members are evaluated using the

exact same evaluations procedure used for more traditional methods of delivery. Most academic

departments have also adopted “online special expertise” language to use in the assignment of

faculty to teach online sections.

Faculty Training. Periodic faculty surveys determine the training needs of online

instructors. Workshops and training sessions are delivered by the Distance Education

department’s Instructional Systems Designer, Instructional Consultant and the PC Trainers.

Faculty experts help deliver special topic training in conjunction with the Center for Teaching,

Learning and Sustainability’s Tech Everyday training series. The Distance Education department

personnel assist faculty as they develop their online materials and course structure, support best

practices in pedagogy, and assure that courses are accessible to students with disabilities.

Supervision and support. The Dean of Learning Resources and Educational Technology,

who supervises Online Learning, assures that the Online Learning program continuously improves

through program review, self-evaluation, and assessment of student learning outcomes. The

District Online Committee, consisting largely of Academic Senate appointees, assures that

pedagogical issues are addressed. Support services (a student “help desk”) are available to assist

students who are having technical difficulties, login problems, or software functionality questions.

Information for Students. The Online Learning program does not require much

marketing because currently the demand exceeds the supply, and many online classes close during

priority registration. An Online Learning website was launched in March 2009. The website

provides a multitude of information to students to enroll and participate successfully in online

classes. Existing certificates and degrees taught 50% or more online are listed with a link to the

appropriate description of the majors. The District Catalog and the Class Schedule also have

special sections listing online majors and certificates. The class schedule has a search function that

allows students to find all online classes. In addition, the District has a “help desk” for online

students five days a week and on Saturdays.

Student Satisfaction. In the latest student technology survey conducted by the District

Online Committee in the spring of 2011 of all enrolled online students at SRJC, over 80% of the

students reported satisfaction with their experience in the online classroom. Students especially

appreciated the opportunity to interact with other students in the online environment and the sense

of belonging is high among the online students in this regard.


Standard IIB

Santa Rosa Junior College provides a full range of student services for online students,

including the following:

• Admissions and Records provides online application, registration and transcript requests.

Art Gallery offers online access to art exhibits.

Articulation answers frequently asked questions online.

Assessment Services provides online study guides and forms.

Bookstore offers online ordering for textbooks.

Cal Works provides eligibility and contact information online and works with students by

phone.

Career Development Services offers a virtual Career Center.

Disability Resources offers online forms and phone consultations

EOPS offers information online and assistance by phone.

Financial Aid offers online application information, resources, links, and assistance by

phone.

Jesse Peter Multicultural Museum offers online exhibits.

Libraries make online databases available to all students, and an “Ask the Librarian” web

feature allows students to ask questions online.

Matriculation provides online information and can be contacted by phone.

Orientation is available online.

Scholarship programs offer online forms and are available by phone.

Student Health Services provide online forms, resource links, and are available by phone.

The Transfer center offers many helpful online links and resources, and it is available by

phone.

Veterans Affairs offers online information and phone contact.

Work Experience offers online information, an online orientation video, and telephone

contacts.

Writing Center offers online modules to improve writing.


Standard III: Resources

As explained earlier, the District has sufficient resources to support online learning,

including fiscal, technology and personnel resources. The Distance Education department, under

the leadership of the Dean of Learning Resources and Educational Technology, achieves its vision

by doing the following:

Acts as the central portal for online learning and maintains the necessary infrastructure,

including hardware and software to support online instruction.

Provides training and direct support to faculty and staff in use of its online instructional

software system.

Investigates and implements emerging technologies relevant to meeting the needs of the

instructional program.

Provides professional development opportunities and trainings for online faculty.

Works collaboratively with other campus service providers, such as Media Services,

Instructional Computing, and Computing Services to ensure the quality of the services that

it provides.

Standard IV: Leadership and Governance

As noted earlier, the Online Learning Program fits well within the established leadership and

governance structures. Faculty members create the curriculum. The Distance Education Advisory

Committee reviews applications to determine suitability for online delivery. The Curriculum

Review Committee approves courses for online delivery. The Board of Trustees then approves

those actions. An Academic Dean, reporting to the Vice-President of Academic Affairs, supervises

the Online Learning Program. The District Online Committee, a shared-governance committee,

provides support and recommendations for the pedagogical aspects of the program.

Process for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness and learning outcomes expected

through the proposed change

It is the responsibility of the Dean of Learning Resources and Educational Technology, a

permanent educational administrator assigned to manage the distance education programs, in


coordination with the Vice President of Academic Affairs, to monitor and evaluate the

effectiveness of programs conducted online.

The Dean of Learning Resources and Educational Technology is tasked with the creation of

the annual PRPP for distance education. In this program review document, effectiveness of the

programs and student achievement are discussed; strengths and weakness assessed and resources

requested. With the review and approval of this program review by the Vice President of

Academic, decisions are resource requests are made and each year the cycle goes forward. SRJC is

committed to supporting the distance education as it provides a sustainable option for students to

complete their educational goal in a reasonable time frame.


Appendix 1

Sonoma County Junior College DistrictNew Online Majors and Certificates Spring 2012

MajorsAdministration of JusticeChicano and Latino Studies Digital Media: Interactive MultimediaEconomics English* Political Science*Sociology for Transfer Spanish

Certificates Accountant Assistant Adobe Certification Training in InDesignBookkeeperCIS Information Technology: Cisco Certification Training in CCNA Computer Help Desk Legal Office Support* Office Assistant Payroll*Retail Management Small Business Management Tax Assistant Clerk* Web Project Management


Appendix 2

Online Student Technology Survey-Executive Summary (2011)By Cherry Li-Bugg and Phyllis Usina

IntroductionOnline students at SRJC have not been routinely included in institutional surveys. In order to learn more about the demographic make-up, the needs of and the challenges faced by online students, the District Online Committee decided to survey online students in 2010. In addition, the District Online Committee was interested in learning more about and formulating strategies to address the gap in retention and success rates between on the ground students and online students. So working collaboratively with the Office of Institutional Research and with the support of the IT department, the District Online Committee created the survey in the spring of 2011. A link to the survey was sent to all enrolled online students and those who dropped out of online classes in the spring 2011 semester. Roughly a quarter of the students responded to the survey. Respondents also entered voluminous comments. The survey yielded rich data in the following areas: student motivation, technology skill levels, satisfaction, readiness and workload and demographics. For the body of this document, we will attempt to summarize the results of the survey in these five broad areas.

Student MotivationOverwhelming majority of the responding students took online classes because of the scheduling flexibility and not having to travel to campus (92%). The majority of the classes are completely online (80%) and 90% of the students completed their online classes in the spring of 2011.

Technology Skill LevelsStudents self-reported that they possess very high technology skill levels; 86% of the responding students reported that their overall comfort level with technology is high or very high. Whether it’s email, web browsing, attaching documents or word processing, over 80% of the students reported that their skill level is either high or very high. The only category that slightly below 80% is control panel settings.

SatisfactionMajority of the responding students self-reported as receiving little technical assistance for their online classes. The instructor is the person students seem to turn to for assistance in their online classes; 36% of the responding students reported receiving a lot (15%) and some (21%) technical assistance from their instructor.

The data seems to indicate that online students need little to no technical assistance. However, online support services as they relate to course registration or web portal or online course site are regularly used by students and majority of the students are satisfied with these services:

1. online registration, 83% satisfied; 2. campus web portal, 74% satisfied;


3. CATE, 59% satisfied; 4. Online learning website, 55% satisfied.

But those support services that are not directly related to course registration or online class access were not used or accessed by the students. And these support services include:

1. services to students with disability, 79% didn’t access or use; 2. Online Writing Center, 77% didn’t access or use; 3. Online Academic counseling, aka Ask a Counselor, 74% didn’t access or use; 4. Student Help Desk, 72% didn’t access or use.

But for the students who did use or access these services, the majority of them were satisfied with these services. The rate of dissatisfaction among the students for any of the services does not go above single digit with the majority hovering at 2%.

As to specific aspects of the online classroom, students are satisfied with the majority of them (above 80%) except for online textbook and chat services, which were both hovering around 40% satisfaction. Students also reported roughly 80% satisfaction with interactions with other students and sense of belonging in the class in the learning community aspects of the online class. However, participation in group discussion or projects showed a low rate of use-25% did not use group discussion and 63% did not participate in a group project.

The types of office hours students used were varied with over 20% using one of these methods: email and message list; face-to-face in Santa Rosa; and synchronous online (CATE Chat module).

The satisfaction level was high for the students who identified that they were a person with a disability with 90% responding that all or some of their needs were being met in regards to the required or reasonably necessary portions of their course being provided in an accessible format.

Students responded that the greatest challenges for participating in online classes –over 35% listed Cost of text books and Job pressures (time/schedule conflicts) while over 23% listed Communicating with the instructor, Family pressure or responsibilities and Distractions/conflicts at home. 18% listed Lack of self-discipline to study and go to the class site and 10% listed Easy access to course related information and materials while all of the other choices were in the single digits.

Readiness85% of students responded that they did not attend a face-to-face orientation with the instructor and 6% attended an optional orientation and 9% attended a mandatory orientation

91% of students said they did not take SRJC’s College Skills 334 (“How to Take an Online Course”) before or during the semester and of the 9% who indicated they took College Skills 334, 85% indicated it was useful to them. For those who indicated they did not take College Skills 334, 42% said they would find an assessment of their readiness to take an online class and a tutorial related to taking an online class important while 58% indicated they were not important.

WorkloadOverall students felt they were prepared for participation in online courses. 96% state they are prepared in the area of self-motivation to participate in the online class and 96% also state they are prepared in regards to self-discipline to complete assignments on time. 98% feel they are


technologically savvy enough to participate fully. In the area of time management, 94% state they are prepared.

66% of the responding students stated that the workload of courses matched their expectations for while 30% said it was more work than expected and only 4% claimed there was less work than expected.

63% of students responded that the time requirements of the course matched their expectations while 32% felt more time was required than they expected and 4% claimed less time was required than expected.

Overall Satisfaction92% claimed overall satisfaction with the quality of the online courses. In regards to expectations of response time from online instructors, 59% stated that instructor’s response time matched expectations and 25% felt the instructor’s response time was faster than my expectations with 15% stating it was slower than expectations.

Based on their experiences in online classes 83% stated they would you take another online course at SRJC with 11% stating maybe and 6% stating they would not.

DemographicsIn regards to the total number of college units completed prior to the online course, 11% reported taking 1 to 15 units, 16% reported16 to 29 units, 28% reported 30 to 59 units and 44% reported 60+ units.

As to the number of online college units completed prior to the online course, 71% reported taking 1 to 15 units, 15% reported 16 to 29 units, 8% reported 30 to 59 units and 7% reported 60+ units.

In the area of the number of hours per week students work for pay, 27% reported none, 10% reported 1-10 hours, 12% reported 11-20 hours, 15% reported 21-30 hours, 19% reported 31- 40 hours, and 17% reported over 40 hours.

As far as primary educational goal at SRJC for the students taking online classes, 37% plan to transfer to a 4-year (baccalaureate granting) college or university; 25% seek an associate degree; 19% are working toward a certificate in a Career Technical Area; 5% for job training; 10% are after personal interest or self improvement; and 3% are not sure/undecided. It should be noted that there are no basic skills or GED students taking online classes.

ConclusionOverwhelming majority of the SRJC students take online classes for schedule flexibility and majority of the online students are satisfied with their online classes at SRJC. Students feel that they are ready and prepared to take online classes and students with disabilities feel that their needs are being met in the online classes. However, there is a little to no use of the existing online student support services excluding online registration. Students also reported little to no group work being carried out in the online classroom.


Appendix 3

SRJC Online DATASpring 2009 through Spring 2012

Semester

CategorySp 09

Fa 09

Sp 10

Fa 10

Sp 11

Fa 11 Sp 12

Online enrollment 5776 5754 5536 5578578

2 5262 5899(non-duplicated headcount)

Online FTES 432 430 435 432 447 529 502

Online Retention 69% 66% 68% 70% 69% 72% 70%

Online GPA 2.44 2.55 2.59 2.62 2.59 2,71 2.54


Appendix 4

SRJC Management Org Chart

http://www.santarosa.edu/hr/PDFs/Management%20Team%20Org.%20Chart%201-11-12.pdf


http://www.santarosa.edu/hr/PDFs/Management%20Team%20Org.%20Chart%201-11-12.pdf

Appendix 5

SRJC Academic Affairs Org Chart

http://www.santarosa.edu/hr/PDFs/Academic%20Affairs%20Org%20%20Chart%20Spr%2012.pdf


http://www.santarosa.edu/hr/PDFs/Academic%20Affairs%20Org%20%20Chart%20Spr%2012.pdf

Appendix 6

Sonoma County Board of Trustee Action to Approve

The Substantive Change Proposal


Substantive Change Proposal: - Accreditation · Web viewThe District has identified 8 new online...

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Transcript of Substantive Change Proposal: - Accreditation · Web viewThe District has identified 8 new online...