Kaua‘i community college

Self Evaluation

The key document that has been developed to ensure that certificates/degrees awarded by the college are based on stated learning outcomes at the program level is the Course Action Form.

When the CAF process is complete every course should have developed SLOs that are aligned with appropriate program SLOs. If program SLOs need to be modified as a result of student achievement on external examinations, feedback from employers, or the Graduate and Leavers Survey, then courses and course SLOs will also have to be modified.
The Liberal Arts program initially adopted the campus-level SLOs as its program SLOs. Subsequent dialogue resulted in a desire to incorporate more content-based outcomes. The program is currently looking at proposed revisions of the program SLOS.

Planning Agenda

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  The Liberal Arts program needs to finalize revised program SLOs.
  

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  Program SLOs and course SLOs should be continually reviewed in the light of the results of focus groups, employer and student surveys, external examinations and other assessment instruments.
  

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  All programs will complete the mapping matrix, begun in our first assessment workshop, to map campus-wide and program SLOs to program courses.
  

II.A.3. The institution requires of all academic and vocational degree programs a component of general education based on a carefully considered philosophy that is clearly stated in its catalog. The institution, relying on the expertise of its faculty, determines the appropriateness of each course for inclusion in the general education curriculum by examining the stated learning outcomes for the course.
General education has comprehensive learning outcomes for the students who complete it, including the following:
II.A.3.a. An understanding of the basic content and methodology of the major areas of knowledge: areas include the humanities and fine arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences.
Descriptive Summary
The philosophy and rationale for the general education component are stated in the catalog on page 72 under Liberal Arts. General education courses “encourage students to think clearly and creatively, to seek and assess information, to communicate effectively, to take pleasure in learning, to learn to adapt to change, and to live more consciously, responsibly, and humanely. This philosophy is aligned with the UHCC System AA Degree and AS Degree Task Force reports, which described the structure and competencies of these degrees (CCCM 6004).
All degree programs at Kaua‘i Community College require a general education component. Kaua‘i Community College’s 2005-2006 Catalog clearly states that the Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degrees require the completion of at least 60 semester credits hours with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 for all courses applicable toward the degree. The general education credits required by the A.A.S. degree programs range from a low of six credits in Culinary Arts to a high of 21 credits in Accounting.
For a general education course to be approved as part of a program, faculty members, in preparing a Course Action Form (CAF), specify in question #7 on page 5 which general education category the course meets. These courses are reviewed by faculty at the program and division level and also by the Curriculum Committee before final approval by the chancellor. These categories reflect the UHCC systemwide articulation agreements regarding the AS degree, as well as the AA degree. Certain learning outcomes are expected of any course in the specified general education area. The general expectations are outlined in the AS Degree Task Force report, which is incorporated as an appendix to CCCM 6004. For example, the Student Learning Outcomes identified in the area of Social Environment are:
Students will be able to:
-understand issues involved in ethnocentrism;
-understand the issues in the formation of ethical principles;
-understand the relationships between political and economic institutions;
-understand economic cause and effect and how economic systems influence the behavior

of individuals and groups;

-understand and utilize the processes involved in personal and career goal-setting and

decision making;

-understand the significance of work in our lives and how work patterns reflect values

and shape the social climate of culture;

-identify, understand, and appreciate the uniqueness of oneself.
The development of the campus-wide SLOs was aligned with and borrowed much from the general education descriptions developed by the systemwide groups.
The CAF also requires faculty to list the Student Learning Outcomes for each course and how those outcomes will be assessed. Then the course is reviewed and approved by the division, Curriculum Committee, Dean of Instruction, and the chancellor. Every five years each course will be reviewed as part of the cycle of general education course review
As part of its general education program, Kaua‘i Community College offers its students a wide range of courses in the humanities (41 courses), natural science (45 courses), and social science (16 courses). To meet the rationale and philosophy of general education, a student must take at least three courses from each of the areas (humanities, natural science, and social science) for the A.A. and A.S. degrees.
The Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S) is a 2-year technical-occupational-professional degree and it requires general education courses under the following categories: Cultural Environment, Natural Environment, Oral Communication, Social Environment, and Written Communication. The college offers the A.A.S. degree in 10 areas (KCC Catalog, page 56).

Certificate programs may require some courses in general education to meet industry standards (KCC Catalog, pages 56-77).

Self Evaluation
Beginning in Fall 2004, the college instituted a multi-year plan of offerings for each program, including Liberal Arts, which houses the courses, to ensure that students have an appropriate selection of general education courses to select from and that the courses that they need will be offered. The rationale for the multi-year plan is to provide a more complete and cohesive process for scheduling (Schedule of Classes Procedures).
Program and course SLOs are being reviewed through the CAF process.

A master list of all courses, broken down by general education categories (cultural environment, natural environment, communication, social environment, and written and oral communication) was prepared by the former Dean of Instruction in a document dated January 26, 1998. This list has been subsequently updated by the current dean to reflect curricular changes since that time. The courses are also listed on the program student advising sheets and the catalog. In order to assure that this information is updated in a timely and accurate fashion, the college has reallocated a clerk-steno position from the Chancellor’s Office to an administrative/professional/technical position under the Dean of Instruction. This position will manage, coordinate, and facilitate the schedule, catalog, and student advising sheet updates to ensure consistency, accuracy and timeliness.