Program Review Presentation
April 30th, 2014
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The Foreign Language Department strives to foster a respect for and
love of world languages and of other cultures. It also seeks to improve
cultural competence by exposing students to authentic and relevant
materials, namely historical and contemporary art, literature, and music,
as well as day to day elements such as foods, education, business,
family life, and the media.
The Foreign Language Program at ARC provides courses for second
language acquisition within a true cultural context. Courses are taken
for transfer possibilities, in order to fulfill requirements for the
Language Studies Degree, and also for personal enjoyment and
enrichment.
Students complete 12 units of a Foreign Language of choice as well as a
Speech class, an English class, and additional G.E. requirements in order
to earn the AA in Language Studies.
Courses from the Foreign Language Department also fulfill requirements
in the UC and CSU systems. Spanish, French, Italian, and German 411
and 412 may be used to satisfy the Humanities requirement as well.
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The Foreign Language Program is highly successful.
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Floor Benchmarks
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Results for this SLO assessment cycle show a marked improvement in student
learning in both the multiple choice section where 78% of students met or
exceeded the minimum criteria, and the writing section where 84% met or
exceeded the minimum criteria.
The average success rate over the past 5 years has increased and the student
success rate in hybrid courses is on par with face-to-face classes.
In 2012-2013, total student count in the Foreign Language Department reached
3,583 and total unduplicated student count reached 2,544.
◦ Aspirational Benchmarks
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We will make positive changes to teaching based on faculty-designed assessment
and surveys to increase student success.
Our plan is to increase course offerings in the hybrid format to meet student
demand.
Additionally, we will increase enrollment in and usage of the Foreign Language
Laboratory, which includes current self-paced modules in Spanish and future
modules in French, German, and Italian.
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The Foreign Language Department at ARC remains strong and is dedicated to
providing a quality and competitive education in Foreign Languages.
Studying a foreign language at ARC provides students with the tools to communicate
in the target language within its cultural context. It also provides students with
skills to interact respectfully with diverse populations.
Our curriculum supports student's abilities to think critically, to analyze and assess
information, and to make decisions both in the classroom and in everyday personal
and professional interactions.
Italian and German have grown exponentially in the past five years. For example, in
2007 only first semester Italian and German were offered. Now all levels (401, 402,
411, and 412) are offered and the demand is progressively increasing in both
languages.
Additionally, our courses fulfill the Foreign Language requirement of many colleges
and universities for students intending to transfer. The intermediate courses also
satisfy the G.E. requirements in Humanities for ARC and for the CSU and UC systems.
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Due to the recent budgetary crisis, many cuts were made in Foreign Language.
Despite the slow recovery, many courses have been reinstated. However, most of
the conversation courses have been eliminated in all languages. This is difficult
as they will be needed for completion of AA-T degrees.
The Foreign Language Department currently has a need for another full-time
instructor in Spanish to meet the current demands of the department. German
currently has no full time position; it is staffed by three adjunct faculty members.
A full time position in German with another language is essential to the growth,
health and sustainability of the program.
The development of an AA-T degree in Spanish is a challenge for the department.
Many departments at other community colleges are considering or have gone to a
five unit course to satisfy new requirements. This would be a huge scheduling
issue for our department due to classroom space and adjunct FTE constraints.
The department will have to be mindful of changes to the curriculum in order to
continue to maintain student success while covering more material each
semester.
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1.) Continue to adjust days and times of offerings to promote optimal
student success and enrollment.
2.) Continue to grow the German program and hire a full-time German
instructor to meet demands of the program.
3.) Hire a full-time instructor in Spanish to maintain quality of the program
and meet current demands of the program.
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4.) Finish updating curriculum for the courses that remain outdated.
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5.) Complete the curriculum for the transfer degree in Spanish.
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6.) Complete the AA-T degree in Spanish