ATMCQ Truck•• MeedoJW• Commun!ty_Colleg~
TMCC PROGRAM UNIT REVIEW - ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2015-16
Program/Unit Reviewed: Communications and Foreign Languages
Self-Study Chair: Gabriela Brochu
Division: Liberal Arts
Dean: Jill Channing
Year of Last PUR: 2010-2011
Year of next PUR: 2017­
2018
Program/Unit Mission Statement: The mission of Communications and Foreign Languages is
to promote cultural awareness in the modern world and expand reasoning, perception, and
analytical abilities through the study of language. We bring the world to life through language.
The mission of Communications and Foreign Languages supports both the mission of the
Humanities Department and Truckee Meadows Community College.
The Description of the Degree(s)/Emphasis(s)/Certificate(s) for your PUR area are listed below. Please
review for accuracy.
Description of Degree/Emphasis/Certificates:
This degree emphasizes the study of the Spanish language structures and cultural topics with a
focus on development of communicative proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
A cultural-comparative approach will be drawn throughout the program, focusing on history and
literature from Spain and Hispanic Latin American countries. The Spanish emphasis within the
Associate of Arts degree program allows the TMCC Humanities Department to serve those
students seeking transfer into a baccalaureate program.
SECTION I
The Outcomes and Measures listed below were retrieved from Degree/Emphasis or Certificate
submissions provided by your area to CAP and approved. Please review the outcomes to ensure
accuracy or submit changes to CAP via the Degree, Emphasis, Certificate (DEC) Revisions form located
on the CAP Resources web page. If your area is scheduled for a PUR in the near future, please plan on
reporting assessment efforts around these learning outcomes when you participate in your PUR.
Communications and Foreign Languages Degree Goals/Outcomes: Students will...
• Read, understand, interpret and communicate spoken and/or written Spanish.
• Identify values and cultural mores associated with Hispanic Iberian and Latin American
cultures.
• Explain and analyze the major historical challenges of Spain and Hispanic Latin American countries and will appraise their popular cultures and literature. Article I.
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
AP1' I REV: 5/2014
ATMCC Jrua!!~• Me•dowa Community Coll•11•
TMCC PROGRAM UNIT REVIEW - ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2015-16
SECTION II
The following recommendations and strategies were identified in your most recent Program/Unit
Review. Please respond to the strategies by including the status, actions taken to respond to
the strategy, projected timeline, and if resources are anticipated to fulfill the strategy.
Unit Strategy #1
Evaluation of language offerings.
Status:
Ongoing
Tlmellne:
Fall 2016­
Fall 2017
Action:
We are offering ASL in an alternative schedule to make it more effective. We also reduced the
number of ASL sections offered due to the lack of certified instructors. Efforts are being made to find
certified ASL instructors. We are suspending Russian and German courses starting fall 2016 due to
low enrollment in the second year. We announced to students and advisers that RUS and GER
courses will be suspended after spring 2016. With the loss of Russian and German, TMCC foreign
language offerings have gone from nine languages total in the past to five (comment added by
Nancy Faires, 9/16/2016). TMCC had the only Russian program in Nevada, making this a point of
prestige for the college. Comment added by Thomas Cardoza, 9/30/2015: We are evaluating
bringing Russian back since it is not being offered anywhere in the state and because this is a vital
area of study for US military personnel given the current global situation, and we should expend
recruiting and partnerships with nearby Army, Navy, and Air Force facilities. We also intend to offer a
GER conversation, non~transferable course.
Anticipated Resources Needed: Be specific about dollar amounts equipment, space size, staffing,
etc.
We are not askino for monev, space or eauioment.
Unit Strategy #2
Status:
Timeline:
Ongoing
Fall 2016­
Develop plan for improving retention in
Fall
2017
Communications/Foreign Languages below average.
Action:
After review of retention rates in COM/FL, we identified retention in Spanish as an area of concern.
See tables 1, 2, and graph 1. We re-evaluated the Spanish online program which showed retention
rates lower than TMCC. We redesigned the program using assessment data and best practices
(Quality Matters [QM] rubric). We started re-designing the online program with SPAN 111 In spring
2014, SPAN 112 in fall 2014, SPAN 211 in spring 2015, and SPAN 212 in fall 2015. We submitted
SPAN 111 and SPAN 112 for QM review in spring 2015 and spring 2016, respectively, and they are
both QM certified. We will submit the rest of the Spanish courses to QM in fall 2016. Although the
Spanish retention rate is slightly lower than Division of Liberal Arts (DOLA) retention rate (77.5%) in
2015, it is showing a very positive trend from 2012 (69%) to 2015 (77%)
Anticipated Resources Needed: Be specific about dollar amounts equipment, space size, staffing,
etc.
We are not asking for money, space or eQuioment.
Status:
Timeline:
Unit Strategy #3
Ongoing
Fall 2016­
Improve understanding of students of the ability for Foreign
Fall 2017
Language and Communications to fulfill needed credits for
transfer.
Action:
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
APR I REV: 5/2014
ATMCd Ti:.u nk•• Maado_w• Commur,!'Y Coll•IIJ
TMCC PROGRAM UNIT REVIEW-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2015-16
We advise students on daily basis on placement, transfer credits and fulfillment of the foreign
language requirement for several degrees both at TMCC and at UNR. We sign FL waivers and
communicate with academic advisors, A&R, and the Testing Center to clarify and help them with the
CAPE exam placement, waiver, heritage speakers, special cases, etc., on daily basis.
Anticipated Resources Needed: Be specific about dollar amounts equipment, space size, staffing,
etc.
We are not asking for monev. space or equipment.
Status:
Tlmeline:
Unit Strategy #4
Ongoing
Begin
Increase budget for copies by $1,500.
2011 -Fall
2016
Action:
A budget augmentation request was submitted for $1,500 for copies but was denied. Given this was
a recommendation of the last PUR it is difficult to know how to proceed if the College budget process
will not support this recommendation that was approved by the President. (Comment added by
Armida Fruzzetti, April 2014).
Anticipated Resources Needed: Be specific about dollar amounts equipment, space size, staffing,
etc.
Increase budget for copies by $1,500 to reinstate to previous levels.
Unit Strategy #5
Provide more data to allow evaluation of need for language
laboratory.
Status:
Ongoing
Timeline:
Fall 2016­
Fall 2017
Action:
The importance of a language laboratory is recognized by many institutions of higher learning, the
American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages {ACTFL), and the Association of
Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL) as a valuable resource for instructors and students of
language. The English Department has lost the space in the Tutoring and Leaming Center {TLC) that
they once allowed students and instructors from FL to use when available and not used by ESL. The
Rosetta Stone software for Spanish is not compatible with Windows 10. We bought Logitech
cameras and installed the software in computers for students to record themselves for ASL classes.
The TLC has moved and those cameras should now be in the Elizabeth Sturm Library in the new
TLC. We will investigate the need for other equipment (such as headphones) that may be required
for Foreign Languages.
Anticipated Resources Needed: Be specific about dollar amounts equipment, space size, staffing,
etc.
We request $249 for Rosetta Stone that is compatible with Windows 10. We would like a language
Jab to be configured into the TLC in the library. We are still investigating the cost of a language
laboratory.
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
APR j REV: 5/20 14
1
ATMCQ
Truckee Meedaw• Cammunlly Collag•
TMCC PROGRAM UNIT REVIEW - ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2015-16
SECTION Ill
(OPTIONAL - Fill out only if adding new Unit Strategies)
Please include any newly identified strategies for the Program/Unit. Please respond to the
strategies by including the status, actions taken to respond to the strategy, projected timeline,
and if resources are needed to fulfill the strategy. Ifthere are no new strategies, please leave
this blank and no signatures are required.
Unit Strategies #6:
Renew the one-year hire for Spanish.
Status:
Other
Tlmeline:
Denied Fall 2016
Action:
Full-time/Part-time faculty ratio for Spanish is consistently lower than other programs
within the division and the college (see Unit Strategy #8). Tables 3 and 4 and Graph 2
show the Full-time/Part-time faculty ratio for Spanish compared to other programs. A oneyear hire for Spanish would have ameliorate this discrepancy.
Anticipated Resource Needed: What are they and what are the approximate costs?
We had requested that approximately $38,000 from our PT-faculty money allocation be used to
renew the one-year hire for Spanish in our APR 2014-2015, but it was denied.
Unit Strategies #7:
Open a tenure-track position left vacant by tenured
professor Dianne Cheseldine.
Status:
Complete
Timeline:
Fall 2015-Spring
2016
Action:
Our full-time, French-Spanish tenured professor Dianne Cheseldine retired in spring 2015 and that
left another discipline within COM/FL without a full-time, tenure-track or tenured-faculty member.
We hired Tanya Farnung-Morrison on tenure-track In May 2016 to teach French and Spanish.
Anticioated Resource Needed: What are thev and what are the aooroximate costs?
Status:
Tlmeline:
Unit Strategies: #8 New
Ongoing
Open a tenure-track position in Spanish.
Fall 2016­
Spring 2017
Action:
To maintain FTE, SFRs and retention rates, we need ASL, COM, and SPAN full-time, tenure-track
faculty members. We request to open a tenure-track position in Spanish based on fulltime/part-time faculty ratio for Spanish, which is consistently lower than other programs
within the division and the college. A tenure-track position in Spanish would ameliorate
this discrepancy. See tables 3 and 4 and Graph 2.
Anticipated Resource Needed: What are they and what are the approximate costs?
Tenure-track lines are essential. Full-time, tenure-track faculty is needed.
-
Dean's Review: Please comment on (1) the progress that the program/unit has made towards
their recommendations or strategies that resulted from their most recent PUR, (2) the feasibility of
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
APR I REV: 5/2014
ATMCd Truck•• Meadow• Cc,mmunlty Coll•v•
TMCC PROGRAM UNIT REVIEW - ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2015-16
Dean's Review: Please comment on (1) the progress that the program/unit has made towards their recommendations or strategies that resulted from their most recent PUR, (2) the feasibility ofany new strategies proposed and (3) possible RAP requests resulting from this APR. The Foreign Language and Communication Program continues to provide a variety of educational
opportunities for students, including instruction in five languages. Although the department wishes to
offer more languages, the reality is that with decreasing enrollment in particular languages and lack of
instructors to teach particular languages, it is not feasible to continue to offer nine languages at this time.
Ongoing - However, there are opportunities to teach languages online or through instructional television
and/or provide study abroad opportunities by creating consortiums with other colleges and universities in
Nevada. I recommend that these ideas be explored.
Request be made to RAP Fall 2016 - This program has requested $1,500 dollars for copies. This amount
should be reinstated.
Program involvement in Learning Commons discussions Fall 2016 and ongoing - There are concerns that
chair mentions about a language laboratory. My investigation of this matter, which included pulling data
from the Tutoring and Learning Center, found that there has not been a significant number of students
accessing language learning computer programs offered at the TLC. Therefore, while I do not support the
idea of implementing a similar strategy in the new Learning Commons space, I do support our investigating
how we can innovatively support students' language learning through technology and through a
conversation partners program. I recommend that department members contribute to ideas for the new
Learning Commons and develop new approaches based on current research to provide students with extra
practice needed to develop their language skills.
Possible Rap Requests:
There may be possible requests for equipment and software funds and/or professional development
funds. I will need more Information about how these needs align with instructional goals and innovative
pedagogical practices to determine exact needs and projected amounts.
I recommend $1,500 be reinstated for printing.
I recommend that we hire a tenure-track foreign language professor (preference be given to those who
are qualified to teach multiple languages). Further, I recommend that we hire a communication studies
professor (preference be given to those qualified to teach at least one other discipline in the Humanities
I De~ment).
;~1
have discussed this review with the PUR self-study and/or department chair.
Approvals (Signatures and dotes are required)
------------------ Date:-------------
Chair/Director:
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.
ATMCC Truokoa Moadowa community OoUoga
TMCC is an EEO/AA institution. See http://eeo.tmcc.edu for more information.