Program Name
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Division
Please select your division
Submission Date
1a. Provide a brief description of the program and how it supports the college’s Mission and Values Statements, its Diversity Statement, CSM’s and SMCCCD’s Strategic Plans, and the college’s Educational Master Plan. You may also discuss any factors that have impacted the program and its enrollment. Include changes in student populations, statewide initiatives, transfer requirements, advisory committee recommendations, legal mandates, workforce development and employment opportunities, and community needs.
If your answer is more than 2000 characters (approximately 300 words), please upload a Word document below (10 MB or less). If you’re not sure, please upload your answer. Please upload text only; we cannot ensure that non-text such as images, diagrams, or charts will be retained in the final submission.
| Please see attached document for question 1. | |
Description of Program
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2a. Describe the results of your previous Program Review’s action plan.
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| Please see attached document for question 2a. | |
Results of your previous Program Review’s action plan
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2b. Program coherence and effectiveness: Explain any curriculum changes since last program review, including SLO alignments.
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| The Biology and Health Science department regularly updates course outlines of record for all courses, to comply with C-IDs. Course modifications have been made to agree with C-IDs in several Biology courses over the past two years (Biol 102, 220, 230, 310, HSCI 100). Other modifications will be made as needed or mandated by the state, for Biology 210, 240, and 250. SLO alignments were made for all courses in Biology programs and degrees, coordinating with College SLOs.
A state-mandated AST degree in Nutrition described minimum qualifications for the first time, and an MS in Nutrition or its equivalent is now required. As a result, the department has hired two adjuncts to teach online and on-campus Biology 310. In addition, several sections have been added to this popular course, for a total of nine sections offered over the year (including summer).
College Curriculum Committee, with Biology faculty member, has been discussing General Education patterns for the past year, and revision is underway. Changes will be made as mandated in the future. Biology faculty consider that the science requirement for the CSM Associate Degree should include a laboratory. | |
Program coherence and effectiveness
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2c. Student success and equity: Discuss what your program has done to address equity gaps between student populations and between modes of delivery (online, hybrid, and face-to-face), describing your successes, works in progress, and/or ongoing challenges.
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| Please see attached document for question 2c. | |
Student Success and Equity
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2d. Provide an update on any long-term plans that are still in progress (if applicable).
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| Please see attached document for question 2d. | |
Long-term plans
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3a. Course and program assessment. Discuss the results of your program assessment. Explain any strategies, research, initiatives, curriculum development or other activities intended to improve student learning and promote educational equity in your discipline, either at the course or program level.
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| Biology, as a discipline, is iteratively assessing and adjusting delivery and curriculum in a responsive manner to address student needs and preparation. The faculty have adopted multiple methods to assess and modify course material in response to assessment feedback, which include specific exam/quiz questions, Canvas surveys, assignments, and lab activities.
Most of the course SLOs have been assessed and most SLOs are successfully met, where greater than 70% of the students who completed the course met the SLO criteria. The weakest areas identified are Critical Thinking Skills and Quantitative Skills. The biology department is currently engaged in a numerous activities to address improving student success in these areas:
• Reassess/revise underperforming SLOs
• Increasing number of peer tutors and supplemental instructors
• Collaborating with MESA, METaS, and Bridges to Baccalaureate programs to address student success and equity
• Adopting best practices to accommodate students with different learning abilities in the classroom and online
• Adopting best practices for the development, implementation, assessment, and management of SLOs to have a more representative view of student learning and identify areas that need improvement
• Emphasizing a greater focus on active learning and critical thinking skills in all courses
• Offering Biology Jam sessions in the summer | |
3b. General Education / Institutional assessment. Discuss participation in any General Education, Core Competencies, institutional or interdisciplinary assessment activities.
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| The faculty in the department have been involved in the alignment of course-level SLOs to ILOs. The courses offered by the Biology Department support one or more GE SLOs. The most strongly supported GE SLO is in Effective Communication. The least supported GE SLOs are in Social Awareness & Responsibility and Ethical Responsibility/Effective Citizenship. As with course-level SLOs, the department will continue assessing and adjusting the curriculum and delivery of the courses offered to address these deficiencies.
Additionally, the department has had discussions with the math department regarding math prerequisites to address the recent state-mandated changes to the math curriculum. | |
4a. Review the program's available labor market data, as applicable. Here are two relevant links:
Explain how the program meets a documented labor market demand.
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| Please see attached document for question 4a. | |
Labor Market Demand
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4b. Summarize
student outcomes in terms of degrees and certificates. Identify areas of accomplishments and areas of concern.
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| Please see attached document for question 4b. | |
Summarize Student Outcomes
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4c. Review and update the program’s Advisory Committee information. Provide the date of most recent advisory committee meeting.
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| The College of San Mateo Biotechnology Program does not have an Advisory Committee. In lieu of this, Professor Christopher J Smith attends the annual CSUperb Biotechnology Meeting in January, attends the regional Biotechnology all hands meetings, participates in Biotechnology C-ID meetings, attends the ASCCC CTE meetings and has developed a network of faculty at regional colleges (particularly Contra Costa, Ohlone and Skyline) to discuss relevant work and possible collaborations. | |
5a. Provide a brief description, including actions, measurable outcomes, and timelines
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| Please see attached document for question 5a. | |
Description of Planning
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5b. What will your program do to increase student success and promote student equity in the next two years? What kind of professional development and institutional support will be engaged and enacted to meet these goals?
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| Please see attached document for question 5b. | |
Student Success and Equity
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5c. Describe other professional development activities and institutional support and collaborations that would most effectively ensure that the program achieve its goals and plans.
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| Please see attached document for question 5c. | |
Activities, Support and Collaboration
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