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2018-19 CTE Instructional Program Review

First name

Michelle

Last name

Schneider

schneider@smccd.edu

Program Name

Please select your program

Fire Technology

Division

Please select your division

Business/Technology

Submission Date

Oct-25-2018

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.

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Description of Program

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Description.docx

2a. Describe the results of your previous Program Review’s action plan.

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Historically, the overarching goal of the Fire Technology program is to stay up-to-date with entry-level training needs. We work towards this every academic year. Updates to the curriculum of the training courses (Fire Academy and EMT) has seen the instructional staff incorporate new methods to engage students, including more manipulative sessions and the addition of adult learning concepts (i.e., flipping the classroom, role playing, scenarios, case studies).

Our instructional staff has been instrumental in identifying outdated and damaged equipment. A fair amount this equipment has been repaired or replaced as needed. Rotation plans for other equipment has been created, so we can replace items on a more regular schedule and not when it becomes an emergency.

We have been fortunate to receive donated apparatus (ambulance and fire engine) to update training, and give students a realistic view of the jobs for which they are training. The Fire Academy instructional staff is also receiving updated instructor training to comply with new accreditation requirements.

The course rotation plan has been updated to ensure evening students can attend the core courses, allowing them to also obtain a degree or certificate in Fire Technology.

2b. Program coherence and effectiveness: Explain any curriculum changes since last program review, including SLO alignments.

All courses in the Fire Technology program are reviewed and updated as needed every two years. The FIRE courses are currently in the review/update cycle, with any changes to take effect beginning Fall 2019. In this cycle, textbooks were updated as needed, but there were no substantial changes. Many of the Fire Technology programs in the California Community College system have added the approved C-ID numbers to their courses. C-ID numbers were assigned to the six core courses for the Associate degree.

Course SLOs are developed to support the program SLOs, which in turn reflect the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs). By creating SLOs that can be connected upwards from the course to the program level, while keeping sight on the institutional goals, the FIRE program ensures that our students are meeting the desired outcomes set forth by College of San Mateo and the District.

Curriculum for the academic path is tied to the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) curriculum. This creates the Associate degree pathway as prescribed by State Fire Training. The required courses create a strong foundation of knowledge that is supplemented by the elective courses. Together the courses become a bridge to higher levels of understanding and application, preparing students to succeed in the Fire Academy.

Curriculum for the EMT courses and Firefighter I Academy are prescribed by the State of California. Both training tracks are incorporating new and expanded content. This includes standardized testing (written and manipulative) in the academy, and updated scope of practice requirements from the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) for EMT training.

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.

While this is still a male-dominated career, the number of females registering for Fire Technology courses came back in line with our 2015-16 numbers after an inexplicable drop. Upper body strength and the physicality of the job requirements are usually where females struggle. Some will take time off to work on these areas to return better prepared, and be successful.

There has been a large decrease in the number of Asian and Black students. Students of Asian descent receive pressure due to a bias that firefighting is a "blue-collar" profession, and perceived as unsuitable. However, the number of Asian (including Filipino) students who withdraw from the Fire Technology program has dropped as well. The number of Black students who withdraw from the Fire Technology program has improved significantly.

Despite these numbers, the percentage of enrollment, success rate, and withdraw rates are better than the college as a whole. This could indicate that while the program doesn’t attract the diversity we would like to, those who enter the program want to be here.

One of the areas where this is not true is for females. However, there are plans to create pre-academy courses which will address the physicality issues most females, and some males, have in the training courses.

The low enrollment numbers will need to be researched and addressed, so the program can identify recruitment and retention strategies.

2d. Provide an update on any long-term plans that are still in progress (if applicable).

On-going program goals include the incorporation of new and expanded content in the training courses (Fire Academy, EMT Basic, EMT Refresher), as well as the continued identification and recruitment of qualified instructors. Success in these areas will allow the FIRE program to create a solid curricular foundation for students. Producing well-educated students will benefit the local community as they find their place in the workforce.

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.

Since the Fire Technology curriculum is prescribed by state and national entities, the program SLOs were created to build upon the course SLOs. Comprehension and application of knowledge is built upon and expanded throughout the program, as students move towards the training courses (Fire Academy and EMT).

Success in the course SLOs should translate to success in the program SLOs. However, the department does not have a way to capture that information officially. Going forward, our goal will be to have more of our students not only complete the program, but apply for the degree or certificate. This is a career that is starting to require applicants to hold an Associate degree for hiring, and a Bachelor's degree for promotion.

The State Chancellor’s Office requires CTE programs to review and update their curriculum every two years. Department staff monitors and incorporates changes as required on a regular basis. After updating the FIRE 793 curriculum in 2016, the Firefighter I Academy was re-accredited in 2017.

Every semester, the FIRE program assesses each course SLO in every course offered. At a minimum, we are looking for a 75% success rate per SLO. The majority of our courses were at 90% or higher for the 2017-2018 AY. Because the course SLOs support the program SLOs, successful students are prepared to meet the program SLOs.

The Fire Technology Coordinator and the Fire Academy Directors will be working to create pre-academy courses to further assist students in their preparation for the Fire Academy. Specific topics will include physical fitness and practicing of some of the basic skills (e.g., ropes and knots, lifting a ladder, carrying hose, donning SCBAs). Introducing students to the physicality of the training, will allow them to identify limitations that would cause them to fail in the academy.

3b. General Education / Institutional assessment. Discuss participation in any General Education, Core Competencies, institutional or interdisciplinary assessment activities.

The FIRE staff thrives to ensure the course and program SLOs will tie into the College of San Mateo ILOs. As an example, FIRE 715 – Principles of Emergency Services is not only a foundational course for the FIRE program, but can also be used as a General Education course for Career Exploration. Because of this, it was important to map the course SLOs to as many college ILOs as possible. A minimum of two course SLOs can be mapped to four of the six ILOs.

In Spring 2018, all of the course SLOs were mapped to program SLOs and the CSM’s ILOs, as requested by the College Assessment Committee.

Additionally, the EMT instructional staff worked with the Nursing department to develop an exercise simulating the transfer of a patient from the field to a hospital. This allowed the students to participate in a hands-on experience to assess understanding and application of SLOs in both programs.

4a. Review the program's available labor market data, as applicable. Here are two relevant links:

State of California Employment Development Department, Labor Market Information Division (the official source for California Labor Market Information):

Employment data (by Program Top Code) from the State Chancellor’s Office

Explain how the program meets a documented labor market demand.

In an average month, there were 34 unique job postings for 4 different Fire Service related jobs with 182 actually hired. This means there was approximately 5 hires for every 1 unique job posting. Job openings in this category will see a 9.8% increase over the next eight years, with annual openings of 491 jobs. Median hourly wage was $44.21, which includes jobs requiring no degree at all to those requiring a Bachelor’s degree.

College of San Mateo’s Fire Technology program is the only such program in San Mateo County. This program is accredited by the State of California as both a fire training program and fire academy presenter.

While there are other programs in the region, the number of students who want to train for careers in the fire service allows all of the programs to maintain healthy enrollment numbers. Traditionally, Fire Technology programs work with the agencies in their respective counties.

Agencies started to hire again, as the economy rebounded and personnel retired. Since these jobs cannot be outsourced, there will always be a need for fire service career training. Students from our program can not only become firefighters, but can also pursue careers relating to fire code inspection and investigation, fire education, and fire protection.

The Fire Service requires applicants to test through a series of exams. These are written, physical, oral, and medical in nature. Because of the competitiveness it is virtually impossible to determine the gainful employment rate for this program. The students do not often report their success in obtaining jobs with fire agencies.

4b. Summarize student outcomes in terms of degrees and certificates. Identify areas of accomplishments and areas of concern.

There was a spike in students obtaining the A.S. degree and Certificate of Achievement in Fire Technology during the 2016-17 academic year. We will make a more concentrated effort to encourage students to complete the degree with a goal of attending a university for a Bachelor’s degree. The Fire Chiefs in this county have stated that hiring requirements will be changing to require an Associate degree for hiring, and they will not promote without a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

2017-18: 17 A.S. earners, and 13 CA earners for a total count of 30
2016-17: 26 A.S. earners, and 19 CA earners for a total count of 45
2015-16: 18 A.S. earners, and 16 CA earners for a total count of 34
Total: 61 A.S. earners, and 48 CA earners for a total count of 109

4c. Review and update the program’s Advisory Committee information. Provide the date of most recent advisory committee meeting.

The Fire Technology Advisory Council meets periodically throughout the year to discuss how the local agencies and the college can assist each other to provide relevant training to the Fire Technology students. The council consists of the Fire Technology Coordinator, the Division Dean, the Program Services Coordinator supporting the Fire Technology program, and three of the Fire Chiefs from San Mateo County.

The last meeting was held on October 17, 2017.

5a. Provide a brief description, including actions, measurable outcomes, and timelines

Add to the adjunct faculty instructional staff (Fall 2019)
Some instructors have spoken about not teaching, and others live too far away to make teaching here a viable option. We are also hoping to find someone who can assist with the maintenance of the equipment and attend outreach events.

Create BLS Provider course to address pre-requisite for EMT (Fall 2020)
By having our own BLS Provider course, we can help identify students who may need extra help once they enter the EMT course. It will also make it easier for students to obtain the course, if it is already part of the program.

Create pre-academy courses to improve academy success rates (Fall 2020)
Exposing students to some of the more physical aspects of being a firefighter will give them a better idea of their limitations. This will give them a better idea of whether or not this is really the right career for them.

Develop alumni tracking system for successful job placement (Fall 2020)
At this time, we have no formal way of tracking the success of our students once they leave CSM. Some have returned to inform us when they have obtained a job; some even return to teach for us. However, for a majority of our students, we just don’t know where they have ended up.

Start a Fire Technology club (Spring 2020)
This will encourage students to form a community. This will allow them to learn how to work in a group, networking, commute to testing together, etc. They will have to address some of the “soft skills” required to work in a firehouse. We would also bring in former students from underserved groups to discuss how to prepare for the career, what to expect during the testing/interviewing stages, and what obstacles they faced.

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?

The Fire Technology department will be creating new, pre-academy courses to give students an idea of the physical aspects of a fire academy. The courses will concentrate on physical conditioning and the specific areas that wash students out of the academy. Problem areas include upper body strength, stamina, and claustrophobic panic in an SCBA mask. Introducing students to these situations before the academy will allow them to improve where they can.

We plan to purchase much of the equipment required for students to safely participate in the live fire exercise required by the new Fire Academy curriculum. By providing SCBAs, we can minimize the cost of the course for students.

The FIRE program will continue outreach to underserved groups by participating in visits to local schools, fairs here on campus, and partnering with the various learning communities on campus (Umoja, Puente, Mana, etc.)

5c. Describe other professional development activities and institutional support and collaborations that would most effectively ensure that the program achieve its goals and plans.

Research how to address the generational differences between the instructional staff and the students. By understanding our students better, we hope to adjust teaching styles/content delivery to benefit them.