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Volume 89 Issue 2 • Sept. 22, 2014
210-486-1773 • Single copies free
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Generic degrees awarded in lieu of specified major Students will only receive one A.A. or A.S. despite number of credit hours.
Conditioning Kinesiology sophomore Johnny Muñoz works out on parallel bars while other students scale a new climbing wall during a physical conditioning session in
Weight Training I Tuesday in the Dean’s Backyard south of Lot 20. Muñoz said he wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve his conditioning. E. David Guel
Board hears report on rising completion rates, falling engagement scores District scores show students want more faculty support. By Bleah B. Patterson
bpatterson13@student.alamo.edu
The district board of trustees is pleased with improvements in completion, retention and productive grade rates across the five colleges; however, they are now looking to improve falling Community College Survey of Student Engagement scores. Dr. Thomas Cleary, vice chancellor of planning, performance and information systems, presented comparisons of the scores and CCSSE results during Tuesday’s regular board meeting. All but two of the monitored scores have improved since last year, but a comparison of the CCSSE results from the 2013-2014 academic year reveals a steady decline since 2009. There has also been an increase in district-dubbed “high-risk” courses since last year. “A course is considered high risk when there are 100 or more students enrolled in it across the district and it has a pass rate of 70 percent or less,” Cleary said. Student trustee Jacob Wong said: “I see at least a dozen classes on this list where students didn’t realize the skill-set needed to get through these classes. “For instance, a lot of students I talk to don’t realize how much math they should be comfortable
Fall Headcount Enrollment 60,265
Full-time and part-time returning students
59,835
Student Engagement Domain 62.6
58.6
49.5
47.3 51.4
Course completion rates
86.8
89.3 90.9
Productive grade rates
71.0
74.5
Number of “High Risk” courses 2009
59,457
40
62.8
77.9
36
Active and collaborative learning 53.6 Student Effort
51.0
50.3
49.9
50.1 48.7
Academic Challenge
50.9 49.8
47.7
Support for learners
52.6 51.9
51.2
Student/ 2011 2013 Faculty interaction Infographic by Mandy Derfler 50.6 49.0 49.0 Source: Community College Survey of Student Engagement
doing in astronomy,” he said. Astronomy is one of 36 highrisk courses; a third of which are math courses. Jo-Carol Fabianke, vice chancellor for academic success, said not knowing is no excuse: “The course catalog and syllabi are available for students to look into before the class begins.” Wong interjected, saying the syllabuses and catalog resources are vague and students don’t know what to expect of classes. “That’s why we need to talk to students,” trustee Gene Sprague said. “If we just talked to them and identified the problems, we could then make a point of solving them.” Chancellor Bruce Leslie said
the new, more intrusive, advising model would prevent those problems. Students are asked to participate in CCSSE, a national student engagement survey, at the end of every semester. Students receive a link to the survey in ACES email. The survey revealed only 49 percent of students are benefiting from faculty interaction and support, and only 47.7 percent of students feel challenged in the classroom. Both sections, according to the presentation, began declining in 2012. Some faculty blame recent initiatives, geared toward student success, for distracting them from students, as quoted in The Ranger’s Sept. 15 story “Student success initiative derived from
See CCSSE, Page 7
“An A.A., if it’s articulated with another two-plus-two program out of a university, (an agreement district colleges have made with four-year instiBy M.J. Callahan tutions to ensure work at this college mcallahan7@student.alamo.edu fits into a degree plan for a bachelor’s Beginning in December, students at degree), then it’s great because you this college will graduate with a generic know exactly what you need to take,” Associate of Arts or Associate of Science Vela continued. degree rather than a degree that speciThe generic A.A. or A.S. degree fies a major or academic area of conallows an adviser and student to select centration, President Robert Vela said courses that are aligned with the degree Sept. 15 in an interview. plans of senior institutions “as opposed The decision was made in the to a set plan that may or may not apply spring in a meeting of the chancellor, to that particular institution,” he said. vice chancellors and “There is a lot of college presidents, he pressure right now This does not lend said. from the state and itself to get two Additionally, stueven from the nationAssociates of Arts. dents will no longer be al level to complete able to receive more faster. They want Robert Vela, President than one Associate of students to get their Arts or Associate of degree and move on Science degrees. into the workforce. If “We have gone from majors to conyour intention is to come in and transcentrations to now basically the push fer, then our goal is to get you in and for Associates of Arts, Associates of out,” Vela said. Science degrees. The advising guides Members of College Council were give a pathway that you can specialize cautioned to avoid using the term in,” Vela said. “concentrations” when He referred to the referring to courses See “Generic 2014-15 college catalog, in an academic area degree expected which lists degree plans because it could affect to happen” in various disciplines as this college’s reaccredi“advising guides.” The tation in which a fiveon Page 7. 2012-13 and 2013-14 year report is due in fall catalogs listed them as 2016. “concentrations.” Vela said the term “advising guide” The issue came up in the Sept. is more appropriate “because it was 9 College Council meeting in which simply a set of courses that could help chairs raised a concern that students you when you transfer to a transfer would transfer without graduating institution.” if they are not required to complete He said the college has never treated courses in a degree plan. the recommended courses in a particuThe center for student informalar academic area as a program. tion, which compiles statistics, is in “We have treated it as a area that the process of compiling a breakdown you could focus on to be able to help of degrees and certificates awarded for you when you transfer,” he said. 2013-14. For a program to prove they are The number of students who were programs for reaffirmation, they need awarded multiple degrees is also being to show they have been assessing their compiled. programs, coming up with learning Associate of Arts and Associate of outcomes and improving the outcomes Science degrees in major concentrafor two years prior to reaccreditation in tions have required students to com2016, he said. plete a college core of 42 to 44 hours Every time a college is up for reacand the remaining hours in the acacreditation, it is a new process and this demic concentration. college has learned from experiences of Students have been allowed to other colleges, he said. receive more than one associate degree “We have to ask ourselves, do we by meeting the core requirement once truly have programs or do we truly have and then requirements for more than advising guides or whatever,” he said. one academic concentration. “It was determined based on everyFine arts Chair Jeff Hunt said at thing we saw, they were never really College Council that students often intended to be programs … (as) defined receive an A.A. in speech and an A.A. by SACSCOC (Southern Association of in theater. colleges and Schools Commission of “This (advising guides) does not Colleges).” lend itself to get two Associates of Arts,” “We are simply making adjustments Vela said. to ensure we are in full compliance “You can get only one Associate with what our accrediting body expects of Arts unless you are going to purfrom us and what we are providing for sue an Associate of Science or Applied students, Vela said. Science,” Vela said. “We will have to get some kind of “We want students to know once level of communication before they see they obtain a degree, they need to begin their transcripts or their diplomas in their journey to transfer,” Vela said. December,” Vela said.
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