Accreditation Self-Study Report 2006

WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE

INSTITUTIONAL SELF STUDY REPORT IN SUPPORT OF REAFFIRMATION OF

ACCREDITATION 2006

Submitted by

WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE 9000 Overland Avenue Culver City, CA 90230

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Western Association of Schools and Colleges

FEBRUARY 2006

<#> WLAC SELF STUDY CERTIFICATION OF THE INSTITUTIONAL SELF STUDY REPORT

Date: February 2006

To: Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

From: West Los Angeles College, 9000 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230

This Institutional Self Study Report is submitted for the purpose of assisting in the determination of institution’s accreditation status.

We certify that there was broad participation by the campus community, and we believe the Self Study Report accurately reflects the nature and substance of this institution.

Doris Pichon Givens, Ph.D. Interim President and Chief Executive Officer West Los Angeles College

Darroch F. Young, Chancellor Los Angeles Community College District

Sylvia Scott-Hayes, President Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees

Eloise Crippens, President WLAC Academic Senate

Sholeh Khorooshi, Chapter Chair California Teamsters Public, Professional and Medical Employees Union Local 911

Olga Shewfelt, WLAC Chapter Chair AFT Faculty Guild, Local 1521

Jo-Ann Haywood, WLAC Chapter Chair AFT Staff Guild Local 1521 A

Abel Rodriguez, Representative Supervisory Employees’ Union Local 347

Joel Francis, President Associated Students Organization

Fran Leonard, Chair Accreditation Self Study Steering Committee

WLAC SELF STUDY <#> CERTIFICATION OF THE INSTITUTIONAL SELF STUDY REPORT

To: Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

From: West Los Angeles College 9000 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230

We certify that West Los Angeles College continues to meet each of the 17 eligibility requirements for accreditation as established by the Commission, as enumerated in the August 2004 edition of the Accreditation Reference Handbook, p. 6, as evidenced by the self study hereby submitted. This certification is our assurance that the college continues to be in compliance with the terms and conditions of accreditation.

Signed:

November 28, 2005

Doris Pichon Givens, Ph.D. Date Interim President and Chief Executive Officer West Los Angeles College

November 28, 2005

Darroch F. Young Date Chancellor Los Angeles Community College District

November 28, 2005

Sylvia Scott-Hayes Date President LACCD Board of Trustees

3 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION History of the Institution ...... 7 Demographic Information ...... 11 Student Achievement Data ...... 15 Update on Last Comprehensive Visit Recommendations ...... 19 West’s Student Learning Outcomes Story ...... 23 Off-Campus Sites and Centers and Distance Learning ...... 31 Audits ...... 35

THEMES ...... 37

ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT ...... 39

ORGANIZATION OF THE SELF STUDY ...... 45

ORGANIZATION OF THE INSTITUTION West Los Angeles College Functional Chart ...... 51 Los Angeles Community College District Management Organization Chart ...... 59 LACCD District Office, District-wide and College Responsibilities ...... 63

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS ...... 95

RESPONSES TO RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 101

STANDARD I: INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS A. Mission ...... 105 B. Improving Institutional Effectiveness ...... 113

STANDARD II: STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES A. Instructional Programs ...... 127 B. Student Support Services ...... 149 C. Library and Learning Support Services ...... 165

STANDARD III: RESOURCES A. Human Resources ...... 173 B. Physical Resources ...... 185 C. Technology Resources ...... 193 D. Financial Resources ...... 201

STANDARD IV: LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE A. Decision-Making Roles and Processes ...... 213 B. Board and Administrative Organization ...... 225

5 WLAC SELF STUDY West Los Angeles College offers sincere thanks to the following for the production of this self study:

Fran Leonard, Faculty Chair of Accreditation Alice Taylor, Ph.D., Accreditation Liaison Officer

Steering Committee: Vice Presidents: David Follosco, Carey Roth, Paul Stansbury, Ed.D. Chairs of Standards: Eloise Crippens, Cathy Froloff, Fran Leonard, Yvonne Simone, Olga Shewfelt, Lloyd Thomas, Ph.D.

Editors: Doris P. Givens, Ph.D, Interim President Betty Jacobs, Chair, Language Arts Division Fran Leonard, Vice-Chair, Language Arts Division Alice Taylor, Ph.D., Instructor, Humanities

Information Scientist: Edward Pai, Ph.D.

Consultants: Darlene Pacheco, Ph.D. Julie Slark

Graphic Designer: Beverly A. Hall

Special Credit: Nick Dang, Manager, IT Marie Montour, Staff Geneat Walton, Staff

West acknowledges the contributions of time and effort from across the college from the following:

Kehinde Akintunji, Bonnie Blustein, Ph.D., Kabwe Chanda, Isabella Chung, Richard Flowers, Adrienne Foster, Judith-Ann Friedman, Ed.D., Rodney Gaylor, LaVonne Hamilton, Eric Ichon, Jackie Ireland, Ph.D., Fran Israel, Sheila Jeter-Williams, Ulla Lemborn, Christina Misner, Phyllis Morrison, Ph.D., Rod Patterson, Pat Siever, Yvonne Simone, Regina Surabian, Joyce Sweeney, Lloyd Thomas, Ph.D., Rebecca Tillberg, Jocelyn Towler, Ph.D. and all the members of the Standards’ Committees

Our apologies, as well as our gratitude, to those we may have left off this list.

WLAC SELF STUDY 6 HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTION

In 2001, Los Angeles County voters passed est Los Angeles College, an urban center of W Proposition A, which directed $1.245 billion in bonds learning nestled on a bucolic hillside above Culver to the nine Los Angeles Community colleges. In City, California, opened its doors in February 1969. 2003, the voters passed Proposition AA, providing an Together with its eight sister colleges in the Los additional $980 million in bonds. West’s share of the Angeles Community College District, West serves funds will make it possible to construct a math and one of the most ethnically and racially diverse popu- science building, a general classroom building, a stu- lations in the United States. According to the 2000 dent services building and a parking structure, all United States Census, the 1,585,316 people in the col- now in the design phase. In addition, the track has lege’s extended service area, defined as the 42 zip been renovated to a state-of-the-art facility, and the codes within a six-mile radius of the campus, were athletic complex and the library are scheduled for identified as 23 percent African American, 38 percent renovations. The progress of these projects is Latino/Hispanic, 44 percent white, seven percent reviewed in Standard III.B. Asian, one percent American Indian and 18 percent other. The average annual household income was a The opportunity to rebuild the campus meshed with reported $50,034. However, the difference in average the renewed determination to complete an Integrated household income between two adjacent zip codes, Master Plan in 2003. Interlocked with this was the 90056 and 90005, was more than $40,000. The mission of West Los Angeles College is to provide economically and geographically accessible education in this myriad of social and economic extremes.

Students may select from a variety of courses and programs that will prepare them for vocations and transfer to universities. They may also take courses for general interest. The students may earn certificates of completion, skills certificates, associate degrees and transfer associate degrees.

Leadership recently changed at both the college and the District level. In the summer of 2000, Frank Quiamboa succeeded Dr. Evelyn Wong as President of West. In August 2005, Dr. Doris Givens was named Interim President succeeding Frank Quiamboa. Dr. Mark Drummond became District Chancellor in June 1999, and Peter J. Landsberger, Esq. succeeded him as Interim Chancellor in January 2004. Darroch (Rocky) Young succeeded Peter Landsberger in July 2005.

During the first six years of the 21st Century, West continued its transition from temporary to permanent buildings. A state-funded Humanities and Fine Arts building was dedicated in 2000. A Child Development Center opened its doors to West’s youngest students in 2004.

7 WLAC SELF STUDY HISTORY codification of our participatory governance struc- ment growth, with more than 8,200 students (undu- tures, discussed in Standard IV. Using Proposition A plicated headcount). money, West hired a consulting firm to assist the college in writing its Integrated Master Plan, which Our successes since 2000 permeate the college. We envisages the college growing at four percent per have transferred students to the University of year, reaching an enrollment of 18,900 students in California, the University of Southern California, 2022. The Integrated Master Plan is discussed in Loyola Marymount University, Harvard, Sarah Standard I. Lawrence, Pepperdine University, Historical Black Colleges and Universities, the University of Judaism Our enrollment grew at approximately eight percent and California State University. Our nationally annually from 2000 to 2003, but then stalled and acclaimed Dental Hygiene program has served as a declined. In December 2002, the college suffered a platform from which to begin to train independent mid-year budget cut and ended the year with a practitioners in dental hygiene and to develop a new $1,000,000-plus deficit. Since then, we have been Allied Health program. Our new division of challenged to reduce expenditures. Concurrently, the Cinema, Entertainment and Media Arts is not only college has been pressed to meet enrollment targets, providing training in these areas, but is also produc- since our allocations are based on our enrollment. ing the excitement of theater on campus. To best With careful scrutiny of the budget in 2003-2004, we prepare students for rapidly changing 21st Century balanced the budget and met enrollment targets, but technologies, Computer Science established its own in 2004-2005, the college failed on both counts. In division, having separated from the Business that fiscal year, California increased student tuition Division. Our Paralegal program has been approved from $18 to $26 per unit, which doubtless con- by the American Bar Association. West has been the tributed to the decline in our enrollment. Attempts recipient of Title III and Title V grants. In 2005, the to increase enrollment by adding additional academ- Faculty Association of California Community ic sessions in the late spring added to our costs, and Colleges named English Professor Fran Leonard its we finished the year with a $570,479 deficit. West is Faculty Member of the Year while President Doris expected to repay its deficits to the District. In Fall Givens received the R.C. Ola Brown Leadership 2005, West led the District in the increase in enroll- Award from the National Association of University Women in November 2005.

WLAC SELF STUDY 8 9 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 10 WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE SERVICE AREA Census 2000: http://factfinder.census.gov

Household PERCENT OVER 18 YEARS OF AGE Population Households Size

Los Angeles County 9,519,338 3,133,774 3.04 Los Angeles County 72% –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– City of Los Angeles 3,694,820 1,275,412 2.90 City of Los Angeles 73% –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– West LA Service Area 1,585,316 614,528 2.58 West LA Service Area 76% Source: West Los Angeles College Data Book 2003 Source: http://factfinder.census.gov

WLAC SERVICE AREA BY GENDER SERVICE AREA SECTORS Sector Male Female Total Population Households Household Size Central 177,620 47% 196,621 53% 374,241 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Central 374,241 146,918 2.55 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Northwest 130,599 48% 142,796 52% 273,395 Northwest 273,395 129,276 2.11 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Northeast 242,972 50% 243,526 50% 486,498 Northeast 486,498 179,877 2.70 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Southwest 57,776 50% 57,899 50% 115,675 Southwest 115,675 55,158 2.10 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Southeast 160,478 48% 175,029 52% 335,507 Southeast 335,507 103,299 3.25 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 769,445 49% 815,871 51% 1,585,316 1,585,316 614,528 2.54 Total Total Source: http://factfinder.census.gov Source: West Los Angeles College Data Book 2003

Ring of a radius of 6 miles

West Los Angeles College Institutional Research

11 WLAC SELF STUDY WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE SERVICE AREA (cont.)

ETHNIC DISTRIBUTION OF WLAC SERVICE AREA POPULATION (CENSUS 2000)

Service Black/ Hawaiian/ Some Other Area African Asian American Pacific White Race (includes Two or Total Sector American Indian Islander Hispanic) more races # % # % # % # % # % # % # % Central 122,275 33% 30,997 8% 2,297 0.6% 628 0.2% 145,123 39% 54,014 14% 18,907 5% 374,241 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Northeast 90,557 19% 47,276 10% 3,703 0.8% 516 0.1% 192,060 39% 129,600 27% 22,786 5% 486,498 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Northwest 6,707 2% 30,012 11% 823 0.3% 258 0.1% 213,229 78% 11,027 4% 11,339 4% 273,395 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Southeast 140,041 42% 8,450 3% 2,323 0.7% 1,783 0.5% 73,318 22% 95,143 28% 14,449 4% 335,507 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Southwest 10,222 9% 8,076 7% 615 0.5% 318 0.3% 83,677 72% 7,392 6% 5,375 5% 115,675 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 369,802 23% 124,811 8% 9,761 0.6% 3,503 0.2% 707,407 45% 297,176 19% 72,856 5% 1,585,316 T–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––otal

Note:

The Census 2000 total population was comprised of the “One The Census Race” category and the “Two or more races” category. 2000 Survey did not provide a category for Hispanics/Latinos to denote their race in comparison with the “One race” population, instead a category called “Some other race” was provided with a place to write in their race. See Census 2000 Briefs at the following site: http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-6.pdf http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-3.pdf.

WLAC SELF STUDY 12 WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE FULL-TIME STAFF

FULL-TIME STAFF BY GENDER Male Female

Faculty (n=110) 51% 49% ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—––– Administrators (n=10) 60% 40% ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—––– Classified (n=139) 52% 48% ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—– (n=259) 134 125 Total Source: Extracted from http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds on October 4, 2005.

FULL-TIME STAFF BY ETHNICITY

Asian American Black Pacific Hispanic White Indian / Islander Alaskan Total

Fulltime Faculty 24% 8% 6% 61% 1% 110 Administrative –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– and Managerial 20% 40% 10% 30% 0% 10 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Classified 39% 15% 19% 27% 0% 138

Source: Extracted from http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds on October 4, 2005.

13 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC ENROLLMENT TRENDS AND STUDENT CHARACTERITICS

UNDUPLICATED FIRST CENSUS CREDIT ENROLLMENT COLLEGE CREDIT/NON-CREDIT BY AGE 6,927 Fall—————— 1999 —————————— Age Group Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 7,499 Fall 2000 19 and below 1% 2% 8% ———————————————— –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 8,313 Fall 2001 20 - 24 28% 36% 38% ———————————————— –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 9,718 25 - 34 36% 32% 29% Fall—————— 2002 —————————— –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 9,804 35 - 54 29% 25% 21% Fall—————— 2003 —————————— –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 8,305 55 % over 5% 5% 5% Fall 2004

Source: Source: Extracted from http://research.laccd.edu/enrollment-trends/census- Fall 2004 data extracted from the DEC (RDB) tables credit-enrollment.htm on November 23, 2005. on October 4, 2005 and is subject to changes thereafter. Note: Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding. College Credit/Non-Credit by Gender

COLLEGE CREDIT/NON-CREDIT BY ETHNICITY Gender Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Ethnicity Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Male 37% 36% 36% Asian 7% 8% 7% —————————————————————— ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Female 63% 64% 64% Black, African-American 49% 47% 46% ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Filipino/Pacific Islander 2% 2% 2% ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Hispanic 25% 26% 29% ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Source: Other Non-white 3% 3% 3% Fall 2004 data extracted from the DEC (RDB) tables ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– on October 4, 2005 and is subject to changes thereafter. White 14% 13% 12% Note: Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Source: Fall 2004 data extracted from the DEC (RDB) tables on October 4, 2005 and is subject to changes thereafter.

Note: Decline to state and Unknown categories were omitted. American Indian included in “Other” category. Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

WLAC SELF STUDY 14 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA

ASSOCIATE DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES AWARDED TRANSFERS TO UC AND CSU SYSTEMS 1999-2000 to 2003–2004 1999-2000 to 2003–2004

Associate UC CSU Degrees Certificates 1999-2000 30 213 ————————————————————— 1998-1999 296 174 2000-2001 28 204 ————————————————————— ————————————————————— 1999-2000 288 165 2001-2002 30 192 ————————————————————— ————————————————————— 2000-2001 274 181 2002-2003 44 168 ————————————————————— ————————————————————— 2001-2002 235 310 2003-2004 42 174 ————————————————————— 2002-2003 302 300 ————————————————————— Source: 2003-2004 342 292 Extracted from http://www.cpec.ca.gov/OnLineData/TransferPathwayChart on November 3, 2005. Source: Extracted from http://misweb.cccco.edu/mis/onlinestat/awards.cfm on April 15, 2005.

COURSE SUCCESS RATES RETENTION RATES Fall 2001 – Fall 2004 Fall 2000 – Fall 2004 ——————————————————————— Success Rate Non-Success Retention (A, B, C, P) (D, F, N, W) # Retained # Enrolled Rates Fall 2001 65% 36% ———————————————————— Fall 2000 15,952 19,287 83% Fall 2002 66% 34% ———————————————————— ———————————————————— Fall 2001 20,275 23,843 85% Fall 2003 63% 37% ———————————————————— ———————————————————— Fall 2002 18,509 22,266 83% Fall 2004 63% 37% ———————————————————— Fall 2003 18,900 22,709 83% ———————————————————— Fall 2004 15,965 19,378 82% Source: Extracted from http://research.laccd.edu/institutional- Note: performance/documents/grade-distribution.xls Numbers represent duplicated enrollment Success Definition: Source: Student succeeds in the course with grade notation of: A, B, C, P. Fall 2004 data extracted from the DEC (RDB) tables on Success Rate Formula: October 4, 2005 and is subject to changes thereafter. Number of students with A, B, C, P / Number of students with Retention Definition: A, B, C D, F, P, N, W. Student is retained (completed) in the course to the end of term with Note: grade notation of: A, B, C, D, F, P, N, I. Small numbers of Incompletes and In-Progress grades are excluded from Retention Rate Formula: the calculation. Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Number of students with A, B, C, D, F, P, N, I / Number of students with A, B, C, D, F, P, N, W, I. Note: Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

15 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA

BASIC SKILLS COURSE COMPLETION RATES PERSISTENCE Fall 2001 – Fall 2004 Fall 2001 – Fall 2005

Success Non-Success Fall to Spring Percent Reenrolling (A, B, C, P) (D, F, N, I) (Continuing Students) Fall 2001 61% 39% Fall 00 to Spring 01 65% —————————————————————— —————————————————————— Fall 2002 68% 32% Fall 01 to Spring 02 36% —————————————————————— —————————————————————— Fall 2003 64% 36% Fall 02 to Spring 03 55% —————————————————————— —————————————————————— Fall 2004 63% 37% Fall 03 to Spring 04 59% —————————————————————— Fall 04 to Spring 05 68%

Source: Fall 2004 data extracted from the DEC (RDB) tables on November 14, 2005 and is subject to changes thereafter. Source: Extracted from http://albacore/laccd.edu/info_tech/reportsnstatistics on November 14, 2005. Note: Students enrolling in Spring who were enrolled in the previous Fall semester (continuing students).

WLAC SELF STUDY 16 17 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 18 UPDATE ON LAST COMPREHENSIVE VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS

Our annual planning cycle starts with the annual Key overarching recommendation 1 of the March program review and unit planning process, which 2000 evaluation team: we have incrementally adjusted to focus more and more on the evaluation of data and the measurement The College should complete the master of outcomes. Moving from a six-year cycle to a planning process assuring that program annual program review, combining program review review, educational master planning, finacial and unit planning, placing the relevant data within planning and facilities planning are the instruments provided to chairs and managers, integrated. and creating a data stream between unit budgets and the college budget are crucial steps we have taken to In 2003, West formally adopted its Integrated Master integrate research and data evaluation into our unit Plan, consisting of an Educational Plan, a Facilities planning process. We have also begun a six-year Plan and an Information Technology Plan. The comprehensive program review cycle, and the Integrated Master Plan identifies broad goals and Academic Senate has drafted a process to assess pro- strategies in support of our educational mission, gram viability. Key in all of these procedures is the including a detailed plan for the build-out of the analysis of measures of student success such as per- campus now underway. It lays out a planning and sistence and transfer. budget cycle, including annual program review, which the college has worked with since 2002, making incremental improvements with each annual The College should develop and evaluate cycle. strategies to ensure the communication, use, and integration of existing and planned research and evaluation throughout the Key overarching recommendation 2 of the March college community. This will further college 2000 evaluation team: efforts to develop a process where decisions are based on a culture of evidence. The College should create a functioning structure for participatory governance. The college has formed the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) to further integrate planning and With the signing of Shared Governance Agreements research into the operation of the campus. OIE in the spring of 2000, West completed the difficult applies the products of planning and research to and time-consuming task of reaching a formal con- increase the effectiveness of the organization, reach- sensus on its participatory governance structure. We ing across institutional boundaries to create the effi- have used these agreements, altering them as we rec- ciencies necessary to operate in an environment of ognized the need. The Academic Senate led in limited resources. The effectiveness of the college is rewriting the five agreements in a formal and delib- to be measured by student success. Thus, assessing erative process extending from December 2002 to student learning outcomes is a key component of June 2004. In the summer of 2005, an ad hoc college OIE’s mission. committee revised the keystone agreement changing the College Coordinating Committee, a body designed for communication among constituencies It is recommended that the college develop a and the president, into the College Council, a more plan for effective integration and coordina- powerful body charged with advising the president. tion of basic skills offerings in mathematics, This revision was accepted by the constituencies and English, and learning skills to meet the needs the president in Fall 2005. of under prepared students, improve retention, and allow students to progress through the curriculum and achieve their educational Other recommendations of the March 2000 evalua- goals. tion team: The college has obtained two large federal grants The College should integrate research and under Title III and Title V to address changes needed evaluation of data into the various planning to serve underprepared students. We have expanded processes, and include a greater focus on tutoring, provided computer-assisted instruction to outcomes, particularly with respect to support math and English courses and linked basic persistence, transfer, occupational placement, skills classes with personal development classes. and other measures.

19 WLAC SELF STUDY UPDATE ON LAST COMPREHENSIVE VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS

In the absence of a student union or cafeteria, The College should improve faculty the college should provide appropriate space participation on college committees and other for students to interact and enjoy a sense of forms of wider service to the institution. community. New language in the faculty contract makes it clear New bond monies will pay for the construction of a that each faculty member must serve on at least one student services building including space for both college committee, and chairs should consider serv- formal and informal student activities. The tempo- ice to the college in faculty evaluations. rary building used for the Associated Students Organization has been refurbished and forms one Regular evaluation of all staff should be side of a courtyard with shaded seating, a food truck monitored and documented. and vending machines. Each vice president’s division has systems to track employee evaluations. Please see Standard III.A.1.b. The College should improve the coordination of counseling services to better serve students in a timely and effective manner. An appropriate level of custodial services and physical plant maintenance should Orientation is now offered as part of the assessment be identified and addressed. process. A new computer system in Student Services allows students to schedule their own appointments Plant Facilities uses the unit planning process to and provides data on student use of services. The identify and schedule maintenance. Counseling Division is using this data to develop its staffing plans. The governing board should undertake an evaluation of its practices and policies. The College should take the steps necessary The Los Angeles Community College District Board to ensure the currency of the library collec- of Trustees conducted an ACCJC self study in 2000 tion and other learning resources. and now evaluates itself at annual retreats. The addition of an e-book collection and other electronic sources has updated our library. Librarians collect data to identify developing needs and purchase new materials on a rotation which ensures that different fields receive particular attention each year.

WLAC SELF STUDY 20 21 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 22 WEST’S STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES STORY

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES COMMITTEE WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE

Here is a brief timeline of West’s SLO planning and After a three-year process of conferences, commit- implementation process: tee meetings, staff development workshops, and much discussion and revision, West has developed • November 13, 2002 - West faculty and administra- the following institutional learning outcomes: tors attend a Student Learning Outcomes Workshop, led by the Research and Planning A. Critical Thinking: Analyze problems by Group (RP Group). differentiating fact from opinions, using evidence, and using sound reasoning to • Spring 2003 - West forms its SLO Committee, specify multiple solutions and their which drafts nine institutional outcomes. consequences. • October 24, 2003 -West faculty and administrators B. Communication: Effectively communicate attend a Student Learning Outcomes Workshop at thought in a clear, well-organized manner LA City College led by Dr. Mary Allen from CSU. to persuade, inform and convey ideas in academic, work, family and community • September 17, 2004 - West faculty and administra- settings. tors attend a Workshop on Assessment of SLOs at Harbor College led by Dr. Mary Allen from CSU. C. Quantitative Reasoning: Identify, analyze and solve problems that are quantitative in nature. • October 22-24, 2004 - West faculty and administrators attend American Association D. Self-awareness/Interpersonal Skills: for Higher Education Conference on SLOs. Apply self-assessment and reflection strategies to interpersonal, work, community, career and • November 2004 - West’s SLO Committee drafts educational pathways. institutional SLOs.

E. Civic Responsibility: Apply the principles • December 9, 2004 - West’s Academic Senate of civility to situations in the contexts of work, adopts these nine SLOs as a “working model.” family, community and the global world. • June 10, 2005 - U.S. Department of Education F. Technical Competence: Utilize the appropriate approves West’s request to add an objective technology effectively for informational, dealing with SLOs to its current Title V grant. academic, personal and professional needs. • July 14-15, 2005 - Professor Don Prickel from G. Cultural Diversity: Respectfully engage with Oregon State University leads SLO workshop other cultures in an effort to understand them. for 16 faculty representing all A-F graduation requirements, including English, math, art, H. Ethics: Practice and demonstrate standards of music, chemistry, psychology, anthropology personal and professional integrity, honesty and administration of justice. and fairness; apply ethical principles in submission of all college work. • October 27-28, 2005 - Don Prickel leads an SLO workshop for another 10 faculty from I. Aesthetics: Use multiple modes of inquiry history, counseling, humanities and and approaches to experience and engage computer science. with the arts and nature; develop and express personal creative visions through out all aspects of one's life. • November 8, 2005 - West’s Academic Senate approves the nine institutional outcomes. Our goal in designing these SLOs is to improve the college’s effectiveness by aligning course skills and • Spring 2006 - Divisions will select and take objectives with relevant assessment in order to help responsibility for appropriate institutional students reach these stated measurable outcomes. SLOs according to the A-F graduation areas.

23 WLAC SELF STUDY WEST’S STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES STORY

• Fall 2007 - Division faculty develop and pilot-test Angeles Harbor College on September 17, 2004, assessment tasks - papers, performances, presen- again led by Dr. Mary Allen. This workshop tations - as appropriate in each graduation area. addressed some of the same topics relating to assess- Interdisciplinary teams evaluate these assessment ment discussed at the City College workshop, but it products. This team’s report becomes part of the also addressed the development of outcomes more division’s program review document. thoroughly. This work session engaged participants in the initial drafting of SLOs. • Spring 2008 through Fall 2010 - Using Title V and other college funds, West supports continued LACCD AND ACADEMIC SENATE SUPPORT workshops - in classroom-based assessment, student learning styles and out-comes-based Around the same time, the District Academic Senate assessment - to assist faculty in systematically sponsored a workshop on student learning outcomes improving the college learning environment at its annual retreat led by LACCD Associate Vice Chancellor John Clerx and Chair of the District through its focus on SLOs. Curriculum Committee Beverly Shue, which provided more information on the development of learning WEST’S SLO DIALOGUE BEGINS outcomes. As a result, the college community was gaining greater understanding of student learning In response to national and state conferences, reports outcomes and assessment on institutional, program from the state and District Academic Senate and and course levels. Research and Planning Group and changes in accreditation standards, West became actively AAHE AND WASC GUIDANCE engaged in concerted efforts to develop student learning outcomes since 2002 through a variety of The workshops and previous efforts helped the col- activities including workshops, conferences and lege community to understand the concepts, but a meetings. Initially, staff attended workshops spon- comprehensive approach to the articulation of the sored by the state’s Research and Planning Group on student learning outcomes at the institution, pro- an individual basis to become knowledgeable about gram and course levels needed to be developed. To student learning outcomes. (Student Learning address this need for articulation at all levels, a core Outcomes Workshop, November 13, 2002, Pasadena team of the West’s Accreditation Steering Committee Hilton Hotel) represented by the Academic Senate, Academic Affairs Office, Student Services, Administrative Services and Planning participated in a two and one- DR. MARY ALLEN FROM CSU half day conference sponsored by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Subsequently, faculty, staff and students attended a American Association for Higher Education (AAHE). workshop on the new accreditation standards, which The thrust of this workshop was developing process- included the concept of student learning outcomes es and mechanisms to assure improvement in stu- (Accreditation Workshop on New Standards). This dent learning. A draft of institutional outcomes and workshop generated extensive discussion and a an action plan for all levels were developed by the major issue for the Accreditation Steering Committee core team. that was formed. As part of a district-wide effort to become knowledgeable about student learning outcomes, West Los Angeles College personnel attended COLLEGE PROGRESS ON SLOS a workshop at Los Angeles City College (Assessment Workshop/ Student Learning Outcomes Workshop The Accreditation Steering Committee formed an at Los Angeles City College October 24, 2003). The SLO Committee, which has been meeting since workshop, led by Dr. Mary Allen from the California Spring 2003. It spearheaded the action plan to adopt State University system, focused primarily on assess- institutional learning outcomes, and, as a result, ment of outcomes. institutional learning outcomes were presented to the College Coordinating Council, the College Planning As a result of mutual need for a better understand- Committee and the Academic Senate for adoption as ing of student learning outcomes, about 20 partici- a working model. This model would be used in the pants from West attended a workshop held at Los development of program and course outcomes as the

WLAC SELF STUDY 24 WEST’S STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES STORY units went through the planning cycle for the col- outcomes for administration of justice, anthropology, lege. As the college community’s awareness height- art, dental hygiene, chemistry, library science, music, ened, modifications that needed to be made to the mathematics, psychology, English and ESL. These institutional learning outcomes as they went through faculty revised the nine institutional outcomes as the planning cycle were to be submitted for consider- well. ation in revising the learning outcomes. By Fall 2004, the college had adopted the nine SLOs present- Don Prickel returned on October 27-28 to work with ed at the beginning of this document. another group of 10 faculty to design program outcomes for counseling, computer science, history and The SLO Committee developed forms that would humanities. These faculty again fine-tuned the insti- help the programs to articulate program outcomes. tutional outcomes for presentation to the Academic To test their effectiveness, these forms were complet- Senate in early November and worked to align the ed for English and Dental Hygiene by the chair of college outcomes with their own courses. Language Arts and the chair of Dental Hygiene, both of whom are members of the SLO Committee. After SLOs are also a part of the annual program review several revisions, the forms were provided to the and unit planning document used by academic divi- units for use in development of program outcomes. sions, Student and Administrative Consensus is that all units would develop program outcomes for at least one discipline or activity within Services and the President’s Office in their annual their area this year. self study evaluations, which lead into planning for the upcoming year. As West continues to provide RUTH STIEHL’S OUTCOMES PRIMER staff development for its faculty, we will engage in an on-going cycle of design, implementation, pilot- As more information became available from the testing, assessment and modification in order to League of Innovation and the Research and Planning strengthen the college learning environment. Group, material was provided to the college community at Divisional Council meetings to assist in the ALIGNMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL SLOS WITH development of the learning outcomes. Instructional COURSES AND GRADUATION AREAS division chairs received Ruth Stiehl’s Outcomes Primer and Mapping Primer. Information about the develop- Future plans include continued workshops to help ment of outcomes was discussed and shared at every faculty align course objectives and assessment tasks Divisional Council meeting. The Student Services with program and institutional SLOs, as well as Division developed learning outcomes for its units. incorporating appropriate program and institutional SLOs in all updated course outlines. Don Prickel INCREASED STAFF DEVELOPMENT THROUGH will return to West on April 27-28, 2006, to work on TITLE V GRANT SUPPORT program outcomes with another set of faculty.

In the spring of 2005, in order to fund the staff devel- West’s goal is that each of the approximately 20 opment activities necessary to design and implement courses a student takes in earning an Associate SLOs at the college, the vice president of Academic Degree would help the student achieve one or more Affairs and the Title V director asked the U.S. of its related program outcomes (biology outcomes Department of Education to approve West’s request for biology majors or liberal studies outcomes for lib- to add a yearly objective about SLOs, program out- eral studies majors) as well as one or more of the comes and classroom-based assessment to its current institutional outcomes. Furthermore, this program Title V grant—2005-2009. On June 10, 2005, this outcome would be assessed in a meaningful, meas- request was granted. urable way by a research paper, project or presentation. On July 14-15, 2005, the college used the newly available Title V grant funds to provide a SLO workshop In Spring 2006, we plan to work with each division for 16 faculty members, who met with Professor Don and the Academic Senate to select institutional SLOs Prickel from Oregon State University (who was rec- appropriate to each division according to the A-F ommended to us by Ruth Stiehl) to write program graduation areas—A. Natural Sciences, B. Social and Behavioral Sciences, C. Humanities, D. Language

25 WLAC SELF STUDY WEST’S STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES STORY

and Rationality, E. Health and Physical Education, PILOT TESTING OF ASSESSMENT TASKS and F. Mathematics 115 or 117-118--as well as Student Services. There will be considerable overlap, In Fall 2007, we will conduct workshops to help fac- since all courses taken for an Associate Degree must ulty develop and pilot test assessment tasks—papers, contain institutional SLO A, “Critical Thinking.” The performances, presentations—as appropriate in each challenge will be to make sure that more difficult graduation area. SLOs such as “Ethics” and “Aesthetics” are not over- looked. Below is sample grid to illustrate how courses within each Associate Degree graduation area (in Plan A) along with Student Services might be used to assess the college’s institutional outcomes:

A. B. C. D. E. F. Student Natural Social and Humanities Language and Health and Mathematics Services, Sciences 3 Behavioral 3 units Rationality PE 115 or higher ASO, units Sciences 9 (English, 3 units (3 units) Counseling, units Math, Tutoring Computer Science, 12 units

Critical Thinking X X X X X X –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Communication X X –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Quantitative Reasoning X X X –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Self-Awareness X X X X –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Civic Responsibility XX –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Technical Competence X X –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Cultural Diversity X X X X –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Ethics X X X –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Aesthetics X X –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– This type of a grid could also be done using actual courses from each graduation area.

WLAC SELF STUDY 26 WEST’S STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES STORY

Psych Psych Psych Psych Psych Outcome 1 Outcome 2 Outcome 3 Outcome 4 Outcome 5

Critical Thinking X X X ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Communication X ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Quantitative Reasoning ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Self-Awareness X ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Civic Responsibility ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Technical Competence ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Cultural Diversity X X X ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Ethics X ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Aesthetics

Psychology Program Outcomes: An added benefit would be that outcome and program alignment enable students simultaneously to 1. Practice and demonstrate skills and knowledge meet institutional and program outcomes. For regarding ethics and professionalism in treatment instance, students in Psychology 1, who were and research. assessed to see whether they met psychology pro- 2. Address social, behavioral, historical and cultural gram outcome # 1, “Practice and demonstrate skills issues in treating and dealing with individuals and knowledge regarding ethics and professionalism and their adjustment in the workplace, family, in treatment and research,” would also be meeting community and the global world. the college institutional outcome, “Ethics.” 3. Apply critical thinking to investigate and interpret influences of heredity and environment in assessment, counseling, therapy and research. 4. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of biological issues as a major factor in psychology. 5. Read, evaluate and incorporate knowledge of research in assessment of new and old information in the field.

Since all college courses will cover several, if not all, institutional SLOs, the challenge will be to focus on one or two crucial SLOs that will be assessed by each division. For students fully to achieve these SLOs, they would need the multiple opportunities provided by several different classes focusing on the same SLO in slightly different ways. In their annual program reviews, divisions will be expected to report on their success in helping students achieve.

27 WLAC SELF STUDY WEST’S STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES STORY

INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE

West’s goal is to increase the amount of communica- interdisciplinary teams to help each division evalu tion, trust and interdependence among divisions as ate the success of its SLO efforts by monitoring the they engage in the SLO alignment and assessment assessment products--papers, presentations and proj- process. For example, Social and Behavioral Science ects--created by students in the achievement of the faculty will realize they cannot reach their assigned institutional SLOs. This evaluation will become part outcomes unless their students have strong commu- of the division’s program review and the basis for its nication and composition skills acquired across the unit plan as it continually strives to improve the col- curriculum. We will encourage the formation of lege learning environment.

REFERENCE MATERIAL

1. Student Learning Outcomes Workshop, November 13, 2002 Pasadena Hilton Hotel 2. Accreditation Workshop on New Standards 3. Assessment Workshop/Student Learning Outcomes Workshop at Los Angeles City College October 24, 2003 4. “Seaside Colleges’ Student Learning Outcomes Workshop September 17, 2004, at Los Angeles Harbor College 5. AAHE “Assuring Improvement in Student Learning” Workshop October 22-24 in Glendale 6. Seaside Accreditation Meetings 7. Academic Senate Workshop on “Developing Student Learning Outcomes for Programs” September, 2004, Marina Del Rey 8. Development by Language Arts and Dental Hygiene of sample SLOs 9. Distribution of literature on Student Learning Outcomes at Divisional Council including the Outcomes Primer and the Mapping Primer by Ruth Stiehl and Les Lewchuk 10. Distribution of website by Janet Fulks on Assessment and SLOs 11. Development by Divisions of SLOs 12. Workshops by Don Prickel for Program Student Learning Outcomes July 14 –15, 2005 and October 27-28, 2005. 13. Student Learning Outcomes Committee meetings 14. Program Review and Unit Planning instrument

WLAC SELF STUDY 28 29 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 30 OFF-CAMPUS SITES AND CENTERS AND DISTANCE LEARNING

library and information science, multimedia, math, West Los Angeles College has a single off-campus music, personal development, political science, psy- center, the Airport Center where West offers limited chology, Spanish, speech communications, theater art classes as part of the Hollywood Cinema and travel. Enrollments have grown significantly Production Resources training program. In addition, over the last three years to over 2000 (duplicated West offers credit classes at the Beverly Hills Public head-count). Library and at Cedars Sinai Hospital. All classes are open to any students, but these classes primarily A Dean of Academic Affairs supervises the Distance attract Beverly Hills city employees and employees Learning Program. Distance Learning Program staff of Cedars Sinai. We offer non-credit classes at the consists of a part-time faculty coordinator, and two Culver City Senior Center. part-time student workers.

DISTANCE LEARNING The Distance Education Committee was established in 1999 to make recommendations to the Academic West offered its first distance learning courses via Senate regarding distance education, to review videoconferencing in Fall 1999. Initial offerings administrative procedures related to distance learn- included courses in library science, music and ing and to evaluate new educational technologies, Spanish. In Spring 2000, in addition to offering online course management systems and related top- Humanities 30 and Music 111 via videoconferencing, ics. The committee also serves as a resource for we offered our first online course, English 101. The instructors and classified staff interested in distance Distance Learning Program quickly expanded and learning. West now offers 100 online courses in accounting, administration of justice, art, business, computer sci- Online courses undergo a rigorous curriculum ence and information technology, dental hygiene, approval process requiring a Distance Education economics, English, ESL, fire technology, health, his- Addendum in addition to the comprehensive course tory, humanities, Jewish Studies, law, learning skills, outline. Instructors must complete specialized training prior to teaching online.

31 WLAC SELF STUDY OFF-CAMPUS SITES AND CENTERS AND DISTANCE LEARNING

Initially, online course development was driven by learning courses; 82 percent indicated that they were instructor interests. As our online program matures, satisfied or very satisfied with their own success in online course development is determined by the course, and 81 percent were satisfied or very sat- Department or Divisional objectives, usually relevant isfied with the extent to which courses helped them to degree/transfer requirements. Academic Division achieve academic/vocational goals. Sixty-three per- chairs or their designees are responsible for schedul- cent of the students responded that they agreed or ing online classes as well as hiring and evaluating strongly agreed that the distance education course online instructors. was more academically demanding than a typical on-campus course, and the same percentage indicat- Online students have access to an online orientation ed that the distance education course demanded and technical assistance, which is provided 24/7 more time for lessons, activities and homework than online, via e-mail, by phone and on-campus. The a typical on-campus class. Seventy-four percent Chancellor’s Office Fall 2004 survey of WLAC online found the method of instruction for distance educa- students documents a high level of satisfaction with tion courses made the course more interesting. their online classes. According to survey results 90 percent of our online students agree or strongly Based on enrollment at census date and course com- agree that they would take another distance educa- pletion statistics from the College Research and tion course; 92 percent agree or strongly agree that Planning Department, the overall retention rate for community colleges should offer more distance Fall 2004 online students was 82 percent.

WLAC SELF STUDY 32 33 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 34 AUDITS

The Los Angeles Community College District respect” with accepted accounting principles, state “Report on Audited Basic Financial Statements” compliance requirements and federal program dated June 30, 2004 prepared by KPMG, LLP requirements. A copy is available in the team reported that the “District complied, in all material room.

35 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 36 THEMES

The college mission statement The Title V grant was designed to promote success for both basic skills and general education students. “. . . to serve the students and It provides linked sets of academic and support the community by providing classes, so that a cohort of students, with academic, counseling and technology support, successfully quality instructional and moves through the educational pipeline towards their goals, starting with the basic skills curriculum support services…” and moving upward with each successive year of the grant. And while the prior $1.7 million Title III grant guides West’s institutional actions. West’s commit- was received before completion of the Integrated ment to our mission is demonstrated by four key Master Plan, its focus on revitalizing the Learning accomplishments during the past six-year accredita- Center, providing a Teaching Learning Center for tion cycle. faculty and increased technology training for faculty also dovetailed with the Integrated Master Plan 1. INTEGRATED MASTER PLAN goals. As further evidence of Evaluation, Planning , when the college realized it need- As evidence of , West has and Improvement Institutional Commitment ed more resources to design and implement student a fully completed Integrated Master Plan, consisting learning outcomes, the grant director asked for and of an Educational Master Plan, a Facilities Plan and received the U. S. Department of Education’s permis- an Information Technology Plan. Designed in collab- sion to add a yearly objective about SLOs to West’s oration with Moore, Iacofano, Goltsman, Inc., the Title V grant plan and program. Integrated Master Plan guides West’s fulfillment of its mission in a number of ways. 2. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES The Integrated Master Plan represents a process for Evidence of as well as broad-based planning, sets measurable goals and Dialogue, Integrity Evalua- is represented by provides ways to decide among those goals. It tion, Planning and Improvement aligns budget and planning and includes a frame- the adoption of nine institutional SLOs by the work for it own modification. Academic Senate on November 9, 2005, after two productive years of meetings and workshops. In the Broad-based planning begins with the annual past six months, 36 West faculty from a broad spec- Leadership Retreat, followed by program review and trum of disciplines, including administration of jus- unit planning, which leads to vice presidents’ and tice, mathematics, English, anthropology, humanities divisional review of unit plans including budget allo- and fine arts, have attended intensive day-and-a-half cations. Next, these plans are submitted to the workshops, which helped them write program out- Planning Committee, after which the Planning comes and revise the college outcomes. This shows Committee meets jointly with the Budget West’s willingness to translate its academic inten- Committee, followed by time for constituency tions into outcomes related to the world beyond the groups’ review of budget priorities. Then the plans classroom. The SLOs will guide faculty as they go to the President, who makes the final decisions. revise curriculum and develop more robust assessment techniques. The nine institutional outcomes West’s current $2.4 million Title V grant grew out of will provide us with a better sense of how to fulfill our efforts to implement five key strategic goals the promises of the mission statement. The full identified in the Integrated Master Plan: account of West’s work with outcomes is told in • S-1 Assess and orient every student to develop “West’s Student Learning Outcomes Story” in the career goals and educational plans introduction to this self study and in Standard II. • S-2 Implement a first-year success program • S-3 Emphasize early math and English • S-4 Provide supplemental academic enrichment activities • S-6 Increase support for the integration of technology in the classroom

37 WLAC SELF STUDY THEMES

3. THE PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE PROCESS

Through its annual Leadership Retreats, the college has fine-tuned its and Organizational Structure responded to the need for change and efficiency. These retreats focus on the mission statement and the Integrated Master Plan. The annual planning and budgeting cycle intends to link planning and budgeting through collaboration, cross-divisional review and constituency review.

Working under the aegis of the newly approved College Council, the College Planning and Budget Committees focus on implementing the Integrated Master Plan through a progression of college-wide and unit processes.

Conceived and informally agreed upon at the June 2005 Leadership Retreat and formally approved by the college in November 2005, the newly approved reinstituted comprehensive program review along College Council will provide centralized coordina- with a standing evaluation committee for specific tion of all these efforts. The College Council is the academic and college divisions. An active program result of this continued demonstrating that review process is also evidence of West’s commit- Dialogue West’s participatory governance process promotes ment to Evaluation, Planning and Improvement. vital change to its as well as showing In addition, West has been awarded two large feder- Organization West can review and modify all parts of its planning al grants, a $1.7 million Title III grant (1999-2004) and cycle. We adopted a governance structure, grew to a $2.4 million Title V grant (2004-2009). More recent- realize it was inefficient, and through our institution- ly we have received a $3.5 million Title V Co-opera- al processes, created a better structure. tive grant, which also works through the program review process, making sure that grant objectives A reliable core of concerned faculty engage in con- align with the Educational Master Plan focus on stu- structive about all important college issues dent achievement. Dialogue on a wide array of committees, including the Academic Senate, the Curriculum Committee, the These four accomplishments show West’s successful SLO Committee, the Basic Skills Task Force, melding of all six themes in numerous, overlapping Divisional Council, the Faculty Position ways. Identification and Prioritization Committee, the Work Environment and the Technology Committees. • Institutional commitment to student learning through the Integrated Master Plan and institutional SLOs. 4. PROGRAM REVIEW AND UNIT PLANNING • Evaluation, planning and improvement by means of the Integrated Master Plan, program The well-developed and effective annual program review and participatory governance. review and unit planning cycle assures the close fit • The development and implementation of SLOs between intention and action, allowing divisions and through sustained professional development all areas of the college to review data, renew their and dedicated grant support. focus on the mission statement and student success, • Dialogue among all constituencies supported as well as giving divisions the flexibility to remedy by a wide variety of functioning committees, any problems and launch new initiatives based on professional development workshops and demographic data as well as faculty and student participatory governance. input. We streamlined our process by merging pro- • Organizational support and institutional gram review with unit planning. We have also integrity provided by the College Council and the participatory governance process.

WLAC SELF STUDY 38 ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT

STANDARD I.A. MISSION recommend to the President. This documents West’s use of systematic evaluation and planning as well as its ability to modify organizational structures to West is committed to fulfilling its mission statement make them more efficient. Well-established working “to serve the students and community by providing committees that promote self-reflective dialogue feed quality instruction and support services…” by pro- into this process. viding transfer education, career and occupational education, general education, foundation skills pro- The College Planning and Budget Committees focus gram, economic development, continuing education, on implementing the Integrated Master Plan through support services and student activities. We used the a progression of college-wide and unit processes that consulting firm of Moore, Iacofano, Goltsman, Inc. to help institutional members understand the college’s complete an Integrated Master Plan to guide us in goals and work towards their achievement. These serving our multicultural student body, which is steps include the Leadership Retreat, program approximately 46 percent African American, 29 per- review and unit planning, divisional planning, sub- cent Hispanic, 12 percent white and nine percent mission of unit plans and budgets, review by Vice Asian. Presidents, review by the College Planning Committee, joint review with the Budget Committee, In fulfillment of its mission, from July 2004 until June review by constituency groups and recommenda- 30, 2005, West awarded 342 Associate Degrees and tions to the President. The annual process ends with 292 certificates for programs completed in two years the President’s final decisions. or less. Recently approved programs in Emergency Medical Services and Drug and Alcohol Studies, and While an abundance of quantitative data on student online courses for the Los Angeles County Sheriffs success has become available, time needs to be taken Department provide additional opportunities for our to analyze this data and act upon its implications. student clientele. The college has agreed upon nine The formation of our Office of Institutional comprehensive SLOs that will help faculty fine-tune Effectiveness will facilitate this process. their curriculum and make our students more successful. STANDARD II.A. INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS To assist evaluation, planning and improvement, West has thoroughly instituted a reliable program West offers and continually seeks to improve educa- review and unit planning cycle, which helps the tional programs to meet the varied needs of our stu- entire college orient itself toward the mission state- dents. West has a concentrated focus on basic skills ment. The Child Development Center, Library and and, with the support of its Title V grant, has begun Learning Resources, Administrative Services, linking basic skills math and English classes with Information Technology, the Business Office and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and personal Personnel and Payroll are also working on compre- development classes. This has resulted in an upward hensive program review reports. trend for four years in student pass rates from remedial Math 112 to college-level Intermediate Algebra The college’s Integrated Master Plan both includes Math 125. Also, as evidence of our commitment to and references the mission statement, provides a meeting the learning needs of our students, West has framework for planning and change, as well as for developed program and institutional SLOs to guide responding to shifts in demographics and jobs, levels faculty and increase student success both within and of funding and staffing. The newly adopted institu- without the college. West is in the process of devel- tional student learning outcomes along with plans oping a system of including SLOs in all course out- for their assessment will become an integral part of lines, as well as assessing program outcomes and the program review process. college outcomes.

West has a well-run and supportive program review STANDARD I.B. NSTITUTIONAL FFECTIVENESS I E process to help divisions plan and monitor their success in helping students and make modifications if A product of the broad-based, participatory gover- necessary. The mathematics discipline has used pro- nance practiced at West, the newly approved College gram review to steadily increase its use of supple- Council oversees the entire college planning process mentary CAI for its basic skills classes. In Spring and includes the provision that all constituencies can

39 WLAC SELF STUDY ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT

2005, English, ESL, Mathematics, Dental Hygiene The College Catalog and schedules are available in and Counseling underwent a comprehensive pro- print and online. The college works to make sure its gram review, much more detailed than the already classes transfer. When transfer issues arise, the artic- very thorough annual process. ulation officer, the chair of the Curriculum Committee, the involved Division Chairs and faculty While most students declare liberal arts majors, West meet to address them. offers 41 Associate Degrees, ranging from accounting to English, travel to biology and Spanish to physics, The college has an Accelerated College Transfer pro- and state approved certificates in 14 disciplines. For gram, which offers intensive eight- week sessions example, in 2003-2004, 223 students took the liberal designed to give students a fast track toward trans- arts major, 23 majored in business and 16 in social fer. It offers a general education core, a university- science. In order to assure student progress and suc- specific pathway and preparation business and edu- cess, West will analyze all majors to see that each cation majors. class required for a major also fulfills a graduation requirement. To insure honesty and integrity among students and staff, West’s catalog and schedule include specific West offers vocational programs in paralegal studies, statements on “Standards of Student Conduct” and dental hygiene, travel, aviation technology and child “Student Rights and Legal Protections.” The development. These programs are licensed, Faculty Professional Standards pamphlet reminds approved or accredited by the appropriate outside faculty to distinguish between their personal opin- agencies. West’s dental hygiene students have ions and professionally accepted views within their scored in the top 10 percent of national exams every disciplines. They present data and information fairly year since the inception of the program. The parale- and objectively. gal studies program was given full approval by the American Bar Association in Spring 2005. STANDARD II.B. STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES To increase student success, West is steadily increas- Student Support Services include a multitude of ing its use of instructional technology, with CAI sup- important functions that support student learning. port for math, English and music. Four classrooms To assure that quality services are delivered to stu- have interactive whiteboards or smart boards, pur- dents, each area is in the process of developing ways chased through Title III and Title V grants. to assess the nine institutional SLOs. The comprehensive district Revised Course Outline To increase our ability to serve our large contingent requires that faculty align course content with specif- of students, West has purchased the Student ic learning objectives. Our program outcomes and Accountability and Record System (SARS), an online institutional outcomes, together with ways to assess and telephone-based system to provide students student learning, will also be included in the form. with more equitable access to counseling services, to help the college contact students and to track student The Academic Senate’s Curriculum Committee use of important services. requires that online classes submit a Distance Delivery Strategies supplement that explains how The Child Development Center has moved into a distance delivery strategies are used to help students new facility, and its licensed capacity has expanded achieve each course objective. All online instructors from 48 to 72 pre-schoolers and from 28 to 42 school- must pass an intensive, 20-hour online training age children. course in ETUDES (Easy to Use Distance Education System) before they can teach online. Three federally funded grants, Upward Bound, Talent Search and Student Support Services, provide While the college has developed program and insti- important services to local middle school and high tutional outcomes, it recognizes that including these school students from diverse backgrounds who may in courses and assessing them, to insure that stu- attend West. These programs target poor, at-risk or dents become productive individuals and lifelong first-generation students and provide them with a learners, will take time. supportive learning environment.

WLAC SELF STUDY 40 ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT

To celebrate the diverse backgrounds of our stu- percent strongly agreed or agreed that the library’s dents, the Associated Student Organization sponsors collection of books and magazines is modern and cultural and civic enrichment activities, and the Fine well maintained. Fifty-seven percent strongly Arts and Humanities Division sponsors art exhibits agreed or agreed that tutoring services are adequate and music concerts. Extended Opportunity and available at convenient times. Programs and Services conducts workshops for student success and personal development and also All course outlines have been updated, and plans to provides tutoring. assess student learning outcomes will be developed. The library and learning center will also work with The college maintains a Student Equity Plan that discipline faculty and the Office of Institutional provides analysis of student demographics and plans Effectiveness to develop more systematic ways of for promoting diversity and insuring equal opportu- evaluating its programs and services. nity and access. Students are being assessed using valid, approved instruments.

STANDARD II.C. LIBRARY AND LEARNING SUPPORT SERVICES

The Heldman Learning Resources Center offers instructional programs and services. The 39,000 square-foot building is scheduled for a remodel in October 2010. The second floor includes the library instructional research lab equipped with 73 Internet- enabled computer stations. These offer individual access to an online catalog of 62,000 print books, 1,500 e-books and 1,200 videos and to several full- text periodical and reference databases as well as word processing and printing services for students. Also on the second floor, the library instructional research classroom is used for library instruction and is equipped with 23 additional computer stations, one reserved for the instructor. The reference librarian, instructional assistant-information technician and student tutors support the instruction in library instructional research lab. Videos are being close-cap- STANDARD III.A. HUMAN RESOURCES tioned, and one station is equipped for the visually impaired. West manages its employees under a network of published documents, including the policies of the Our strong library instruction program consists of LACCD Personnel Commission, Board Rules, collec- for-credit classes offered online, information compe- tive bargaining agreements and the State Educational tency workshops and library orientations. Code. These documents govern our maintenance of secure, confidential records, and determine the The first floor of the Heldman Learning Resource process by which we hire and evaluate staff, faculty Center, with 52 computers, houses learning skills, and administration. tutoring, the Joyce Jaffe Writing Lab and the foreign language lab. Evaluation of faculty, most staff and most administrators follows procedures defined in collective bar- Even with some reductions of hours and staff, the gaining agreements. The college President evaluates library and learning center continue to support the those employees not covered by such agreements, college curriculum with instruction and services. In and the LACCD Chancellor evaluates the President. the Spring 2005 Student Survey Results, 72 percent of These evaluation processes all have the potential to students strongly agreed or agreed that the library is take student learning outcomes into account as we available and open at convenient times. Sixty-three develop and deploy them.

41 WLAC SELF STUDY ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT

The Academic Senate policy on ethical and profes- rooms for child development classes – all of which sional standards applies to the faculty, and all college support student learning. Four smart classrooms, employees are held to ethical and professional stan- two with interactive white boards and two with dards by the college compliance officer. The code of Sympodiums, technologically enhance student learn- ethics for all employees, with the exception of the ing. faculty, is in the process of being submitted to the LACCD Board for approval. The District Academic Maintaining a healthful learning and working envi- Senate is currently working on a code of ethics for ronment is key to the college’s mission. To prioritize faculty. We assess our diversity and strive to improve the many needs across the campus, Plant Facilities it in hiring, and we have funds to increase efforts in will create a timeline for facilities upgrading and this area. repairs. Establishing clear space utilization processes will greatly enhance assigning of available rooms. We are creating professional development opportuni- Evaluation as a process of planning will also help the ties despite severe cuts to the state funds which usu- college address crucial challenges such as increasing ally support them. Federal Title III and Title V cost of utilities. grants have been of great assistance in this area. Part of the dialogue about improvement includes Human resource planning is integrated into the col- results from the West Los Angeles College 2005 Self- lege planning cycle, with additional scrutiny of facul- Study Questionnaire. Ninety percent of respondents ty hiring by the Faculty Position Identification and agree and strongly agree that the work environment Prioritization Committee. The college is considering is pleasant. Eighty-nine percent agree and strongly a similar committee to prioritize staff positions. agree it is safe, and 87 percent agree and strongly agree it is conducive to working.

STANDARD III.B. PHYSICAL RESOURCES STANDARD III.C. TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES Through its Facilities Master Plan, West fulfills a key institutional commitment: planning, building, main- The Los Angeles Community College District’s taining and upgrading or replacing its physical Information Technology Department centralizes resources to assure effective use and continuing qual- administrative systems for human resources, student ity to support student learning. Through key strate- information and financial services. A committee rep- gic planning processes such as program review and resenting the district office and colleges guides the unit planning, dialogue that occurs in the Work selection and implementation of these systems. Environment Committee and meetings between architects, designers, and stakeholders on new facili- The district has converted administrative systems to ties, West evaluates and addresses the sufficiency of a SAP enterprise resource application, with the finan- its facilities. cial services portion activated in July 2002. In Summer 2005, the human resources system known as With the passing of Propositions A and AA bond MAESTRO was implemented. A new student infor- measures, the college is making progress toward mation system is in the works. Advisory committees constructing a mathematics and science building, a have been established for both the financial services new classroom building to house Language Arts and portion and MAESTRO. the Behavioral and Social Sciences Divisions, a parking structure and a student services center for coun- At West, college-based technology services and sup- seling, student government and clubs, which will port are provided through the Information become a hub for students to network and connect Technology Department (InfoTech) headed by a man- with campus life. The new student services center ager who reports to the Vice President of will also house EOPS, DSPS, Financial Aid, the Administrative Services. A Technology Committee, Health Office and the Transfer Center. Evaluation, a chaired by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, key component of the college’s planning process, has makes recommendations on the prioritization of resulted in the upgrading of computer equipment in projects to be carried out by InfoTech. It also offers the library and learning resources building, the math advice about the website, college applications and lab and the creation of a Teaching Learning Center faculty and staff needs. for faculty and staff use as well as a lab and training

WLAC SELF STUDY 42 ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT

The college’s existing buildings are connected to cen- been documented. The Teaching Learning Center tralized servers via high-speed fiber optic cables. provides training for faculty, staff and administrators Administrative and faculty offices and all classrooms through extensive on-going classes as well as drop-in feature Internet access. InfoTech maintains the col- consultations. A Faculty Support Center provides lege website, college email system, telephone voice- adjunct faculty access to the college network. mail system as well as an inventory of computer Foothill College provides online training for instruc- hardware and software. A Windows-based telephone tors developing online and hybrid courses. voicemail system, installed in September 2005, allows for easier updates and fewer layers in the The Spring 2005 Student Survey Results indicate that menu tree. students feel that West maintains an up-to-date technology infrastructure. Consistent with the technolo- Infrastructure to support specific learning objectives gy portion of the Integrated Master Plan, Proposition has been developed for these academic areas: mathe- A/AA projects will include updating and expanding matics, fine arts, music, aviation, business, computer this infrastructure. science and English. Computer facilities open to all students are maintained by the Heldman Learning Centralizing all technical support for computing Resources Center. facilities will help the college allocate its resources more efficiently. The college intends to revise the Federal Title III and Title V grants and the California technology plan to incorporate overall coordination Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure and maintenance of technology resources on campus. Program funded the Teaching Learning Center for staff and faculty and converted four classrooms into To assess the effective use of technology resources, smart classrooms. the program reviews and unit plans for all units include technology resources necessary to accom- In 2003, as part of the Integrated Master Plan, West plish stated objectives. In 2005, the manager of col- developed an Information Technology Plan on the lege information technology position was created premise that funding would be available from and filled, based on recommendations in the Proposition A/AA for the technology infrastructure. Technology Plan. Establishing an unambiguous The college is studying where best physically to organizational hierarchy will further improve the locate the information technology unit and also the college’s technology resources efforts. most effective network system.

West exceeds the stated standards as mandated in the Telecommunications and Technology STANDARD III.D. FINANCIAL RESOURCES Infrastructure Program; however, with the reduction of these funds, maintaining computers and keeping West relies upon its mission and goals as the founda- software and hardware up-to-date becomes increas- tion for financial planning. The college’s annual ingly difficult. In order to reduce redundant emails planning and budgeting cycle, in keeping with the and an occasional lack of courtesy, an email policy district process, is outlined in the Integrated Master has been approved by the Academic Senate. Plan, directly linking planning and budgeting. The product of its participatory governance structure, Coordination of equipment acquisition needs to be West’s operational plan is based upon division goals addressed through careful planning. set forth in the program review and unit planning process. The college regularly assesses resource West provides a variety of computer literacy classes availability and expenditure requirements based to students. Training on the enterprise resource pro- upon a Monthly Projection Report that reflects a real- gram and other applications used district-wide is istic assessment of the college’s financial profile provided by the District Information Technology based on the latest budget data. The college has run Office. Those who receive training then train others a deficit in two of the last three years because of mid- on campus. year reduction, cost increases and enrollment declines. Faculty and staff require training as new administrative and instructional systems are brought online. In the WLAC 2005 Self Study Questionnaire, 39 per- The need for more classes in network technology, cent agree, and 15 percent strongly agree that website development and computer security have resources and funding are allocated in a fair manner.

43 WLAC SELF STUDY ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT

With changes in our government structure, we will proposed at the Leadership Retreat in June 2005 and be using our planning and budget processes to approved in November 2005. This new process has address the large swings in revenue and expendi- just started, and it will be evaluated and refined to tures. The college will also be integrating student ensure that its goals are reached. learning outcomes into the planning and budget process. West’s Master Plan was completed in 2001 and has been evaluated and refined each year. The current An external independent auditor conducts an annual Integrated Master Plan was adopted in 2003. It audit of the college’s financial statements and related defines a planning process that includes program budget and accounting policies and procedures. review, unit planning, budget analysis, constituent These annual reports for the last three years validat- feedback and a leadership retreat to evaluate goals ed that West has managed its financial resources and to plan and implement new goals. with integrity. The audit for the year ending June 30, 2004 was conducted by KPMG, LLP. STANDARD IV.B. BOARD AND ADMINISTRATIVE West’s financial resources derive from state apportionment, which is affected by California’s economic ORGANIZATION climate. The college’s revenue allocation comes from the District’s allocation mechanism, which is prima- The Los Angeles Community College District has a rily based on the state funding formula. In this seven-member Board of Trustees elected for four- process, funding for District-wide expenses and the year terms; a student member is elected for a one- District Office are subtracted from the District total year term. The Board delegates the implementation before money is allocated to the colleges. In addi- of its policies to the Chancellor at the District Office tion, the college receives funds and administers a and the Presidents of the nine colleges. The District number of categorical programs and specially fund- and the Board oversee all aspects of the colleges’ ed programs awarded through federal, state and educational programs through policy setting, estab- local agencies, all helpful in recruiting and retaining lishing standards and detailing faculty roles. students Decentralization of authority to the local colleges has been implemented in faculty hiring and in curricu- West is one of nine colleges within the Los Angeles lum and program approval processes. Community College District, which maintains a 3.5 percent reserve. The district is self-insured for up to The Board’s Educational Programs and Student of $500,000 for each workers’ compensation claim Success Committee monitor the accreditation self and $100,000 for each general liability claim. Funds study process and reviews the final self study are allocated to meet risk management potential lia- reports. The Board also ensures that past recommen- bilities at the district-wide level. dations are addressed effectively. The Board and the District have taken a proactive role in the accreditation process by providing workshops and sharing best practices across the district. STANDARD IV.A. LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE The Board uses a process of self-evaluation to meas- West is committed to participatory governance, and ure its effectiveness. The Board selects and evaluates agreements have been in effect between the the District Chancellor. The Board and the President and the constituent groups since 2000. Chancellor hire the college President and evaluate West recognizes many constituent groups including the President’s performance. multiple unions, the Academic Senate and the Associated Student Organization. The interim college President supports the process of planning and collegial consultation; together, the West has recently changed the governance structure constituents and the President are working in a posi- to create a stronger central forum. The motivation for tive and collegial manner to strengthen campus dia- this change was to streamline and consolidate the logue and enhance student learning outcomes. consultation process and to provide clarity to the committee structure. A new College Council was

WLAC SELF STUDY 44 ORGANIZATION OF THE SELF STUDY

Candidates had to be full-time faculty who pos- rganization of West’s self study included the fol- O sessed both good organizational and writing skills. lowing processes and timelines: They also had to knowledgeable about the accredita- In October 2003, the Los Angeles Community tion process. This original assignment began with a College District coordinated a workshop at Los .2 release time starting in Winter 2004. This would Angeles City College to introduce the new standards increase to .6 release time beginning Summer 2005 of accreditation to the three colleges that were through Spring 2006. preparing for the site visitation in Spring 2006. All self study chairs and representatives from adminis- A subcommittee interviewed the sole applicant on trative services and student services were invited to February 20, 2004; the faculty chair assumed her attend. duties that month.

During that same month, the college President Once the faculty chair was on board, a team of four assigned the Dean of Planning and Research to be subcommittees, one for each standard, was formed the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) for West. to begin drafting the self study. Chairs for each com- That Fall, a steering committee made up of all divi- mittee were identified and held responsible for gath- sion Chairs and all program directors of student ering data to address for their standard. All chairs services and administrative services came together to were required to attend all steering committee meet- begin the self study process. The steering committee ings and both on and off-campus workshops on how met every other week for the first year. In the fall of to collect data, create evidence and write the report. 2004 the college President and the Academic Senate agreed on recruitment of a self study faculty chair Spurred by the new standards with their emphasis and the provision of reassigned time for this respon- on student learning outcomes, the college had sibility. A description of the position and its duties formed an SLO Committee composed of division fac- were emailed to the college community and ulty chairs, vice presidents and program directors of appeared in the President's Bulletin. Applicants both Student Services and Administrative Services. were asked to submit a letter of interest. The committee developed the nine student learning outcomes and measurable outcomes that would The primary duties of the Accreditation Self Study apply to all academic programs. Each representative faculty chair consisted of: of the committee worked closely with their respective constituents to obtain agreement. After develop- Working with the Accreditation Liaison Officer to ing the nine SLOs, the college decided that each edu- facilitate the self-study process between the campus cational program within Academic Affairs, Student and the Commission. Services and Administrative Services focus on two • Facilitating the development and production of disciplines within their divisions to establish full the self-study report. SLOs. West’s SLO Story contains the progress made • Attending and facilitating self-study work by the college in this endeavor. shops and campus-wide symposiums. • Coordinating with Standard Chairs in prepara- In 2004, the Los Angeles Community College District tion for the self study report. created a consulting position whose primary respon- • Promoting a campus culture that is concerned sibility was to streamline communication and to about accreditation. work with the District in assuring that all colleges • Promoting a campus culture that focuses on preparing for accreditation adhered to the standards student learning outcomes. of the accreditation. This liaison scheduled meetings • Facilitating distribution of the self study report. with the three colleges scheduled for March, 2006 • Facilitating the team visit. visits–Los Angeles Harbor College, Los Angeles • Facilitating follow-up with the Commission. Southwest College and West, also known as the • Staying informed about Commission policies, Seaside colleges. The colleges’ ALOs met on several procedures and activities. occasions to share their college’s structure and time- • Acting as an archivist for the institution’s lines and to discuss best practices. accreditation documents. • Fulfilling other duties relating to the implemen- On Friday, September 17, 2004, at a hands-on work- tation and coordination of the self study report. shop, faculty of the three colleges of the district undergoing accreditation in this cycle (referred to as

45 WLAC SELF STUDY ORGANIZATION OF THE SELF STUDY the Seaside colleges), division chairs, and administra- Services meeting to brief this division and field tive staff obtained more information about: 1) stu- questions on accreditation efforts. dent learning outcomes and learner-centered teach- • To keep the college community informed of all ing, 2) developing learning outcomes for specific developments, accreditation updates appeared in courses and course sequences, 3) exploring the use of each weekly President’s Bulletin. Wide dissemi- assessment rubrics and embedded assessment, and nation of the report to encourage reading of the 4) discussing a variety of assessment strategies. drafts included making binders containing hard copies of the draft report available at the Reserve On March 26, 2004, West Los Angeles College hosted Desk of the library and in the Accreditation an accreditation workshop led by Barbara Beno and Office. Working together, the Accreditation Office Darlene Pacheco. Relevant handbooks were distrib- and Infotech posted the report on the college uted to participants. website. • Emails on “How to Read the Self Study Report,” As chairs of each standard committee worked with the accreditation themes and what self-reflective their respective committees and presented their self- dialogue means were part of the ongoing efforts study draft reports to the steering committee, the to communicate key concepts to the institution’s steering committee reviewed the report to assure members. accuracy and continuity. This process was seamless for some committees and challenging for others. Dr. Darlene Pacheco, recently retired from the Only two of the standards were able to keep up with ACCJC, and Julie Slark, Assistant Vice Chancellor, the timeline, which called for the completion of a full Educational Services, Rancho Santiago Community draft, including documentation, by June 14, 2005. In College District, have helped the college through a August 2005, a new interim president was on board series of meetings to check that the report responds who was concerned about the production of the to the standards, references evidence and documents report and, as a result, reorganized the structure and and is consistent across the standards. Intensive appointed both a new full-time faculty chair and a writing, revising, rethinking, rewriting and editing new accreditation liaison officer. Both assumed their continued throughout Fall 2005, including numerous duties at the end of August. week-end work sessions with teams of writers, thinkers and editors from across the organization. The new structure included full participation of the The work remained organized, focused and produc- president in the self-study process, and a full-time tive. As we worked, the self reflective dialogue con- assignment was given to the new faculty chair who tinued – about the process, about observations, about was also an English professor. Two English faculty what we have learned to do, and not to do, and were also charged with editing the report. about how our own expectations, standards and awareness – personal and institutional – have been Since the end of August, when these changes sharpened through the process itself. occurred, the self study chair, standards chairs, steering committee members and others from all seg- The Interim President also established the Office of ments of the college community have met weekly, Institutional Effectiveness, which will help the col- and sometimes even more often as needed. A con- lege in the transformative process begun with the certed effort to apprise the college of the importance writing of the self-study report. Because so much of accreditation and its fine points included a variety needed to be done since the end of August, staff, fac- of strategies: ulty and administrators from all areas of the college have been engaged in self-reflective dialogue and • CDs of the draft self study report were given to work sessions. These sessions, combined with the all faculty attending opening Flex Day meeting research and planning functions, are serving to on September 1, 2005. The faculty chair reported enhance participants’ perspectives on mission- on the upcoming efforts to address the gaps in related issues, all aimed to increase institutional the report and to revitalize the college communi- effectiveness. ty’s energies for the intense work ahead. • The faculty chair reported in writing and in As part of this effort, in October 2005, West hired a person at almost all Academic Senate and research analyst, a trained information scientist, who College Planning Committee meetings through has been instrumental in checking the accuracy of out the fall semester and attended a Student data and formulating a research agenda that ties

WLAC SELF STUDY 46 ORGANIZATION OF THE SELF STUDY planning, evaluation and assessment to better Participants agree that like the college’s Integrated address the institution’s effectiveness. Evidence Master Plan, the self study report has become a liv- and documentation is provided in each of the four ing document, which we will use to enrich West’s standards. on-going efforts in planning, evaluation and improvement. The college is committed to the trans- The self study report went to the Board’s formation that is already underway in a truly collab- Educational Programs and Student Success orative effort. Committee, chaired by Trustee Sylvia Scott-Hayes, on Dec. 14, 2005. The timeline for the accreditation self study report has been adjusted at several points in the process:

June 3, 2005 Leadership Retreat: SLO information presented, Standards’ Action Plans discussed

June 14 Draft Self Study including documented evidence due

June–August Compiling and editing of Self Study Draft

August 25 New self study chair appointed

September Discussion/input from college constituencies Continue compiling evidence/organize

September 1 Presentation on Accreditation. Self Study Draft distributed on CD (Flex Day)

September 6 Timeline revised

September 12 Dr. Darlene Pacheco consults with standard chairs

October 25 Academic Senate approves Self Study

October 27 Consultations with Julie Slark (continued Nov. 5, 15 and 21)

November 8 The Academic Senate voted to accept the report and authorized the Senate President to sign it

November 30 Self Study signed and forwarded to Board

December 14 Report presented to the Board’s Educational Programs and Student Success Committee

March 21, 2006 Visit of Evaluation Team

47 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 48 49 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 50 WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE (FY 05-06) D. Givens FUNCTIONAL CHART BY DIVISION President Overview (Interim)

C. Roth Dean L. Woods P. Stansbury D. Follosco V. P. Institutional Compliance V. P. Academic V.P. Student Administrative Effectiveness Officer Affairs Services Services (Vacant)

L. Eddins A. Farkas J. Towler Sheriff Contract Dean, Academic Dean Student I. Chung Affairs (Acting) Services Associate V. P., Administrative Services

B. Friedman E. Pai Educational Info L. Jarmon, Research M. Mateo Specialist Dean, A. Hansen Analyst Dean, Academic Director of Affairs Admissions and Records College Facilities

L. Hamilton S. Khorooshi Assoc. Dean R. Monroe Research Associate Dean Student Services Operations Analyst (Prov.) (Vacant) Manager

G. Schenk L. Packham Financial Aid College Manager Enterprise Manager

D. Muller Assistant Bookstore Manager

N. Dang Manager, College Information Systems

51 WLAC SELF STUDY WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE (FY 05-06)

PRESIDENT’S OFFICE FUNCTIONAL CHART

D. Givens President

P. Stansbury D. Follosco C. Roth Vice President Vice President Vice President Academic Affairs Student Services Administrative Services

Dean Institutional L. Woods Effectiveness Compliance Officer (Vacant)

• Research • Affirmative Action • Marketing • Compliance • Master Planning • Ombudsperson • Publications • Sexual • Accreditation Harassment • Grants / Programs Archives • Title IX • Student Equity

WLAC SELF STUDY 52 WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE (FY 05-06)

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS FUNCTIONAL CHART • Basic Skills Task Force P. Stansbury • Divisional Council Vice President • Enrollment Management Academic Affairs Committee • TTIP (Telecommunications Technology Infrastructure Program) • Technology Committee • Title V

A. Farkas M. Mateo S. Khorooshi Dean, Academic Affairs Dean, Academic Associate Dean (Acting) Affairs

• Aviation / Travel - C. Wilder • Allied Health - U. Lemborn • Curriculum • Communication, Entertainment, • Business - V. Nichols • Graphic Arts Media Arts (CEMA) - J. Jordan • Computer Science - M. Levy • Catalog • Health / Physical Education - • Distance Education - E. Ichon • Articulation Liaison - J. Witucki • Humanities / Fine Arts - E. Crippens • Language Arts - B. Jacobs C. Ramos • Behavioral / Social Science - • Contract Education • Library / Instructional Media - B. Stapleton • Hollywood Cinema Production C. Froloff • Probation Program Resources • Learning Resources - C. Froloff • Child Development • Jumpstart and Tech Prep • Math - M. McMaster • Sheriff’s Department • Schedule of Classes • Science - J. Connor University • Outreach Classes • ACT Schedule of Classes - • Public Employer Partnerships P. Siever • Title V - Strengthening • Workforce Development Center Institutions - J. Friedman • VTEA - CalWORKs, GED • Westside Extension - B. Sloan - TRiO (Talent Search and EOC) - K. Walton - TRiO (Upward Bound) - M. Gavarra - TRiO (SSS) - J. Friedman

53 WLAC SELF STUDY WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE (FY 05-06)

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES FUNCTIONAL CHART C. Roth • Resource Management Vice President Administrative Services

I. Chung A. Hansen L. Packham Associate V. P. College Enterprise L. Eddins Director of College Sheriff Admin. Services Facilities Manager

• Safety and Security

• Business Office Operations • Budget R. Monroe D. Muller Operations Assistant Bookstore Manager Manager

• Bookstore • Plant Facilities • Food Services Operations • Civic Center Permits • Plant Facilities Maintenance • Parking Lead Support Services Assistant (Vacant)

• Reprographics • Mailroom

N. Dang H. Tsai L. Bolbecher Manager, College Admin Analyst/ Purchasing Aide Information SPOC Systems

• Information • Personnel • Purchasing Technology

WLAC SELF STUDY 54 WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE (FY 05-06)

STUDENT SERVICES • Marketing FUNCTIONAL CHART D. Follosco • Recruitment Vice President • Health Center Student Services • Student Discipline

Y. Simone A. Foster Child DSPS Director Development Center

P. Banday Assoc. Dean • CARE Matriculation Student Services • EOP&S Director (Vacant)

J. Towler L. Jarmon G. Schenk A. Gamble Dean, Student Dean, Admissions Financial Aid Transfer Center Services and Records

• Admissions and Records S. Rouzan -Thomas Counseling Chair

C. Caminiti Athletic Director

WLAC Foundation

S. Feinerman International ASO Students Director

55 WLAC SELF STUDY WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE (FY 05-06)

PLANNING AND RESEARCH FUNCTIONAL CHART

Dean Institutional • Accreditation Effectiveness • Master Planning (Vacant) • Marketing

G. Walton E. Pai L. Hamiliton B. Friedman Administrative Research Research Analyst Educational Info Assistant Analyst (Provisional) Specialist

• Institutional • Marketing/ Research Advertising • Master Calendar • Public Information

WLAC SELF STUDY 56 57 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 58 LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION CHART Prepared by the Personnel Commission November 2005 Chancellor Darroch Young

General Counsel Exec. Asst. to Chancellor Camille Goulet Daphne Congdon

Facilities Planning and Diversity Programs Senior Vice Chancellor Development Executive Director Dr. Adrianna Barrera Director Gene Little Larry Eisenberg

Educational Support Controller Services Jeanette Gordon Assoc. Vice Chancellor John Clerx

Information Human Resources Sr. Technology Assoc. Vice Chief Information Chancellor Officer Dr. A Susan Carleo Anthony Tororice

City College East L.A. College Harbor College Mission College President President President President Dr. Steven Ernest Moreno Dr. Linda Spink Dr. Jose Leyba* Maradian

Southwest Pierce College Trade-Tech Valley College West L.A. College President College President President College President President Thomas Oliver* Dr. Tom Harris* Dr. Tyree Wieder Dr. Doris Givens* Dr. Audre Levy

59 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 60 61 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 62 63 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 64 65 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 66 67 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 68 69 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 70 71 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 72 73 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 74 75 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 76 77 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 78 79 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 80 81 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 82 83 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 84 85 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 86 87 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 88 89 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 90 91 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 92 93 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 94 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATIONCERTIFICATION OF CONTINUED COMPLIANCE

WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE - 2006 the regularly scheduled Board meetings reflect public and constituent interest in activities and decisions for the district’s nine colleges. West Los Angeles College presents this comprehensive Self Study with full confidence that the insti- The board adopted a “Statement of Ethical Values tution meets or exceeds the prescribed standards for and Code of Ethical Conduct” in October 2005, reaffirmation of accreditation and hereby attests that which establishes principles to which the individual the institution has remained in continued compliance members of the Board will adhere (Board Rule with all of the Commission’s eligibility requirements 2300.10). The Board also has a Conflict of Interest as set forth below. Code in accordance with the Political Reform Act, government Code Section 8100 et seq. to ensure the 1. AUTHORITY Board is an “independent policy-making body capa- ble of reflecting constituent and public interest in West Los Angeles College (West) is a public two-year board activities and decisions.” community college operating under the authority of the State of California, the Board of Governors of the 4. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER California Community Colleges and the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College The Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles District (LACCD). The 1967 Legislature authorized a Community College District is the Chancellor, Board of Trustees for the Los Angeles Community Darroch (Rocky) Young, who has served in this College District. The college’s authority has existed capacity since July 1, 2005. His full-time responsibili- since 1969 with accreditation status renewed regular- ty is to the institution and to administering the Los ly. The college awards 41 Associate Degrees. Angeles Community Colleges District with its nine colleges in accordance with board policies and rules. 2. MISSION The chief executive officer of West Los Angeles The mission statement of the Los Angeles College is Interim President Dr. Doris Givens, who Community College is included in the Board Rules commenced her duties and responsibilities in August (Board Rule 1201). It was last amended in October of 2005. As interim president, Dr. Givens’ primary 1997. A copy of West’s current mission statement, in responsibilities are to provide effective leadership to keeping with the District’s mission statement, may complete the self-study process, balance the college be found in the 2004-2006 Catalogs as well as in the budget, increase enrollment and administer the Proposition A/AA bond construction projects. She has defined her leadership goals for the year in terms Volume 1, the Educational Master Plan of the of four “I’s”: Information – data in the applied form; Integrated Master Plan. The mission statement was Integrity – the intent behind interpretation and appli- reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees in March 8, 2000, cation of information; Inclusion – developing a colle- as part of the Integrated Master Plan. gial environment and Impact – positive, progressive, successful student learning outcomes. The mission statement was last reviewed by the college community at the leadership retreats in Spring Neither Darroch Young nor Dr. Givens serve as the 2005. The college plans to review its Mission chair of the governing board. Statement in 2006 for revision and updating. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY 3. GOVERNING BOARD

The governing board of the LACCD consists of seven West Los Angeles College has sufficient staff, with members, elected by voters, to be responsible for the appropriate preparation and experience, to provide quality and integrity of the institution. A student the administrative services necessary to support its trustee is selected by the Associated Student mission and purposes. Certificated administrators Organizations of the nine colleges. The Board is an meet minimum qualifications in a discipline and independent, policy-making body, in accordance qualifications defined for specific positions as devel- with the California Education Code. The minutes of oped by the college and approved by Human

95 WLAC SELF STUDY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATIONCERTIFICATION OF CONTINUED COMPLIANCE

Resources in the District Office. Classified adminis- General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) trators are hired through the Personnel Commission courses that satisfy lower-division general education testing process and meet appropriate qualifications requirements at any California State University and for the position. University of California campus are included.

Since the last self-study in 2000, West has had two In fulfilling its mission, from July 2004 until June 20, presidents, three vice presidents of Administrative 2005, (according to the Integrated Postsecondary Services, re-organized its administrative staff to Education Data System (IPEDS), West awarded 342 include a dean of Admissions and Records, moved a associate degrees and 149 certificates for programs of dean from Student Services to Academic Affairs, and at least one year but less than two years, as well as moved a dean of Planning and Research to Student 143 certificates for programs of less than one year. Services. West is also planning to hire an associate Transfers to California State University ranged from dean of EOPS. To support these positions, additional 213 in 1999-2000 to 174 in 2003-2004 while transfers classified staff have been added. to the University of California increased from 30 in 1999-2000 to 42 in 2003-2004. 6. OPERATIONAL STATUS 8. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS Since its beginning in 1969, the college has been in continuous operation offering degrees and certifi- West offers a wide variety of educational and voca- cates. Over the past five years, West has grown in tional programs for both credit and non-credit enrollment – first census credit enrollment – from students. 7,499 in Fall 2000 to a high of 9,718 in Fall 2002. Since then, enrollment was 8,305 in Fall 2004 with For credit students, West offers general education, enrollment up again by one percent in Fall 2005. transfer, vocational programs, and certificates consistent with the missions of the college, the LACCD West offers day, evening and Saturday classes in a Board of Trustees and California Community variety of lengths to better accommodate students’ Colleges. The degree programs are two years in needs: length. The names of the degree programs, certifi- Fall and Spring semesters – 15 weeks cates and skill certificates are listed in the college Late start – 1st 8 weeks and 2nd 8 weeks catalog. Winter intersession – 6 weeks Early start summer, both 6 and 8 weeks West’s courses adhere to levels of quality and rigor Late start summer, both 6 and 8 weeks appropriate to the degree offered. The courses meet required minimums in keeping with Carnegie Students were enrolled full and part time in credit requirements for credit units offered. Vocational pro- programs with females constituting 64 percent and grams meet requirements of the agencies responsible males 36 percent. In addition, students enroll in fee- for oversight of these programs such as the Federal based community service classes through Westside Aviation Administration for the aviation mainte- Extension. All courses offered on the main campus nance program. The college has identified institu- are listed in the schedule of classes and are posted on tional student learning outcomes (SLOs) and student the college’s website. Community education classes services and continues to develop SLOs for programs are published in a separate class schedule and are and courses, including how to assess these. also posted on the website. Valid articulation agreements with state and private four-year institutions result from associate degrees EGREES 7. D that meet high standards.

West’s 2004-2006 Catalog lists 41 associate degrees, 9. ACADEMIC CREDIT 14 certificates of completion and 26 skill certificates. It also details graduation requirements – unit, schol- The college catalog clearly describes institutional arship, competency, residence and course. policies and transfer requirements as well as the Additional information regarding transfer, major awarding of credit. departmental requirements and California State University general education and the Intersegmental West awards credits based on the Carnegie formula.

WLAC SELF STUDY 96 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATIONCERTIFICATION OF CONTINUED COMPLIANCE

10. STUDENT LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT 11. GENERAL EDUCATION

West’s Integrated Educational Master Plan, 2002- West’s mission and vision, coupled with the institu- 2008, includes both the annual and comprehensive tional student learning outcomes, ensure that stu- program review processes, which are part of the reg- dents achieve educational breadth and depth and are ular, systematic assessment of programs. in keeping with the general education requirements of Board Rule 6201.14 on General Education Programs and courses are designed with timely com- Requirements and the Accreditation Standards of pletion of students’ educational goals. Efforts II.A.3.

Proficiencies in reading, writing, computational continue in developing student learning outcomes skills, oral communication, plus technological aware- and how to assess these, aligning SLOs to both ness and competency are required of students receiv- course outlines and class syllabi and to programs ing an A.A. degree. In meeting the General and services. Education Requirements for the Associate Degree, Outcome and program alignment enables students students may choose from Plan A – for students simultaneously to meet institutional and program whose majors as described in the catalog require less outcomes. West’s goal is to increase the communica- than 36 units – or Plan B – for students whose majors tion, trust and interdependence among divisions as require 36 or more units. Plan B requires 18 units of they engage in the SLO alignment and assessment General Education requirements. The A.A. degree process. requires a minimum of 60 units.

Establishing the Office of Institutional Effectiveness Students completing these courses must earn a “C” in Fall 2005 will help administrators, faculty and staff (2.0) grade point average or better in all work with evidence and data to assess student achieve- attempted. Degree credit reflects the level of quality ment in specific programs and also institutionally for and rigor appropriate to higher education, with six specific student learning outcomes. areas designated for general education courses:

97 WLAC SELF STUDY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATIONCERTIFICATION OF CONTINUED COMPLIANCE

Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, developed its service-specific SLOs and ways to Humanities, Language and Rationality, Health and assess these to further assure quality. Physical Education and Mathematics. Enhancements to student services includes the pur- West maintains articulation agreements with UC and chase of the Student Accountability and Record CSU systems and private institutions of higher learn- System (SARS), an on-line, telephone-based system, ing across the United States. which provides students with an equitable way to access counseling services, help the college contact 12. ACADEMIC FREEDOM students and track student use of important services.

LACCD Board’s Educational Philosophy To better meet the needs of West’s predominantly states that “We further recognize that minority student body, four federally funded TRiO academic freedom is essential to excel- and two Title V grants were sought and lence in education.” (Board Rule 1200). “We further obtained to provide a supportive learn- This statement ensures that the college ing environment for economically disad- maintains an atmosphere where intellec- recognize that vantaged, at-risk, first generation students. tual freedom and academic independ- academic freedom ence prevail. Faculty and students are A Student Equity Plan provides analysis free to examine and test knowledge is essential appropriate to disciplines, according to of student demographics and plans for the general academic community even to excellence promoting diversity and insuring equal as the Board recognizes “the necessity to opportunity and access. Student assess- adapt to the changing educational needs in education.” ment relies on valid, approved instru- of the Los Angeles Community Colleges’ ments. communities and to the growing diversity among students.” To celebrate the diverse backgrounds of West’s students, the Associated Student This information is posted at the District’s website. Organization sponsors cultural and civic enrichment activities. Extended Opportunity Programs and 13. FACULTY Services conducts workshops for student success and also provides tutoring. Art exhibits and music con- West’s full time faculty number 110 with more than certs sponsored by the Humanities and Fine Arts 20 hired within the last five years in critical areas Division further enhance the collegial experience for such as math, administration of justice, dental our students. hygiene, history, counseling and English as a second language. Each tenure-track faculty member meets Plans for a Student Services building, which will the teaching and minimum qualifications for the dis- house counseling, matriculation, EOPS, DSPS, health cipline they teach and area they serve. More than services, student government, clubs and dining serv- 300 adjunct faculty also provide key instructional, ices, has completed the design phase and is moving library and counseling support. toward review by the state architect.

Orientation for newly hired and adjunct faculty 15. ADMISSIONS occurs in the fall semester. Faculty has primary responsibility for curriculum – developing, review- The Dean of Admissions and Records oversees the ing and assessing. The Academic Senate policy on college’s admissions policies and ensures that these ethical and professional standards applies to the fac- are consistent with Board Rule 8100, West’s mission ulty and provides a guide to ethical behavior. and appropriate for the college’s programs. Persons who possess a high school diploma or its equivalent 14. STUDENT SERVICES meet the basic eligibility requirement for any public California two-year community college. Persons Student Services provides a multitude of important who do not possess a high school diploma or its services including counseling, matriculation, admis- equivalent, but who are 18 years or older who can sions, financial aid, EOPS, DSPS, health services and profit from instruction may also apply for admission. child care to support student learning. Each area has Other requirements may be applied to those in high school or international F-1 Visa students. Admission WLAC SELF STUDY 98 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATIONCERTIFICATION OF CONTINUED COMPLIANCE of elementary and secondary students in grades K-12 The first floor of the library houses Learning Skills, follows Board Rule 8100.01. tutoring, the Writing Lab and the Foreign Language Lab. The college catalog clearly identifies admissions eligibility and provides clear instructions of how to prepare for proper placement and registration. 17. FINANCIAL RESOURCES

Financial planning and information is in keeping 16. INFORMATION AND LEARNING RESOURCES with the allocation mechanism of the District, the District’s budgeting process and West’s planning and West provides access to information and learning budgeting cycle. The 2005-2006 Final Budget and resources and services through an automated library West’s 2005-2006 Operational Plan are available in the team room. system, offers research and periodical databases, an e-book collection and the District-wide online catalog. West has, despite limited resources, continued 18. FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY to provide service to support the educational program. A strong instruction program consists of for- The Los Angeles Community College District credit classes – offered online – and information “Report on Audited Basic Financial Statements” competency workshops. The Library Instructional dated June 30, 2004 prepared by KPMG, LLP report- Research Lab (LIRL) is equipped with 73 Internet- ed that the “District complied, in all material enabled computer stations that offer access to an respect” with accepted accounting principles, state online catalog of 62,000 print books, 1,500 e-books compliance requirements and federal program and 1,200 videos. A Library Instructional Research requirements. A copy is available in the team room. classroom, equipped with 23 computer stations with one reserved for the instructor, provides library 19. INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING AND EVALUATION instruction, including orientations to online research. West completed an Integrated Master Plan with an To accommodate students with disabilities, videos Educational Master Plan - Vol. 1, a Facilities Master are being close-captioned, and one station is Plan – Vol. 2 and an Information Technology Plan – equipped for the visually impaired. Vol. 3. In the Integrated Master Plan, the annual planning and budgeting cycle is prescribed with an annual program review and unit plan process. This program review and unit plan process is conducted of all units and is the basis for program planning and improvement to student learning and achievement of goals. The college is integrating the institutional, program and course student learning outcomes development and assessment into this process.

As part of its planning and evaluation of the processes, the college has adopted a change in the governance structure to have a College Council which will be the main body to make recommendations to the President. The Academic Senate has purview over “academic and professional matters” while bargaining units deal with contract labor matters. The college will be integrating the planning and budgeting cycle with this change in the governance structure.

99 WLAC SELF STUDY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATIONCERTIFICATION OF CONTINUED COMPLIANCE

20. PUBLIC INFORMATION 21. RELATIONS WITH THE ACCREDITING COMMISSION

The college provides a printed catalog with the West adheres to eligibility requirements and accredi- required information. The catalog is also available tation standards as indicated in this self-study. It on the college’s website. This information may also maintains integrity, as reported in the self study, in be contained in the other sources such as the sched- describing itself to all accrediting agencies and com- ule of class, on various parts of the college’s website, municates changes in its accredited status. West and literature available to the students such as agrees to disclose information required by the Financial Aid publications and Student Grievance Commission to carry out its accrediting responsibili- Procedure pamphlets. ties. Further, the college will comply with Commission requests, directives, decisions and policies, and makes complete, accurate and honest disclosure.

WLAC SELF STUDY 100 RESPONSES TO RECOMMENDATIONS

RESPONSES TO RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE The key area in which we have made strides in integrating data into the college planning processes has MOST RECENT COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION been the ongoing development and use of the program review and unit planning instruments. As indicated in Standard I, these two parts of the plan- he evaluation team that visited West Los Angeles T ning process have been streamlined and made more College in March 2000 began its report with two user-friendly. In 2000, we had a very demanding, “key overarching recommendations”: discipline-level program review intended to be done every six years, plus an annual division-level unit 1. The college should complete the master plan. In 2001, program review was revised as an planning process assuring that program annual process covering academic divisions, all stu- review, educational master planning, finan- dent services and administrative service areas. In cial planning, and facilities planning are inte- 2005, unit planning and program review were grated. merged into a single process, making it easier for 2. The college should create a functioning chairs and managers to complete. At the same time structure for participatory governance. that these adjustments were being made, more and more data were being provided within the unit plan- The Commission required an interim and a midterm ning and program review documents. A faculty visit, both of which focused on these two recommen- member preparing a program review in 2000 faced a dations. In 2001, the interim evaluation team report- lengthy document requiring data to be retrieved ed that progress was being made on both counts but from a printout. The chair now receives a document urged the college to continue to focus on planning, already displaying two years’ worth of data, which budgeting and governance. In accepting the report of ranges from average class size to current budget the 2002 midterm evaluation team, the Commission information, to the goals the former chairs had set in wrote to West: “The college is commended for its past years. All full-time faculty in a division sign the vigorous response to addressing planning concerns unit plan and program review, ensuring that the data and for strengthening its structure for participatory as well as the proposals based on the data are widely governance.” West is proud of what we have accom- known. The Academic Senate receives copies of the plished in the interlocked areas of planning and gov- completed documents. ernance. Faculty, staff and administration are now working together to continue strengthening our insti- Now that West has mastered annual program tution. reviews, we are instituting a comprehensive program We discuss our Integrated Master Plan and its role in review process, which will require in-depth analysis ongoing planning and budgeting in Standard I; our of each academic discipline and service area every participatory governance structures are covered in six years, according to a series of measurable bench- Standard IV. In both standards, we note our system- marks. By June 2005, validation of comprehensive atic, continual work on making our structures more program reviews for dental hygiene, English, English functional. as a second language, math and counseling had been forwarded to the College Planning Committee by the The 2000 report contained 10 more recommenda- Program Review Evaluation Subcommittee. A sub- tions. Two dealt with research and evaluation: committee of the Academic Senate has drafted a Program Viability Process. The College should integrate research and evaluation of data into the various planning West is also employing data to facilitate student processes, and include a greater focus on out learning: the Assessment Subcommittee of the comes, particularly with respect to persistence, Matriculation Committee regularly evaluates student transfer, occupational placement, and other assessment scores against grades and curriculum to measures. provide better course placements. Counseling uses The College should develop and evaluate strate- software that not only helps students to schedule gies to ensure the communication, use, and inte- appointments, but also allows counselors to track a gration of existing and planned research and student’s progress from the time the assessment test evaluation throughout the college community. is taken to the completion of the student’s education- This will further college efforts to develop a al goals at West. Academic Affairs analyzes enroll- process where decisions are based on a culture of evidence. 101 WLAC SELF STUDY RESPONSES TO RECOMMENDATIONS ment patterns to determine course offerings. English courses with Program review evaluates the data on persistence Computer-Assisted Instruction and attrition. The college has acquired sophisticated and expanded tutoring, and software to track classes that need to be offered in We have linking basic skills English and sequence, so that students may complete programs been able to math classes with a personal in a timely fashion. development class. We have progress by been able to progress by effec- We are developing new sources of data: using focus effectively tively using grants, such as groups, a marketing research study funded by the our Title III and Title V federal Los Angeles Community College District using grants... grants and special funds such Chancellor’s Office was conducted in September as those provided by EOPS 2005 to investigate and quantify issues prevalent in and Upward Bound. the geographic region served by West. The data collected from focus groups and surveys will help West In the absence of a student union or cafeteria, improve services to students. In 2005, each student the college should provide an appropriate space services unit developed specific measurable student for students to interact and enjoy a sense of learning outcomes. Many academic disciplines also community. wrote SLOs. Student Services plans to develop and administer a “point-of-service” student survey to Los Angeles voters passed bond initiatives that are assess effectiveness and efficiency. funding a Student Services Building, currently in the planning phase that will provide space for students New forms of data are becoming available to help us to congregate and feel at home in the college com- allocate resources more effectively. The District is munity. In the meantime, the temporary structure implementing an information system that will even- used for the Associated Students Organization (ASO) tually make up-to-date data more readily available. has been painted and refurnished. The college The computer program “Class Tracks” plots sched- assigned ASO an additional venue, A1, and addition- ules and detects conflicts in the assignment of rooms al modular furniture has been provided for ASO. The and classes. deployment of the food truck, which serves the campus in lieu of a cafeteria, located opposite the ASO In Fall 2005, the college established an Office of building, helps draw students to the area, where Institutional Effectiveness (OIE). Among OIE’s duties shaded seating is appealing in our many months of are: research, producing publications, marketing, dry weather. staff planning and other resource allocation committees, providing regular and ad hoc reporting, con- The College should improve the coordination of sulting with various campus constituencies to identi- counseling services to better serve students in a fy research and evaluation needs and generating web timely and effective manner. content for the campus, including a campus “data book.” OIE is in the process of identifying a campus In our Integrated Master Plan, we set the goal of research agenda in an effort to create a more system- having every student complete a Student atic and comprehensive approach towards research Educational Plan. Matriculation developed an orien- and assessment in all of the college’s functions. tation that students watch when they are assessed for English and math, which frees up counselor time. In its recent program review, the Counseling It is recommended that the college develop and Division identified the need for automated systems implement a plan for effective integration and to increase efficiency, and the adoption of the coordination of basic skills offerings in mathe- Student Accountability and Record System (SARS) matics, English, and learning skills to meet the has validated that assessment. SARS allows students needs of underprepared students, improve reten- to schedule their own appointments with counselors, tion, and allow students to progress through the it provides data on student use of services and it curriculum, and achieve their educational goals. includes a system to call students with important In Standard II.A.1.a. and II.A.1.b., we discuss our messages. Counseling is developing a staffing plan progress toward an ideal program of basic skills to assure that counselors are always available at offerings, including supplementing math and hours of peak demand.

WLAC SELF STUDY 102 RESPONSES TO RECOMMENDATIONS

West Los Angeles College’s campus has received The College should take the steps necessary to considerable attention since the 2000 visit. The ensure the currency of the library collection and Heldman Learning Resources Center, which houses other learning resources. the library, was altered to increase classroom space, Up to 2000, a lack of funds had been the main obsta- was painted and new flooring was laid. Alterations cle to maintaining an up-to-date library collection. and improvements were made throughout the A Although finances have not improved, the addition buildings and all of the B buildings. The exteriors of 60 percent of campus buildings were painted. Aggregate was spread to level and stabilize a tempo- of an e-book collection and electronic periodical and rary overflow parking lot that had recently been cre- research databases have mitigated the problem. ated. Other parking lots were treated with slurry Librarians have also developed systems to determine coat to improve driving areas. Improvements in materials needed by documenting student requests, landscaping included an overhaul of the sprinkler librarian observations and faculty suggestions. system. A total of 11 computer training labs were Purchases are made on a rotating basis, so that some remodeled and supplied with new equipment, and fields receive extra attention each year. These sys- training rooms were added. tems are described in Standard II.C.1.a. These subjects are addressed in Standard III.B. The College should improve faculty participation on college committees and other forms of The governing board should undertake an wider service to the institution. evaluation of its practices and policies. Division Chairs have been encouraged to consider The Los Angeles Community College District Board service to the college in their evaluations of faculty. conducted its own ACCJC self study in 2000 and This has been hampered by vague language in the now conducts self-evaluations at annual retreats. It AFT contract that made it possible to interpret the also conducted a more formal self-evaluation of grading of student course work as service to the col- Board effectiveness in Spring 2005. Standard IV.B.3.g. lege. This language has been thoroughly clarified in discusses the Board’s systematic evaluations of gov- the new contract. Heightened collegiality in many ernance and decision-making structures. committees has encouraged more participation. As new tenure-track faculty are hired, part of the mentoring process will include introducing the new hires to committee work and the advising of clubs.

Regular evaluation of all staff should be monitored and documented. Each Vice President’s division now has systems to track whether employees are being evaluated. This is described in Standard III.A.1.b.

An appropriate level of custodial services and physical plant maintenance should be identified and addressed. The Facilities Master Plan volume of the Integrated Master Plan addresses the maintenance of the college. Plant Facilities now completes an annual program review and unit plan, evaluating its activities and its plans vis a vis the goals of the Integrated Master Plan.

103 WLAC SELF STUDY WLAC SELF STUDY 104 STANDARD I INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS

to provide general education “Transfer Education The institution demonstrates strong commitment and major preparation for those students who plan to a mission that emphasizes achievement of stu- to continue their studies at a four-year college or uni- dent learning and to communicating the mission versity. internally and externally. The institution uses analyses of quantitative and qualitative data and providing cer- “Career and Occupational Education analysis in an ongoing and systematic cycle of eval- tificate and associate degree programs to meet the uation, integrated planning, and implementation, needs of those students preparing for employment in and re-evaluation to verify and improve the effec- a changing, globally-centered society, and those cur- tiveness by which the mission is accomplished. rently employed who wish to retrain themselves or update their skills to meet the growing demands of I.A. Mission increasingly interdependent societies.

to introduce students to the The institution has a statement of mission that “General Education humanities, the arts, the social and natural sciences, defines the institution’s broad educational purpos- allowing them the opportunity for personal, intellec- es, its intended student population, and its commit- tual and cultural growth; while providing oral and ment to achieving student learning. written communication, mathematics, critical thinking skills and international perspectives necessary to I.A.1. The institution establishes student learning succeed in life. programs and services aligned with its purposes, its character, and its student population. to provide students “Foundation Skills Program DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: with the necessary capabilities in mathematics, verbal and written language skills, and study skills to West Los Angeles College’s Mission Statement says: successfully complete a certificate, a degree, or transfer program.

he mission of to develop educational “T “Economic Development partnerships with business, industry, labor and gov- West Los Angeles College ernment in order to offer programs for the working is to serve the students and the adult or those preparing for work, recognizing that the nature of work grows increasingly international community by providing in content and global in scope. quality instructional and support to meet, where possible, “Continuing Education services including programs, educational needs of the community not otherwise served by regular college programs. facilities, and open access for all to assist students in defining and who can benefit from instruction.” “Support Services achieving their educational goals. The college, as an institution of higher learning, is to involve students more fully in committed to an environment that reflects respect for “Student Activities the college experience.” all students. The college provides an educational experience that is challenging and inclusive of the “The college promotes and encourages the continu- needs of its diverse student body. The college ous and timely examination of college programs and affirms the belief that multiculturalism contributes to services to assess their effectiveness and ensure the success of all students as they learn to value the maintenance of academic excellence.” (I.A-1 pp 9-10) diversity of the college and society. West Los Angeles College’s mission is founded upon a com- West Los Angeles College’s (West’s) Mission mitment to assist each student in developing an edu- Statement defines the college’s multi-faceted educa- cational success strategy. The college implements its tional purposes in terms of serving “the students and mission through: the community by providing quality instructional and support services, including programs, facilities

105 WLAC SELF STUDY INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS and open access for all who can benefit from instruc- both first-and-second generation immigrants, tion.” Since we are an open-enrollment institution, (Rumbaut & Ima, 1988), they do not fit into any of our students’ backgrounds and preparation for col- the traditional categories of nonnative English speak- lege are quite diverse; we are committed to serving ers enrolled in college writing courses.” It noted that everyone who comes to us seeking education on a the college’s service area “has a larger proportion of college level. Gauging, developing, instituting and people over 18…is one-third white and one-third maintaining appropriate pro- Latino. African Americans comprise the next largest grams and services for a broad demographic group” although “…the proportion of and ever-shifting student pop- We seek to African Americans and whites in the service areas ulation is a challenge we face has declined in recent years.” Core industries on the with a variety of tools. We identify the Westside included: aviation and aerospace, entertain- seek to identify the needs of needs of ment, airport and airport area services, hospitality our current and future stu- our current and travel and technology and Internet services. dents, and to optimize our use- (I.A-2) (I.A-3, p. v-6) fulness to our community, both and future of which require our commit- students, and Efforts to meet the needs of a predominantly minori- ment to and focus on student to optimize ty student body resulted in specific plans and pro- learning. In fulfillment of its grams, including the Summer 2002 Summer mission, from July 2004 until our usefulness Immersion Program (SIP), through the University of June 30, 2005, West awarded to our California Los Angeles’ Center for Community 342 Associate Degrees and 292 community... College Partnerships. Chosen from a competitive certificates for programs com- pool of applicants, 20 of West’s students lived on the pleted in two years or less. UCLA campus for two weeks and completed an intensive university-level course in African- To fulfill its mission as a public California communi- American History. Most SIP participants, approxi- ty college and to focus its commitment to student mately one-quarter of whom were African-American learning, West employs a variety of measures, males, have successfully transferred to a UC. In including environmental scans, surveys and focus addition, events on campus celebrate important his- groups to measure student and community needs. torical and cultural events, such as Cinco de Mayo, The focus groups held in Fall 2005 by the Davis the Multicultural Festival of Spring 2005, and the Research LLC clarifies the educational goals of commemoration of Mrs. Rosa Parks, scheduled for West’s students, “[West] services a considerable December 1, 2005, which included an essay and an number of part-time students who have diverse rea- art contest. (I.A-3) sons for attending community college in general and [West] specifically. Many of these students are Entertainment and service industries remain promi- attending to further career or vocational goals.” nent employers in the area. Computer science job Further study of the report’s findings will help the opportunities waned for a period but as of Fall 2005 college in its marketing efforts. are rebounding while real estate has swelled because of the scarcity of affordable housing in the highly In 2002, the environmental scan conducted by the popular and populated residential location of the consultant firm Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc. pro- Westside of Los Angeles. Recent additions to the col- jected that “Demographic trends indicate that in the lege’s educational offerings include Allied Health, coming years the Los Angeles area will be predomi- which encompasses Emergency Medical Training nantly young and Latino.” West’s Latino population (EMT), Drug and Alcohol Studies and the taking of has grown from 2000 to 2004, from 23 percent to 28 online courses by employees of the Los Angeles percent, according to the Los Angeles Community County Sheriff’s Department who wish to prepare College District’s Research Office. To better meet the for transfer to four-year universities. needs of these students, West sponsored two workshops in late November and early December 2005 on The “intended student population,” according to the “Who are generation 1.5 students?” based on Mission Statement is “all who can benefit from research findings that note, “An increasing number instruction.” West’s current student body includes of U.S. high school graduates enter college while still more women than men; ethnically diverse immigrant in the process of learning English. Referred to as students, for whom English is not their primary lan- generation 1.5 because they share characteristics of guage; under-prepared students from feeder high

WLAC SELF STUDY 106 INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS schools; students who are returning to education “to increase comprehension of all levels of mathe- after a hiatus because of jobs and other responsibili- matics utilizing tutorial assistance from a mathemat- ties; and students seeking to upgrade their current ics instructor,” non-traditional students find the skills for job promotion or to change careers. needed encouragement and support they require.

The implications of this for instructional programs West Los Angeles College is neither big nor small in and classroom instruction are clear: study skills, time size. Being mid-size affords students unique oppor- management, reading comprehension, clear and tunities. In addition to classes that feature interaction effective writing and quantitative skills present very among students and faculty, smaller “learning com- real challenges for the majority of our students, munities” prosper. many of whom aspire to well-paying, secure jobs in a highly competitive, shifting job marketplace. West West’s Transfer Honors Program and its honors soci- recognizes and continually strives to provide high ety, Alpha Gamma Sigma, offer highly motivated quality instruction to meet the needs of its diverse transfer students additional educational avenues. student body. Recognizing the growth in its Latino The honors component enhances basic curriculum student population, English as a Second Language requirements with more intensive study. Students faculty have focused on fine-tuning the rigor of both prepare for and lead class discussions. They may reading and writing in their classes. Workshops in design writing prompts or conduct additional December 2005 focused on the 1.5 Generation, so- research under the guidance of their instructor. called because they straddle both ESL and English. Honors society members engage in a range of community services. Student learning at West begins with determining student need and effective support. Although stu- The Associated Students Organization takes the lead dents come to West with a very wide array of goals, in publicizing a host of scholarships each spring. the majority seek an education that will either Students involved in student government learn lead- advance their careers or allow them to transfer to a ership skills and travel to Sacramento or Washington, four-year university; many pursue both goals simul- D.C. to lobby on behalf of public community col- taneously. Our discussion here focuses on the align- leges. They also plan, organize and sponsor the ment of our programs and services with these two Multicultural Festival to celebrate the richness of large parts of our mission. West’s multiethnic student body.

The Computer Sciences Division’s Industrial Further efforts to fulfill the mission are evident in Advisory Committee, cited in III.C.1.b, has recog- West Los Angeles College’s establishment of these nized the need for more narrowly focused and tech- college student learning outcomes (SLOs): critical nical classes in network technology, website develop- thinking, communication, quantitative reasoning, ment and computer security. Such input informs ethics, self-awareness/interpersonal skills, techno- curriculum planning by faculty in the Computer logical awareness, civic responsibility, cultural diver- Science discipline. sity and aesthetics. Widely discussed in special workshops, at various committee meetings and via Another method of providing student support is email, then endorsed by unanimous vote of the through the college faculty dialoguing with faculty Academic Senate on November 8, 2005, these SLOs from the University of California, Los Angeles; it also reflect West’s educational philosophy that “affirm(s) recruits adjuncts in English from university writing the principle that individuals should have opportu- programs, such as those at Loyola Marymount nities to develop to their full potential.” While not all University and the University of Southern California. SLOs apply to every student in every learning situa- This assures that transfer students’ preparation is tion, they are meant to describe the multi-dimension- rigorous and comparable to lower division classes al aspects of learning that occur across disciplines for the baccalaureate level. Articulation agreements and programs. Their application is not limited to with the California State University and the course work. For example, all segments of Student University of California systems in addition to local Services have developed specific SLOs and are fine- independent colleges also help students transfer. tuning how they are assessed. The integration of SLOs throughout the college is evidenced by docu- Whether enrolling in a co-requisite to the English ments that include SLOs, such as the Official Outline Fundamentals course or a mathematics workshop of Record for courses, program review and unit

107 WLAC SELF STUDY INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS planning documents. The SLOs also routinely I.A.2. The mission statement is approved by the appear on committee’s agendas and minutes. (I.A-1, governing board and published. p. 9) (I.A-4) DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Through its classroom instruction and services, West Los Angeles College commits itself to “providing the The current mission statement was approved by the means for fulfilling the promise of open access.” (I.A-1) LACCD Board of Trustees in March 2000. It is published in the college catalog and in the Integrated SELF-EVALUATION: Master Plan and also appears on the college website. West continually balances its multiple missions as an (I.A-5) institution of higher learning that provides “quality instructional and support services and open access.” SELF-EVALUATION: To better serve our diverse students, this mission necessarily encompasses a changing array of curricu- Since the college community, and especially stu- la and services. Since such a balance is especially dents, may not focus on the mission statement while challenging when fiscal resources are tight, West using the schedule of classes and the catalog, it relies on its planning cycle processes to help the col- would be useful to present it in other contexts. lege focus on annual goals related to the Integrated Master Plan to ensure student learning. [The plan- PLANNING AGENDA: ning cycle is discussed below, at point I.B.]

As we have developed SLOs in the last two years, • In 2006, the Dean of Academic Affairs who is in many of the faculty have become excited by the charge of the production of the schedule will opportunity to better serve our mission by focusing publish the mission statement in the Schedule explicitly on the skills that our students need to take of Classes, and the Vice President of Student away from West. In light of the new accreditation standards, the college has identified a need to revisit Services will post the mission statement in appropri- the mission statement to address student learning ate places. outcomes. I.A.3. Using the institution’s governance and deci- PLANNING AGENDA: sion-making processes, the institution reviews its mission statement on a regular basis and revises it • The Planning Committee has begun to review as necessary. the Mission Statement and will schedule an annual review thereafter. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: • Beginning in 2006, the Vice President of Academic Affairs together with the Student In the 2000-2002 preparation of the Integrated Master Learning Outcomes Committee will direct the Plan, the mission was discussed extensively. It has integration of measurable student learning out since been evaluated and reviewed, together with the comes that align with the college’s institutional college’s values, by participants at the annual SLOs throughout courses, syllabi and academic Leadership Retreat held off-campus in June and co- programs. sponsored by the Academic Senate and the College Planning Committee. The 3rd Annual Leadership Retreat, held June 11, 2004 included as part of the agenda, “Evaluating the Mission and Values of the College,” and “Status of the College Master Plan 2003- 2004 Goals with Projections for 2004-2005.” The college re-affirmed its current Mission Statement at this

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Retreat. Since then, however, discussions at the project, partnership or grant, asks that those submit- Student Learning Outcomes Committee (SLO) meet- ting the form, “state the proposal’s goals and ings as well as in the College’s Planning Committee describe how it is consistent with WLAC’s mission (CPC) point to a need to reconsider the mission state- and master plan.” (I.A-7) ment to better integrate and articulate student learning outcomes as a relevant part of the college’s mis- West has recently established a College Council (CC) sion and values. (I.A-6) that replaced the former College Coordinating Council (CCC) to seek consensus and make written SELF-EVALUATION: recommendations to the President on issues that “have college-wide impact” with respect to “the col- The college has formulated institutional SLOs and is lege vision and mission statements.” “Annual college making good progress in establishing course and strategic and operational plans” and “long range program SLOs. In Fall 2005, the college voted on a strategic planning” inform these recommendations. revamped college council, one with recommending Short and long-term planning issues are discussed power to the college President. The Academic and acted on in committees, including: the College Senate voted unanimously on a proposed Collegial Planning Committee, the Program Review Consultation Policy between it and the President at Subcommittee of the Planning Committee, the its October 11, 2005 meeting. These changes will Budget Committee and the Work Environment necessitate a review of the mission statement. The Committee. (I.A-8) College Planning Committee has begun to review the Mission Statement and will schedule a review annu- Participatory governance as practiced in consulta- ally thereafter tions between the college President and the Academic Senate, in committees such as the Work The college meets the standard. Environment Committee, Matriculation, Faculty Position Identification and Prioritization (FPIP) – all contribute to policy and decisions that are collabora- I.A.4. The institution’s mission is central to institu- tive and focus on implementing the college tional planning and decision making. Integrated Master Plan, the principle means by which the mission is realized. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Well-established, working committees focus on a West Los Angeles College’s comprehensive mission variety of charges which give shape and meaning to is central to and informs institutional planning and the college’s mission - basic skills, curriculum, trans- decision making. The college’s Integrated Master fer, technology, distance education, strategic enroll- Plan, which includes and references the mission and ment management, SLOs. In each of these, the col- provides a framework for planning and change, is lege works collaboratively toward fulfilling its mis- responsive to shifts in demographics and jobs, levels sion. In these committees, as well as the College of funding and staffing. Planning Committee, agenda items focus on implementing the Integrated Master Plan’s Action Seven strategic directions as outlined in the Integrated Objectives to promote and support student learning. Master Plan inform planning and decisions: student Chairs and members of key committees participate success, educational program and service develop- in the college’s annual Leadership Retreat, and it is ment, human resources and organizational develop- at this conference that constituent groups re- ment, information technology, facilities, marketing examine, re-adjust, and re-affirm their purposes in and outreach and financial health. (I.A-3) light of the College’s Mission, Values and Integrated Master Plan. (I.A-3) West’s Integrated Master Plan is an expansion and articulation of its mission. Annually, all chairs and In these and other forums throughout the college, managers participate in a program review and unit goal setting and decision-making consider and refer- planning process. One of the stated goals of the pro- ence the college’s mission. gram review process is to “provide an assessment of effective application of college mission and goals. SELF-EVALUATION: Each unit plan should reflect and implement the master plan.” The New Initiatives Proposal form, The college meets the standard. which is the initial step in proposing a new program, 109 WLAC SELF STUDY INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS

STANDARD I.A. DOCUMENTATION:

I.A-1 West Los Angeles College Catalog 2004-2006 I.A-2 West Los Angeles Community College vs. Two Major Competitors Final Report October 2005 I.A-3 West Los Angeles College Integrated Master Plan, vol. 2 I.A-4 West’s Student Learning Outcomes Story I.A-5 LACCD Board Action, March 8, 2000. I.A-6 Leadership Retreat Reports I.A-7 Unit Plan Guide 2004-2005 for 2005-2006 I.A-8 West Los Angeles College Council

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I.B. IMPROVING INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS das focus on the chairs’ concerns, such as the scheduling of courses in a year-round mode, for example. Decisions to expand online course offerings derive The institution demonstrates a conscious effort to from evidence that enrollment in these classes has produce and support student learning, measures increased. Deans work closely with academic divi- that learning, assesses how well learning is occur- sion chairs on details relating to instruction, such as ring, and makes changes to improve student learn- the contract-mandated evaluation of faculty and the ing. The institution also organizes its key process- staffing of classes, critical to the on-going mainte- es and allocates its resources to effectively support nance of quality. (I.B-4) student learning. The institution demonstrates its effectiveness by providing 1) evidence of institu- Faculty chairs meet with their academic divisions on tion and student learning outcomes and 2) evidence Flex Day as well as during the academic year to of institution and program performance. The insti- address issues such as ways to discourage plagiarism tution uses ongoing and systematic evaluation and by designing very specific essay topics or develop- planning to refine its key processes and improve ments in collaborative learning and technology in the student learning. classroom. The English as a Second Language discipline is sponsoring two workshops to acquaint col- I.B.1. The institution maintains an ongoing, colle- leagues with studies on special populations such as gial, self-reflective dialogue about the continuous Generation 1.5, students defined as students who improvement of student learning and institutional “share characteristics of both first-and second-gener- processes. ation immigrants.” “They do not fit into any of the DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: traditional categories of nonnative English Speakers enrolled in college writing courses, nor have they Participation in committees is the principle way that been the focus of much research on students learning faculty, administration, staff and students engage in to write in English as a second language.” (quoted in dialogue to improve West Los Angeles College. In I.B.5) the College Participation portion of the West Los Angeles College 2005 Self-Study Questionnaire, At the regular meetings of the Student Services Preliminary Results, 68 percent of respondents Division, chaired by their vice president, an agenda agreed or strongly agreed that West “maintains a item might be the comprehensive program review self-reflective dialogue about the quality of its servic- evaluation recommendations or unit planning items, es.” (I.B-1) SLOs and how to measure these or how to increase outreach to feeder high schools in West’s service Self-reflective dialogue that includes listening to oth- area. (I.B-6) ers and reaching a decision to improve learning and its processes is an ongoing activity that occurs in Other committees meet on a regular or as-needed many different venues. Recent evidence of this focus basis. The advisory committee for dental hygiene, on student learning includes decisions to sponsor a the Senate’s Curriculum Committee, the Faculty series of SLO workshops to guide faculty in under- Position Identification and Prioritization Committee, standing and integrating measurable SLOs into their the Work Environment Committee, the Technology course outlines. The college has also decided to Committee, the Facilities Committee, the College work closely with community entities such as the Planning Committee, the Budget Committee, the Probation Department and now the Sheriff’s College Coordinating Council provide numerous Department in offering courses central to the training opportunities for participation by representatives and continuing education of their personnel. from all constituencies of the college community. Improving student learning is central to much of the (I.B-7) (I.B-8) (I.B-9) dialogue that occurs at West. (I.B-2) (I.B-3) In these settings, participants meet to address sub- The Divisional Council comprised of the chairs of stantive issues directly related to improvement of academic divisions, meets bi-monthly and is chaired student learning. The Curriculum Committee focus- by the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Its agen- es on the updating of courses while highlighting

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SLOs and their assessment in this process. It also SELF-EVALUATION: scrutinizes new course submissions for their quality and academic depth and rigor. This scrutiny is being The 2005 Accreditation Survey reports that 70 per- applied to a growing area, distance education. The cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that new Distance Education Addendum, now required their participation “will help improve” the college. of online courses, insures academic rigor and is even Seventy-five percent agreed or more demanding than what is asked of traditional eventy-two strongly agreed that “Meetings on-campus classes. The Staff Development S work toward the overall mis- Committee is looking at ways to improve committee percent of sion of educating students.” participation among faculty, for example, to enhance With regard to whether involvement beyond the classroom but with direct respondents “Participation… result[s] in impact on learning. Meetings of the President’s feel that favorable outcomes,” 66 percent Cabinet, the Academic Senate, the College Council of respondents agreed or and College Planning Committee and the American Staff strives strongly agreed. Seventy-two Federation of Teachers local chapters all provide for excellence percent of respondents feel that forums for dialogue about institutional processes and “Staff strives for excellence in how to improve these. (I.B-9) (I.B-10) (I.B-11) (I.B-12) in their work. their work.” Furthermore, 75 percent agreed and strongly Student leaders and members of the Associated agreed that the college “meet- Students Organization (ASO) are encouraged and ings work toward the overall mission of educating invited to take part in these dialogues. They are students,” and 79 percent agreed or strongly agreed members of key committees such as the College that the college’s instructional programs “provide Planning Committee. The Academic Senate meeting quality instruction to students.” From these survey agenda specifies time for the ASO President or his results as well as the work of numerous committees, designee to address the Senate on student issues. it is clear that the college offers rich opportunities for Through this process, students have voiced their con- self-reflective dialogue that lead to improvement. cerns, for example, their frustration with the rising (I.B-1) cost of textbooks. (I.B-10) Too often, though, the same individuals serve on To promote collegial discussion, more meetings are multiple committees. The Staff Development being conducted according to “ground rules” estab- Committee recognized this in a recent meeting. lished early and agreed to by participants. This Reasons for this may lie in the decreasing number of worked particularly well in the meetings of two ad staff and faculty caused by retirements and exacer- hoc committees that produced both the West Los bated by the hiring freeze enacted when mid-year Angeles Council and the proposed West Los Angeles cuts occurred to community college funding in 2002. College Academic Senate Collegial Consultation The committee discussed ways to encourage more Policy. Both committees grew out of discussions at faculty to serve on at least one committee. In fact, the the 2005 Leadership Retreat. The ad hoc committees 2006-2008 American Federation of Teachers Faculty had 30 days in which to draft these proposals that Guild Agreement requires each full-time faculty would address problems with consultation and rec- member to serve on at least one committee. This ommendations to the president. Work proceeded, should widen and deepen dialogue and thereby and the timeline was met, in part because members increase communication and awareness among more adhered to the agreed-upon ground rules. (I.B-13) members of the college community.

A brown bag/idea/think tank session took place on An observation made by the facilitator of the 2005 November 17, 2005, where participants were asked, Leadership Retreat noted that West has a culture of “If everything were right with West, what would you “a lot of talk,” followed by “more talking, more dis- like to have done at the college and what would it agreement, more discussion,” with “little action.” take to implement these ideas?” (I.B-14) She noted that taking action involves taking responsibility for that action, and it is much easier just to discuss.

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Action-oriented agendas that emphasize student has been developed so that all students who learning will help in this regard as will the setting of take an assessment test can be offered the ground rules for more efficient and effective commit- opportunity to complete orientation at the same tee meetings. Posting committee minutes on the col- time. (I.B-15) lege website is enhancing communication and awareness. • Strengthen Educational Partnerships The Dental Hygiene Program has had close ties The college meets the standard. with UCLA for many years, and the recently established Allied Health Division has expanded those ties to teach emergency medical I.B.2.The institution sets goals to improve its effec- services in a program that combines work on tiveness consistent with its stated purposes. The our campus and at UCLA. West also has an institution articulates its goals and states the objec- Upward Bound program, which seeks to tives derived from them in measurable terms so prepare local high school students to transition that the degree to which they are achieved can be to college. determined and widely discussed. The institutional members understand these goals and work col- • Enhance Unit Planning laboratively toward their achievement. The Planning Committee and the Program DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Review Committee undertook this work. They pared down the planning instruments used by In our 2002 Integrated Master Plan, West Los managers and chairs to plan for the upcoming Angeles College identified an extensive, interrelated year and to provide a clearer focus on data and set of more than 25 goals. According to the on specific measurable outcomes. A key step Integrated Master Plan, we conceived of the plan “as was the combination of the unit planning with a spur to innovation and creativity…a framework of the annual program review, so that managers goals and potential strategies for problem solving and chairs are now asked to review their unit’s and development of initiatives for the college as a successes in the year just completed and adjust whole, divisions and units. Most importantly, the their plans for the year underway before articu- plan serves as a common framework of shared goals lating new plans. The fact that unit plans are for the institution.” At the same time, we recognized the source for all additions to the budget (with that “many of the challenges and opportunities of very limited exceptions) has reinforced the the college are long-term and complex.” Thus, we importance of unit planning in the minds of required plans that “create[d] a flexible framework campus leaders. Representative examples of that can change with changing circumstances, while unit plans include the following from keeping the College on track for achieving its September 2005: vision.” Indeed, we have focused on the identified goals, which seemed both more attainable and most From the Humanities and Fine Arts Division, important to our mission, such as the following: “Architecture Program Requirements expand to include cross-disciplinary studies in the • Assess and Orient Every Student to Develop Art Department,” and “The strategy of tradi- Career Goals and Educational Plans tional (foundation) courses combined with West now assesses and orients considerably coursework with direct vocational applica- more students than we were doing in 2000. The tion has been identified…to be presented to number of students with completed Student the Curriculum Council September and Educational Plans has increased by nearly ten October 2005.” fold over the last four years, from approximately 200 to more than 2,000. The matriculation pro- From Distance Education: “Work with Title V gram has developed a student tracking data- Grant Coordinator to develop online coun- base (the Student Accountability and Record seling and tutorial services,” and “Provide System – SARS) and implemented a computer- online students with additional technical ized assessment program. An orientation video support via a web-based Help Desk.” (I.B-16)

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• Implement Budget Improvements the different parts of the campus by providing a In its ongoing evaluation of its instruments, the central and accessible space for the work of the Program Review Subcommittee determined that campus. Examples include committee agendas its planning structure needs to be strengthened, and minutes and faculty and staff for specific particularly with respect to its impact on the resources, such as problem reporting, meeting college budget. In 2005, Administrative Services room management, training and administrative coordinated with the chair of the Program information. Review Subcommittee to revise the unit planning document. By providing unit managers • Enhance the College's Research Function and chairs with detailed data on their budgeted Recognizing the need for a more systematic items for the previous fiscal year and for the approach to the planning process, the Office of fiscal year currently underway, the revised Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) has been organ- document will ensure that chairs are fully ized to centralize the functions of research, aware of their budget status as they do their planning, marketing and publications. The program review and unit plans, and that the mission of the OIE is to assess and increase the information they provide will feed directly into effectiveness of the institution through the the deliberations for the next budget. The college’s cycle of evaluation and planning. A revisions are under consideration by the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness is being College Planning Committee and the Budget hired to lead the effort to assure the effectiveness Committee. (I.B-17) of West’s planning and resource allocation

• Improve Campus Communications processes. As part of its commitment to In 2005, the college created and filled the posi- improvement, OIE is currently staffed by a tion of Information Technology manager. One research analyst, an administrative assistant and of this individual’s major contributions to the two student assistants. functioning of the campus has been the development of the college website and campus One of the central responsibilities of the recently internet. On the college website, students can reorganized Office of Institutional Effectiveness access the Schedule of Classes and Catalog, find (OIE) is the college’s research function. OIE has campus directory information, learn about the responsibility for identifying the research campus programs and services and link to the and evaluation needs of the college, collecting District to check their grades. Computers on the appropriate data, analyzing that data and campus have access to the intranet which is presenting the results in usable form to the designed to increase communications between various campus constituencies. OIE provides

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support to virtually all college committees and The Title III grant supported the establishment activities and through this support, identifies of a Teaching-Learning Center to provide com- the needs of those constituencies. Research on puter training for faculty, staff and administra- the campus has taken many different forms, tors, including extensive on-going classes and including extraction of operational data, such as drop-in consultation. A refurbished Faculty enrollment or student performance; generation Support Center is available for adjunct faculty’s of new data through surveys, process analysis computing needs, including accessing the or environmental scans; or the collection of college network. Online course development secondary data through literature reviews or management and training is provided by peer analysis. These data are analyzed and Foothill College for instructors developing presented to the campus in ways that facilitate online or hybrid courses. Online instructors are the use of that data for the evaluation and also encouraged to take advantage of courses in modification of programs and objectives, thus online pedagogy such as those offered by the creating a more systematic approach to Cyber Teacher’s Institute. Faculty and staff are improvement and institutional effectiveness. also encouraged to attend conferences on Information Technology. The Math Division • Develop Partnerships received a grant to train instructors in the West has developed many community partner- Educo math lab, a computer-assisted compo- ships since 2000. In partnership with the Los nent for basic math classes. Angeles Institute of Architecture and Design, we offer the general education courses required The Integrated Master Plan also identifies Campus to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona in architecture. Planning Principles and Building Design Principles, Students studying in the entertainment crafts which will be used as our building program pro- industries at Hollywood Cinema Production ceeds. Resources can get college credit for their work by enrolling in West’s classes. The largest part- SELF-EVALUATION: nerships by far, however, are in the field of Administration of Justice, where we train Los West is aware of how far we have to go in imple- Angeles County probation officers and Los menting the goals set in our Integrated Master Plan; Angeles County sheriff deputies. We also have in fact, one of the advantages of having such a docu- an active fire technology program. ment is that it can guide us in further work.

• Establish a comprehensive Information Responses to the question, “To what degree does the Technology training and orientation program college adhere to the master planning process?” for staff and faculty. reflects the staff who are aware of the master plan of As the District has transitioned from its legacy system to comprehensive data systems provided the college. Eight-five percent of the respondents by SAP, staff have made progress in acquiring have varying degrees of awareness that there is a comprehensive training in key computer appli- master plan. Seventeen percent of the respondents cations. The District Information Technology believed there was not a systemic planning process Office provides training on the Enterprise being implemented; 37 percent believe that there is Resource Training for SAP and for other appli- some systematic planning process that is beginning cations used District-wide, such as Business to take shape; 30 percent believe that there is a sys- Warehouse, Protocol and eRPA, As the new tematic planning process that the college follows; 17 Human Resources portion of SAP has come percent believe that there is a clearly defined plan- online, the District has initially trained technical ning process. (I.B-1) and key staff who are expected to train others on campus. West is aware of the critical need to implement the goals set forth in our Integrated Master Plan and is Through grant monies, West is addressing diligently working to incorporate the Integrated faculty information technology needs. Master Plan in all facets of our operation. We are

117 WLAC SELF STUDY INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS using the document as a guide for our planning 2005 Student Survey Results Los Angeles processes and to create more operational measures of Community Colleges West Los Angeles College, the our effectiveness. More importantly, there is growing 2005 West Los Angeles College 2005 Self-Study awareness on campus of our mission statement and Questionnaire Preliminary Results the West Los master plan. Ninety percent of all staff surveyed are Angeles Community College vs. Two Major aware of the mission statement; 85 percent are aware Competitors Final Report October 2005 or strategic of the master plan. Forty-seven percent of those sur- enrollment projections, trends in curricula and fund- veyed feel that there is a systematic planning process ing and recommendations from accreditation. The that the college follows; 37 percent believe that there college researcher, responsible for setting the is a systematic process that is beginning to take research agenda in collaboration with those needing shape. (I.B-1) and requesting data, works closely with key committees and groups to provide up-to-date, reliable infor- The college meets the standard. mation to assist the college with key decision-making processes. I.B.3. The institution assesses progress toward Data are provided on a regular and ad hoc basis. achieving its stated goals and makes decisions Among the data provided are operational data, such regarding the improvement of institutional effec- as enrollment or student performance; new data gen- tiveness in an ongoing and systematic cycle of eval- erated through system and local surveys, process uation, integrated planning, resource allocation, analysis or environmental scans; the collection of sec- implementation and re-evaluation. Evaluation is ondary data through literature reviews or peer based on analyses of both quantitative and qualita- analysis; strategic enrollment projections; trends in tive data. curricula and funding; and recommendations from DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: accreditation. Much of this information is available through the West Los Angeles College Data Book or West Los Angeles College has an ongoing and through the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) increasingly systematic cycle of evaluation and plan- website. OIE is responsible for setting the research ning that assists the college in using its limited agenda in collaboration with all members of the cam- resources wisely and more effectively. The system pus and works closely with key committees and relies on analyses of both quantitative and qualita- groups to provide up-to-date, reliable information to tive data through its Master Planning cycle compo- assist the college with key decision-making process- nents including program review and unit planning, es. OIE is a member of the College Planning its budget and planning prioritization process and Committee and provides direct support to the the New Initiatives Letter. College Council. (I.B-19)

In addition to the mission statement, the college’s Under the authority of the College Council, the Integrated Master Plan with its annual cycle of plan- College Planning and Budget Committees focus on ning and resource allocation provide the basis for an implementing the Integrated Master Plan through a effective learning organization. (I.B-18) progression of college-wide and unit processes. These processes promote institutional consensus on The college relies on the quantitative data provided key issues and strategies that foster the principle that to every academic division, program, service and planning drives budget decisions. office that completes program review reports. Among the data provided are full-time equivalent The following chart is a refinement of the one found students, retention and persistence, degrees and cer- in the Integrated Master Plan to show how the time- tificates – and other measures such as the Spring line for the process has changed.

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Process Step Original Timeline Current Timeline ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Leadership Retreat May May or June ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Distribution of Annual Planning and Budgeting Guidelines August August/September (now Program Review and Unit Planning workshops) ——————————————————————————————— Initial Planning Session of Major Divisions August/September ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Completion of Unit Plans Late October Late October ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Vice Presidents’ Review and Synthesis November November ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Cross-Divisional Information Sharing November November/December ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Planning Committee Review November: Selected issues, as and Feedback November introduced by Vice Presidents ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Divisional Review and Priority Setting December/January December ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Planning Committee Review and Feedback February February ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Constituency Review February Largely replaced by general oversight of the process ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Joint Planning-Budget Committee Priority Setting March March/April ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Constituency Review April Largely replaced by general oversight of the process ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Final Plan and proposed College Budget May May

The major steps in the process now are the self-study feeds directly into unit planning. To 1. Leadership Retreat, which brings together many, the budget request is the heart of unit administrators, academic division chairs, planning since, with rare exceptions, no increases committee chairs, deans, program directors, in budget can be considered unless they have staff and student government officers to been introduced in the unit plan. conduct a review of the academic year that is 3. Each unit submits its Draft Annual Unit Plan just ending and to look ahead to the coming and Budget to its respective vice president. academic year. Outcomes of this day-long 4. Each vice president reviews the unit plans and meeting include a list of potential issues, oppor- identifies a consensus plan for the division. tunities and priorities for the coming year. Each vice president then develops a document 2. Program Review and unit planning workshops representing the proposed initiatives and budget utilize a Unit Plan Guide, developed after the allocations for the coming fiscal year. Leadership Retreat, which lays out the process 5. The vice presidents meet and compare their steps and timeline for the annual planning and plans and budgets in order to develop a budgeting cycle. Unit managers and chairs comprehensive plan for each division. receive individualized program review docu- 6. The Planning Committee reviews the draft ments in which their objectives for the previous Divisional unit plans and provides feedback. year are listed together with the measurable 7. The College Planning Committee meets jointly outcomes. They must then identify their with the Budget Committee to rank budget accomplishments and areas to improve. This initiatives within the scope of the projected allocation.

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8. Constituency groups review the budget priori- tion. This, in turn, points to modifying instruction ties and submit their recommendations to the and services as needed to accomplish program goals. president. Integrated Master Plan goals of student success, 9. The president makes final decisions on the human resources and organizational development, budget priorities and communicates these to the constituencies. marketing and outreach and financial health are built into the program review and unit plan. A column of This system derives from the one in the Integrated the form asks for measurable outcomes. Master Plan. The major change has been the folding Improvement is emphasized in the section that asks of program review and unit planning into one for “Specific strategies and tasks to achieve objective process. Each step in this process helps institutional and to implement solutions to program review find- members understand the college’s goals and work, ings.” These strategies and tasks vary widely across especially in key committees. the campus. Many involve the redirection of effort to new areas; some, but by no means all, are depend- The well-established institution-wide program ent on the identification of new resources. (I.B-20) review and unit planning process is West Los Angeles College’s mechanism for ongoing and Program review reports are central to the Faculty systematic self study. Through this process, academic Position Identification and Prioritization process, divisions, student services, programs, offices and which is the mechanism through which tenure-track other services engage in an annual self- faculty positions are ranked for resource evaluation tied to the college’s mission, rogram review allocation. Requests for financial vision and Integrated Master Plan that P resources must appear in unit plans, focuses on improvement. Program reports are central to which derive from the ongoing, system- review and unit planning workshops are the Faculty Position atic program review process and analy- held every August for academic areas Identification sis of key data. (I.B-21) with the workshop for Student and and Prioritization Administrative Services and the process, which is Thus, program review and unit planning President Office scheduled in September. the mechanism lead to goal setting based on evaluation At these workshops, participants receive of previous objectives with an emphasis a packet that includes their previous through which on addressing concerns and strategies year’s program review goals and objec- tenure-track faculty for improvement. tives, the most recent unit plan objectives positions are and relevant data provided by the college ranked for resource Through the work on establishing stu- researcher. For example, in 2005, the data allocation. dent learning outcomes at the institu- consisted of enrollment, retention, certifi- tional and course levels, West’s focus cates and degrees from 1998 to 2004, now shifts to how best to assess student demographics, survey results such as the Strategic learning, which will add another important compo- Goals Survey, the West Los Angeles College 2005 Self- nent to measurable objectives that now include Study Questionnaire, Preliminary Results, and Spring enrollment targets in addition to a plan to address 2005 Student Survey Results Los Angeles Community student retention. (I.B-2) Colleges West Los Angeles College. The next step in producing the annual plan and At the workshops, participants are oriented to and budget is in the hands of the vice presidents who begin the self study program review process. They should review all the plans from areas under their are then encouraged to take their initial work back to authority, produce a consolidated, prioritized plan their divisions, disciplines and offices for input and for their division and work with the other vice presi- feedback from colleagues in a collaboration that dents to coordinate the plans of all three divisions. yields a complete in-depth report. The program review instrument flows directly to the unit plan Finally, the College Planning and Budget document so that planning and improvement are Committees hold joint meetings to prioritize requests based on and grow out of data-supported evalua- for additional funding. They apply the following

WLAC SELF STUDY 120 INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS criteria such as successful transfer, completion of is the over-50 group,” and qualitative factors, includ- degrees/certificates and a rubric designed to objec- ing this statement: “In approximately 2000, when tively determine the degree to which each initiative West developed its partnerships with Culver City will rank according to how well they are ranked Senior Center, Claude Pepper Center, Beverly Hills within their divisions; meet key indicators of the Center, and West Hollywood Senior Center, each Integrated Master Plan and have completed and met identified…recruiting the growing 50-65 age group the goals of their program review are factors taken and increasing their services to the growing 75+ into account in the prioritizing process. (I.B-22) group.” This, coupled with the fact that “California ranks 47th in the number of nursing aides, orderlies One way that Administrative Services is attempting and attendants per 100,000 population in 2000, to clarify our planning and budgeting process is by according to the Bureau of Health Professions” bol- providing detailed budget information at each step sters the need for this proposal. The proposal will be of the planning process. These figures can be evaluated using the criteria described in the previous aggregated into draft budgets as the fiscal plan for paragraph. (I.B-24) the upcoming year is developed in the Budget Committee. We have recognized that our planning process needs more longer-focus mechanisms to augment the effec- Another mechanism which the college relies on to tive annual cycle. The Academic Senate has formed a assess progress toward its stated goals through our committee to draw up a process that will detail how planning and budgeting cycle is the Letter of Intent program vitality and viability are to be assessed. for New Initiatives. As a communication tool and a method of insuring that all the appropriate bodies In addition to the annual program reviews, a six-year are involved in the planning process from the outset, cycle of comprehensive program reviews of academ- the Letter of Intent must note the Integrated Master ic disciplines has been instituted. The Program Plan goals that the initiative addresses and the pro- Review Evaluation Subcommittee of the College posal form requires citing “both qualitative and Planning Committee reviews the comprehensive pro- quantitative support for the need” for the initiative. gram reviews and forwards its commendations and It also asks the applicant(s) to “Describe your evalua- recommendations to the College Planning tion process and what measures you will use.” The Committee for action. Here again, West’s goal of rating system used assigns points to assess the improving student learning is the focus of college “degree to which the initiative best addresses one of efforts. the campus goals – based on the Integrated Master Plan – student services, human resources, marketing English, English as a Second Language, Math, Dental and outreach and financial health. It also references Hygiene and Counseling completed their reports, the college’s Mission Statement, West’s “capability to and the commendations and recommendations by undertake the partnership or initiative,” and asks the Program Review Evaluation Subcommittee were what “facilities and offices and units” will be affect- endorsed by the College Planning Committee in ed. Also accounted for are implementation, long- Spring 2005. The Dental Hygiene program, for exam- term planning for funding the operations and main- ple, was commended for its long-term proactive tenance of the effort. Each proposal must also spell efforts to increase the diversity of its applicant pool. out the benefits to the college and costs, both direct Math was commended for strengthening student and indirect. All proposed programs, projects, part- retention through its grant applications to support nerships and grants must follow this process. (I.B-23) and fund its lab and provide staff development for instructors in the use of the Educo software. An example of a recent New Initiatives Proposal, Recommendations emphasize actions leading to submitted June 12, 2005, to the College Planning improvement in instruction and services. Among the Committee is the Geriatric Care Technician Program recommendations Counseling received were to to be included as part of the Allied Health Division. develop a process and procedure to notify students Using quantitative factors such as information from immediately of the latest changes to articulation with the District’s Research Office that “the fastest-grow- four-year universities, the curricula and programs to ing segment of the population in West’s service area support students’ success with transfer. (I.B-26)

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The Child Development Center, Library and DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Learning Resources, Administrative Services, Information Technology, the Business Office and Planning processes at West are broad-based, collegial Personnel and Payroll are currently working on their and inclusive. They begin with program review comprehensive program review reports. These self- reports required across all segments of the college: study reports, in their depth and breadth, support academic divisions, Student and Administrative progress toward program goals. Services and the President’s Office. This well-established, college-wide effort has been improved upon SELF-EVALUATION: each successive year and includes participants from every part of the campus. Program reviews lead to West Los Angeles College has an effective program unit plans, which eventually are prioritized by their for systematic and cyclical evaluation, planning and appropriate division and then forwarded to the resource allocation efforts that lead to improved College Planning Committee. institutional effectiveness. The annual planning and budgeting cycle intends to link planning and budget- Our Self Study Survey asked several direct questions ing through collaboration and cross-divisional and about participation and outcomes of the planning constituency review. This program is campus-wide, process. Seventy percent of faculty and staff feel that but through careful evaluation, the college has recog- “my participation will help improve WLAC”; 66 per- nized the need to strengthen the linkage between cent believe that their participation results in “favor- planning and resource allocation. Strengthening this able outcomes.” Further, more than 80 percent of key link (for example, through providing more respondents believed that the “college community” detailed and comprehensible budget data in the pro- had “some involvement” to “major involvement” in gram review instrument) will further improve an the decision making process in planning and budget already well-established, functioning program. review; more than 70 percent felt the same about budget and academic decisions. The college continues to struggle to meet timelines, resulting in not enough attention paid to long-term The College Planning Committee and Budget planning. The College Planning Committee, its Committee, whose members represent key con- Program Review Subcommittee and the Office of stituencies - representatives from the Academic Administrative Services are working together to alle- Senate, classified staff units, student government, the viate this problem. American Federation of Teachers, the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, Student Services and In addition, the college continues to struggle with Administrative Services and resources like the college the communication and adoption of the Integrated researcher - meet jointly in the spring semester to Master Plan goals by all college constituencies. look at the priorities of the three major divisions of Efforts continue to make planning a central part of the college – Academic Affairs, Student and the college culture and the implementation of writ- Administrative Services – and the President Office, to ten documents and processes continues to evolve. determine how resources will be allocated. Reports from the representatives of the College Planning PLANNING AGENDA: Committee and the Budget Committee are presented at meetings of the constituency bodies, such as the • The College Council will, by the end of Spring Academic Senate and the Classified Forum. 2006, examine ways to coordinate all steps in the planning and budgeting cycle so that long- Although our planning process does involve the term planning can occur according to timelines. entire campus through the representation of all the constituencies, as well as by program review and I.B.4.The institution provides evidence that the unit planning, the campus is not uniformly aware of planning process is broad-based, offers opportuni- our processes. The West Los Angeles College 2005 ties for input by appropriate constituencies, allo- Self-Study Questionnaire, Preliminary Results cates necessary resources, and leads to improve- reveals that 54 percent of the college faculty, staff and ment of institutional effectiveness. students know about the Integrated Master Plan. WLAC SELF STUDY 122 INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS

When asked, “To what degree does the college DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: adhere to the master planning process?” 84 percent of the respondents have varying degrees of aware- The college compiles and reports assessment results ness that there is a master plan. Seventeen percent of to communicate quality assurance to its constituen- the respondents believed there was not a systemic cies. The newsletter from matriculation reports on planning process being implemented; 37 percent graduation and retention rates, Workforce believe that there is some systematic planning Development informs faculty, staff and students process that is beginning to take shape; 30 percent about the assessment process and its results and the believe that there is a systematic planning process Learning Resource Center reports on collection for that the college follows; 17 percent believe that there the library. (I.B-25) (I.B-26) (I.B-27) is a clearly defined planning process. SELF-EVALUATION: Details provided in the Descriptive Summary of I.B.3. above attest to progress made in improving Included in these are assessment results required institutional effectiveness. by different entities. The Federal Aviation Administration provides quarterly figures of stu- SELF-EVALUATION: dents who have passed the written exam within a specified period after completing the Aviation West has many hard-working committees ranging Maintenance Technician certificate. West’s students from the Student Learning Outcomes Committee, generally score above the national norm. The the Basic Skills Committee to the Faculty Position Identification and Prioritization Committee, the Paralegal Program, like Dental Hygiene, submits Facilities Committee, the Work Environment and extensive reports to the appropriate accrediting Technology Committees. Although committee min- agency. Matriculation, EOPS/CARE, Title III and utes can now be posted on the college website, com- Title V must submit assessment results to comply munication across committees can still be improved. with regulations. Matriculation, for example, compiles data on “Students enrolled in the remedial PLANNING AGENDA: English and math programs and the ESL program” to track “the rate of completion of higher levels of • The College Council as part of the new English, Math and ESL” and reports these to the governance structure will immediately examine State Chancellor’s Office in Sacramento. (I.B-28) (I.B- and implement ways to improve communication 29) (I.B-30) and coordination among its many committees. Financial Aid, DSPS, EOPS may be subject to audits. I.B.5. The institution uses documented assessment Reporting on the Title V grant is mandated by the results to communicate matters of quality assurance funding agency, the federal government. (I.B-32) to appropriate constituencies. The college meets the standard.

I.B.6.The institution assures the effectiveness of its ongoing planning and resource allocation processes by systematically reviewing and modifying, as appropriate, all parts of the cycle, including institutional and other research efforts. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

Ever since the planning cycle was codified in the 2003 Integrated Master Plan, West has reviewed and made incremental improvements. The cycle is predicated on the idea of all plans arising from the unit

123 WLAC SELF STUDY INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS plans written in the fall. Since opportunities arise at this cycle, the College Planning Committee and unexpected intervals, one of the first changes was Budget Committee meet jointly to draw up a list of the development of an emergency track. The priorities for resource allocation. However, the Planning Committee in creating this document College Planning Committee has noted that what is sought to balance the need for open, timely commu- currently missing is a re-evaluation step in which nication with the need to respond quickly to both committees revisit the previous list of priorities changing conditions. The document requires a justi- to assess what was implemented and how and fication for considering a proposal outside the nor- whether the list needs to be modified because of mal planning cycle. This track was used more fre- changes. quently in the first years of West’s planning process, suggesting that the community has learned to use SELF-EVALUATION: the established system. Efforts continue to make planning a central part of Program review also called for revision. Since 2000, the college culture, and the implementation of writ- the college has moved from a comprehensive review ten documents and processes continues to evolve. In done every six years to one done yearly and from a a number of ways, West is addressing the need to 45-page instrument to a 10-page one. In addition, systematically review its planning processes. While program review and unit planning have been com- some steps are clearly spelled out in the planning bined into one process since 2001. Having had expe- cycle, in actuality, important steps are missing. rience in gathering data in this manner, West has Recognizing this, the College Council and its College found it possible to return to the comprehensive pro- Planning Committee is now engaged in reconfigur- gram review done every six years. The process ing its planning cycle and establishing a planning began in 2004 with six academic areas. The compre- and budgeting timeline with built-in review. hensive program review instrument has been adjusted to better evaluate Administrative Services and This can happen in a number of ways. For example, Student Services. Validation of comprehensive pro- vice presidents can examine at their division level gram reviews in the period up to 2000 had been how funding can be moved within their unit to facil- problematic because of the difficulties establishing a itate resource allocation to identify priorities. In separate validation committee for each program. A addition, at the weekly senior staff meetings, the subcommittee of the Program Review Subcommittee three Vice Presidents, with the college President, can now validates the self-studies and has given com- discuss cross-divisional resource needs to be funded. mendations and recommendations to the six academic areas and is preparing to review Administrative Recognizing the need to strengthen our planning Services and Student Services. processes, the former Research and Planning Department have been combined and reorganized The Academic Senate has recognized the need to into the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) to establish processes for considering program viability, centralize the functions of research, planning, mar- and an ad hoc committee has developed a draft pro- keting and publications. The mission of OIE is to posal to be presented to the Senate in December. assess and increase the effectiveness of the institution through its cycle of evaluation and planning. A Dean The Faculty Position Identification and Prioritization of Institutional Effectiveness is being hired to lead Committee also assesses its instruments and policies the effort to assure the effectiveness of West’s on an annual basis when the committee is active. The planning and resource allocation processes. One of Chair of this committee met with the Chair of coun- OIE’s major tasks has been supporting the accredita- seling in order to address concerns about the ratio of tion process. Beginning with a Self Study Survey in counselor-to-students used in the committee’s rating the Spring of 2005, OIE continues to work with all of system. the constituencies on campus to identify the research needs of the campus and to collect the data necessary West Los Angeles College has designed a cycle for to support the operation of institution. This work has planning, implementation and evaluation. As part of increased the visibility of OIE on the campus and given OIE a measure of validation.

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PLANNING AGENDA: has further articulated the connection between evaluating what we have done and planning what we will • By the end of spring 2006, the College Council do. (I.B-17) will determine ways to coordinate all steps in the planning/budget cycle so that long-term Another example of improvement resulting from planning can occur according to timelines. systematic review of evaluation mechanisms is the Faculty Position Identification and Prioritization Committee which is charged with prioritizing I.B.7.The institution assesses its evaluation mecha- requests for faculty probationary tenure-track posi- nisms through a systematic review of their effec- tions. This committee, which engages in annual tiveness in improving instructional programs, stu- review of its instrument and processes, adjusted its dent support services, and library and other learn- scoring in order to account for benchmarks estab- ing support services. lished for counselor-to-student ratios. The impetus DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: for this refinement came from academic division chairs. The use of verifiable data at all levels is an ongoing concern. One of the goals of the reorganization of the Surveys, such as the West Los Angeles College 2005 Office of Institutional Effectiveness is to review the Self Study Questionnaire and the Spring 2005 existing evaluation mechanisms on campus in order Student Survey Results, Los Angeles Community to identify best practices and facilitate their adoption Colleges, West Los Angeles College, also play a role throughout the campus. In combination with the in evaluating the college’s academic programs and Program Review Committee and the College student support services. West’s research analyst Planning Committee, OIE works to improve the and the District’s Research Office use standard statis- processes that result in increased student success. tical methods to ensure that validity and reliability Staffing changes, including the projected hiring of a fall within acceptable levels. (I.B-1) new dean for Institutional Effectiveness, as well as the development of a comprehensive research agen- A series of focus groups convened in September 2005 da that includes evaluating the evaluation mecha- provided additional qualitative information to evalu- nism, serve to strengthen these efforts. ate the effectiveness of college evaluation mechanisms. This is particularly useful when coupled with With regard to research, the college hired a provi- quantitative assessments. sional research analyst in January 2005 after the previous college researcher retired. In October, West SELF-EVALUATION hired a permanent research analyst and concurrently Recognizing the need to further develop planning established the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, and research, by combining them with marketing, reorganizing and re-tasking the former Office of grants, publications, publicity and the college web- Planning and Research. The analyst is currently site, the interim President designed the Office of developing a comprehensive research agenda which Institutional Effectiveness. While there is a signifi- will incorporate the data needs for matriculation, cant amount of data available, the analysis and inter- program review, grants, state and federal reporting pretation of that data was not adequate to assist deci- and enrollment management. Establishing a sion-making. This is now being addressed more research calendar, which will also incorporate timely directly. The use of data to assist decision-making is and systematic assessment of this function to the most important aspect of reviewing our evalua- enhance institutional effectiveness, further strength- tive mechanisms. ens this crucial area. PLANNING AGENDA: Program review is one of the key evaluation processes at West. The Program Review Committee evalu- • The Office of Institutional Effectiveness will ates its forms every year, and has made significant begin implementing the centralization of plan- adjustments in the questions asked, the data provid- ning, research, marketing, grants, publications, ed and in its timelines. Combining program review publicity and the college website immediately. with unit planning was a major improvement, as it 125 WLAC SELF STUDY INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND EFFECTIVENESS

STANDARD I.B. DOCUMENTATION:

I.B-1 West Los Angeles College 2005 Self Study Questionnaire, Preliminary Results I.B-2 West’s Student Learning Outcomes Story I.B-3 Probation Dept. and Sheriff’s Dept. information I.B-4 Divisional Council Minutes I.B-5 Generation 1.5 Workshop handouts I.B-6 Comprehensive Program Review Evaluation Committee reports I.B-7 Minutes of the Faculty Position Identification and Prioritization Committee I.B-8 Minutes of the Work Environment Committee I.B-9 Minutes of the College Planning Committee I.B-10 Minutes of the Academic Senate I.B-11 Minutes of the College Council I.B-12 Minutes of the AFT Chapter meetings I.B-13 West Los Angeles College Council I.B-14 Think Tank Session #1 November 17, 2005 Report I.B-15 Student Accountability and Record System (SARS) I.B-16 Unit Plans September 2005 (Humanities, Distance Education) I.B-17 Program Review instrument draft changes I.B-18 West Los Angeles College Integrated Master Plan I.B-19 West Los Angeles College Office of Institutional Effectiveness website (http://www.wlac.edu/oie/) I.B-20 Unit Plan Guide 2004-2005 for 2005-2006 I.B-21 FPIP Process for Prioritizing Faculty Positions I.B-22 Priority Lists from Joint College Planning Committee and Budget Committee Meetings I.B-23 Letter of Intent for New Initiatives I.B-24 Geriatric Care Technician Proposal I.B-25 Matriculation newsletter I.B-26 Workforce Development newsletter I.B-27 Learning Resources Center newsletter I.B-28 Paralegal Program report I.B-29 Title III Final Performance Report – USDE (ED 534B) I.B-30 Title V Report – 2005 Interim Title V Report for Current Grant – Emphasis on Linked Basic Skills Math, English, CAI and Personal Development I.B-31 EOP&S (Care) Status Report

WLAC SELF STUDY 126 STANDARD II STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

dated computer-based assessment instruments used The institution offers high-quality instructional to place students in mathematics, English and programs, student support services, and library and English as a Second Language courses in which they learning support services that facilitate and demon- have the best chance of success. Students take the strate the achievement of stated student learning assessment tests, attend orientation, meet with a counselor to receive their assessment scores and get outcomes. The institution provides an environment guidance about which classes to take and then regis- that supports learning, enhances student under- ter for classes. standing and appreciation of diversity, and encourages personal and civic responsibility as well as West has extensive offerings in Learning Skills, intellectual, aesthetic, and personal development including many courses for those with learning dis- for all of its students. abilities. A learning disability specialist is a member of the faculty. II.A. INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS Enrollment patterns are used to determine course offerings. Program review also gives faculty the The institution offers high-quality instructional opportunity to evaluate the data on persistence and programs in recognized and emerging fields of attrition. Each year, Mathematics has used the pro- study that culminate in identified student out- gram review cycle to steadily increase supplemen- comes leading to degrees, certificates, employment, tary Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) for its or transfer to other higher education institutions or basic skills math students and has seen its pass rates programs consistent with its mission. Instructional steadily improve from Spring 2002 to Spring 2005. programs are systematically assessed in order to The college has invested in “Class Tracks” software, assure currency, improve teaching and learning a sophisticated program, which will track classes that strategies, and achieve stated student learning out- need to be offered in sequence, so that students may comes. The provisions of this standard are broadly complete programs in a timely fashion. “Class applicable to all instructional activities offered in Tracks” plots schedules and course sequences and the name of the institution. detects conflicts in the scheduling of rooms and classes. (II.A-18) II.A.1.a. The institution identifies and seeks to meet the varied educational needs of its students Academic Affairs has requested that at least one dis- through programs consistent with their educational cipline in each division establish program-based preparation and the diversity, demographics, and SLOs. The English, music and dental hygiene disci- economy of its communities. The institution relies plines have produced these. We have also developed upon research and analysis to identify student program outcomes in the divisions or disciplines of learning needs and to assess progress toward mathematics, social and behavioral sciences, anthro- achieving stated learning outcomes. pology, administration of justice, language arts, humanities and fine arts, music, dental hygiene, DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: library science, chemistry, health and psychology. (II.A-2) In Fall 2004, just more than 8,300 students enrolled at West Los Angeles College, an urban community col- To meet the needs of our students, West offers voca- lege nestled on 72 acres of a bucolic hillside in tional programs in child development, paralegal, avi- Culver City, California. Sixty-four percent female ation, dental hygiene, a program commended for its and 36 percent male, our students hail from as close efforts to attract diverse students, travel and admin- as Culver City, Inglewood and West Los Angeles and istration of justice. West is beginning a fire technolo- as far away as Russia, Poland, Nigeria and India. gy program. We have also submitted an application Serving a diverse population that is 46 percent to the State Chancellor’s Office for a drug and alco- African American, 29 percent Hispanic, 12 percent hol studies certificate. In addition, to meet the needs white, and 9 percent Asian/Pacific Islanders, the col- of the emerging marketplace in health care, we have lege is dedicated to fostering an environment con- an Allied Health Division that offers courses in emer- ducive to an appreciation of diversity. (II.A-1) gency medical services and will soon offer courses that will prepare students for careers as geriatric care To serve this diverse student population, the college technicians. The majority of these programs have has a one-stop Matriculation Center that boasts vali advisory boards that meet at least once a year to

127 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES monitor their relevance and quality. (II.A-2) (II.A-3) The college needs to accentuate its role in helping (II.A-4) (II.A-5) (II.A-6) (II.A-7) students succeed by encouraging them to pursue counseling, tutoring, learning skills courses and Typical of most California community college stu- transfer information. The college realizes it must dents, ours shoulder many personal responsibilities. accelerate its support of these services to the fullest Life complications often cause too many of them to extent possible. In fact, the college applied for and drop out of classes or fail them. received a Title V grant in order to provide such services for its students. Based upon the results of the Spring 2005 Student Survey Results, 45 percent of the respondents work The Chairs of the Mathematics and Language Arts part-time or full-time, 27 percent work 40 hours or Divisions together with the counselors are urging more, 28 percent work 20-39 hours, and 11 percent students to lay a foundation of skills in reading, writ- work 10-19 hours. Of these students, only 27 percent ing, critical thinking and quantitative analysis before come from a home where the annual family income taking other courses. Many students bypass counsel- is over $37,741, and 87 percent reported that they ing and self-enroll in classes that do not have pre- receive some type of public assistance. (II.A-8) requisites but would better be taken when one pos- sesses the appropriate skills. Some students overload In a further effort to meet the needs of its students, themselves in a rush to earn a degree or transfer, West’s Basic Skills Task Force, a sub-committee of the only to discover that the overloading forces them to Senate, meets on the first Wednesday of each month, withdraw from some classes and unsuccessfully where it focuses on budget planning to allocate complete others. Language interference prevents funds for tutors. It also discusses and makes recom- some students from being successful in classes. mendations on curriculum in basic skills mathemat- These students need classes in English as a second ics and English, and it tries to leverage grant funds language but are often reluctant to enroll in them. to serve basic skills students. This committee has been instrumental in fostering computer-assisted As part of West’s efforts to sponsor the first four instruction (CAI) supplements to crucial basic skills Integrated Master Plans strategic goals of S-1 Assess English and math courses that often present chal- and orient every student to develop career goals and lenges to non-traditional students. (II.A-10) (II.A-11) educational plans, S-2 Implement a first-year success program, S-3 Emphasize early math and English, and SELF-EVALUATION: S-4 Provide supplemental academic enrichment activities, Title V is sponsoring a linkage between the basic skills English and math classes and a personal Title III workshops for faculty focused on the need to development class, College Survival Skills, taught by address students’ differing learning styles and the a counselor. The plan is to guide a cohort of 100 stu- need to include active learning in all classes. The dents through the Math and English fundamentals current Title V grant, by encouraging basic skills stu- classes with every support service not only available dents to also enroll in Personal Development 5, but formally offered to these students. (II.A-12) College Survival Skills, seeks to help students develop study and time management skills that can help According to the college Office of Institutional them succeed. The faculty recognize that there are Effectiveness, basic skills course completion rates (A, many reasons students are unsuccessful in classes. B, C or Cr) have risen slightly from 61 percent in Fall Their personal obligations can interfere with class 2001 to 64 percent in Fall 2004. The overall persist- attendance, the completion of assignments and ence rate of re-enrolling students has risen signifi- studying for exams. The many personal burdens cantly from 2001 to 2005. (II.A-13) placed on students was one of the topics covered in three Title V-sponsored workshops held in Spring 2005 where a group of full-time and adjunct faculty PLANNING AGENDA: also explored SLOs and the course sequence of English beginning with basic skills and leading to • By 2007, the Basic Skills Task Force in conjunc- the transfer composition class. (II.A-9) tion with the Office of Institutional Effective- ness will develop a basic skills research agenda that will monitor and track student progress.

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country. These classes must rigorously follow the II.A.1.b. The institution utilizes delivery systems official course outlines. (II.A-14) (II.A-15) (II.A-16) and modes of instruction compatible with the objectives of the curriculum and appropriate to the On campus, we use computer-assisted instruction current and future needs of its students. (CAI) for basic skills English and math. There is a DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: mandated co-requisite Learning Skills 50 computer- assisted instruction grammar course for all students West is in the forefront of utilizing a variety of deliv- enrolled in basic skills English 21, English ery systems and modes of instruction. We offer Fundamentals. A CAI math lab serves students in almost 100 classes in distance education and have basic skills Math 105, Arithmetic for College found that many of these classes draw far more Students and 112 Pre-Algebra. (II.A-17) enrollment than their on-campus counterparts, as they offer convenience to working and homebound The chart below shows the pass rates (a grade of A, students who want to save time driving, not miss B or C) in percentages of students in math and meals, not have to arrange for child care and can English classes between Spring 2002 and Spring take our classes even if they live in another part of 2005. Percentages have been rounded off to the near- Los Angeles County, out of the state or out of the est whole number. (II.A-18)

PASS RATE DATA FOR ENGLISH AND MATH CLASSES ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Classes--Category Spring 2002 Spring 2003 Spring 2004 Spring 2005 ————————————————————————————————————————————————— English 21 “English Fundamentals”--basic skills 48% 57% 50% 45% ————————————————————————————————————————————————— English 28 “Intermediate Reading and Composition” -- needed for AA degree 57% 62% 51% 50% ————————————————————————————————————————————————— English 101 “College Reading and Composition” 59% 51% 58% 58% ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Total English Students Total 1,116 Total 1,227 Total 1,155 Total 1,279 —————————————————————————————————————————————————

Math 105 “Arithmetic for College Students--basic skills 46% 44% 44% 45% ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Math 112 “Pre-Algebra”--remedial —————————————————————————————————————————————————35% 46% 44% 49% Math 115 “Elementary Algebra”-- needed for AA degree —————————————————————————————————————————————————39% 39% 41% 48% Math 117 “Basic Elementary Algebra I”-- needed for AA degree 32% 49% 34% 40% ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Math 118 “Basic Elementary Algebra II”--needed for AA —————————————————————————————————————————————————50% 65% 60% 58% (Math 117 + 118 = Math 115) ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Math 125 “Intermediate Algebra”-- needed to transfer —————————————————————————————————————————————————22% 31% 34% 27% Total Math Students Total 1,226 Total 1,408 Total 1,481 Total 1,389

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No clear trend emerges from the English data, and basic skills students who are also enrolled in the English discipline will hold further discussions Personal Development 5, College Survival Skills, to on how to improve student learning in basic skills learn time management and study skills. classes. But, for mathematics, the percentages in indicate an upward trend over four years English faculty used Title III funds to design two boldface and appear to show that the computer-assisted half-day workshops in collaborative learning and instruction supplements may help students pass role-playing activities to help faculty assist students these important basic skills math courses. Before the from a variety of cultural backgrounds. As these start of the 2004 and 2005 fall semesters, Math 105 efforts indicate, our faculty continue to seek effective and 112 faculty were encouraged to attend work- delivery methods for basic skills students. shops designed to familiarize them with the Math lab. The Math chair meets individually with these The college meets the standard. faculty to discuss how they can utilize Math lab support. The effort to use computer-assisted instruction II.A.1.c. The institution identifies student learning to supplement and support basic skills students has outcomes for courses, programs, certificates, and been built into the Math Division’s program review degrees; assesses student achievement of those out- process. comes; and uses assessment results to make improvements. Music also uses computer-assisted instruction in the form of macGAMUT software for Music 101, DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Fundamentals of Music for Non-Music Majors, offering students practice in melodic and rhythmic dicta- In 2004, the college developed an SLO Committee tion. For the Music 200, 201, 202 and 203 theory charged with establishing student learning outcomes sequence, the software program entitled Finale, for the institution. As the committee examined the which is used by professional musicians, enhances Integrated Master Plan, the college mission and the students’ study by familiarizing them with software standards of accreditation, West identified nine insti- currently used in the music industry as well as offer- tutional SLOs to be fully implemented in the next ing them practice in writing harmonic structure. five years throughout all areas of the college. Approved by the Senate in Fall 2005, these out- Funded by Title III and Title V grants, Smart board comes--critical thinking, communication, quantita- applications, which allow Internet access as well as tive reasoning, self-awareness/interpersonal skills, allowing information written and drawn on white ethics, technical competence, diversity, aesthetics and and black boards to be saved, are being used in three civic responsibility--can be found in the Curriculum English classrooms in the B5 building and one histo- Folder. (II.A-2) ry classroom, CE-203. (II.A-12) (II.A-19) (II.A-20) Student learning objectives at the course level are SELF-EVALUATION: built in to the new Revised Course Outline. Adopted two years ago, the new district-authorized Revised The college continues to research effective delivery Course Outline is used for all new courses, additions systems to meet the objectives and appropriate needs to existing courses and course updates. It includes a of its students. English 21, English Fundamentals lengthy section that asks faculty to identify the con- and Math 105, Arithmetic for College Students and tent and the learning objectives for the course they Math 112, Pre-Algebra make use of Computer- are proposing. The form features a table of active- Assisted instruction to supplement traditional class learning verbs from Bloom’s taxonomy designed to instruction. All students who enroll in English encourage faculty to write their objectives in measur- Fundamentals must take a co-requisite of Learning able terms. The new Revised Course Outline also Skills 50, a half-unit computerized grammar course. requires faculty to identify required texts, supple- Math students in basic math classes are encouraged mentary readings, writing assignments, representa- to enroll in the Educo math lab located in B3-101, tive outside assignments, assignments that demon- which runs software compatible with their textbooks. strate critical thinking, methods of evaluation and In 2004, math faculty used Title III money to conduct methods of instruction. (II.A-16) two half-day staff development workshops that helped them use their math lab effectively. In addi- In Spring 2003, a series of monthly workshops tion, the Title V grant is working with a cohort of 100 explored the relationship between student learning

WLAC SELF STUDY 130 STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES outcomes and the newly adopted Revised Course with course outcomes, incorporate various modes of Outline. Information and examples are available on assessment and anticipate potential obstacles that the college Local Area Network (LAN). However, in keep students from meeting course objectives. 2003, we really did not understand the distinction between learning objectives and student learning The Title V grant also funded two SLO workshops outcomes. In fact, we used the terms interchange- on July 14-15, 2005 and October 27-28, 2005, which ably. clarified the difference between learning objectives and more global course, program and institutional But, after substantial SLO workshops on July 14-15, learning outcomes. These institutional and program 2005, and October 27-28, 2005, faculty are beginning outcomes are in the Curriculum Folder. The Title V to have a much clearer understanding of SLOs. The director has created a sample grid, included in Revised Course Outline form has been modified so “West’s Student Learning Outcomes Story,” indicat- that institutional and program SLOs with assessment ing how courses within each of the A-F Associate tasks can be added into a two-column table that Degree graduation areas might assume responsibility immediately follows the content and objectives page. for assessing one or two of the college’s institutional Faculty will begin using this new form in December outcomes. 2005. (II.A-16) (II.A-21) (II.A-22) Student Services has defined all student learning Furthermore, the annual cycle of program review outcomes as they relate to its units. Through unit and unit planning guides division faculty as they planning, each area has operationally defined SLOs assess the achievement of student learning objectives and has developed strategic plans and specific out- (as well as pass rates) and make improvements in comes to measure success. Administrative Services is their course offerings. For example, when the pro- beginning to operationally define SLOs. gram review process detects an area that needs to be improved, the division’s unit plan must enumerate We need to learn to act on data to make improve- steps to meet that goal. (II.A-23) (II.A-24) (II.A-25) ments. (II.A-26) PLANNING AGENDA: It was through the program review process that Dental Hygiene split from Physical Education and • The Office of Institutional Effectiveness will became the nucleus of the new Allied Health work with faculty to help them interpret data Division. Since the re-alignment, the dental hygiene and make instructional choices that will faculty have greater opportunity to participate in the improve student learning and achievement of college governance process. They have a representa- our SLOs by Fall 2006. tive on the Academic Senate, the Chair participates • The faculty will initiate the alignment of student in Divisional Council, and faculty participate in learning outcomes and course assessment in many committees. In addition, the Science chair says 2006. recent program review cycles have helped that divi- • Beginning in 2006, the Academic Senate in con sion acquire outside storage bins for incoming and junction with Academic Affairs will conduct outgoing preserved specimens, have their autoclave student learning outcomes workshops in which repaired, obtain increased custodial services and per- at least three teaching and three non-teaching suade the administration to transfer $40,000 directly faculty will participate. to reprographics instead of drawing it away from divisional supply budgets. (II.A-27) II.A.2. The institution assures the quality and SELF-EVALUATION: improvement of all instructional courses and programs offered in the name of the institution, including collegiate, developmental, and pre-colle- West is in the beginning stages of implementing giate courses and programs, continuing and com- SLOs at the program and institutional level and has munity education, study abroad, short-term train- not yet begun formally assessing how students ing courses and programs, programs for interna- achieve them. Working toward this goal by using tional students, and contract or other special pro- Title V funds, the Language Arts Division held two grams, regardless of type of credit awarded, deliv- workshops in May 2005 to align course objectives ery mode, or location.

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II.A.2.a. The institution uses established procedures to design, identify learning outcomes for, approve, administer, deliver, and evaluate courses and programs. The institution recognizes the central role of its faculty for establishing quality and improving instructional courses and programs.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

Academic Affairs, the Academic Senate, the Curriculum Committee, the College SLO Committee, the academic division chairs and faculty all take responsibility for the inclusion of measurable student learning outcomes in all courses. The campus-wide Student Learning Outcomes Committee identified nine specific Student Learning Outcomes at the institutional level, which are discussed in “West’s Student Learning Outcomes Story.” Each academic division has been asked to apply these nine SLOs to at least one discipline. Dental hygiene, English and music have completed this. (II.A-24) (II.A-25) (II.A-26)

Course quality and improvement are also ensured by the faculty evaluation process discussed in Standard III.A.

In addition, the college evaluates quality through its Dental Hygiene program. West also offers state- annual program review process institutionalized approved certificates of completion in 14 disciplines since 1997, which asks divisions to self-monitor including computer application and office technolo- progress in achieving agreed-upon goals and SLOs gy, computer science information and real estate. and to identify areas to improve as well as new ideas Specialized locally designed Skill Certificates may be and actions. The unit plans, which are developed in earned in 26 fields including Jewish Studies and response to this self-evaluation, set forth strategies to communication entertainment media arts. A com- remedy weaknesses and plans for the implementa- plete list of Associate Degrees, State-approved tion of new ideas. One third of the college goes Certificates and Skill Certificates can be found on through an even more comprehensive program pages 71-73 of the 2004-2006 Catalog. (II.A-28) review each year. In 2004-2005, English, English as a second language, mathematics, dental hygiene and West also offers its students an opportunity to study counseling underwent this comprehensive program abroad. A professor of Spanish whisked students off review process, including evaluation of their find- to study Spanish in Spain in 2005 and is leading ings in Spring Semester 2005. The Language Arts another group to Mexico in 2006. This course follows comprehensive program review is included in the the official course outline. Whether students take Curriculum Folder. Two faculty members are buses, cars or airplanes to arrive at West’s classes, released from teaching one class to direct the pro- they will receive the same content, based on measur- gram review process. able student learning outcomes, evidenced by the (II.A-24) (II.A-25) (II.A-26) college’s updated curriculum.

The 2004-2006 Catalog lists Associate Degrees avail- This also applies to students who log on to the able in 41 traditional academic disciplines ranging Internet to attend the almost 100 classes offered from accounting to English, from travel to biology, online, either in the full semester or eight-week for- from French to physics. Featured are the recently mats. Students who sign up for the eight-week accel- American Bar Association-approved Paralegal erated classes offered in the Accelerated College Studies program and the nationally acclaimed Transfer (ACT) format will also be taught according to SLO-driven official course outlines.

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A dedicated, hardworking and professional full-time West is making good progress toward the process of and adjunct faculty are entrusted with the teaching incorporating SLOs in all programs and courses. The of West’s classes. The current catalog indicates that a campus is now aware of the emphasis placed on total of 24 full-time faculty and administrators have these SLOs. Now, each discipline has been asked to earned a doctorate degree. As stipulated by the con- develop program outcomes. The Vice President of tract between the Los Angeles Community College Academic Affairs has given academic division chairs District and the American Federation of Teachers a matrix to help them apply SLOs across their disci- (AFT), full-time faculty attend a minimum of 30 plines at the course and program levels. The college hours of staff development activities in their fields also purchased Ruth Stiehl’s The Outcomes Primer every year, and adjunct faculty attend staff develop- and The Mapping Primer for all deans and academic ment activities equivalent to the number of hours division chairs and plans to hold workshops to they teach in a week. These activities generally con- explore Stiehl’s ideas. sist of a mix of individual research and group or division workshops. See the list of workshop titles Furthermore, on July 14-15, 2005, division chairs and funded by Title III and Title V grants in the evidence their representatives from all six of the Associate folders. (II.A-12) (II.A-19) (II.A-20) Degree graduation areas met for one and a half days at an SLO conference on campus to discuss and write Since 2001, 20 full-time faculty have been hired or program outcomes for their areas. This Title V-fund- transferred to West. In 2001, when the largest cohort ed workshop was led by Dr. Don Prickel, a professor of faculty was hired, there was a New Faculty at Oregon State University and a colleague of Ruth Orientation from A to Z workshop attended by eight Stiehl. newly hired faculty. The session included three two- hour sessions on topics such as “Active and Effective As a result, the college developed institutional stu- Participation in the College,” “An Overview of dent learning outcomes that reflect our mission- Student Services” and “How to Facilitate and based philosophy for college operations and master Participate in a Productive meeting.” In addition, a planning. Eleven disciplines developed a compre- two-hour orientation for adjunct faculty is held every hensive student learning outcome model that pro- semester. (II.A-34) vided instructors with a guideline to follow that will assist students in developing skills in the nine areas To substantiate course quality and improvement, the of student learning. These program outcomes can be Program Review Evaluation Subcommittee has found in the Curriculum Folder. (II.A-2) established a series of measurable benchmarks, including updated course outlines, a close look at PLANNING AGENDA: how learning is achieved and the data required to accomplish this. Based on careful reading of the pro- • Beginning in 2006, the Academic Senate, the gram review reports, question-and-answer sessions Student Learning Outcomes Committee and the and discussion and additional fact-finding, the sub- Office of Academic Affairs will direct the devel- committee forwards its recommendations to the opment and integration of measurable student College Planning Committee for its review and learning outcomes that align with the college’s action – commendation, recommendations and vali- institutional SLOs throughout courses, syllabi dation. and academic programs.

SELF-EVALUATION: II.A.2.b. The institution relies on faculty expertise As of June 2005, validation of dental hygiene, and the assistance of advisory committees when English, English as a second language, math and appropriate to identify competency levels and counseling has been forwarded to the College measurable student learning outcomes for courses, Planning Committee by the Program Review certificates, programs including general and voca- Evaluation Subcommittee. Six of the 52 programs tional education, and degrees. The institution regu- and services, including instruction, student and larly assesses student progress towards achieving administrative services, undergo a comprehensive those outcomes. examination requiring more in-depth analysis.

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DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: II.A.2.c. High-quality instruction and appropriate breadth, depth, rigor, sequencing, time to comple- West’s faculty must meet the minimum qualifications tion, and synthesis of learning characterize all set by the state of California and the Los Angeles programs. Community College District, which typically require a minimum of a Master’s Degree for academic areas DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: and professional certification for vocational areas. Faculty identify student competency levels by evalu- The comprehensive process through which faculty ating essays, exams, student speeches and other are hired, evaluated and given tenure is described in demonstrations of requisite skills. Entry skills and Standard III. All faculty are instructed to distribute exit skills are identified for course sequences with to students a syllabus accurately reflecting the learn- prerequisites--as in core mathematics as well as the ing outcomes included in the official course outline ESL and English courses--which lead students from of record on file in Academic Affairs. In the 2005 basic skills to transfer level classes. Student Survey Results, 89 percent strongly agreed or agreed that “Course outlines are provided and are With regards to SLOs, key faculty in a range of disci- followed.” A workshop before the beginning of each plines have attended workshops both on and off Fall semester covers Recommended Elements of a campus to help them identify discipline-specific out- Course Syllabus, included in the Faculty Professional comes and ways to measure how well students have Standards booklet in the Standard II.A Evidence mastered learning. (II.A-2) Folder. (II.A-8) (II.A-21) (II.A-22) Paralegal Studies, which was recently awarded full approval by the American Bar Association, Dental The entire curriculum review process including fac- Hygiene, Travel and Child Development, have sub- ulty design and/or revision, department review, mitted lists of their advisory committees, which technical review, curriculum committee review and should be convened at least once a year. These lists recommendation to the Academic Senate, as well as are available in the Advisory Committee Folder. Administrative sign-offs assures “appropriate (II.A-2) (II.A-3) (II.A-4) (II.A-5) (II.A-6) (II.A-7) breadth, depth, rigor, time to completion, and synthesis of learning.” The Curriculum Committee SELF-EVALUATION: makes sure that all courses with a pre-requisite or co- requisite submit the appropriate content review A dean assumes responsibility for administering pages, specifying the entering skills, methodologies these vocational programs. For all vocational and and exit skills necessary for each course. Sample academic courses, the Curriculum Committee chair English, math and biology outlines (all with pre-req- has identified courses that need to be updated and uisites) are included in the Evidence Folder. (II.A-17) has reported these to the Academic Senate.

Beginning in December 2005, divisions will be SELF-EVALUATION: required to include selected institutional and program outcomes in their course updates. Title V The two sets of workshops led by Oregon State sponsored workshops in Spring 2006 will begin the University Professor Don Prickel have helped at least process of helping faculty develop assessment strate- one discipline in every division develop program gies for evaluating student achievement of these pro- outcomes. Faculty must now develop ways to assess gram and institutional SLOs. We recognize that this students’ achievement of those outcomes. is an incremental process and may take several years. But we have made great progress in Title V-spon- It should be noted that some disciplines do not have sored workshops facilitated by Professor Don updated course outlines for all of their courses. The Prickel. Academic Senate in Fall 2005 voted not to permit any division to present new courses to the PLANNING AGENDA: Curriculum Committee until all its courses were updated. This provision allows divisions to focus all • Beginning in 2006, the Vice President of their energies on updating curriculum, and it pre- Academic Affairs will ensure that faculty in vents the Curriculum Committee from being flooded every vocational program convenes annual by new courses at the same time that it is attempting meetings of its advisory board and files minutes to review all updated courses. In addition, West will and committee rosters.

WLAC SELF STUDY 134 STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES use the Class Tracks software to offer courses in they are studying. Through the use of this technolo- organized sequences aiding students to efficiently gy, history comes alive for students and stimulates progress in meeting their goals. them to study more.

PLANNING AGENDA: As part of the college’s recently ended Title III grant, the Language Arts Division devoted two half-day staff development sessions in May 2005 to develop- • Beginning in 2006, the director of the Title V ing lessons sensitive to gender and ethnicity. (II.A-9) grant will work with the Academic Senate to convene workshops to facilitate each division’s Each semester, Math faculty who teach basic skills development of measurable program outcomes, classes are encouraged to attend a math lab orienta- their inclusion in course outlines and their tion led by the division chair to acquaint faculty with assessment. Division Chairs and faculty will the ways in which the math lab can assist their stu- report results in their annual program review dents. documents. The college utilizes an early alert system built into II.A.2.d. The institution uses delivery modes and the exclusion roster, allowing faculty to notify stu- teaching methodologies that reflect the diverse dents that they may need extra help and tutoring. needs and learning styles of its students. SELF-EVALUATION: DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Although the four faculty who have Smart Boards or Both basic skills courses in English and mathematics interactive whiteboards in their classrooms are employ CAI to supplement in-class work. All stu- enthusiastic about their instructional possibilities, dents who enroll in English Fundamentals must take many other faculty who are eager to use new tech- a half-unit grammar co-requisite. Students taking nologies need proper training and time to incorpo- basic math courses are encouraged to enroll in the rate smart board technology and Internet resources Educo math lab, which runs software compatible in their classes. with their textbooks. Online classes represent another powerful delivery Beginning in Fall 2005, as part of the college’s Title V mode. On May 24, 2005, the Academic Senate’s grant, 100 of these basic skills students have been Educational Policies and Standards Committee made advised to co-enroll in Personal Development 5, several recommendations designed to improve disci- College Survival Skills, which carries two units of pline oversight and college procedures for approving CSU (California State University) transfer credit. It distance education/online courses. In the past, the will be determined whether linking classes in this college followed district procedure in separately way helps improve student success. (II.A-10) (II.A- evaluating each online course brought to the 11) (II.A-12) Curriculum Committee. However, the Educational Policies Committee wanted to explore a more thor- West has invested in interactive white boards in four ough review of the way in which online courses classrooms and trained faculty in their use. Two are “adhere to the course objectives and cover the course smart podiums, which enable instructors to incorpo- content.” The result was a Distance Delivery rate multi-media. Two combine white boards and Strategies supplement, which all updated online chalk boards that enable an instructor to save every- courses must now add to their official course outline. thing written on them and transmit the material via Faculty who have evaluated online instruction, for email. One history professor quite candidly says example in English, judged the level of academic dis- that students “dig” the Smart Board’s capabilities course to be at an exceptionally high level. (II.A-15) and that the student response is “overwhelmingly enthusiastic.” With the Smart Board, the professor is Before any instructor at West is allowed to teach an able to present maps, photos, cartoons, comic strips, online course, they must pass an ETUDES (Easy to magazine covers and charts as dynamic, vivid Use Distance Education Software) 20-hour training images that allow students to visualize the events course or prior online teaching experience.

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PLANNING AGENDA: SELF-EVALUATION:

• Beginning in 2006, Academic Affairs will offer The Curriculum Committee is deluged with paper- workshops to help faculty identify and teach work. Its members spend hours correcting errors in students who have different learning styles. syntax, grammar, spelling and spying omissions in • Workshops offered by Academic Affairs will submitted outlines and other documents. The train faculty in the use of instructional technology Committee relies on divisions to monitor the quality beginning in 2006. of instruction in each class. Much of our instruction is dependent on adjunct faculty, the best and bright- est of whom often leave for tenure track positions at II.A.2.e. The institution evaluates all courses and other colleges. Unable because of budget constraints programs through an on-going systematic review of to build our own full-time faculty, we are constantly their relevance, appropriateness, achievement of orienting new adjunct faculty. The Academic Senate learning outcomes, currency, and future needs and Educational Policy and Standards Committee will plans. continue to provide criteria to evaluate quality and DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: provide a systematic process to measure program vitality. The program review process requires divisions to The Curriculum Committee has created a complete evaluate their programs against objectives stated in database containing 895 courses. This database the Master Plan. The first objective is “Student includes modules and honors sections, so that a sin- Success.” The second objective is “Financial and gle course title might appear several times. For Human Resources” of the discipline. The unit plan example, Psychology 16, Intimacy, Marriage and must present remedies for any weaknesses identified Family Relationships, appears three additional times in the program review process. In addition, the unit as the following modules: Psychology 16, Love and plan can present ways of improving the program. Marriage A, Psychology 16, Love and Marriage B, Please refer to II.A. 1.c. for examples of how the pro- and Psychology 16, Love and Marriage C. In the gram review process specifically helped the Science database, it would count as four courses needing to and Allied Health Divisions. (II.A-23) (II.A-24) (II.A- be updated. Bearing this possible redundancy in 25) (II.A-26) (II.A-27) mind, as of November 22, 2005, a total of 424 courses in West’s curriculum database need to be updated. Faculty members in each division are supposed to This is the major reason why in Fall 2005 the Senate review and rewrite official course outlines every six passed a resolution stating that there would be no years. While not every course in every division has new courses or course additions until all existing been updated in a timely manner, the most common- courses were updated. The database will also ly offered courses have been updated. Divisions may include a column indicating which of the nine insti- also archive courses that are no longer needed. The tutional outcomes each course proposes to address new Revised Course Outline adopted two years ago and assess. (II.A-30) features two parallel vertical columns, one for content and the other for learning objectives. The second column needs to be filled out using action verbs PLANNING AGENDA: from the Bloom’s Taxonomy table. While this is not an instructional panacea, it does require faculty to • Beginning immediately, the Curriculum think about how they are helping students encounter Committee will ask faculty to revise paperwork the content of their courses and consider what activi- for course updates and new courses at the ties might help the students take intellectual posses- Technical Review stage and insist that it be sion of it. The cycle of program review and unit resubmitted to Technical Review before being planning gives faculty the opportunity to fine-tune presented to the full committee. their offerings by specifically analyzing their objec- • Beginning Fall 2006, the Vice President of tives, citing measurable outcomes, listing accom- Academic Affairs, in cooperation with the plishments and identifying areas to improve coupled Curriculum Committee and the Academic with specific steps to realize those improvements. Senate, will annually notify academic chairs of (II.A-15) (II.A-16) (II.A-23) (II.A-30) courses requiring updates and will use information on course updates as part of the chair’s evaluation. WLAC SELF STUDY 136 STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

II.A.2.f. The institution engages in ongoing, systematic evaluation and integrated planning to assure currency and measure achievement of its stated student learning outcomes for courses, certificates, programs including general and vocational education, and degrees. The institution systematically strives to improve those outcomes and makes the results available to appropriate constituencies.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

West boasts a very efficient annual college-wide program review and unit planning process, which was established in 1997. A printed Unit Plan Guide navi- gates faculty through the process. When problems are cited in the program review, the unit plan seeks to remedy them and identifies resources needed to solve the problem. The unit plan also serves as a springboard for ways to grow programs. (II.A-23) (II.A-24) (II.A-25) (II.A-26)

The college’s response to the rapid growth of online classes illustrates its careful evaluation process. Some instructors are concerned about the possibility of online cheating. Others are concerned that adjunct online faculty have no one to supervise them. Almost all of West’s online classes are being taught by very processes in the college, which drive both the Budget well-trained and experienced faculty. In the Fall and Planning Committees. The two faculty members 2005 Schedule of Classes, of the almost 100 online in charge each receive one class reassigned time. sections listed, 36 are being taught by full-time West faculty, two of whom are administrators. Several The Curriculum Committee has designed and the other online classes are being taught by faculty who Academic Senate approved, a Distance Delivery are full-time at other colleges in the Los Angeles Strategies supplement, which must specify specific Community College District. The majority of the distance delivery strategies for each course objective remaining online classes are being taught by adjunct to be added to the regular course outline. (II.A-15) faculty who have been teaching on-campus classes at West for several years. (II.A-14) The college meets the standard.

As additional evidence to its commitment to evalua- II.A.2.g. If an institution uses departmental course tion, each spring, faculty, administrators, staff, stu- and/or program examinations, it validates their dent leaders and committee representatives partici- effectiveness in measuring student learning and pate in a Leadership Retreat where they evaluate the minimizes test biases. past year and plan for the next. Approximately 50 officers and representatives of the Academic Senate, DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: division Chairs, college administrators, staff supervisors, union representatives and student government The Mathematics Division administers departmental leaders attended the annual retreat held June 3, 2005. final exams, which count for one-third of a student’s final grade, in both Elementary Algebra, which is SELF-EVALUATION: required for an AA Degree, and Intermediate Algebra, which is needed for transfer. The The program review process has been thoroughly Mathematics chair explains the process as follows. institutionalized, not only for academic disciplines The division continually evaluates the effectiveness but also for Student Services and Administrative of the exam. The final exam score is correlated with Services. It is connected to the annual planning the student’s semester cumulative grades. Generally, 137 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES there is a very high correlation indicating the exam is lecture. Lecture also includes discussion and/or accurately measuring the material learned through- demonstration hours. Laboratory includes activity out the semester. The exam is studied to determine if and/or studio hours. The number of units is stated any particular question is missed by a significant in the college catalog, the official course outline and number of students. In 2004, the test was revised for the syllabus. (II.A-16) this reason. Two questions were removed because of poor overall performance on them and possibly a SELF-EVALUATION: lack of in-depth explanation of them in the text. The test questions are generated by a test bank furnished The Curriculum Committee reviews each course pre- by the textbook author. Therefore, the wording is the sented to ensure that the Carnegie Rule and Title 5 same as the students have read in their textbooks all are followed. Faculty have the power and flexibility semester. Teachers also hand out sample final exams to change the allotment of lecture and lab hours to study. Most instructors also make their last test within courses. For example, at the October 20, 2005, almost identical in format to the final exam, so that Curriculum Committee meeting, Computer Science students will be familiar with the style. changed Computer Science 972, Introduction to Cisco Network Fundamentals, from three lecture SELF-EVALUATION: hours to two lecture hours and added a two hour lab requirement with homework, still keeping it a three- Math reports that they are maintaining standards, unit course, but re-allocating the number of lecture and those students who take math at other colleges and lab hours. This was done to meet Cisco often have trouble when they enroll in the next high- Systems, Inc., the leading supplier of networking er class at West. Our math faculty have a grasp of the equipment and network management for the learning outcomes they know students must attain. Internet requirements advocating more actual hands- The chart in II.A.1.b. containing pass rates from on practice in the class—hence the addition of the Spring 2002 to Spring 2005, shows improved pass two lab hours. In this way, the college followed the rates of between 5 to 14 percent for math students Carnegie Rules and modified the course to make it across the range of basic skills and college-level math reflect current employment demands on students. classes and supports this claim. (II.A-18) PLANNING AGENDA: The college meets the standard. • Beginning immediately, division chairs will II.A.2.h. The institution awards credit based on ensure that their divisions send full-time faculty student achievement of the course’s stated learning representatives to the monthly meetings of the outcomes. Units of credit awarded are consistent Curriculum Committee so the representatives with institutional policies that reflect generally can be made aware of the need to include accepted norms or equivalencies in higher educa- institutional and program outcomes in all tion. updated courses.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: II.A.2.i. The institution awards degrees and certificates based on student achievement of a program’s West is in the beginning process of including institu- stated learning outcomes. tional and program outcomes in course outlines. To be sure, official course outlines include detailed DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: learning outcomes that are aligned with course content. In addition, the college follows the Carnegie Degree and certificate requirements as well as major Rule and Title 5, Section 55002, which sets forth min- requirements and general education requirements imum standards of one unit equals one hour lecture are clearly stated in the college catalogue. Since West per week with two hours of homework per week; is still developing an explicit statement of individual OR two hours per week of lab with homework; OR program outcomes, students achieve a degree or cer- three hours of lab per week without homework. tificate based on completing required courses as list- This Carnegie Rule is explained on every course out- ed the college catalog. (II.A-28) line. A typical three-unit class will have 54 hours of

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SELF-EVALUATION: analysis/logical thinking, and the ability to acquire knowledge through a variety of Using Title V funds, the college held an SLO work- means. shop on July 14-15, 2005, attended by 16 faculty rep- c. A recognition of what it means to be an resenting all six of the Associate Degree’s graduation ethical human being and effective citizen: areas: Humanities, Language and Rationality, Social qualities include an appreciation of ethical and Behavioral Sciences, Natural Sciences, Health principles; civility and interpersonal skills; and Physical Education and Mathematics. respect for cultural diversity; historical and Participants refined the existing college institutional aesthetic sensitivity; and the willingness to learning outcomes and wrote program outcomes for assume civic, political, and social responsi- each division that was represented: mathematics, bilities locally, nationally, and globally. psychology, anthropology, administration of justice, music, library science, chemistry, English and health. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: The next step is to align these outcomes with specific courses taught in each division and to develop This standard is met in the institutional SLOs that assessments to ensure that students have achieved align with the college Mission Statement. Although the stated outcomes. (II.A-2) the college is in the process of implementing SLOs at the program and course levels, course outlines and PLANNING AGENDA: curricula need to identify which institutional outcomes are specific to the courses. The Associate of • By Spring 2007, the Academic Senate in conjunc- Arts Degree requires students to take courses in the tion with Academic Affairs will align program Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, outcomes with specific courses taught in each Humanities, Language and Rationality, Health and academic division and develop assessment Physical Education and Mathematics. Under Plan A, plans to determine that students achieve them. students whose majors require fewer than 36 units, • The Program Review Committee by 2007 will must take a minimum of 30 units of general educa- include in the program review process an tion courses. Under Plan B, students whose majors improved research method for measuring require 36 units or more must take a minimum of 18 student learning outcomes. units of general education courses. An Associate Degree requires a minimum of 60 units. (II.A-2) (II.A-28) II.A.3. The institution requires of all academic and vocational degree programs a component of general SELF-EVALUATION: education based on a carefully considered philosophy that is clearly stated in its catalog. The institu- The July 14-15, 2005 workshops helped 16 lead facul- tion, relying on the expertise of its faculty, deter- ty understand how properly stated institutional and mines the appropriateness of each course for inclu- program outcomes can help students and faculty sion in the general education curriculum by exam- connect classroom performance to the world of ining the stated learning outcomes for the course. work. All academic divisions have been made aware of the importance of incorporating SLOs into their General education has comprehensive learning out- curriculum. Please see the Institutional Outcomes in comes for students who complete it, including the the Curriculum Folder. (II.A-2) following: One continuing concern is that the allocation of a. An understanding of the basic content and counseling resources needs to be evaluated to ensure methodology of the major areas of knowl that counselors are available to students during peak edge: areas include the humanities and fine hours of peak days of the year. This was one of the arts, the natural sciences, and the social eight recommendations made by the Program sciences. Review Evaluation Subcommittee in Spring 2005. If b. A capability to be a productive individual students are not able to receive timely advice about and life long learner: skills include oral which courses satisfy graduation requirements from and written communication, information counselors, it delays the students’ educational competency, computer literacy, scientific progress. and quantitative reasoning, critical

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Title V money is providing a more supportive, user- The California State University certification and friendly counseling website that will allow students Intersegmental General Education Transfer to informally tally their units and their progress Curriculum (IGETC) transfer requirements for toward a degree. The website should encourage stu- breadth and depth require even stricter standards dents to make appointments with counselors as soon than those needed for the Associate Degree. as possible. It is crucial that courses taken for an Associate Degree are aligned with majors and transfer requirements.

PLANNING AGENDA:

• Academic Affairs and the Academic Senate will require all educational course outlines, programs and services to incorporate appropriate measurable SLOs at the course, program and institutional level into all unit plans by 2010. Division chairs and deans will review all received course outlines and syllabi for clarity and congruency with the college mission.

II.A.3. (repeated for continuity in responding to sub-points a, b, and c below). General education West provides the courses and programs necessary has comprehensive learning outcomes for the stu- for transfer to California State University and the dents who complete it, including the following: University of California systems. It should also be noted that we have had students transfer to Harvard, II.A.3.a. An understanding of the basic content and Sarah Lawrence, Loyola Marymount University, methodology of the major areas of knowledge: University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins, areas include the humanities and fine arts, the nat- Berkeley and the University of Judaism. Recently, ural sciences, and the social sciences. one West alumnus completed the first year of a doc- toral program in history at Yale, one of only six grad- Please see the Descriptive Summary, Self-Evaluation uate students admitted to the Yale program in 2004. and Planning Agendas in II. A.3 above. The college has developed program and institutional outcomes In addition, West has a Transfer Honors Program for for these specific areas that will be woven into all highly motivated students who have earned a 3.0 or courses in a five-year cycle beginning 2005. better Grade Point Average and who are eligible for West’s English 101, College Reading and The Associate Degree requires students to take cours- Composition 1, freshman composition. These stu- es in the Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral dents may earn guaranteed priority admission to 14 Sciences, Humanities, Language and Rationality, prestigious universities in Southern California. Those Health and Physical Education and Mathematics. To who are eligible enroll in approved transferable gen- meet the Associate of Arts Degree requirements, stu- eral education courses that provide honors compo- dents must pass Intermediate Reading and nents via contracts arranged with the instructors. Composition with a minimum grade of “C.” The Sections of anthropology, art, biology, chemistry, state Academic Senate is discussing whether to raise English, geology, geography, history, humanities, the requirement to Freshman Composition. music, oceanography, psychology and Spanish all offer the option of more enriched intensive study. They must also pass an elementary algebra, higher (II.A-14) math, or statistics class with a grade of “C” or higher; or achieve a score of 15 or higher on the District These crucial general education and transfer courses Mathematics Competency Examination (Board Rule are also scheduled in an efficient manner allowing 6201.12/6201.14). students to progress through the educational

WLAC SELF STUDY 140 STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES pipeline in a timely way. In the 2005 Student Survey American Ethnic Groups and American-Jewish Results, 70 percent Strongly Agreed and Agreed that Literature provide students additional choices for “Enough sections of General Education courses are transfer. These courses stress the interdependence of offered so that I am able to take the courses I need in all the cultures in the United States. The institu- the semester of my choice.” Sixty-one percent tional SLOs include Civic Responsibility and strongly agreed and agreed that “All advanced Cultural Diversity, and these will be aligned with courses required for my program are offered fre- and assessed in specific courses. In addition, the col- quently enough to let me complete my program lege relies upon the Associated Students without delay.” (II.A-8) Organization to provide cultural activities on campus. (II.A-14) SELF-EVALUATION: SELF-EVALUATION: The college meets the standard. Please see the Descriptive Summary, Self-Evaluation, and Planning Agendas in II.3. above. The college II.A.3.b. A capability to be a productive individual has developed program and institutional outcomes and life long learner: skills include oral and writ- dealing with these specific areas that will be woven ten communication, information competency, com- into all courses in a five-year cycle beginning 2006. puter literacy, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis/logical thinking, and the ability to acquire knowledge through a variety of means. II.A.4. All degree programs include focused study in at least one area of inquiry or in an established SELF-EVALUATION: interdisciplinary core.

Please see the Descriptive Summary, Self-Evaluation DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: and Planning Agendas in II.3. The college has developed program and institutional outcomes for Please see II.3. above. To earn an Associate Degree, these specific areas that will be woven into all cours- students are required to take courses in the Natural es in a five-year cycle beginning in 2005. Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, Language and Rationality, Health and Physical Education and Mathematics. These courses introduce II.A.3.c. A recognition of what it means to be an them to a wide range of knowledge and also allow ethical human being and effective citizen: qualities them to more deeply probe those areas in which they include an appreciation of ethical principles; civili- are especially interested. (II.A-2) (II.A-28) ty and interpersonal skills; respect for cultural diversity; historical and aesthetic sensitivity; and the willingness to assume civic, political, and social SELF-EVALUATION: responsibilities locally, nationally, and globally. While the college offers a variety of majors for the DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Associate of Arts Degree, most students earn degrees in liberal arts. In 2003-2004, the college awarded 223 With a population of over 46 percent African- liberal arts degrees, compared to 23 in business and American students and 29 percent Hispanic students management and 16 in social sciences. The inclusion in Fall 2004, West is one of the most diverse colleges of the college’s nine institutional SLOs would make in the Los Angeles Community College District. In these classes much more interdisciplinary. (II.A-31) Fall 2005, in addition to the eight sections of Political and Social History of the United States I and four PLANNING AGENDA: sections of Political and Social History of the United States II, the college offers two sections of The • Beginning in 2006, Academic Affairs and the Mexican American in the History of the United Curriculum Committee will facilitate dialogue States, as well as three sections of The African about interdisciplinary study as a part of the American in the History of the United States I and process leading to the systematic inclusion of two sections of The African American in the History institutional and program outcomes in course of the United States II. In English, The Literature of outlines.

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II.A.5. Students completing vocational and occupa- student enrollment between institutions are identi- tional certificates and degrees demonstrate techni- fied, the institution develops articulation agree- cal and professional competencies that meet ments as appropriate to its mission. employment and other applicable standards and are prepared for external licensure and certification. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: These policies are clarified in the college catalog and rely upon the cooperation of the articulation officer, The annual meetings of the advisory committees of the Academic Affairs Vice President, deans and staff, Aviation, Dental Hygiene, the American Bar the Academic Senate and the Curriculum Association-approved Paralegal Studies Program, Committee. The articulation officer and the college Child Development and Travel assure that these pro- researcher monitor the comparability of transfer cur- grams prepare students for their vocational careers. ricula. (II.A-28) Many students such as the graduates of the Dental Hygiene Program, who consistently earn top scores The West Los Angeles College Catalog and Schedule on national certification exams, land well-paying jobs of Classes pass through a series of checkpoints to upon graduation. (II.A-3) (II.A-4) (II.A-5) (II.A-6) make sure they contain the most recent and accurate (II.A-7) information on courses. A dean and office assistant draft galleys, which, in turn, are reviewed by aca- Deans in charge of vocational programs, together demic division chairs. The articulation officer makes with vocational education division chairs and facul- sure students can access the most recent information ty, are responsible for complying with all profession- about transfer of credit policies. Instructors are al accreditation guidelines and mandates. directed that they should distribute syllabi, which contain student learning outcomes, on the first day SELF-EVALUATION: each class meets. Syllabi are submitted to the chair of each academic division and then filed in Academic Affairs. The Vice President of Academic Affairs has directed the Dean of each vocational program to call annual The 2004-2006 Catalog details both the General meetings of its advisory committee, as well as to file Education Certification Criteria for transfer to minutes and committee rosters with Academic California State University (CSU) system and also Affairs. the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum for transfer to the University of The college meets the standard. California system or the CSU system.

II.A.6. The institution assures that students and The Transfer Center and its director arranges for rep- prospective students receive clear and accurate resentatives from four-year colleges and universities information about educational courses and pro- to meet with students, coordinates an Annual grams and transfer policies. The institution Transfer Day where representatives from surround- describes its degrees and certificates in terms of ing universities set up booths and visits classes to their purpose, content, course requirements, and share transfer information. expected student learning outcomes. In every class section students receive a course syllabus that spec- In order to boost the number of West students who ifies learning objectives consistent with those in transfer to the University of California, the college the institution’s officially approved course outline. partnered in Summer 2002 with UCLA’s Center for Community College Partnerships (CCCP) to create II.A.6.a. The institution makes available to its stu- the Summer Immersion Program (SIP). Chosen from dents clearly stated transfer-of- a competitive pool of applicants, 20 West students credit policies in order to facilitate the mobility of lived on the UCLA campus for two weeks and com- students without penalty. In accepting transfer pleted an intensive university-level course in credits to fulfill degree requirements, the institu- African-American History. Most SIP participants, tion certifies that the expected learning outcomes approximately one-quarter of whom were African- for transferred courses are comparable to the learn- American males, have successfully transferred to a ing outcomes of its own courses. Where patterns of UC school.

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SELF-EVALUATION: II.A.6.b. When programs are eliminated or program requirements are significantly changed, the institu- The Schedule of Classes should contain the require- tion makes appropriate arrangements so that ments for transfer. During Spring 2005, English facul- enrolled students may complete their education in ty worked very diligently with the articulation offi- a timely manner with a minimum of disruption. cer and curriculum chair to create a Distance Delivery Strategies supplement for key transfer DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: courses whose articulation had been postponed At its December 12, 2006, meeting West’s Academic because the University of California system request- Senate formally approved an “Instructional Program ed additional information on distance delivery tech- Viability Review Policy.” This process includes the niques. This supplement has been approved by the formation of a special Senate Viability Review Senate and is now required of all new online classes. Committee to oversee the gathering of qualitative data (such as breadth of curriculum, faculty develop- In cases where a few of our online courses were not ment in classroom techniques such as addressing accepted for UC (University of California system) alternative learning styles, completion of learning transfer, a warning about the non-transferability outcomes, and student satisfaction) and quantitative appeared by each class in the online classes section data (such as declining enrollment trends, low reten- of the schedule. Online faculty clarified their course tion, persistence, lack of demand in the workforce, outlines and quickly met with the curriculum chair etc.) (II.A -35). and the articulation officer to reapply for transfer credit. For example, online Freshman Composition ELF VALUATION had to be adjusted to meet the UC transfer require- S -E : ment. In Spring 2005, UC agreed to approve the One example of West’s efforts to address mainte- class. In Summer 2005, English faculty worked on nance of academic integrity was the Spring 2004 rec- revising Critical Thinking and Composition and ommendation to eliminate the Program for Women in Literature in order to meet UC’s request Accelerated College Education (PACE) and replace it for additional information. The African-American with the Accelerated College Transfer (ACT), a for- history course is in the process of being revised to mat that offers groups of transfer courses in intensive satisfy transfer requirements. eight week sessions. While this change resulted in some loss of enrollment to the college, maintaining There is concern among some faculty that transfer is academic integrity took precedence. Accelerated not being supported or emphasized enough, and that College Transfer represents an improvement over there is insufficient transfer counseling. In the cur- Program Accelerated College Education because it rent Title V grant (2004-2009) and in the newly features more faculty control and maintains more awarded Title V Co-op grant, funds have been allo- rigorous academic standards. cated to provide support for a transfer director. The individual Title V grant provides $16,000 for a trans- The ACT story supports the following: fer specialist beginning in 2007, and the Title V Co- • Periodic and systematic assessment of services op provides $40,000 for the transfer specialist begin- and processes through program review ning immediately. • Evidence of a well-defined decision-making process that facilitates planning and institutional PLANNING AGENDA: effectiveness • Evidence the process is inclusive, i.e. the transi- • Beginning in 2006, each semester, Academic tion from PACE to ACT required coordination Affairs will establish a computerized checklist to among faculty and Student Services in the areas determine which syllabi have been submitted of scheduling, admissions and counseling. and which are missing. Dialogue was broad-based • The college will publish the transfer require- • Goals and objectives linked to the needs of this ments in the Schedule of Classes beginning in student population Fall 2006. • Evaluation used in planning and resource • The Curriculum Committee will, beginning in allocation, i.e. the elimination of PACE freed a 2006, ensure that the Distance Education entire program budget Addendum is submitted for all new online • Recognition of the need for both qualitative and classes. quantitative data 143 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

PLANNING AGENDA: II.A.7.a. Faculty distinguish between personal con- viction and professionally accepted views in a dis- • In 2006, the Academic Senate will begin to cipline. They present data and information fairly implement its “Instructional Program Viability and objectively. Policy.” DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: II.A.6.c. The institution represents itself clearly, These policies are clarified in the college catalog, the accurately, and consistently to prospective and cur- schedule of classes and the campus website. In addi- rent students, the public, and its personnel through tion, the Senate has a standing committee on Ethics its catalogs, statements, and publications, including and Educational Policy, which discusses and makes those presented in electronic formats. It regularly policy recommendations on these issues. See reviews institutional policies, procedures, and pub- “Faculty Professional Standards” Pamphlet in the lications to assure integrity in all representations Curriculum Folder. (II.A-28 (II.A-14) (II.A-32) about its mission, programs, and services.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Adjunct faculty are given sample course outlines and syllabi so they can help students meet agreed-upon student learning outcomes. Division chairs caution Every edition of the catalog and each semester’s faculty to present material objectively and in a man- course schedule features “Important Things to ner that is free from bias. Students who feel that fac- Know” pages, which include such things as how to ulty are presenting a prejudiced opinion or that they add classes, how to get a bookstore or fee refund, have been treated unfairly may protest through the how to obtain grades, which courses have been student grievance process. approved for credit by examination and which courses will be accepted for credit/no credit. (II.A- In the Spring 2005 Student Survey Results, 78 per- 28) cent strongly agreed or agreed that “Instructors encourage me to explore different viewpoints,” 91 SELF-EVALUATION: percent “Strongly agreed or agreed that “Instructors treat me with respect and dignity,” and 81 percent The process works well and will work even better as strongly agreed or agreed that “Students are treated the college adapts to new software to help design the fairly at this college, regardless of gender or ethnici- catalog and schedules. In the Student Survey, 80 per- ty.” (II.A-8) cent strongly agreed and agreed that “College publications clearly and adequately reflect the college’s SELF-EVALUATION: practices (catalog, schedule of classes and website).” (II.A-8) The teaching of critical thinking calls for probing historical and contemporary issues in the social sci- PLANNING AGENDA: ences, speech communication courses and English. It is likely under these circumstances that an instruc- • The Office of Institutional Effectiveness, begin- tor’s convictions as a feminist, a vegetarian, a propo- ning in 2006, will oversee all publications to nent of racial justice, a champion of lower communi- assure integrity in all representations about the ty college tuition or an opponent of high taxation college’s mission, programs and services. will be exposed. However, no class should be driven by an instructor’s political or social philosophy. II.A.7. In order to assure the academic integrity of Respectful dissent should be encouraged and wel- the teaching-learning process, the institution uses comed. and makes public governing board-adopted policies on academic freedom and responsibility, stu- PLANNING AGENDA: dent academic honesty, and specific institutional beliefs or world views. These policies make clear • Beginning in 2006, the Academic Senate will the institution’s commitment to the free pursuit review the Faculty Ethics Statement at the bi- and dissemination of knowledge. annual orientations for adjunct faculty and the annual orientation for full-time faculty.

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faculty were invited, where the division exchanged II.A.7.b. The institution establishes and publishes ideas for designing assignments that would be as clear expectations concerning student academic plagiarism-proof as possible. honesty and the consequences for dishonesty.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: The Vice President of Student Services, in 2004-2005, cited 53 discipline incidents for violations such as cheating two, plagiarism six, classroom disruption Pages titled “Standards of Student Conduct” and 24, dishonesty one, forged transcripts three, false “Student Rights and Legal Protections” explaining information two, threatening behavior nine, bad the college behavior code are included in each class checks four, robbery (cell phone) one and shoplifting schedule as well as in the 2004-2006 Catalog. At the (bookstore) one. (II.A-33) These resulted in the fol- beginning of each academic year, during the August lowing actions: Flex Week, the college sponsors a workshop titled “Revise Your Syllabus to Include Student Learning Actions Number Outcomes.” The facilitator stresses the need for the instructor to clearly explain classroom expectations and to include a statement referring to the Standards Counseling 27 —————————————————————— of Conduct page in the current Schedule of Classes. Probation 7 (II.A-14) (II.A-28) —————————————————————— Suspension (less than 1 semester) 2 —————————————————————— The Los Angeles Community College District has Suspension (1 semester) 3 stipulated that a plagiarized assignment may receive —————————————————————— Suspension (2 semesters) 8 an “F” on the plagiary, but the student may not be —————————————————————— penalized for the entire course. Permanent Expulsion 6

SELF-EVALUATION: The Academic Senate Educational Policy and Standards Committee circulated a “Faculty Many instructors maintain that the penalty for pla- Professional Standards” Handbook, which includes a giarism isn’t tough enough and cite nearby college statement on “Faculty Professional standards” districts that allow an instructor to fail a student who (adopted June 10, 2003), “Elements of a Course plagiarizes. However, a recent state of California rul- Syllabus” and “Class Management Guidelines.” In ing stipulates that the practice of assigning an “F” to addition, a comprehensive “Best Teaching Practices: a plagiary but not to the entire course based on that A Faculty Guide” is on the Local Area Network plagiary will stand statewide. There is also concern (LAN). (II.A-21) (II.A-22) that when a student cheats, the information isn’t circulated, as happened in 2004 when a student who The college meets the standard. plagiarized in an advanced English class received a scholarship. II.A.7.c. Institutions that require conformity to spe- Based upon the Spring 2005 Student Survey Results, cific codes of conduct of staff, faculty, administra- 81 percent of the respondents agreed that policies tors, or students, or that seek to instill specific and penalties for cheating are provided and are fol- beliefs or world views, give clear prior notice of lowed. (II.A-8) such policies, including statements in the catalog and/or appropriate faculty or student handbooks. Each year the compliance officer and the Vice Not Applicable. President of Student Services lead a workshop on The Student Grievance/Discipline Procedure, which focuses on the processes and procedures governing II.A.8. Institutions offering curricula in foreign issues of disruptive classroom behavior and plagia- locations to students other than U.S. nationals oper- rism. Language Arts devoted its entire October 7, ate in conformity with standards and applicable 2004 meeting to watching and discussing an ABC Commission policies. “Primetime Live: Cheating Crisis in America’s Not Applicable. Schools.” Then, on November 5, the division ran a follow-up plagiarism workshop to which the entire

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STANDARD II.A. DOCUMENTATION:

II.A-1 WLAC Enrollment Trends and Student Characteristics II.A–2 SLO Outcomes Workshop -- List of faculty who attended July 14-15, 2005 and October 27-28, 2005. Together with Institutional SLOs and Sample Program Outcomes. II.A–3 Accredited/Approved Programs II.A–4 Advisory -Dental Hygiene Advisory Committee Members II.A–5 Advisory -Dental Hygiene Committee—Definitions, Purposes, Functions II.A–6 Advisory -Paralegal Advisory Board – Bylaws II.A-7 Advisory –Child Development Advisory Committee II.A-8 LACCD 2005 Student Survey II.A-9 Working Backwards: Shepherding Students From Basic Skills to Transfer. May 19 and 26, 2005 English Outcomes Workshop II.A-10 Minutes of Basic Skills Committee—September 2004-May 2005 Minutes II.A-11 Recommendations for Title V Grant Proposal (Hunter Boylan) II.A-12 Title V Report --2005 --Interim Title V Report for current grant – “Your Ticket to Success” -- emphasis on linked basic skills Math, English, CAI and Personal Development II.A-13 WLAC Office of Institutional Effectiveness website (http://www.wlac.edu/oie/research) II.A-14 West Los Angeles College Schedule of Classes II.A-15 English 239 – Complete Course Outline with Distance Delivery Strategies. II.A-16 Combined Course Outline – Template from the LACCD II.A-17 Sample English, Math, and Biology Outlines with pre-requisites II.A-18 WLAC Institutional Research Six Year Trend Study - Pass Rates for Math and English— Spring 2000-2005 II.A-19 Title III. Final Grant Performance Report – USDE (ED 524B) II.A-20 Title III. Year Five Faculty Assignments - a list of Instructional Development Grants to revise curriculum and lesson plans II.A-21 Recommended Elements in a Syllabus – 2005 Flex Day Workshop Handout II.A-22 Staff Development webpage sample: “WLAC Best Teaching Practices: A Faculty Guide” and “What are learning outcomes?” (http://www.wlac.edu/wportal/Committee/StaffDevelopmentCommittee/) II.A-23 Unit Plan Guide 2004-2005 for 2005-2006 II.A-24 Program Review and Unit Plan for Dental Hygiene - includes Outcomes Assessment II.A-25 Comprehensive Program Reviews for English II.A-26 Comprehensive Program Reviews for Math II.A-27 Email from Science Chair II.A-28 West Los Angeles College Catalog 2004-2006 II.A-29 Spring 2005 Student Survey II.A-30 Curriculum Committee Minutes –September 2004- May 05 (Includes charts of courses to be updated by year) II.A-31 West Los Angeles College Awards, Degrees and Certificates II.A-32 Faculty Professional Standards II.A-33 Student Discipline Incidents – Tally from VP of Student Services II.A-34 “New Faculty Orientation from A to Z” --October 2001 Orientation for Faculty II.A-35 Instructional Program Viability Review Policy

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The institution recruits and admits diverse stu- many academic sessions the college offers. At this dents who are able to benefit from its programs, office, they can also retrieve transcripts and apply for consistent with its mission. Student Support graduation. (II.B-1) Services address the identified needs of students – Students new to and enhance a supportive learning environment. Assessment and Matriculation The entire student pathway through the institution- the college are referred to the appropriate step in the al experience is characterized by a concern for stu- matriculation process. The first step is taking place- dent access, progress, learning, and success. The ment exams in mathematics, English or English as a institution systematically assesses student support Second Language. When students arrive to take services using student learning outcomes, faculty their placement tests, they watch a video and are and staff input, and other appropriate measures in given an accompanying booklet on effective ways to take the exam. Proctors supervise and offer assis- order to improve the effectiveness of these services. tance as needed. Once students have completed the test(s), they must complete orientation by accessing II.B.1.The institution assures the quality of student it on a computer at the Assessment Center or on the support services and demonstrates that these serv- college website. Upon completion of the orientation, ices, regardless of location or means of delivery, the student is given a matriculation folder that con- support student learning and enhance achievement tains a College Catalog, a Schedule of Classes, trans- of the mission of the institution. fer requirements for the California State University DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: (CSU) and the University of California (UC) systems together with General Education criteria for West Los West Los Angeles College Student Support Services Angeles College. The student receives A Passport to provides its more than 8,200 students who come Success receipt that indicates successful completion. from diverse backgrounds a comprehensive set of Students are then eligible to pick up test results from services that helps them navigate through their col- a counselor who will guide them in selecting courses. lege careers. The chairs of Mathematics and Language Arts and – Women and men from all an English as a Second Language instructor meet Admissions & Records backgrounds either come to West’s Admissions with the matriculation coordinator to review place- Office or register online or by telephone during the ment models, assessment messages, cut scores and changes in curriculum that might require revamping of a test.

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The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s University has – This program International Students Services approached West for off-campus assessment for markets the college to international students by English and mathematics disciplines to accommo- interfacing with Los Angeles-based English language date their students who because of their work sched- schools and foreign academic advisors located over- ules are interested in alternative delivery instruction- seas. Approximately 100 non-immigrant students al methods such as distance education and West’s internationalize the campus community. To comply Accelerated College Transfer (ACT). Matriculation is with U.S. immigration law and Homeland piloting electronic scoring of test results and feed- Security/Student and Exchange Visitor Information back. If this pilot is successful and the counseling System Rules and Regulations, International component developed, West will launch off-campus Students Services is required to maintain F-1 Visa assessment in the high schools. (II.B-2) students in status. (II.B-5)

– Our counselors, utilizing Student - Counselors help stu- Counseling Accelerated College Transfer Educational Plans and assessment tests, help students determine whether they should take classes in dents plot attainable academic and vocational goals the Accelerated College Transfer, which compresses in addition to helping them prepare for transfer to 16-week classes into eight-week sessions of pre- four-year colleges and universities. Computerized designed course of study. (II.B-6) software for student appointments and student educational plans have enhanced the counseling’s capabilities to track and collect critical data on students. Example - 9/1/2000—8/31/2001 Total SEP Recorded = 224 9/1/2001—8/31/2002 Total SEP Recorded = 1,970 9/1/2002—8/31/2003 Total SEP Recorded = 1,118 9/1/2003—8/31/2004 Total SEP Recorded = 2,280 9/1/2004—8/31/2005 Total SEP Recorded = 2,135 ——————————————————————— 7,727 Total The above data shows West’s increasing ability to process more Student Educational Plans.

A computerized scheduling and reporting system provides students with an equitable process to schedule counseling appointments. The system also allows for student follow-up, tracking a student’s progress from assessment to completion of the educational goals. Counselors serve in specialized areas such as Disabled Students Programs and Services, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility for – Kids (CalWORKs), International Students, the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Accelerated College Transfer Program, Extended EOPS assists economically and educationally disad- Opportunity Programs and Services, Veterans vantaged students above and beyond the scope of Affairs, the Transfer Center and Financial Aid. (II.B-3) other college services. Staff collaborated with the Language Arts and Mathematics Divisions to – This improve its tutoring services. EOPS coordinates Disabled Students Programs and Services program provides disabled students access to the with Matriculation, Counseling, Admissions, college. While the number of disabled students has Financial Aid and the Transfer Center to secure every declined from 2002-2003 to 2003-2004 from 412 to possible benefit for its students. This service also 328, over the past two years, the number of hearing solicits scholarship donations from outside sources to impaired students has increased. This increase help students who excel academically. (II.B-7) resulted in the need to contract for services with appropriate agencies for sign language interpreters and captioning. (II.B-4)

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– Students who have served in the United Grant 20 percent, full-day State Preschool Grant 13 Veterans States military may visit the college’s Veterans’ percent, CalWORKs 29 percent, California Affairs Office to determine their eligibility for bene- Community College Childcare Tax Bailout 30 per- fits, to prepare educational plans and, if they have cent, parent fees one percent, college contribution disabilities, to assess whether they are eligible for seven percent (parent fees and college contribution vocational rehabilitation programs. A counselor certi- are packaged with the Tax Bailout funds (II.B-11). fies courses required for certificate programs and forwards names of those who earn degrees to the – The ASO repre- Associated Students Organization United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs. (II.B-8) sents the interests of students to the faculty and administration and organizes social and cultural – Students who intend to transfer events for the campus at large. The group plans Transfer Center visit this center where they meet representatives graduation, scholarship receptions, the Dean’s Tea, a from four-year colleges and universities. It is partic- multicultural festival, Club Day and orientation for ularly engaging for students when the Transfer new students. The ASO organizes the awarding of Center hosts West alumni who represent the scholarships and supports a variety of campus clubs. University of California system, the University of Students can go to the ASO office to copy docu- Southern California, the California State University ments, log on to computers and send facsimiles. The system and Loyola Marymount University. (II.B-9) ASO publishes a newsletter, “The Student Voice.” (II.B-12) – Counselors recommend Transfer Honors Program to qualified students enrolling in this program, – Students may apply for approximate- Scholarships which offers contract honors components of ly 40 scholarships awarded through a collaboration approved transferable general education courses. of Student Services units as well as the West Los Students who complete at least 18 units in the pro- Angeles College Foundation. An English professor gram receive priority consideration for admission to conducts workshops on how to write the required UCLA as well as to other major public and private application essay. (II.B-13) universities. Approximately 60 students took an average of the 35 classes that offered honors compo- – College athletes play basketball and foot- Athletics nents in Spring 2005. (II.B-10) ball and run cross country and track. (II.B-14)

– One hundred and – Over the past three years, Financial Child Development Center Financial Aid twenty-two of West Los Angeles College’s youngest Aid has increased the number of Pell Grants and learners climb, sing, slide and color in the most enrollment fee waivers awarded to students. As the enchanting place on campus, the Child Development table below indicates, an increasing number of Center. The new facility was dedicated on West’s students are economically challenged, placing November 19, 2003, providing child care services great demands on the Financial Aid office. (II.B-15) available to students who are parents of children ranging in age from two to 14 years of age. The —————————————————————— Center is licensed for 104 children and serves a larger Unduplicated Count of Fee Waiver Recipients: population on a staggered schedule basis. The program depends on four funding sources, three of 00-01 4,538 which are earned income grants. Two earned income ————————————————————— grants base funding on an annual projection of child 01-02 4,622 attendance and modify the funding in the following ————————————————————— year according to verified attendance. The third 02-03 5,565 earned income grant is a partnership with ————————————————————— CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and 03-04 10,499 Responsibility for Kids) program. CalWORKs child- ————————————————————— care funding accounts for 23 percent of the funds 04-05 not available yet that come to the college based on the number of the ————————————————————— College’s Board of Governors Grant recipients. This -Board of Governors Fee Waiver Report. grant also uses daily child attendance for accounting. (II.B-15) Funding resources include: Half-day State Preschool

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– To tend to West’s students health needs of our students. The report stated our stu- Health Center issues, one nurse practitioner, who is in constant dents found the college’s registration process easy electronic communication with a contracted physi- and satisfactory. Our students indicated that cian, staffs the Center. Services range from first aid improvements in counseling would better aid them and TB testing to handing out free condoms and pre- in program/class decision-making and understand- scriptions for birth control pills, from providing ing transfer requirements. The students also over-the-counter medication for allergies and expressed concern regarding the limited availability headaches to referrals for gynecology testing and of counseling services and especially noted limited weight control. In addition, a licensed social worker counseling for evening students. There is a need to is available for psychological counseling three times look at Counseling’s infrastructure for improve- a week, addressing student concerns such as date ments. (II.B-20) rape, domestic violence, family conflict, substance abuse, stress and depression. Students who may From the Spring 2005 Student Survey Results, we benefit from long-term therapy are referred to out- confirmed that 93-95 percent of West’s students side agencies. Students are occasionally referred for agreed or strongly agreed that Registration and psychological counseling as part of the student disci- Admissions and Records were available when need- pline process. The Health Center also assists in plan- ed. More than 90 percent of the students agreed or ning and implementing the annual Health Fair. (II.B- strongly agreed that the staff of those services were 16) knowledgeable and helpful and considerate. In general, West’s students have a very positive view of SELF-EVALUATION: Student Services: however, there are significant numbers of students who have not used or are not aware of specific services, such as Health Services; 45 per- West Los Angeles College’s annual program review cent answered “Don’t know.” When asked about the process provides an on-going self study of student Transfer Center, 42 percent answered “Don’t know.” population trends and needs within all of the sup- It is clear that improved visibility and communica- port services to better serve our diverse student tions about West’s student services should be body. Student Services, together with the rest of the addressed in order to assist students in achieving college, is shifting from a goals-oriented plan to one their educational goals. (II.B-21) that features student learning outcomes (SLOs), and this year, each Student Services unit has developed The college has observed an increase in student use specific SLOs and ways to measure them. The of online and phone registration; however many stu- Student Services Council, comprised of the unit man- dents still wait until the start of each session to regis- agers, is working toward development of common ter in person. In the face of budget cuts, it becomes divisional goals with SLOs. (II.B-17) (II.B-18) (II.B-19) imperative for every service to utilize its existing staff in the most efficient ways possible, for example Several Student Service units, i.e., Admissions, by staggering hours to reduce the registration lines Extended Opportunity Programs and Services that snake out of the building. (EOPS), Financial Aid, the Child Development Center, Athletics and Disabled Students Programs The major gap in matriculation has been research, and Services undergo State and the Los Angeles which is needed to satisfy State Chancellor’s Office Community College District audits and reviews by mandates in the areas of content validity and dispro- outside agencies. (II.B-8) portionate impact. This research agenda is presently being addressed. A marketing research study funded by the Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor’s The inauguration of the Student Accountability and Office was initiated in September 2005 to investigate Record System (SARS), whose need was highlighted and quantify current and underlying issues preva- in Counseling’s program review, has provided stu- lent in the geographic region that inhibit potential dents a more equitable way to access counseling students from attending West. Data collection from services. It has also provided hard data to assist in focus groups and surveys resulted in the final report forecasting the need for staffing. SARS, an on-call titled “West Los Angeles Community College vs. system, reminds students of appointments, deadlines Two Major Competitors.” Many of the results and workshops. In Spring 2005, the Program Review affirmed our understanding of the learning support

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Evaluation Subcommittee of the College Planning include a student dining hall, resource and recre- Committee agreed that the staffing reductions in ational space for the ASO, conference rooms and Counseling impact service to students. (II.B-2) (II.B-3) offices. (II.B-22)

The increased number of hearing-impaired students While West provides numerous scholarship opportu- calls for additional services. The Disabled Students nities, these can and should be better publicized. Programs and Services faculty are now affiliated and (II.B-13) meets with the Counseling Department, enabling the coordination necessary to assist disabled students. West needs full-time faculty to be assigned as head coaches for its athletics program. Currently, the col- West continues to serve International Students. lege has only one full-time faculty member assigned as the women’s basketball head coach. Revenue The Child Development Center’s (CDC) program generated from the lease of West’s athletic facilities and staff have transitioned into the new facility, should be earmarked to support the college’s athletic which has a licensed capacity expanded for programs. preschoolers, from 48 to 72 and from 28 school age to 42. Licensing capacity will be expanded, when fund- The program review reports for Financial Aid show ing is available in the 2005-2006 year, with 12 infants better service to the evening students, which can be and toddlers. attributed to the hiring of evening staff. In 2004,

Student-parents and CDC staff report high satisfac- automating the book loan program improved deliv- tion with the new facilities designed specifically for ery of books and repayment options for students. In childcare purposes and student-teacher training. 2004-2005, the TRiO grant, which consists of three Current goals focus on expanding services when federally funded programs that serve low-income financially possible. and first-generation students - Upward Bound which serves high school students; Talent Search, which The Associated Students Organization (ASO) reports serves middle and high schools; and Student that it is challenged by one-year terms for its elected Support Services, which serves college students - officers. At the point that the officers have learned Extended Opportunity Programs and Services and their jobs, their terms are over. Efforts to establish California Work Opportunity and Responsibility for and maintain student clubs had been handicapped Kids, all improved the delivery of financial grants to by the lack of a student center with adequate meet- students. (II.B-7) (II.B-17) (II.B-23) ing space, so reserving facilities and inadequate means of publicizing events challenged the group. The California State Legislature passed a bill that This problem was recently solved when A-1 was will require all students to pay health fees. West’s turned into a temporary Student Center. The West Health Center, which is being subsidized with Los Angeles College Student Services Building, reserved funds, will have to re-evaluate services. A which is in the pipeline of proposed buildings, will student health center survey has been administered begin construction in 2007-2008. This facility will to identify student health needs. (II.B-16)

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PLANNING AGENDAS: DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

• “Point of Service “ student surveys will be The West Los Angeles College Catalog contains all developed by each Student Services unit in the information enumerated in the standard. conjunction with the college researcher during Reviewing the Catalog and the Schedule of Classes is Spring 2006. Surveys will be conducted during an ongoing process to ensure that they contain accu- the 2006-2007 academic year. rate information. (II.B-24) (II.B-25) (II.B-26) (II.B-27) • The Vice President of Student Services will include in the division’s unit plan the goal of a The Academic Senate is discussing the issue of aca- concerted institutional effort to increase the demic integrity; however, a policy or statement spe- number of and to support students obtaining cific to academic honesty has not yet been adopted. Student Educational Plans (SEPs) for the 2006- LACCD Board Rule 9803.12, addresses cheating, or 2007 academic year. knowingly furnishing false information to colleges. • The Student Services Council will address and (II.B -29) plan improved communication to students about available services in Spring 2006. Since January 2005, the Vice President of Student Services has been a member on a District Academic II.B.2. The institution provides a catalog for its con- Integrity Taskforce. (II.B-28) stituencies with precise, accurate, and current information concerning the following: Other policies may be found in the Los Angeles Community College District’s Board Rules. II.B.2.a. General Information (II.B-29) • Official Name, Address(es), Telephone Number(s), and Web Site Address of the SELF-EVALUATION: Institution • Educational Mission The increasing number of academic sessions and reg- • Course, Program, and Degree Offerings istration periods has made an error-free College • Academic Calendar and Program Length Catalog and Schedule of Classes increasingly chal- • Academic Freedom Statement lenging. The Vice President of Student Services and • Available Student Financial Aid a Dean of Academic Affairs, who is assigned this • Available Learning Resources specific task, work to ensure the accuracy of these • Names and Degrees of Administrators documents. and Faculty • Names of Governing Board Members The college meets the standard. II.B.2.b. Requirements • Admissions II.B.3. The institution researches and identifies the • Student Fees and Other Financial Obligations learning support needs of its student population • Degree, Certificates, Graduation and Transfer and provides appropriate services and programs to address those needs. II.B.2.c. Major Policies Affecting Students • Academic Regulations, including Academic II.B.3.a. The institution assures equitable access to Honesty all of its students by providing appropriate, com- • Nondiscrimination prehensive, and reliable services to students • Acceptance of Transfer Credits regardless of service location or delivery method. • Grievance and Complaint Procedures • Sexual Harassment DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: • Refund of Fees All the above items may be found within the College A range of student support services is provided to Catalog and Schedule of Classes. (II.B-24) (II.B-25) enable every student to meet his or her potential as a (II.B-26) (II.B-27) learner. Whether it is a disabled student who benefits from services provided by the Disabled Students Programs and Services or a mother relying on public II.B.2.d. Locations or publications where other poli- assistance who accesses the Workforce Development cies may be found.

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Program or the beneficiary of financial aid or veter- ment and counseling appointments online, receive ans’ services, all students are welcomed and support- reminder phone calls regarding appointments and ed by Student Services. receive information about college events, i.e. Transfer Day. This resourceful technology provides Student Even students who cannot come to campus may log Services staff a very good student tracking system. on to the college’s website (www.wlac.edu) and the (II.B-2) Los Angeles Community College’s District’s website (www.laccd.edu) to access student support services. Student Services, together with other divisions on At these websites, students are able to access infor- campus, has a systematic approach to the planning mation such as the phone numbers of various servic- process which relies on research data collected by the es and offices, financial aid, grants, upcoming college District Office and the college researcher. The college events, how to apply online and register into the col- researcher regularly provides demographic informa- lege, the College Catalog and Schedule of Classes, tion for the program review and planning cycle to certificates and degrees, the college calendar and identify emerging trends, workforce and population much more. A student can access Financial Aid and needs and services needed by students to support within its site, a student may obtain information on their learning and educational goals. With this infor- how to apply for the different grants and the forms mation, Student Services unit managers are better necessary to apply. Students may submit email able to plan for their units. During the month of inquiries on any subject, which are viewed regularly September, a program review and unit planning by the Vice President of Student Services and for- workshop is provided specifically for student servic- warded to the appropriate unit manager for es to initiate its planning for the year ahead. Each response. (II.B-26) (II.B-27) unit reviews the past year’s program review and unit plan and assesses relevant data, i.e. Spring 2005 Part of the student assessment process, an online col- Student Survey Results. Unit managers evaluate lege orientation, provides information concerning which goals and objectives for the year were met or college programs, student services, student rights not met and document why. Unit managers then and responsibilities. Once assessed, a student can go develop or delete goals/objectives for the year directly from our homepage to the online orientation. ahead. With this process, Student Service unit man- At the conclusion of viewing the orientation, stu- agers are better able to track and plan for their units. dents are prompted to complete an orientation quiz. Through this process, we are identifying additional The quiz can be emailed or faxed to our Assessment data needs of Student Center. Once the orientation quiz is on file in the Services. (II.B-17) (II.B-21) Assessment Center, a Passport to Success is issued to n general, the student. The student must present this passport I The Spring 2005 Student to the Counseling office to receive results. The West’s students Survey Results confirmed Spring 2005 Student Survey Results indicated that a have a very that overall West’s students strong majority of students agreed or strongly agreed agreed or strongly agreed that Assessment Services were available and helpful. positive view that Student Services were (II.B-2) (II.B-21) of Student available and helpful, giving particularly high marks (90- The online/distance learner accesses student services Services... 93 percent) for Registration through the district and college websites. A pilot and Admissions and Records. assessment program for the Los Angeles County In general, West’s students Sheriff’s Department has been developed and suc- have a very positive view of cessfully used by this group of students. A counsel- Student Services; however, there are a significant ing component is being developed to add to the number of students who have not used or are not online assessment services. The college is looking aware of specific services. For example, when asked, forward to adding this online set of services for all “Do you agree that the following services are avail- West’s students. (II.B-2) able when you need them?” 45 percent answered “Don’t Know” about the Health Center, and 42 per- The Student Accountability and Record System cent answered “Don’t Know” about the Transfer (SARS) is a helpful tool for Assessment, Counseling, Center. This indicates that Student Services must Transfer Center, EOPS and other student services, improve visibility and communications to better because it allows students the ability to make assess assist students in achieving their educational goals. (II.B-21) 155 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

During Spring 2005, West’s Student Services units DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: developed SLOs. In Fall 2005, each unit identified some assessments by which to evaluate their SLOs. The college has developed core institutional Student Also during Fall 2005, a sub-committee of the Learning Outcomes: critical thinking, communica- Student Services Council was formed and viewed tion, quantitative reasoning, aesthetics, self-aware- each unit’s SLOs and drafted common SLOs for the ness/interpersonal skills, civic responsibility, techni- division. This review and development of divisional cal competence, diversity and ethics. Student SLO’s will continue through the Spring 2006 semes- Services have developed student learning outcomes ter. (II.B-18) (II.B-19) (II.B-30) respective to the core institutional SLOs. Student Services has moved forward to develop common SELF-EVALUATION: division SLOs. These SLOs, together with annual program reviews and unit plans, will be used to plan The college does provide a variety of student servic- appropriate activities to broaden the college experi- es to support student learning. Student Services ence for all students. (II.B-18) (II.B-19) (II.B-31) have been accessible online through the District and college websites. West’s website is student-friendly, Example - Student Services draft SLOs: informative about the college and assists students in • Students will contribute and participate in the being knowledgeable about available services to sup- college environment through collegial activities port their educational progress. SARS has been used to meet their personal interests/goals. by several Student Services units and has proved to be a positive resource. (II.B-2) (II.B-26) (II.B-27) • Students will demonstrate respect and civil conduct when interacting with the college staff The newly formed Office of Institutional or fellow students. Effectiveness is developing a research agenda inclusive of the needs of Student Services. Analysis of Listed in the Fall 2005 Schedule of Classes are six both the “West Los Angeles Community College vs personal development classes taught by the Two Major Competitors Final Report” and the Spring Counseling Division. The content ranges from col- 2005 Student Survey Results are being used for plan- lege survival, career development, educational planning and program development within Student ning, students with disabilities, personal evaluation, Services. (II.B-20) (II.B-21) testing and assessment, instruction in use of the library, time management and more. These courses West provides access and appropriate services to its assist students in understanding themselves, identi- students. Policies to inform and protect students are fying their personal and educational goals and help printed in every Schedule of Classes (II.B-25). students succeed. (II.B-25)

PLANNING AGENDAS: Social, cultural and civic enrichment activities are sponsored by the Associated Students Organization (ASO), including new student orientation, black his- • Each Student Service will determine an assess- tory, Asian and Latino months, the multicultural fes- ment strategy for its SLOs in the Spring 2006 tival, film night, political forums, pep rallies and the semester. annual Health Fair. ASO campus clubs include the • During 2005-2006, the Student Services Council Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) and Alpha Gamma Sigma will determine a common core of SLOs for the (AGS) honor societies, the Current Events Club, the division. Political Club and others which sponsor a variety of educational and community-service activities. (II.B-12) II.B.3.b. The institution provides an environment that encourages personal and civic responsibility, The Fine Arts and Humanities Division sponsors art as well as intellectual, aesthetic, and personal exhibits and music concerts. The Division of development for all of its students. Communication Entertainment Media Arts stages performances. (II.B-32)

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Extended Opportunity Programs and Services/ Numerous venues and professional development Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education opportunities are provided to the counseling staff to (EOPS/CARE) conduct a series of workshops on stu- help them upgrade their knowledge and skills. dent success and personal development. EOPS, in Some of the activities have included: cooperation with the Transfer Center and TRiO’s • California State Universities and University of Student Support Services, take students on field trips California Counselors Conference to universities. Counseling offers credit classes in • Ensuring Transfer Success Conference personal development. The Transfer Center coordi- • State Academic Senate Sessions nates the annual College Transfer Day. The college • Division meetings and workshops has also held the Fall Festival, Law Enforcement Day, • Title V Grant training workshops on technology a Mayoral Candidates Forum, Baldwin Hills and student learning outcomes Conservancy Forums and a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters and Remembering Mrs. Information from these activities and research from Rosa Parks. (II.B-7) (II.B-9) (II.B-23) (II.B-32) the marketing research study conducted in Fall 2005 and student surveys will be used to develop and SELF-EVALUATION: restructure the Counseling Division.

Student Services Division developed SLOs for each SELF-EVALUATION: unit and for the entire division, a positive step. We are in the process of developing assessment instru- Over the past six years, counselors have been reas- ments to measure each unit’s achievement of their signed to other areas on campus as well as being SLOs and provide feedback for refinement. released for committee and participatory governance responsibilities. While there are 12 full-time equiva- PLANNING AGENDAS: lent counselors including the Extended Opportunities Programs and Services on campus with one 1.0 vacancy, there have been 4.6 equivalent • Student Services will develop a master calendar counselors available for general counseling for the of college events for 2006-2007. student body. As of Fall 2005, 1.6 counselors have been reassigned back to general counseling. There is II.B.3.c.The institution designs, maintains, and a need for reviewing the structure of Counseling and evaluates counseling and/or academic advising pro- the delivery of services. This was also a finding in grams to support student development and success the West Los Angeles Community College vs. Two and prepares faculty and other personnel responsi- Major Competitors/F’05 report. (II.B-3) (II.B-20) ble for the advising function. When trained counseling interns are available, they DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: have been utilized, under supervision, in Counseling. There is close collaboration between In Spring 2005, the Counseling Division completed the academic division chairs, especially when seek- the comprehensive program review as part of the on- ing appropriate student placements in courses. going cycle of unit planning and program review of the college. As a result of the validation committee’s PLANNING AGENDAS: review, recommendations were made and forwarded to the College Planning Committee for acceptance • By Spring 2006, Counseling and the Vice and then to the Academic Senate for adoption. President of Student Services will develop an Recommendations from this review will be incorpo- assessment plan to determine the best allocation rated into the Counseling Division’s upcoming unit of counseling resources. plans and program reviews as goals and objectives. (II.B-3) II.B.3.d. The institution designs and maintains All counselors meet the minimum qualifications for appropriate programs, practices and services that their positions. Permanent and adjunct counselors support and enhance student understanding and are routinely evaluated by their peers, students and appreciation of diversity. administration as specified in the American Federation of Teachers’ Contract. (II.B-33)

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DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: To address the needs of this population, West has partnered with two large, urban target high schools The college maintains a Student Equity Plan that was that serve the poorest and least educated of all these completed in September 2005, which includes college neighborhoods: Dorsey and Crenshaw High Schools. goals, activities, budget and timelines to insure that This project is designed to develop skills and motiva- West is providing equal opportunity to all groups at tion in 60 low-income, potential first-generation stu- the college and within its service area. The plan dents to complete secondary education and succeed incorporates analysis of student demographics. in postsecondary education. (II.B-34) SELF-EVALUATION: The Associated Students Organization supports social and cultural enrichment activities throughout At West, sensitivity to its diverse student body is the academic year, such as the two-day Multicultural reflected in the college faculty and staff. Festival held in late spring during 2004 and 2005. Question #30 of the Spring 2005 Student Survey Alpha Gamma Sigma encourages cultural diversity Results report states that when students were asked and sensitivity in an academic honors club. On to respond to the statement “Instructors encourage December 1, 2005, the college featured a me to explore different viewpoints,” approximately Remembering Mrs. Rosa Parks Day. (II.B-12) (II.B-32) 90 percent agreed or strongly agreed. Also, approximately 90 percent of students responded that they were treated fairly at our college regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual preference. Just to reiterate what was stated in another part of this document, students held a positive view of Student Services and its staff. Students found the staff helpful and considerate, which speaks to students feeling supported and appreciated. These are indicators of the college’s environment. While we must continue our efforts to identify barriers to access, it also appears we have a college atmosphere that promotes diversity and access. (II.B-21)

West makes a concerted effort to draw a diverse student population to the college as demonstrated by the TRiO grants, recruitment efforts of EOPS, The institution’s outreach component and student International Student Services, Financial Aid and the ambassador program visits 10 local feeder high Student Ambassador Program. (II.B-5) (II.B-7) (II.B-9) schools throughout the academic year. In addition, (II.B-23) Financial Aid and EOPS participate in recruitment fairs specifically targeting middle schools and high The Associated Students Organization plans several schools that serve traditionally low income and student activities attempting to capture the interests under-represented populations. (II.B-7) (II.B-9) of this diverse population. A frequent student com- (II.B-15) ment is the need for more campus life. More college Another example of West’s efforts to design, main- involvement in campus and community activities is tain and support and enhance student understand- needed. ing and appreciation of diversity is its Upward Bound Program, which encourages academic success PLANNING AGENDAS: among high risk students. The Abstract for this program cites the target area for Upward Bound to be a • The Dean of Student Services responsible for the population of approximately 250,000, “almost 75 per- Associated Students Organization will work cent of whom are minorities”…in “high poverty with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to neighborhoods”…that “abut Beverly Hills and other develop an instrument to determine the kinds of wealthy enclaves, creating a stark contrast between activities that will draw students. the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.” (II.B-23)

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SARS Grid (Student Accountability and Record II.B.3.e. The institution regularly evaluates admis- System) is a multi-user scheduling system that is sions and placement instruments and practices to being used by the following departments: validate their effectiveness while minimizing biases. Assessment, Counseling, Extended Opportunity DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Programs and Services, Disabled Students Programs and Services, Transfer Center, Financial Aid and Workforce Development. Using the SARS Grid The California Community College State makes it easy to schedule an appointment, print Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) allows each college to appointment reminder slips and view reports. SARS select an assessment instrument of their choice and Trak is an automated student check-in/check-out to follow its specific guidelines, according to the system for measuring students’ use of school servic- instrument they have chosen. West has selected the es, such as appointments, library and labs. SARS ACT Compass Computerized Assessment Call is an automated telephone confirmation notifica- Instrument, which has been approved by the tion system that integrates with the SARS Grid CCCCO as having met specific assessment stan- scheduling and appointment system. (II.B-2) dards. This assessment instrument is currently on the approved list of assessment instruments testing students in English, English as a Second Language SELF-EVALUATION: and math. (II.B-2) Students are being assessed using valid, approved According to the California Community College instruments. The utilization of the Student Assessment Standards documents (3/01) the follow- Accountability and Records System (SARS) has ing campus research responsibilities reside with the proved to be a valuable tool in tracking and commu- colleges using the test instruments on the approved nicating with students. The SARS Grid has been suc- list: cessfully used in seven areas of student services and at least one area in Academic Affairs. In 2004-2005 Assessment had 3,902 appointments made by SARS. Content Validity: Content Validity is item-by-item analysis comparing Counseling had 1,745 30-minute appointments and each test item to each course prerequisite. 6,599 brief walk-in counselor contacts. A total of 1,925 students went through orientation. The call Cut Score Validation: Cut Score Rationale--the initial setting of cut scores total for SARS is 85,351. This data shows that the by either the judgmental or the empirical approach. technology supports the above named departments to efficiently reach out to West’s students. (II.B-2) Disproportionate Impact: Disproportionate Impact monitoring for various demographic groups every three years. Currently, a research agenda is being developed to support the needs of Assessment and address the ADA Accommodations: Accommodations provided. (II.B-35) data requirements for the “disproportionate impact” component. The Matriculation Advisory Committee developed the Matriculation Assessment Sub-committee to han- PLANNING AGENDAS: dle the supervision of assessment services to students. Members of the Assessment Subcommittee • The Matriculation coordinator in conjunction are: the chair of the Math Division, the chair of the with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness will Language Arts Division and an English as a Second complete a research agenda with specific time Language faculty member, the assessment senior lines in Spring 2006. proctor, the matriculation coordinator, the Information Technology supervisor and the director of the Assessment Placement Management System II.B.3.f. The institution maintains student records (APMS). This committee serves to monitor assess- permanently, securely, and confidentially, with pro- ment practices and employs the judgmental vision for secure backup of all files, regardless of approach to evaluate assessment cut scores each the form in which those files are maintained. The semester. Committee members are in constant com- institution publishes and follows established poli- munication trouble-shooting and problem-solving cies for release of student records. assessment issues throughout the academic year. (II.B-36) (II.B-37)

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DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

The Admissions and Records Office has a policy and The Student Services units participate in the institu- process for student access to records, which is listed tion’s systematic annual program review and unit in the College Catalog. To maintain security and plan process to assure they are meeting identified confidentiality, the Admission and Records Office student needs. For example, in Spring 2005, the follows a policy and process for student access to Program Review Evaluation Subcommittee of the records that requires a current photo I.D. (II.B-1) College Planning Committee reviewed and evaluat- (II.B-24) ed the comprehensive program review for Counseling. It forwarded commendations and rec- Transcripts from other institutions are kept on-site. ommendations to the College Planning Committee Transcripts and related records from West are main- for action, which the College Planning Committee tained in the District database, which is updated endorsed. The findings will be reviewed by the nightly. newly formed Program Viability Committee. International Students and the Child Development Admissions now has an imaging system to scan in Center are currently conducting comprehensive pro- all incoming documents. Admissions staff will be gram reviews. Mentioned before in the Spring 2005 trained to use the system. Student Survey Results, which measured student satisfaction and perception of the college, these findings SELF-EVALUATION: are being analyzed and addressed within units and program reviews. (II.B-3) (II.B-17) (II.B-21) Admissions and Records continues to seek appropri- Measurable student learning outcomes were devel- ate and adequate facilities for student records stor- oped during Spring 2005 by each Student Services age. Student records need to be scanned into the new unit. In Fall 2005 semester each unit identified the imaging system. assessment measures for the unit’s student learning outcomes and in 2006 will measure these outcomes. The planned Student Services Center building sched- Student learning outcomes are now being inserted uled for construction in 2007-2008 will include into the program review and unit planning cycle. appropriate storage and a fire-proof vault for student Two counselors participated in the Title V Student records. (II.B-22) Learning Outcomes workshops on July 27-28, 2005. A Student Services Council agenda item, to be devel- PLANNING AGENDAS: oped during 2006, is that of student learning outcomes for the division with overarching goals. Some • The Vice President of Student Services and Dean draft examples of SLOs are: of Student Services will supervise the scanning of backlogged documents in 2006-2007. • Students will be able to navigate student • The Vice President of Student Services will services and college processes for a successful explore with the LACCD the security of student college experience. records in the event of disasters. • Students will be able to use /navigate telephone and computer technology to access/ use student services. II.B.4. The institution evaluates student support services to assure their adequacy in meeting identi- Some Student Services units administer program fied student needs. Evaluation of these services specific surveys to obtain feedback regarding effec- provides evidence that they contribute to the tiveness of the program-specific service. Examples - achievement of student learning outcomes. The Health Center Survey, WLAC Student - Parent institution uses the results of these evaluations as Survey for the Child Development Center. (II.B-11) the basis for improvement. (II.B-16) (II.B-18) (II.B-19) (II.B-30)

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SELF-EVALUATION:

Other areas of Student Services are rated quite highly Subject to student demand, the wait time to see a by the students who have used them. A total of 69 general counselor can be one hour for walk-in. percent agree or strongly agree that Assessment and Appointments must be made several weeks in Placement services are available when needed. A advance. There are also concerns regarding the total of 85 percent agree or strongly agree that availability of transfer services and career develop- Admissions and Records services are available when ment assessment and counseling services. needed. (II.B-21) Annual program reviews for all areas of Student Services have yielded a number of needed changes PLANNING AGENDAS: in operations for improvement. For example, the Program Review Evaluation Subcommittee made • Counseling will address recommendations from eight recommendations for Counseling, one of which the comprehensive program review evaluation is that the administrator in charge create “a daily through the 2006-2007 program review and unit schedule with the counselors so that there would planning cycle. always be at least one counselor on staff during • With the assistance of the Office of Institutional ‘peak’ hours.” Effectiveness, each Student Services unit will develop and administer a “point-of-service” In the 2005 Student Survey Results, when asked “Do student survey to assess the effectiveness and you agree that the following services are available efficiency of services. when you need them?” 21 percent said “Don’t • The Student Services Council will identify Know” about Financial Aid, 36 percent said “Don’t division goals and student learning outcomes Know” about the Transfer Center, and 41 percent during the 2006 academic year. said “Don’t Know” about the Career Center. This • In Spring 2006, the Student Services Council will indicates a need to publicize these services in a more address and plan improved communication to effective manner. (II.B-21) students about available services.

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STANDARD II.B. DOCUMENTATION:

II.B-1 Admissions and Records Folder II.B-2 Assessment and Matriculation Folder a. Matriculation Folder b. Student Accountability and Record System (SARS) SARS Grid SARS Call SARS Trak c. “Pilot” Assessment Services d. ACT Compass II.B-3 Counseling Folder Comprehensive Program Review for Student Services & Administrative Services Program: Counseling II.B-4 Disabled Students Program and Services Folder II.B-5 International Students Services Folder II.B-6 Accelerated College Transfer Folder II.B-7 Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Folder II.B-8 Veterans Folder II.B-9 Transfer Center Folder Student Ambassador Program II.B-10 Transfer Honors Program Folder II.B-11 Child Development Center Folder a. California Community College Childcare Tax Bailout b. WLAC Student-Parent Survey for the Child Development Center II.B-12 Associated Students Organization Folder II.B-13 West Los Angeles College and WLAC Foundation Scholarship and Awards Application Booklet II.B-14 Athletics Folder II.B-15 Financial Aid Folder II.B-16 Health Center Folder Student Health Center Survey/Fall 2005 II.B-17 West Los Angeles College Program Review/Unit Plan - Student Services II.B-18 Student Services Units’ Student Learning Outcomes II.B-19 Student Services Division Student Learning Outcomes II.B-20 West Los Angeles Community College vs. Two Major Competitors Final Report October 2005 II.B-21 Spring 2005 Student Survey Results II.B-22 West Los Angeles College Student Services Center Building Plans II.B-23 TRiO Grants/Summaries Upward Bound Talent Search Student Support Services* II.B-24 West Los Angeles College Catalog 2004-2006 II.B-25 West Los Angeles College Schedule of Classes (Fall 05) II.B-26 West Los Angeles College website (http://www.wlac.edu) II.B-27 Los Angeles Community College District website (http://www.laccd.edu) II.B-28 District Academic Integrity Taskforce II.B-29 LACCD Board Rules 9803 Standards of Student Conduct http://www.laccd.edu/board_rules/documents/Chapter IX/Ch.IX-Article VIII.doc. (Campus Life / Conduct on Campus) II.B-30 Student Services Council / Agendas and Minutes II.B-31 West’s Student Learning Outcomes Story II.B-32 President’s Bulletins II.B-33 Agreement between the Los Angeles Community College District and the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild Local 1521, CFT/AFT, AFL-CIO II.B-34 West Los Angeles College Student Equity Plan 9/05 II.B-35 California Community College Assessment Standards Document 3/01 II.B-36 Matriculation Advisory Committee / Agendas and Minutes II.B-37 Matriculation Assessment Sub-Committee / Agendas and Assessment Placement Maintenance System File

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II.C. LIBRARY AND LEARNING SUPPORT SERVICES signoff, which signifies that the faculty member has met with the librarian to review library collections and periodical databases and determined that the Library and other learning support services for content and age of the collections are relevant to the students are sufficient to support the institution’s topics covered in the proposed new or updated instructional programs and intellectual, aesthetic, course. The collection development librarian also and cultural activities in whatever format and happens to be one of the coordinators of the campus wherever they are offered. Such services include program review process. Through working with library services and collections, tutoring, learning individual faculty on their program review reports, centers, computer laboratories, and learning tech- she has become more familiar with the needs of each nology development and training. The institution discipline. (II.C-1) provides access and training to students so that library and other learning support services may be Every year, the collection development librarian used effectively and efficiently. The institution sys- sends a flyer to all faculty asking for a prioritized tematically assesses these services using student recommended list of book purchases. Once a list of learning outcomes, faculty input, and other appro- titles in subject areas is compiled from book reviews priate measures in order to improve the effective- from academic review sources, faculty, staff, and stu- ness of the services. dent input, it is sent out to the discipline faculty for their approval. After books arrive in the library, sub- II.C.1. The institution supports the quality of its ject bibliographies of all new arrivals are prepared instructional programs by providing library and and rerouted to discipline faculty. (II.C-2) other learning support services that are sufficient in quantity, currency, depth, and variety to facilitate The Library provides research material in both print educational offerings, regardless of location or and electronic formats. It supports the students means of delivery. enrolled in the growing Distance Education Program by providing remote access to the online catalog, an II.C.1.a. Relying on appropriate expertise of faculty e-book collection and online periodical and research including librarians and other learning support databases. To assess the effectiveness of the library’s services professionals, the institution selects and collection in terms of quantity, quality, depth and maintains educational equipment and materials to variety, several tools are used. Circulation figures support student learning and enhance the achieve- are used to allocate an approximate amount of funds ment of the mission of the institution. for each discipline. The Daily Reference Desk Log helps identify subject areas that students need for DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: their academic studies. It also asks reference desk librarians based on their daily reference desk activity Predicated on the supposition that research available to identify subject areas that need replacements, through a variety of print and electronic sources is deletions or additions-outdated titles, titles that are imperative to a quality instructional program, West not on the shelf-possibly stolen. This list also Los Angeles College librarians work closely with the includes requests from students. One major order is faculty in other disciplines to support student learn- generated per academic year. This allows the collec- ing and enhance the achievement of the mission of tion development librarian to select the best in the the institution whether it is transfer, career or basic discipline, something that can only be ascertained skills education. The librarians employ a variety of after a period of time has been devoted to reading strategies to gather information about the student book reviews in academic sources. Additional small- learning needs in different subject areas in order to er orders are sent out during the year to fulfill emer- inform selection of library resources, both print and gency requests. (II.C-3) (II.C-4) electronic. Over the last three years, the periodicals budget for The collection development librarian is a permanent hardcopy subscriptions has decreased by 45 percent, member of the Curriculum Committee. As a member, from $15,150 to approximately $8,500. The addition she signs all course outlines that have been submit- of electronic-format books and periodicals expands ted for updating and those proposing new courses to the bank of sources, providing many more books, be offered by the college. The Course Outline form, journals and magazines than the library can offer in which was adopted two years ago, includes a library print. The periodicals librarian evaluates and selects

165 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES electronic periodical, research and book databases and collections. This is usually accomplished through a state consortium, but often titles not offered through the consortium are reviewed as well. Requests from instructors for such titles as well as for individual periodical subscriptions are usually honored if they do not impact the budget. Electronic databases are purchased through Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) funds.

Our Library’s goal here is to choose material that will help students learn to think critically, succeed in their courses and become life-long learners. Our department wants our students to learn how to search and locate information in print and electronic formats, and analyze and synthesize it into accurate, coherent, well-supported essays and research papers. The collection development librarian purchases new materials on a rotation which ensures that different fields receive particular attention each year. (II.C-5) beginning and intermediate algebra, grammar, punc- The sale of donated books adds approximately tuation, spelling, reading, writing, political science $1,500 per year to the library’s book budget. Various and chemistry. The College Catalog lists learning programs serving defined student populations bring skills courses that help students overcome math anx- additional funding to the Library to buy materials iety and solve word problems. for those students. For example, books on career and vocational guidance and how to achieve academic Learning skills instructors serve on the Basic Skills success were purchased for students in the Committee and work with Language Arts, Educational Opportunities and Talent Search Mathematics and other academic divisions to inter- Programs. The Library also has worked with pret and apply district-wide and college-wide man- Student Services staff in California Work dates and student needs. Faculty in this area inter- Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids (CalWORKs) pret data relevant to student success and transfer and the Workforce Investment Act to purchase rates, particularly as they are impacted by all basic library materials to support students with job prepa- skills classes. They generate student preparedness ration and job search. By making these purchases, and attitude instruments, coordinate learning goals the Library is enhancing student achievement for among learning skills and the academic areas, and low income, first-generation college students. generate protocols for enabling the greatest number of students, especially those who are under-pre- Although librarians have identified gaps in the book pared, to maximize their opportunities for success. collection, many resulting from theft as a result of (II.C-6) several years of a non-functioning book detection system and non-alarmed exit doors, the Collection One full-time instructor teaches 12 sections of seven Development librarian, through a strategy of taking learning skills courses related to English. Two advantage of sales, prioritizing and rotating funds adjunct instructors teach learning skills courses sup- among a list of “needy” disciplines and using supporting chemistry, political science and mathematics. plementary state grants, has managed to satisfy the These instructors also supervise the learning skills lab. immediate needs of the college curriculum. Many students need assistance in writing essays and Learning skills courses taught in the Learning Skills research papers, and they need help with all levels of Lab employ computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to math and science. General subject and Writing Lab empower students to master the skills necessary to tutoring are available for many courses offered on achieve learning outcomes in their college courses. campus. The district regulates qualifications and hir- Learning skills classes both complement and serve as ing protocols for tutors. Potential Writing Lab tutors preparation for basic mathematics, pre-algebra, must pass a grammar test, and all tutors must have

WLAC SELF STUDY 166 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES successfully completed the courses they plan to tutor A primary challenge for learning skills is to keep the with grades of “A” or “B” and must present letters of lab open with a sufficient number of instructor hours recommendation from instructors in the disciplines. assigned, especially since the college operates year- The tutor supervisor trains each tutor individually. round. The Library is not open on Fridays at this Underwritten by Title III, tutors, in collaboration time. In addition to the cut in hours, a $40,000 per with UCLA, wrote a Writing Lab Tutor’s Manual. academic year learning skills tutor budget was elimi- Most tutors assist students in at least four subjects. nated in late Spring 2003. As a result, learning skills Fourteen general subject tutors help students in 20 tutors must qualify for Federal Work Study support. disciplines, and four Writing Lab tutors, working It has been difficult to find qualified learning skills under the supervision of the Writing Lab director tutors who have achieved high levels of math and who is a staff member of Language Arts, assist stu- English and who qualify for the federal money. A dents with any on-campus writing assignments. UCLA Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary New tutors are paired up with senior tutors so they Education (FIPSE) grant concurred that adequate can observe the variety of methods employed. access to tutoring services is necessary. (II.C-10) Tutoring is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and when more than one student in a particular It would be more efficient to identify one librarian course appears, a tutoring group is formed. (II.C-7) responsible for library systems work, which is becoming increasingly complex and time consuming as the use of technology increases in the Library. SELF-EVALUATION: However, the need to service reference and instruction makes this impossible at present. Although librarians and learning center faculty feel that the library’s collection and instructional equip- In the 2005 student survey, more than half of the ment are not adequate, 63 percent of the respondents respondents agreed that the tutoring center is avail- in the Spring 2005 Student Survey agreed that the able and open at convenient times, and that tutoring library’s collection of books and magazines are mod- services are adequate to meet their needs. (II.C-8) ern and well maintained; 72 percent agreed that the library is available and open at convenient times; and 68 percent agreed that the computers are avail- PLANNING AGENDA: able for use on campus when they need them. Another 66 percent agreed that computers and soft- • The Library and Learning Resources Division ware on campus are up-to-date, and 62 percent will begin to work in Spring 2006 with the agreed that instructional equipment in the labs is Office of Institutional Effectiveness to evaluate sufficient and up-to-date. (II.C-8) the print and electronic collection, technology and tutoring services to determine how effec- In the WLAC 2005 Self-Study Questionnaire tively they support student learning outcomes in Preliminary Results, of those staff, students, faculty academic disciplines. and administrators who responded, 79 percent rated the library to be effective or very effective. (II.C-9) II.C.1.b. The institution provides ongoing instruction for users of library and other learning support The quantity and quality provided by electronic peri- services so that students are able to develop skills odical and research databases have been judged to in information competency. be adequate and relevant to college curriculum. For example, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe supports DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: the paralegal studies program and provides extensive newspaper coverage for the social sciences, With the infusion of state grants, the Library has speech and English curricula. The Library has been able to create and maintain a library instruc- ordered two new e-book collections, delivery of tional research lab and a library instructional which is expected as this self-study is being written. research classroom. The library maintains reference While the Library will have no statistics to support desk coverage to help students search the online cat- their use until the e-book collections are used, other alog and the library subscription databases and colleges in the District have vouched for the quality depends on an instructional assistant in information of these collections. technology and student tutors to help students deal with any problems they encounter printing and using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

167 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Library provides an ongoing instructional pro- SELF-EVALUATION: gram for students, enabling them to develop skills in information competency, which is the ability to rec- The Library’s information competency workshops all ognize how to locate, evaluate and effectively use feature measurable student learning outcomes devel- knowledge. Our instructional program includes a oped in June 2005. The bibliographic instruction series of for-credit library science classes, library ori- librarian will also be contacting instructors in other entations, and information competency workshops, disciplines to determine their perceptions of how thereby covering the areas of information needs students benefit from the workshops, i.e. better assessment, search, retrieval, evaluation, organiza- grades. tion and documentation. Feedback from discipline faculty on the effectiveness All Library classes listed below are offered for credit. of the library orientations and the need for improve- Library Science 101 – Library Research Methods ment has been passed on to librarians. (1 Unit) – online version Library Science 102 – Internet Research Methods The Library faces a challenge in covering the refer- (1 Unit) – online version ence desk because the college has moved to a year- Library Science 103 – Information Literacy round calendar, but additional staff have not been (2 Units) hired for the winter and multiple summer sessions. Library Science 104 – Advanced Internet Research (1 Unit) The Library Education Department of California Library Science 88 – Business and the Internet State University San Francisco has commended the (1 Unit) – online version online version of Library Science 101 for its educa- Library Science 117 – Online Legal Research tional quality. (II.C-12) (1 Unit) – online version being developed Library Science 130 – Travel and the Internet PLANNING AGENDA: (1 Unit) – online version being developed • The Library and Learning Resources Division, in Our library offers information competency work- Spring 2006, will begin to work with discipline shops throughout the year, which were originally faculty to evaluate the effectiveness of informa- developed in collaboration with UCLA and other tion competency services and set goals for community colleges with support from Fund for improvement. Improvement of Instruction (FII), and Fund for Student Success (FSS). The workshops serve two to 15 students per session on a walk-in basis. Topics II.C.1.c. The institution provides students and per- include: formulating the questions and critical evalu- sonnel responsible for student learning programs ation of information, outlining, catalog searching, and services adequate access to the library and periodical search, database search, Internet search other learning support services, regardless of their strategies, printed materials and Modern Language location or means of delivery. Association style. These topics adhere to the Association of College and Research Libraries’ stan- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: dard as defined at the Information Competency in California Community Colleges website: The Library is open Monday through Thursday 7:45 http://www.topsy.org/infocomp.html. a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The multimedia department has been moved into the Each semester, instructors bring an average of about Library and an instructional media assistant pro- 25 students per class from approximately 30 classes vides audiovisual equipment and materials for class- in a range of disciplines such as English, history, room instruction. (II.C-13) anthropology, health, speech, dental hygiene and paralegal studies to the library for orientations. Remote access to the library’s online catalog and several research and periodical databases is provided to On a daily basis, students come to the reference desk all registered students including those who take to ask questions about their research projects. online classes. A server has been identified for Librarians offer a series of bibliographic aids devel- Library use; remote access will finally be available oped by the bibliographic instruction librarian. for the database, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe. (II.C-11) WLAC SELF STUDY 168 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Two e-book collections have also been purchased to PLANNING AGENDA: provide access to the students in the Distance Education program starting September 2005. • In Summer 2006, the Library and Learning Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint are also avail- Resources Division Chair will work in conjunc- able for students to prepare their class assignments. tion with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to evaluate staffing levels to determine how As the Math department’s Educo lab is billeted at effectively they support student learning out another campus location and is only open during comes in academic disciplines day hours, the Library plans to install updated Educo math software into 20 computers. One station in the library instructional research lab has been des- II.C.1.d. The institution provides effective mainte- ignated for the visually impaired. The Library Chair nance and security for its library and other learning wrote a successful grant to close caption videos used support services. in the Distance Education program that will help DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: meet the compliance standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. (II.C-14) The book detection system and door alarms of the Heldman Learning Resources Center have not The Learning Skills Lab, which houses 52 computers, worked for several years. All periodicals have been located on the first floor of the Heldman Learning taken down from open display and must be request- Resources Center, is open 8:00 am to 8:00 pm ed at the circulation desk. Two e-book collections Monday through Thursday and 9:00 am to 1:00 pm have been added to stem some of the losses in this Fridays and Saturdays to access the foreign language area and to provide access to online students. lab and tutoring. A library webpage that will describe services and hours is being developed. Surveillance cameras were installed to thwart contin- (II.C-13) ual robberies of equipment. Three of the cameras are no longer working, but robberies have ceased. SELF-EVALUATION: SELF-EVALUATION: The hours and the staff of the Library have decreased since 2000 even as the college has moved Because of a non-functioning book detection system to a year-round calendar. Library hours have been and non-alarmed doors, the Library has identified in reduced from 62 hours to 52 hours weekly. In Fall one academic year $18,000 worth of books as missing 2003 it was determined to close the Library on from the collection. When the book detection system Fridays since it was the lightest day in terms of stu- and to all the exit doors alarm system are function- dent use. Learning skills hours have gone from 65 to ing again, current periodicals will again be on open 56 hours a week. In order to support the growing shelving. distance education program, a librarian was reassigned from a .4 assignment in audiovisual. PLANNING AGENDA: Although hours have been reduced, 72 percent of • During Spring 2006, the Library will restore our students strongly agreed or agreed that “The open shelving for current periodicals. library is available and open at convenient times.” Fifty-seven percent strongly agreed or agreed that tutoring services are adequate and available at con- II.C.I.e. When the institution relies on or collabo- venient times. It is crucial that a variety of funding rates with other institutions or other sources for sources to increase tutoring be explored. library and other learning support services for its (II.C-8) instructional programs, it documents that formal agreements exist and that such resources and serv- It is important that library and learning skills servic- ices are adequate for the institution’s intended pur- es be marketed to the campus community. The poses, are easily accessible, and utilized. The per- Library webpage is being developed to help in this formance of these services is evaluated on a regular regard. basis. The institution takes responsibility for and assures the reliability of all services provided either directly or through contractual arrangement.

169 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

The Library is a party in a district-wide contract that provides an online library system incorporating the online catalog, circulation and cataloging. Any issues regarding these services are discussed and resolved at meetings of the district-wide Library Automation Committee, the membership of which consists of one to two librarians from each of the nine colleges. In addition, certain key librarians serve as liaisons with the automation library vendor. Recently, the vendor was bought out by another company, and all nine libraries in the district are in the process of migrating to a new platform for the automated library system. All migration issues with the new vendor were handled and resolved by the Chair and members of the Library Automation Committee.

The acquisitions librarian has negotiated a better dis- count with the book vendor. The periodicals librarian has recently switched periodicals vendors with the promise of better service including instantaneous update and lower cost. The periodicals librarian works with the California Community College Consortium, which provides quality periodical and research databases at an affordable price. Using II.C.2. The institution evaluates library and other Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure learning support services to assure their adequacy Program (TTIP) funds and through the substantial in meeting identified student needs. Evaluation of discounts offered by the Consortium, the Library is these services provides evidence that they con- able to provide several electronic databases. They tribute to the achievement of student learning out- are Proquest, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, comes. The institution uses the results of these McGraw-Hill AccessScience, CQ Researcher, evaluations as the basis for improvement. Facts.com, CountryWatch and AcuWeather/AP Multimedia Archive. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

Learning skills has a yearly service contract with Librarians have developed and distributed student Plato Learning Systems, its primary courseware evaluation surveys for library instructional research delivery program, which allows for upgrades and lab use and for pedagogical effectiveness. Recently, technical support. these evaluation efforts have been expanded to include faculty evaluation of orientations and infor- SELF-EVALUATION: mation competency workshops. Data on learning skills completion provided by the Title III grant has All problems with the automation have been revealed that students completing learning skills resolved through the district-wide automation com- classes are successful. (II.C-15) (II.C-16 ) mittee and attendance at various vendor-sponsored workshops. Librarians have been able to negotiate The Library has used the annual program review more cost-effective contracts with book and periodi- and unit planning instrument to evaluate and plan cal vendors. Through TTIP funds and substantial for improvement of library services. By reading pro- discounts offered by the California Community fessional literature, attending conferences and visit College Consortium, the Library is able to provide ing other libraries, West librarians have kept pace quality periodical and research databases to students. with all the latest currents in library and learning The college meets the standard. support and have used that information to improve services and curricula, for example, by instituting the

WLAC SELF STUDY 170 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES library instructional research lab, the library instruc- West’s library curriculum and the measurable SLOs tional research classroom and the information com- developed for our Information Competency work- petency workshops. (II.C-17) shops. The bibliographic instruction librarian will contact instructors who have sent students to the The library instructional research lab, which pro- library to collect their feedback and to find out what vides students access to the online catalog and online grades their students earned. (II.C-11) periodical and research databases and word processing tools like Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint The bibliographic instruction librarian attended a to complete their classroom assignments, has contin- workshop on program outcomes in order to evaluate ually increased the number of stations. The library the SLOs that have been developed for the informa- instructional research classroom where all library ori- tion competency workshops and to further develop entation and instruction occurs has also installed and apply them to the entire library instructional updated computers. program, including library science classes, library orientations and other services. Two factors were critical to the development of the information competency workshops: the library sci- Updating all course outlines will contribute to the ence classes had low enrollments, and the librarians evaluation of library and learning center programs determined the one-hour library orientations did not and services. A course outline for tutoring is being offer sufficient time for students to acquire adequate developed. information competency skills. These workshops grew from collaboration with UCLA and other com- As a result of surveys and collaboration with instruc- munity colleges. Curriculum and assessment tests tors in other disciplines, a co-requisite lab, Learning measuring student learning outcomes have been Skills 50, was set up for students taking English developed for each workshop. The bibliographic Fundamentals. The Learning skills surveys provided instruction librarian will be contacting instructors the impetus for adding appropriate vocabulary and who have sent their students to information compe- reading software. tency workshops in order to verify the benefits of the sessions. (II.C-11) Data in the Library and Learning Center have been collected and used informally. The Library will bene- Updated course outlines for the entire instructional fit from the recent hiring of a college researcher and program in the Library, Learning Center and analyst and the establishment of the Office of Tutoring are tools used to monitor and evaluate Institutional Effectiveness. course instruction. All course outlines are scheduled for update by the end of Spring 2006. (II.C-18) PLANNING AGENDA:

An automated attendance system, Red Canyon, was • The Library and Learning Resources faculty will installed in the Learning Center in Fall 2005 to track work with the Office of Institutional students who are tutored. Data provided will be Effectiveness to develop more systematic used to evaluate whether tutoring promotes student methods of evaluating the effectiveness of its success. An additional course outline for tutoring is programs and services in addressing student being developed. Students completing any learning learning outcomes by Summer 2007. skills class in math or language arts are asked to complete a Student Evaluation Survey. Students using the Foreign Language Lab are required to complete a student performance report. (II.C-19)

SELF-EVALUATION:

Curriculum and assessment tests in the information competency workshops have been developed. Library faculty continue their efforts to keep abreast of the latest currents in library and learning support. The Library faculty met in Fall 2005 to compare UCLA’s new core information competencies with

171 WLAC SELF STUDY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

STANDARD II.C. DOCUMENTATION

II.C-1 Combined Course Outline – Template from the LACCD II.C-2 Suggestions for Library Book Purchases II.C-3 Circulation Report II.C-4 Daily Reference Desk Log II.C-5 Acquisitions Policy II.C-6 Learning Center Evaluative Instruments II.C-7 Writing Lab Tutor’s Manual II.C-8 Spring 2005 Student Survey II.C-9 West Los Angeles College 2005 Self-Study Questionnaire, Preliminary Results II.C-10 Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Grant II.C-11 Library Instructional Services Program II.C-12 OASIS Administration. “Re: Library Science 101.” E-mail to Cathy Froloff. 14 Nov. 2002. II.C-13 Library & Learning Center Webpage (http://library.wlac.edu) II.C-14 Closed Caption Award Grant II.C-15 Library Evaluative Instruments II.C-16 Title III. Final Grant Performance Report – USDE (ED 524B) II.C-17 Program Reviews for the Library & Learning Center II.C-18 Non Credit Course Outline for Learning Skills 1T- Supervised Learning Assistant –Tutoring; Combined Course Outline for Library Science 130 Travel and Internet Research; Combined Course Outline for Library Science 101 Library Research Methods II.C-19 Learning Center Evaluative Instruments

WLAC SELF STUDY 172 STANDARD III RESOURCES

“The Personnel Commission is the mainstay of the The institution effectively uses its human, physi- merit system. It is an independent body comprised cal, technology, and financial resources to achieve of three persons appointed for three-year staggered its broad educational purposes, including stated terms. Commissioners are lay persons who must be student learning outcomes, and to improve institu- known adherents of the merit principle. The tional effectiveness. Personnel Commission is responsible for maintaining a merit system for classified employees of the LACCD and for fostering the advancement of a III.A. HUMAN RESOURCES career service for such employees. To execute these responsibilities, the California State Education Code The institution employs qualified personnel to provided that Personnel Commissioners shall classi- support student learning programs and services fy positions, prescribe rules, hear protests regarding wherever offered and by whatever means deliv- the selection process, and hear appeals of discipli- ered, and to improve institutional effectiveness. nary matters.” Criteria and qualifications for classi- Personnel are treated equitably, are evaluated regu- fied staff positions can be found on the Personnel larly and systematically, and are provided opportu- Commission website and in job announcement bul- nities for professional development. Consistent letins. Staff must pass qualifying examinations and with it mission, the institution demonstrates its interviews prior to being placed on an eligibility list commitment to the significant educational role for the job classification to be filled. When there is a played by persons of diverse backgrounds by mak- classified position to be filled, West’s personnel office ing positive efforts to encourage such diversity. receives the names of the top three candidates on the Human resource planning is integrated with insti- eligibility list, who will then be interviewed. (III.A-1) tutional planning.

III.A.1. The institution assures the integrity and quality of its programs and services by employing personnel who are qualified by appropriate education, training, and experience to provide and support these programs and services.

III.A.1.a. Criteria, qualifications, and procedures for selection of personnel are clearly and publicly stated. Job descriptions are directly related to institutional mission and goals and accurately reflect position duties, responsibilities, and authority. Criteria for selection of faculty include knowledge of the subject matter or service to be performed (as determined by individuals with discipline expertise), effective teaching, scholarly activities, and potential to contribute to the mission of the institution. Institutional faculty play a significant role in selection of new faculty. Degrees held by faculty and administrators are from institutions accredited by recognized U.S. accrediting agencies. Degrees from non-U.S. institutions are recognized only if equivalence has been established.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

The responsibility of assuring the qualifications of West Los Angeles College’s personnel lies with the campus selection committees for faculty and administrators or, in the instance of classified staff, by the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD or the District) Personnel Commission. 173 WLAC SELF STUDY RESOURCES

When a faculty position is to be filled, a selection duties and participation in institutional responsi- committee of at least four voting members is formed. bilities and other activities appropriate to their One must be a faculty member from the academic expertise. Evaluation processes seek to assess effec- division/discipline where the vacancy exists. The tiveness of personnel and encourage improvement. committee also includes a faculty member appointed Actions taken following evaluations are formal, by the Academic Senate, an administrator from the timely, and documented. appropriate college division and a non-voting affirmative action representative. (III.A-3) DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

The District decentralized faculty hiring processes The performance evaluation process communicates July 1, 2004. West is now responsible for recruiting standards and expectations to an employee and eval- and verifying the qualifications of candidates for fac- uates the extent to which the employee meets those ulty vacancies. The committee members meet and standards and conforms to the expectations. develop a position announcement including the posi- Procedures for evaluating the majority of employees tion’s duties and responsibilities, minimum qualifica- are mandated by and outlined in contractual agree- tions, and desirable characteristics. Each candidate ments between the Los Angeles Community College submits a comprehensive application package, which District and: includes official transcripts, an assessment of aca- • Los Angeles College Faculty Guild, Local 1521, demic preparation, work experience and references AFT/AFL-CIO (III.A-2) (III.A-3) • Los Angeles Community College District Administrators’ Unit represented by the All members of the selection committee are required California Teamsters Public, Professional, and to adhere to the following fundamental criteria when Medical Employees Union Local 911 reviewing applications, conducting interviews or • Supervisory Employees’ Union Local 347 otherwise evaluating candidates: the extent to which • AFT College Staff Guild 1521A, CFT/AFT, the candidate has expertise in the discipline in which AFL/CIO she or he will be employed; the candidate’s demon- • Los Angeles/Orange County Building and strated ability or potential to become a skilled Construction Trades Council teacher, counselor or librarian; and the degree to • Los Angeles City and County School Employees which the candidate will contribute to the diversity Union Local 99, AFL/CIO S.E.I.U of the college, division and discipline in which she or he will be employed. (III.A-3) Confidential employees are unrepresented but are annually evaluated by the college President accord- After interviewing qualified candidates, the commit- ing to LACCD and LACCD Personnel Commission tee forwards two finalists for consideration by the Rules. college President and the appropriate vice president. The President makes the final decision. (III.A-3) The LACCD Chancellor evaluates the college President’s performance. Informal evaluations serve SELF-EVALUATION: to assist a President’s personal and professional growth and development and are a routine aspect of Because of budgetary constraints, no new tenure- the relationship between the Chancellor and the col- track faculty have been hired since decentralization. lege Presidents. Formal evaluations, basic or com- West has not yet had the opportunity to experience prehensive, are documented and occur at least annu- the advantages or disadvantages of a decentralized ally. The LACCD Chancellor has contracted a former recruitment and selection process. Chancellor to conduct a two-day comprehensive evaluation as specified in the Evaluation Procedure The college meets the standard. for College Presidents. In 2001, 2003 and 2004, the LACCD Chancellor conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the college President at West Los III.A.1.b. The institution assures the effectiveness Angeles College in these categories: leadership skill of its human resources by evaluating all personnel and ability, administrative/managerial skill and abil- systematically and at stated intervals. The institu- ity, communications skill and ability together with tion establishes written criteria for evaluating all professional knowledge and expertise. Structured personnel, including performance of assigned

WLAC SELF STUDY 174 RESOURCES interviews with small groups of faculty, administra- sions and records office supervisors, assistant book- tors, classified employees, students and community store managers, carpentry supervisors, custodial members were conducted over a two-day period. supervisors, electrical supervisors, financial aid man- (III.A-4) agers, graphic arts designers, office supervisors, operations managers, senior accountants, senior Evaluations of faculty mandated by their contract microcomputer systems specialists, stock control seek to assess the instructor’s effectiveness and to supervisors and supervising accountants. Official identify needs for improvement. These are conduct- performance evaluations are conducted once per ed by the division chair or his or her designee. year by the manager or administrator with supervi- Tenured faculty are evaluated every three academic sory responsibility for the unit member. The evalua- years. Every six years, tenured faculty receive a com- tion cycle begins July 1 and ends June 30, and the prehensive evaluation, which is carried out by a evaluation must be completed within two months committee, one of whose members visits the instruc- following this period. Supervisory unit members tor’s class, and all of whom examine syllabi, assign- may also receive informal, undocumented evalua- ments and other materials presented in a formal tions that enhance the unit member’s professional portfolio. Probationary, that is, tenure-track, faculty growth. The evaluation addresses: attainment or are evaluated annually. Adjunct faculty are evaluat- progress towards established annual goals; fulfill- ed before the end of the second semester of employment of the responsibilities of the position; and pro- ment and at least once every six semesters thereafter. fessional skill and ability, including leadership, com- All faculty are evaluated in the following areas: munication, administrative/managerial and profes- knowledge of subject area, effectiveness, perform- sional knowledge and expertise. (III.A-7) ance of responsibilities and professional growth. Membership of faculty evaluation committees is The agreement with the Building and Construction defined according to the discipline or nature of the Trades Council specifies the evaluation of carpenters, assignment. The evaluation process includes period- electricians, heating and air conditioning technicians, ic classroom visitations and conferences with the fac- painters, plumbers, locksmiths, computer techni- ulty member. Prior to classroom visits, committee cians, performing arts technicians and studio engi- members are provided course outlines and any mate- neers. Probationary employees are evaluated during rials requested for review. Mentoring relationships the third and fifth months of their probationary peri- between senior instructors and new faculty are ods by the appropriate supervisor. Permanent encouraged. (III.A-5) employees are to be evaluated by their anniversary date each year. Employees are evaluated on the fol- The agreement with the Los Angeles City and lowing performance standards: quality and quantity County School Employees Union Local 99 provides of work, work habits, personal qualities, relation- an evaluation process for employee groups including ships with others and, if applicable, supervisory automobile mechanics, electronics lab technicians, qualities. (III.A-8) gardeners, instructional aides, instructional media specialists, office machine technicians, offset machine The agreement with the AFT College Staff Guild operators, physical education facilities assistants and Local, 1521A, CFT/AFT, AFL/CIO, covers account- pool custodians. Probationary classified employees ants, secretaries, admissions and records assistants, are evaluated during the third month and fifth evaluation technicians, assistant administrative ana- month of the six-month probationary period. This lysts, bookstore assistants, cashiers, community serv- contract also calls for annual evaluation of perma- ices aides, computer and network support special- nent classified employees by all supervisors when ists, examination proctors, financial aid assistants, the length of service under each supervisor is 90 instructional assistants, payroll assistants, piano working days during the evaluation period. In addi- accompanists, purchasing aides, student recruiters tion, the agreement provides forms for outstanding and student services assistants. Probationary work performance and unsatisfactory service. employees are evaluated during the second and (III.A-6) fourth months of their probationary periods by their immediate supervisors. Permanent employees are to Article 11 of the agreement with the Supervisory be evaluated annually. Staff Guild unit members are Employees’ Union, Local 347, describes procedures evaluated using the same form and standards as the for performance evaluations. This agreement covers Building and Construction Trades Council unit mem- employees such as administrative analysts, admis bers. (III.A-9)

175 WLAC SELF STUDY RESOURCES

SELF-EVALUATION: PLANNING AGENDA:

The employee evaluation process is clearly defined • The Academic Senate in conjunction with in the collective bargaining agreements with the spe- Academic Affairs will guide the academic cific unions. The evaluation criteria are sufficient to divisions, student services and other programs measure the effectiveness of an employee and give in the integration of student learning outcomes the employee specific feedback on how to improve in faculty evaluations. (III.A-11) work performance. Seventy-five percent of college employees agree or strongly agree that supervisors III.A.1.d.The institution upholds a written code of provide regular feedback on job performance. professional ethics for all of its personnel. Eighty percent of employees agree or strongly agree that the supervisor evaluates job performance using DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: objective standards. The college’s evaluation tracking systems have determined that some permanent The Academic Senate published a policy on ethical employees are not being regularly evaluated. (III.A- and professional standards that serves as a guide to 10) faculty and is distributed at the beginning of each academic year at the Flex Day Program. A written code of professional ethics for non-academic person- PLANNING AGENDA: nel is being proposed for LACCD Board approval. Disciplinary action is warranted for an employee • In Spring 2006, each Vice President will assure who commits acts that are detrimental to the success that all managers evaluate employees as speci- of the college, such as instances of dishonesty, mis- fied in the agreements. use of college email, sexual harassment or frequent unexcused tardiness. Disciplinary action can result III.A.1.c. Faculty and others directly responsible for in an unsatisfactory notice, a demotion, a suspension student progress toward achieving stated student or dismissal. (III.A-12) learning outcomes have, as a component of their evaluation, effectiveness in producing those learn- West expects all personnel to treat its students and ing outcomes. fellow employees with a high level of respect and professionalism. The college compliance officer has DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: the duty of ensuring that professional ethics are upheld, and to investigate and respond to instances West does not explicitly look at the effectiveness of where those ethics may have been violated. producing student learning outcomes in its faculty evaluation process because this criterion is not SELF-EVALUATION: included in the AFT evaluation forms. Efforts to uphold professional ethics include an email policy for the college that was developed collabora- SELF-EVALUATION: tively, discussed and voted on in Fall of 2005. In December 2005, the college’s compliance officer con- West is developing and implementing measurable ducted sexual harassment workshops for all man- student learning outcomes for all programs and agers, supervisors and division chairs. Staff have courses. Academic divisions including Dental expressed interest in having these workshops sched- Hygiene, Aviation and Language Arts have complet- uled for them. This is being considered for Spring ed their program SLOs and have included them in 2006. all updated course outlines. Faculty are in part evaluated on their syllabi which are based on course out- The college meets the standard. lines, so as SLOs are incorporated into the outlines they can be considered in faculty evaluations. Measurable SLOs are being developed with partici- III.A.2. The institution maintains a sufficient num- pation from administrators and faculty. The out- ber of qualified faculty with full-time responsibili- comes assessments are being developed in conjunc- ty to the institution. The institution has a sufficient tion with the establishment of SLOs. number of staff and administrators with appropriate preparation and experience to provide the administrative services necessary to support the institution’s mission and purposes. WLAC SELF STUDY 176 RESOURCES

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

To support our enrollment of approximately 8,000 students, West Los Angeles College employs 110 full- time faculty members, 12 administrators and 137 support staff. The college is organized into three major divisions: Academic Affairs, Student Services and Administrative Services. Through the program review process, which occurs every fall semester, each area evaluates its effectiveness in achieving its goals of the past year, indicates how it will address areas of concern and evaluates whether it needs additional staff to properly service the college community. Program review feeds into unit planning for the coming year. West has a Faculty Position Identification and Prioritization (FPIP) Committee, DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: which prioritizes vacant faculty positions. Personnel policies and procedures consist of the SELF-EVALUATION: LACCD Personnel Guides, LACCD Board Rules, LACCD Personnel Commission Laws and Rules, and Budgetary constraints have forced many depart- collective bargaining agreements. (III.A-12) (III.A-14) ments to operate with a minimum of staff. At the (III.A-15) (III.A-5 to III.A-9) Classified Forum, many reported feeling over- worked. While West has hired and trained 20 new The State Education Code, the District Personnel faculty since 2000, no new full-time faculty positions Commission, Board Rules, Personnel Guides and the have been filled in the past two years. Adjunct facul- collective bargaining agreements that cover faculty ty are hired on an as-needed basis. and classified staff govern personnel policies. Agreements are negotiated between the Los Angeles According to the 2005 Self-Study Questionnaire, 55 Community College administrative staff and the percent of the full-time faculty, 40 percent of the union representatives and are approved by the Los adjunct faculty, 64 percent of the administrators and Angeles Community College Board of Trustees. 78 percent of the classified managers strongly dis- Each agreement specifies procedures that employees agree or disagree that there is adequate staff to suc- may use to ensure compliance with the agreement. cessfully run their units. Nevertheless, in the Spring West Los Angeles College adheres to and imple- 2005 Student Survey nearly all students report that ments these personnel policies and procedures. services are available when they need them. (III.A- 13) (III.A-10) It is the duty of the college compliance officer to advise, investigate and resolve conflict in areas such The college meets the standard. as equal employment, hiring practices, discipline administration, sexual harassment prevention, gender equity, accommodation of the disabled and III.A.3. The institution systematically develops per- grievance and complaint resolution. sonnel policies and procedures that are available for information and review. Such policies and procedures are equitably and consistently administered. SELF-EVALUATION:

III.A.3.a. The institution establishes and adheres to All policies and procedures may be viewed on the written policies ensuring fairness in all employ- District website and the Personnel Commission web- ment procedures. site. Issues of adherence to policies and fairness in employment procedures are communicated primarily to the compliance officer, who resolves them under the supervision of the college President.

The college meets the standard.

177 WLAC SELF STUDY RESOURCES

III.A.3.b. The institution makes provision for the SELF-EVALUATION: security and confidentiality of personnel records. Each employee has access to his/her personnel District policies provide the necessary security and records in accordance with law. confidentiality. Employee access is not a problem.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: The college meets the standard.

The official personnel files are maintained at the III.A.4. The institution demonstrates through poli- District by the Division of Human Resources. cies and practices an appropriate understanding of Personnel records may be used by the District in any and concern for issues of equity and diversity. proceedings that affect the status of the employee. The files contain an employee’s working history, the III.A.4.a. The institution creates and maintains original employment application, performance eval- appropriate programs, practices, and services that uations, leave of absence requests, requests for trans- support its diverse personnel. fers, notices of outstanding work performance, letters of commendation, notices of unsatisfactory serv- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: ice and the employee responses, resignations and reinstatement requests. Files may also include The college widely publishes its non-discrimination records of criminal convictions, privileged legal cor- policy in such publications as the college catalog, respondence and working papers together with a list schedules of classes, brochures and advertisements, of materials that have been removed from the file. A and is committed to establishing and maintaining an second set of personnel files is maintained at the atmosphere of harmony and mutual respect among campus personnel office, consisting of employee its administrators, faculty, staff and students without leave of absence requests, documentation of discipli- regard to racial, religious, cultural, ethnic or gender nary action, performance evaluations and resigna- differences. The college plans activities related to tions. No material whose origin cannot be identified such events as Black History Month, Cinco de Mayo may be placed in the files. Derogatory material must and Women’s History Month. In spring 2005, the bear the name of the administrator who filed it, the Associate Students Organization sponsored a multi- date of its filing, the employee’s signature signifying cultural festival that celebrated the positive contribu- that the employee has been offered a copy, or if the tions to our society by various ethnic and gender employee refuses to sign, the signature of a witness. groups. The college recently applied for a $10,000 grant. Funds from this grant will be used for cam- District policy provides that upon request, an pus-wide diversity training. We believe this type of employee shall have the right at any reasonable time activity instills pride and respect for each other. to inspect the official personnel file. All personnel (III.A-16), (III.-A17), (III.A-18), (III.A-19). files are kept in a locked cabinet to insure their security. They may only be viewed by individuals other than the employee on a “need-to-know” basis, SELF-EVALUATION: including, but not limited to, those employees at the college or in the District office who are responsible West has completed its Student Equity Plan, which for maintaining the files, the supervisors and man- sets goals, objectives and priorities for the delivery of agers in the employee’s chain of command, education, training and personal development Personnel Commission staff, union representatives, opportunities to all WLAC students without regard Office of the General Counsel, Office of Labor to race/ethnicity, gender or disability. The plan Relations and senior district administrators. includes research on student progress, including data Whenever files or portions of files are moved, or are on student transfers, persistence, grades and other in the possession of an authorized individual, or are variables that are connected to student achievement. photocopied or microfilmed, or are transported or transmitted, reasonable steps must be taken to insure The college meets the standard. the security of the materials. Whenever materials from the personnel file are permanently removed, III.A.4.b. The institution regularly assesses its administratively or at the request of the employee, record in employment equity and diversity consis- they shall be destroyed. tent with its mission.

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DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: III.A.4.c. The institution subscribes to, advocates, and demonstrates integrity in the treatment of its The college has experienced minimal hiring activity administration, faculty, staff and students. over the last three (3) years. When hiring activity occurs, the college compliance officer assists with DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: outreach recruitment activities and hiring committees. The compliance officer provides hiring data to Employee evaluations include criteria designed to the district office, which in turn analyzes the data to engage a discussion concerning each employee’s insure that the pattern of hiring is in accord with ability to develop constructive working relationships state and federal laws and does not indicate any with peers and students. The college employs feed- adverse impact against any racial or gender group. back mechanisms designed to address employee and Members of the college faculty continue to serve as student grievance procedures. Administrators and mentors to aspiring teacher interns from diverse managers are required to be knowledgeable about backgrounds under the Los Angeles Community the collective bargaining agreements covering the College District’s Project MATCH (Mentors Act to employees they supervise. All administrators and Change History) program. WLAC participates in an managers, supervisors are expected also to be famil- annual EEO Community College Job Fair in order to iar with LACCD Board Rules, Los Angeles publicize the college’s EEO policies and attract a Community Colleges Personnel Guides, LACCD 0diverse job applicant pool when positions are avail- Regulations, LACCD Administrative Regulations able at the college. Equal Employment Opportunity and Procedures, Personnel Commission Laws and funds are used in support of Project MATCH and the Rules and the sexual harassment policy. annual EEO Community College Job Fair. The chair of the Classified Forum invites all classi- SELF-EVALUATION: fied employees to meet monthly. Agenda items range from campus-wide issues to the concerns of individual offices: the college budget, class schedule, The Los Angeles Community College District and parking conflicts, Proposition A/AA facilities, work other college districts throughout California have environment. The Forum was established to enhance been working in conjunction with the State communication between administrative and classi- Chancellor’s Office to develop a model Faculty and fied staff. For example, the Classified Forum grap- Staff Diversity plan that will meet current State of pled with the problems that resulted when the last California legal standards. The most current com- date that students could add classes was extended munication from the LACCD indicates the model but support staff were not notified and gave students plan is still in the development stage. Pending the inaccurate information. Another example occurred development of a state model plan, the WLAC in 2004 when Admissions staff were not informed Student Equity Committee, Chaired by the that the class schedule would not be available in any Compliance Officer, will develop a WLAC Faculty form until after student registration began. and Staff Diversity Plan by June 2006. Upon completion of a model college diversity plan at the State The District, Personnel Commission and West hold Chancellor’s Office level, the WLAC Student Equity periodic workshops covering various topics such as Committee will review its plan to insure that the sexual harassment, student grievance procedures, WLAC Faculty and Staff Diversity Plan meets stan- sexual assaults, violence in the workplace medical dards set in the model plan. and medical and retirement benefits. In addition, the collective bargaining units, District, LACCD colleges The college meets the standard. and West publications include highlights of district and college policies, budget status reports and soft- PLANNING AGENDA: ware systems, all of which are important to employees. Some unions hold monthly meetings to notify • The President will charge the Student Equity members about contract negotiations, benefits, Committee with making recommendations in changes in Board Rules and District regulations and the areas of diversity and equal employment policy in addition to other topical issues. opportunity.

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SELF-EVALUATION: SELF-EVALUATION:

While our self study did not have a question that While the college has had no state money to spend directly asked about integrity, we can draw conclu- on staff development, it has been able to use its 1999- sions about West’s campus climate and treatment of 2004 Title III grant, as well as its 2004-2009 Title V members of the campus community from other ques- grant, to offer workshops in areas that specifically tions in the survey. For example, 78 percent of meet grant objectives and performance indicators. employees “feel comfortable Workshop participants had to submit revised lesson ...96 percent asking the administration for plans in order to receive modest stipends for attend- help;” 83 percent feel that they ing. Telecommunications and Technology feel that their are “treated with respect;” 87 Infrastructure Program provided funds for campus percent feel the work environ- workshops and conferences. (III.A-24) interactions ment is “conducive to work- with ing;” 96 percent feel that their The college meets the standard. interactions with colleagues colleagues “are positive;” 95 percent III.A.5.b. With the assistance of the participants, the “enjoy the work” they do; 80 “are positive;” institution systematically evaluates professional percent would “recommend development programs and uses the results of working at WLAC to a friend.” these evaluations as the basis for improvement.

The college meets the standard. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

III.A.5. The institution provides all personnel with All faculty and staff are invited to attend staff devel- appropriate opportunities for continued profession- opment committee meetings to plan activities and to al development, consistent with the institutional state their requests for professional development. mission and based on identified teaching and Requests are also made directly to the chair of the learning needs. Staff Development Committee, who works closely with the Academic Senate President to verify faculty III.A.5.a. The institution plans professional devel- requests. opment activities to meet the needs of its personnel. The Staff Development Committee wrote an evalua- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: tion survey in 2004. After each workshop sponsored by the Staff Development Committee, attendees are The Staff Development Committee, which meets the asked to fill out workshop evaluation surveys, which third Wednesday of the month, coordinates profes- they may access online. (III.A-23) sional development activities for faculty and staff. However, the state has not allocated a budget for West conducted a detailed needs assessment in Fall staff development since 2003, which limits fiscal sup- 2003 in pursuit of the college’s current Title V grant. port to the Staff Development Committee. On the basis of this assessment, the college used a portion of the grant to fund (III.A-25): Still, the committee has produced many workshops • Workshops on MS Word and Excel using other resources. The staff development com- • Training in Easy to Use Distance Education mittee minutes can be obtained from the college webpage. (III.A-22) (III.A-23) System (ETUDES) for faculty wishing to design and teach online classes The Academic Senate also supports faculty atten- • Workshops on collaborative learning and diverse dance at conferences, workshops and seminars. learning styles Faculty, staff and administrators may apply for • Computer-Assisted Instruction training for math tuition reimbursement from the District. Classified instructors staff may receive released time to take courses relat- • Workshops in July 2005 and October 2005 on ed to their current position or to assist them in student learning outcomes for programs preparing for advancement.

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SELF-EVALUATION: Budget constraints in recent years have limited the college’s ability to fill vacancies. Only those vacancies that threaten the successful operation of the col- The online workshop evaluation survey was lege have been earmarked for staffing. However, launched in November 2004, but participants are not despite the budget crisis, certain human resources required to fill it out at this time. A formal needs needs that have been identified in program review assessment for the staff development activities and unit planning have been met by reallocating should be developed to incorporate this and other resources by reassigning people. For example, one data. faculty member transferred from math to science to help the Science Division, and an evening biology PLANNING AGENDA: technician was hired. An instructor in travel was reassigned a portion of time in counseling. An admin- • The Staff Development Committee will develop istrator was transferred to full-time teaching in a more systematic process to identify the profes- English. sional development needs of staff during 2006- 2007. The annual program review process has proven to be effective in articulating a department’s human III.A.6. Human resource planning is integrated resources needs. Permanent faculty hiring is guided with institutional planning. The institution system- by the Faculty Position Identification and atically assesses the effective use of human Prioritization (FPIP) process that relies on a disci- resources and uses the results of the evaluation as pline identifying its needs through its annual data- the basis for improvement. based program review and unit plan. Adjunct faculty are hired as needed to teach classes and staff the DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: library and counseling. (III.A.26)

The college formally assesses the effective use of its Classified positions are usually filled when the human resources during the annual program review appropriate vice president deems the need urgent process. In program review, each organizational unit and forwards the classified position request to the evaluates its ability to achieve its objectives in terms president for approval. For the most part, the col- of the required human, financial and technology lege-wide community is not involved in the decision resources. to hire a new classified employee. The College Planning Committee is discussing a mechanism to prioritize classified positions to be filled.

SELF-EVALUATION:

The college bases human resources decisions on college-wide and division-specific goals as outlined in the Integrated Master Plan. We do this through the program review and unit planning process, which feeds directly into the FPIP process. We have not, however, developed such a clear linkage between program review, planning and the hiring of new staff and administrators.

PLANNING AGENDA:

• The College Planning Committee will create an identification and prioritization process for staff positions.

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STANDARD III.A. DOCUMENTATION

III.A-1 Personnel Commission website (http://www.laccd.edu/PersComm/personnelcommission.htm) III.A-2 State Teaching Minimum Qualifications (http://info.laccd.edu/acadjobs/jobs/docs/forms/min_quals.pdf) III.A-3 LACCD Faculty Hiring Procedures III.A-4 Evaluation Procedure for College Presidents III.A-5 American Federation of Teachers, Faculty Guild Collective Bargaining Agreement (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreements/AFT/aft.htm) III.A-6 Los Angeles City & County School Employees' Union, Local 99, AFL-CIO, S.E.I.U. Collective Bargaining Agreement (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreements/documents/local-99-2002-2005 contract.pdf) III.A-7 Supervisory Employees' Union, S.E.I.U. Local 347 Collective Bargaining Agreement (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreements/documents/local-347-2002-2005-contract.pdf) III.A-8 Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council Collective Bargaining Agreement (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreements/documents/crafts-unit-2002- 2005-contract.pdf) III.A-9 American Federation of Teachers, College Staff Guild, Local 1521A, CFT/AFT, AFL/CIO Collective Bargaining Agreement (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreements/documents/aft- staff-guild-2002-2005-contract.pdf) III.A-10 West Los Angeles College 2005 Self-Study Questionnaire, Preliminary Results III.A-11 West’s Student Learning Outcomes Story III.A-12 LACCD Personnel Guides (http://www.laccd.edu/personnel_guides/alphabetical_index.htm) III.A-13 Spring 2005 Student Survey Results III.A-14 LACCD Board Rules (http://www.laccd.edu/board_rules/) III.A-15 LACCD Personnel Commission Laws and Rules (http://www.laccd.edu/PersComm/ personnelcommission.htm) III.A-16 West Los Angeles College Catalog 2004-2006 III.A-17 West Los Angeles College Class Schedule III.A-18 Grievance Policies III.A-19 Sexual Harassment Brochures (http://www.laccd.edu/diversity/sexual_harassment.htm) III.A-20 West Los Angeles College Student Equity Plan III.A-21 District Diversity Programs (http://www.laccd.edu/diversity/) III.A-22 Staff Development Activities III.A-23 Staff Development Committee evaluation form http://www.szann.com/wwwlac/feedback.html III.A-24 Title III Five Year Faculty Assignments – a list of Instruction Development Grants to revise curriculum and lesson plans III.A-25 WLAC Technology Tally, fulltime III.A-26 Title V Grant

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Master Plan and the ever-changing state of technolo- STANDARD III.B. PHYSICAL RESOURCES gy are addressed. Plant Facilities lists steps that are being taken to implement ideas and grapple with Physical resources, which include facilities, current issues. (III.B-1) equipment, land, and other assets, support student learning programs and services and improve insti- The operations and maintenance of campus facilities tutional effectiveness. Physical resource planning continue to be accomplished by skilled and knowl- is integrated with institutional planning. edgeable staff. The Plant Facilities department is managed by a director, one operations service man- III.B.1. The institution provides safe and sufficient ager, an electrical supervisor (currently vacant), a physical resources that support and assure the carpentry supervisor, a gardening supervisor, a stock integrity and quality of its programs and services, control supervisor, a senior custodial supervisor and regardless of location or means of delivery. three custodial shift supervisors. The remaining staff includes one facilities assistant (currently vacant), III.B.1.a. The institution plans, builds, maintains, one senior office assistant, one carpenter, one painter, and upgrades or replaces its physical resources in one locksmith, one plumber, one electrician, two a manner that assures effective utilization and the heating ventilation and air conditioning technicians, continuing quality necessary to support its pro- one power equipment mechanic, two maintenance grams and services. assistants, three gardeners, one groundskeeper, 24 custodians and one pool custodian. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: A number of improvements and renovations have Volume 2 of West Los Angeles College’s Integrated been made on campus between 2000 and 2005, and Master Plan is the Facilities Plan. The Integrated more are being projected and planned for in the near Master Plan predicts annual enrollment growth at future. Maintenance is ongoing. four percent, bringing our on-campus enrollment to approximately 18,900 students by the year 2022. Plant Facilities has completed a number of projects Based on an evaluation of community and labor that make the campus more welcoming. The market needs, the Facilities Plan provides the frame- Heldman Learning Resources Center, which houses work for planning, building, maintaining, upgrading the Library, was altered to increase classroom space, and replacing physical resources to assure effective was painted, and new flooring was laid. Alterations use and continuing quality in support of the college’s and improvements were made throughout the A buildings and all of the B buildings. The exteriors of programs and services. Plant Facilities completes the 60 percent of campus buildings were recently paint- annual program review and unit plan, and in this ed, and the physical education complex interior was process assures that the goals of the Integrated also painted.

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Maintaining our beautiful hillside site requires ongo- The Los Angeles Community College District Board ing attention. A shortage of facilities personnel, a of Trustees and West are considering selling our air- lack of energy efficient equipment and last year’s port campus, which consists of approximately four heavy rainfall has left West with scant landscaping in acres adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport some areas. Corrosion and age caused the irrigation (LAX). The sale of the property, appraised at more main line control valves to fail throughout approxi- than $10,000,000, is expected to help finance the miti- mately 30 percent of the campus. The old and cor- gation measures required for campus build-out as roded remote valves also needed replacing. mandated by the recently approved Environmental Irrigation had to be completely shut down in order Impact Report (EIR). (III.B-1) for repairs to be made because the college did not have a sufficient number of shut-off valves to isolate To summarize, improvements include: sections. Corrosion caused numerous leaks, which • Renovation of the Heldman Learning Resources caused water loss, which, in turn, caused extensive Center, including expanded classroom space downtime of the system, which hiked labor costs. We • Alterations and improvements to the Math lab, corrected this irrigation system failure by replacing B-3 irrigation mains and remote control valves and by • Completion of a Teaching Learning Center for adding more shut-off valves. staff computer training in B-6 • Campus “facelift” including painting exterior of Some asphalt parking lots were treated with slurry buildings, landscaping work and adding a slurry coat to improve driving areas. Aggregate was spread coat to the asphalt on Parking Lots 1 and 2 and to level and stabilize a temporary overflow parking on A and E Streets lot that had recently been created. • Painting A-1, A-4, A-5, A-8, A-9, A-12, A-13 and all the B buildings A total of 11 computer training labs were remodeled • Upgrading of the internal fire alarm system and supplied with new equipment, and training • Creation of overflow Parking Lot 9 rooms were added. • Painting of the Physical Education complex interior. Plant Facilities has implemented a number of inte- • Improvements to Reprographics and Mail grated waste management programs to recycle white Room, B-1 paper, cardboard, inkjet and toner cartridges, alu- • Overhaul of the campus sprinkler system minum cans and plastic bottles. • Remodeling and upgrading of computer training labs in the CE building: 100, 106-B, 223, 224 Keeping campus interiors comfortable has required and 225 new technology. Ever-increasing energy costs impact • Addition of a lab and training rooms for child our already tight budget. A 20 percent increase in development classes in SC-107 energy expenditures is predicted within the next year. Heating fuel and gasoline costs are expected to SELF-EVALUATION: rise eight percent in the next year. One way the college is meeting the challenge is by installing devices Plant Facilities must grapple with crucial challenges. in vending and other machines to reduce electrical West is an aging campus. As it moves towards more usage. permanent structures and improvements, it must still cope with the maintenance of 37-year-old “tempo- The Heldman Learning Resources Center operates rary” buildings. In general, the college has done a on R-11 Freon, a refrigerant banned by the South very good job of maintaining the physical infrastruc- Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). ture of the campus and supporting a productive The centrifugal chiller system is more than 26 years learning environment. More than 70 percent of stu- old and has failed on numerous occasions in the past dents feel that classroom facilities are “clean and five years. It is nonfunctioning. The college plans to well maintained,” and nearly 80 percent feel that replace the existing air conditioning system; in the public areas are “clean and well maintained.” meantime, a temporary chiller has been rented. This (III.B-2) project is currently being reviewed under Title 24, and replacement is scheduled to begin in 2006.

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The institution continually strives to provide safe The campus meets all current code requirements per and adequate facilities and resources to support stu- California Title 24 State Code with the WLAC dent learning programs and services and to improve Emergency Evacuation Procedures and Disaster institutional effectiveness. Physical resource planning Plan. The Facilities Plan features a security plan, and is integrated with institutional planning and assures West has maintained a high level of awareness and this support. Plant Facilities’ efforts focus on priori- commitment to upgrading its emergency response tizing the many needs across the campus. plans. (III.B-1) (III.B-3)

PLANNING AGENDA: The review of policies and procedures, such as the issuance of keys and entrance to the campus, are frequent agenda items in Facilities meetings. The col- • In Spring 2006, Plant Facilities will install lege’s Key Control Policy was just updated on energy-saving devices on existing vending November 9, 2005. (III.B.-4) machines to save on electricity. • In keeping with the Facilities Plan, Plant The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department main- Facilities will install low-maintenance and tains an office on campus staffed by three deputies, drought-tolerant landscaping as Bond projects . nine security officers and eight cadets who are stu- • In March 2006 and annually thereafter, Plant dents at West. The Sheriff’s office provides Facilities will guide the college in purchasing Community Emergency Response Training (C.E.R.T.) more fuel-efficient equipment and supplies. and a Clergy Council assistance program. The college website features a link to the Sheriff’s office, III.B.1.b. The institution assures that physical where one can obtain information about crime statis- resources at all locations where it offers courses, tics and safety information. programs, and services are constructed and maintained to assure access, safety, security, and a West has recently installed security surveillance cam- healthful learning and working environment. eras in strategic locations throughout the campus. The campus escort service, staffed by volunteer stu- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: dents majoring in fields related to law enforcement, has been operating for almost three semesters and Plant Facilities personnel address issues of access, has increased visibility of the law enforcement on safety and security to provide a healthful learning campus. An internal fire alarm system was upgrad- and working environment. ed, and we are in the process of upgrading exterior lighting.

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Safety issues such as the deterioration of stairs on the In order to secure state funding for campus facilities, second floor of the CE building caused by exposure West participates in a state-wide building planning to marine layers are being addressed. Designs for process. We annually produce space inventory docu- new stairs are at the Division of the State Architect. ments and submit them to the State of California, This design is expected to go to bid and be complet- contributing to the Los Angeles Community College ed by April 2006. District Facilities Planning and Development Department Space Inventory Report. In competition The Scheduled Maintenance Plan, updated annually, with other community colleges, West has successful- guides facilities upgrades to meet safety standards, ly demonstrated the need for new buildings and assuring that the college’s learning environment con- deferred maintenance funding. (III.B-5) tinues to be safe, secure and healthful. (III.B-4a) For example, the new Fine Arts Building and Child SELF-EVALUATION: Development Center, both built with state funds, opened in the beginning of the 21st century. State funds paid for a $400,000 deferred maintenance pro- The college is addressing environmental concerns. gram for the Heldman Learning Resources Center The current domestic hot water and space heat boiler centrifugal chiller. An additional $100,000 was grant- systems in the C-1 Athletics Building are no longer in ed by the state from a Hazardous Materials funding full compliance with pollution standards set by the program for the C-1 Athletic Building boiler SCAQMD. The replacement project for the C-1 upgrade. The state also paid $300,000 for irrigation Athletics Building boiler is currently in schematic upgrades. State funding is supporting the repair of design, and the project will be completed in early the stairs in the CE Building, which will cost 2006 to avoid the imposition of fines. $120,000 in scheduled maintenance. The college provides a safe, secure and healthful The Los Angeles Community College District Five- environment. More than 70 percent of students feel Year Construction Plan is reviewed annually at the “safe and secure on this campus.” At the same time, District Office to update and meet current communi- nearly 40 percent of students feel that there is not ty needs. The major source of funding for West’s enough “adequate lighting after dark,” an area we campus buildup is Los Angeles County Bond are now improving. (III.B-2) Measures A and AA. New classrooms, labs, office space and renovation projects totaling $178,000,000 The college meets the standard. are on the docket. Bond funds are earmarked for a parking structure, a science building, a general class- III.B.2.To assure the feasibility and effectiveness of room building and a student services building, as physical resources in supporting institutional pro- well as for the renovation of the Heldman Learning grams and services, the institution plans and evalu- Resources Center and related infrastructure improve- ates its facilities and equipment on a regular basis, ments. (III.B-6) (III.B-7) taking utilization and other relevant data into account. West used a portion of the Prop A/AA funds to support the creation of its Integrated Master Plan, III.B.2.a. Long-range capital plans support institu- including a Facilities Plan that incorporates the new tional improvement goals and reflect projections of structures into a complete campus vision supporting the total cost of ownership of new facilities and the mission of the college. Facilities planning also equipment. incorporates the results of annual program reviews and unit planning across the campus. (The full DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Integrated Master Plan and planning cycle are discussed in Standard I.B.) Approximately 60 percent of the campus facilities are permanent; many classes are taught in facilities that Regardless of the funding source, plans for new were designated as temporary in 1969. The Facilities buildings must be submitted for approval to the Plan predicts West should accommodate approxi- State Architect’s Office. At West all phases of design, mately 18,900 students by the year 2022. The initial from programming to final plans, are submitted to goal to reduce temporary classrooms and increase the prospective users of the building, the Facilities permanent structures on campus is being met. (III.B-1) Committee and the Work Environment Committee.

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Working with the Facilities Committee, Plans for a new parking structure are returning from Administrative Services is integrating a total cost of the Division of the State Architect where they are ownership model into our building planning being reviewed for Title 24 compliance. Upon process. A Bond Citizens Oversight Committee, approval, the structure will go out for public bidding which holds quarterly meetings to assess the in early 2006. progress of the Prop A/AA program at the college, was formed in May 2001. Plant Facilities periodically The construction documents for a new Math/Science updates and publishes a spread sheet tracking the building have been finalized, and the project is ready progress of the many projects now underway. (III.B- to be submitted to the Division of the State Architect 8) (III.B-9) for Title 24 review. The project should go to public bidding by Summer 2006. Football, arena football and track and A new classroom building and a student services field are all being building are both in the design and development played on our new stage with groundbreaking expected in 2007. state-of-the-art facility, bigger and better A solar voltaic farm that will offset future hikes in than its predecessor. energy costs will be installed above the parking The A/AA project structure and athletic field bleachers. Funded by nearest completion is A/AA, it is in the development stage. (III.B-7) the construction of new bleachers to Using our planning process, including the annual enhance the track. program review and unit plan, West has decided to These bleachers will build a convenience store (C store), which is in the accommodate an design and development stage, using monies earned increased number of by the bookstore. The C store will provide faculty, spectators to athletic students and staff with more fresh and nutritional events held on the food choices, while also offering a coffee/beverage new track. Improvements such as this will generate bar. In addition to providing much needed services rental income to the college. on the campus, revenues will be generated to support the college. A fire service road, utilities upgrade and recycling center, which will greatly enhance a number of SELF-EVALUATION: newly-integrated waste management programs that are now utilized on campus, have gone to bid. West has committed to this scale of development in order to support high quality programs of regional Level of Service (LOS) analysis has determined that significance, while maintaining a profile that fits the major intersections near the college are operating surrounding neighborhood. The basic format for a with acceptable conditions of traffic flow during total cost of ownership program has been completed. peak hours, but this is expected to change significantly if the college continues to rely on one major access road for entry and exit. The college has agreed PLANNING AGENDA: with the city of Culver City and local homeowners that we will build a temporary construction road • The Facilities Committee with support from before any further Prop A/AA construction. Before Administrative Services will implement a total we occupy any of those buildings, we must install a cost of ownership program during the 2006-2007 second access road. The projected cost of this road is budget cycle. significant. Beyond elevated construction costs, we face the price of the property which must be III.B.2.b. Physical resource planning is integrated acquired and the traffic mitigation fees agreed to with institutional planning. The institution sys- with Culver City. Budget for the new buildings must tematically assesses the effective use of physical be reduced to pay for this road. (III.B-1) (III.B-9a) resources and uses the results of the evaluation as the basis for improvement.

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DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: SELF-EVALUATION:

A series of new projects that are now in the design The Facilities Plan, completed in April 2003, “sus- and development phase were born out of institution- tains a commitment to the State of California Master al planning both at the district and college level. At Plan for Education.” This, together with annual pro- West, we have utilized the Facilities Plan as well as gram reviews and unit planning, aids Plant Facilities annual program reviews and unit planning conduct- in assessing the effective use of physical resources. ed across all divisions and offices of the college. (III.B-10) Allocation of space devoted to classrooms, offices, storage areas and various operational units is deter- Although West anticipates future growth in satellite mined by the Facilities Committee. locations, these will be developed through later planning processes.

The college meets the standard.

STANDARD III.B. DOCUMENTATION

III.B-1 Volume 2, Facilities Master Plan and Environmental Impact Report, includes Level of Service Analysis III.B-2 WLAC 2005 Self-Study Preliminary Results III.B-3 Emergency Evacuation Procedures & Emergency Disaster Plan III.B-4 Key Control Policy III.B-4a Scheduled Maintenance Plan III.B-5 LACCD Facilities Planning and Development Space Inventory Report III.B-6 LACCD Five Year Construction Plan III.B-7 Proposition A/AA list III.B-8 Prop A/AA Bond Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting Notes III.B-9 Spread sheets tracking building progress III.B-9a Memorandum of Understanding, College President and Local Homeowners Associations, January 12, 2005, with attachment III.B-10 California Master Plan for Education

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STANDARD III.C. TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES Administrative Services. The Technology Committee, chaired by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, offers advice about the website, college applications, and faculty and staff Technology resources are used to support stu- needs, and the prioritization of projects to be dent learning programs and services and to carried out by the Information Technology improve institutional effectiveness. Technology Department. planning is integrated with institutional planning. High-speed fiber optic cables connect all existing buildings to centralized servers. Existing III.C.1. The institution assures that any tech- network cables support Internet access in nology support it provides is designed to meet administrative and faculty offices and all class- the needs of learning, teaching, college-wide rooms. Buildings constructed in the last ten communications, research, and operational years feature network cabling to all rooms. systems. Information Technology maintains the college website, college email system and the telephone III.C.1.a. Technology services, professional voicemail system in addition to an inventory of support, facilities, hardware, and software are computer hardware and software. A new tele- designed to enhance the operation and effec- phone voicemail system was installed in tiveness of the institution. September 2005. Windows-based, it allows for easier updates and fewer layers in the menu DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: tree.

The Los Angeles Community College District Individual academic disciplines have developed centralizes administrative systems for human infrastructure to support specific learning resources, student information and financial objectives. Mathematics, art, music, aviation, services through its Information Technology business, computer science and English all have Department. A committee comprised of a broad specialized computer facilities. These facilities cross section of personnel representing the were created by and are managed by faculty District office and colleges guides the selection who teach the classes that utilize the hardware and implementation of these systems. and software on a daily basis. In addition, the Heldman Learning Resources Center maintains The District is in the process of converting lega- computer facilities open to all students. cy administrative systems to an SAP enterprise resource application. The financial portion went Information obtained from live in July 2002. In summer 2005, the human omputers the Spring 2005 Student resources system on SAP known as MAESTRO “C Survey indicates that aca- was implemented. Plans for a new student and demic technology needs are information system are in the works. From its software being met. Sixty-seven per- inception, the financial information system had cent of responding students an advisory committee; one has now been on campus agreed or strongly agreed established for MAESTRO. are with the statement that “Computers are available for At West Los Angeles College, technology servic- up-to-date” use on campus when I need es and accompanying professional support are them.” Only ten percent of provided by college-based systems primarily responding students dis- through the Information Technology agreed with that statement. Sixty-six percent of Department. responding students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “Computers and soft- The Information Technology Department is ware on campus are up-to-date” and again, headed by a manager of college information only ten percent of responding students dis- systems who reports to the Vice President of agreed with that statement. (III.C-1)

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The Heldman Learning Resources Center to maintain its computers and keep the soft- employs three instructional assistants who help ware and hardware up to date. Proposition students use the computers, and they assist A/AA funds will allow many areas to be updat- with the maintenance of the hardware and soft- ed to state-of-the-art. ware; the Computer Science Division employs two instructional assistants. Because the planning and implementation of hardware and software is conducted by the col- Federal Title III and Title V grants along with lege’s Information Technology Department for the California Telecommunications and campus administrative systems and by other Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) paid units for specialized needs, no overall coordina- for a Teaching Learning Center in B-6. These tion of equipment acquisition exists. For the same funds also allowed six classrooms located college to the make the most effective use of in B-5 and in the Career Education Building to technology, overall coordination and planning be equipped with computer projectors, comput- are required. er control systems and electronic blackboards converting these rooms into smart classrooms. Lack of coordination raises issues of maintenance. Often there is no money budgeted to TTIP together with the Instructional Equipment repair or upgrade computers. Block Grant from the State provided the financial support to meet the approximately 43 stan- Some labs are underutilized because there is no dards that delineate, for example, the ratio of funding for instructional assistants to monitor computers a college should have to administra- equipment usage when an instructor is not tors, faculty, students and staff. The Computer present. Science Division has acquired the latest version of computer software used in their program. Complaints about inappropriate use of email With the reduction of the Telecommunications and the website were aired in town hall and and Technology Infrastructure Program funds, committee meetings. An email policy was rec- Title V, the Instructional Block Grants and the ommended by the Technology and Planning Vocational Technical Education Act will be the Committee to encourage effective use of email. prevailing source of funds for new technology. As the volume of email grows exponentially, so (III.C-2) will the flood of messages and inappropriate use of email which will expose the college to In 2003, West developed an Information system risks. (III.C-4) Technology, Plan Volume 3 of the Integrated Master Plan. The Plan was developed on the premise that funding would be available from Proposition A/AA for the technology infrastructure. The most effective network system for the technology infrastructure and the location of the Information Technology Unit at the college are being studied. All Prop A/AA buildings will include smart classrooms and network connections for all offices. The infrastructure will allow wireless use of computers in classrooms and laboratories. (III.C-3)

SELF-EVALUATION:

West exceeds the stated standards as mandated in Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Program. However, with the loss of funds, West will find it increasingly difficult

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PLANNING AGENDA: interested in developing online and hybrid courses. Online instructors are also encouraged to take advantage of courses in online peda- • The Academic Senate and the Technology gogy such as those offered by the Cyber Committee will develop a plan to use tech- Teacher’s Institute. nology for improving campus communication via the intranet, website and group Instructional Technology Department staff ware. maintain the Teaching Learning Center faculty • The Technology Committee will analyze the resources center and the primary college web- feasibility of coordinating all technology site. The Online Classes website is maintained resources on campus. by the Distance Education Program.

III.C.1.b. The institution provides quality SELF-EVALUATION: training in the effective application of its information technology to students and Technical staff has been trained in the new HR personnel. SAP, system but users of the information in var- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: ious units have not been trained. Plans are being made to train these units in the near future. As new administrative and instructional West Los Angeles College provides a variety of systems are brought online, the need for more computer literacy classes to students. The specific faculty and staff training will increase. Computer Science Division offers an Introduction to Computers class that exposes There is a diminishing demand for traditional students to word processing, spreadsheet and computer science classes because students have database applications. Students can also enroll been exposed to computer technology most of in Internet research and library research classes. their lives. As a result, enrollments in introduc- In addition, the Heldman Learning Resources tory computing classes have fallen significantly. Center has applications that develop computer Concurrently there is increasing need for more literacy. narrowly focused and technical classes in network technology, web site development, and The District Information Technology Office pro- computer security. These needs have been doc- vides training on the enterprise resource pro- umented by the Computer Science Division’s gram for SAP and for other applications that Advisory Committee. (III.C-5) are used District-wide, such as Business Warehouse, Protocol and eRPA. The training for the new HR SAP system has been initially made PLANNING AGENDA: available to technical and key staff, so they can train others on campus. The District encourages • Utilizing environmental scans and career faculty and staff to use Business Warehouse to projections, the Vice President of Academic access data. Affairs and the appropriate Deans, in consultation with faculty, will identify informa The Teaching Learning Center in B6 has been tion technology courses that will meet the established to provide training for faculty, staff needs of the 21st century marketplace. and administrators. Extensive on-going classes and “drop-in” consultation are provided. III.C.1.c. The institution systematically plans, Faculty and staff have also been encouraged to acquires, maintains, and upgrades or replaces attend conferences on information technology. technology infrastructure and equipment to A Faculty Support Center was established for meet institutional needs. part-time faculty so they could access the college network. In addition, online course development/management training is available through Foothill College for instructors who are

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DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: technology resources, maintain equipment, and install and support network operating systems. West Los Angeles College has a centralized IT Department staff have provided appropriate Information Technology Department staffed by back-up and security provisions for the college- a manager of college information systems, three wide network. Back-up and security in the micro-computer specialists and a computer other labs is provided by the instructional assis- technician. In addition, two instructional assistants. tants work in the Computer Science/Computer Application lab, and three instructional assistants in the Learning Resources Center. The SELF-EVALUATION: Information Technology Department reports to the Vice President of Administrative Services; There is a need for greater involvement of the instructional assistants in the Computer IT department in the management and mainte- Science/Computer Applications lab report to nance of all campus computing facilities. the chair of the Computer Science Division, and Educational needs in some areas will dictate instructional assistants in the HLRC report to specific hardware/software requirements. For the chair of the Learning Resources Division. example, the Humanities Division uses Macs in The Information Technology Department main- some of its programs, and the Computer tains the campus-wide network infrastructure. Science Department has a highly specialized lab HLRC and Computer Science/Computer that utilizes Cisco and Microsoft certification Applications labs maintain their own network programs. All these facilities require access to operating systems but utilize the campus-wide the campus-wide network, all of them require infrastructure for Internet access. similar hardware maintenance, and all should have adequate back-up and security. Consistent with the technology segment of the Master Plan, the Proposition A/AA projects will Labs that do not employ instructional assistants include updating and expanding the technology can only operate when instructors are present, infrastructure of the college. Each new build- limiting student access to technology. Even ing and each refurbished building will integrate those labs that employ instructional assistants the technology standards incorporated in the are subject to closure if an assistant is out for Facilities Plan. any reason.

Previously, TTIP funds were used to plan, PLANNING AGENDA: acquire, maintain and upgrade the technology infrastructure. West’s Information Technology • The Technology Committee will develop a Department conducted inventories of the tech- plan for centralizing all technical support nology infrastructure assessing the capacity of for computing facilities. the computers at each station together with the operating system and software capabilities. This inventory was used to determine whether III.C.1.d. The distribution and utilization of the college met the standards prescribed by technology resources support the develop- TTIP. Specially Funded programs such as ment, maintenance, and enhancement of its VTEA, Title III, Title V and the Block Grant programs and services. Instructional Equipment money also supported the infrastructure; this became especially DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: important when TTIP funds were discontinued. Units or activities not eligible for these funds Special funds enabled West to replace its phone have been unable to upgrade their technology. system and re-cable the network infrastructure to all buildings with fiber optics cable. Copper While the IT Department provides the lion’s was used in all classrooms and offices. In a share of the support for the technology infra- burst of technology across the campus, six structure, employees ranging from fine arts fac- classrooms were developed into smart class- ulty to instructional assistants also manage rooms featuring the latest in teaching learning

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technology, and the math computer laboratory DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: was launched, thanks to Minority Science and Engineering Program, Title III and Title V In February 2003, the college approved the grants. Integrated Master Plan, which included an Information Technology Plan, the primary In February 2004, a design workshop was held objective of which was to improve the IT deci- to establish guidelines for implementation of sion-making process. The plan states that, “The the network infrastructure recommended by the College will establish a system that creates a Technology Plan, which had been approved in clear line of authority and provides a template February 2003. Funding from Proposition for unambiguous decision-making. An efficient A/AA will provide for the initial technology organizational structure will allow constituen- infrastructure for all facilities on campus. The cies, administrators and managers to take a maintenance and ongoing replacement of the leadership role in evaluating and planning for technology depends on specially funded pro- new technologies, IT staff to focus their efforts grams. The general fund of the college contains on priority projects and general users to begin very limited funds for maintenance and to understand the complexities of technology enhancement of technology. implementation at a large organization.” In 2005, the manager of college information tech- SELF-EVALUATION: nology position was created and filled, based upon recommendations in the Information West Los Angeles College has made great Technology Plan. progress in applying technology to the institution’s educational goals. The development of The Technology Committee reviews the col- the Information Technology Plan was an impor- lege’s compliance with state standards identi- tant and necessary first step in establishing a fied in the Telecommunications and Technology framework for making decisions about the use Infrastructure Program. West does meet the and distribution of resources. On-going activi- standards for the ratio of computers to stu- ties in cabling new and existing buildings are dents, faculty and staff. During the program creating a sound network infrastructure that review and unit planning process, the contribu- will reliably support present and future instruction of technology to organizational effective- tional and administrative needs. ness is evaluated, and requests for additional technology resources are included in unit plans. PLANNING AGENDA: SELF-EVALUATION: • The college will revise the technology plan to incorporate overall coordination and With the establishment of the new position of maintenance of technology resources on the manager of college information technology the campus. delineation of roles and responsibilities spelled out in the Technology Plan should now be accomplished. III.C.2 Technology planning is integrated with institutional planning. The institution systematically assesses the effective use of PLANNING AGENDA: technology resources and uses the results of evaluation as the basis for improvement. • The college will establish an clear organizational hierarchy in which oversight duties and responsibilities are clearly defined for the Planning Committee, the Technology Committee, the manager of college information technology and the IT staff.

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STANDARD III.C. DOCUMENTATION

III.C-1 Spring 2005 Student Survey Results III.C-2 Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Program Standards III.C-3 West Los Angeles College Integrated Master Plan III.C-4 West Los Angeles College Email Policy Statement III.C-5 Minutes of Computer Science/Office Administration Advisory Committee Meeting

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STANDARD III.D. FINANCIAL RESOURCES The College Planning Committee establishes and periodically reviews the goals and priorities of the institution; the Budget Committee Financial resources are sufficient to support makes recommendations to the President con- student learning programs and services and to cerning the proposed budget in support of improve institutional effectiveness. The distri- these college priorities. The recommendations bution of resources supports the development, of these committees had been distributed maintenance, and enhancement of programs through the College Coordinating Council, and services. The institution plans and man- which in Fall 2005 was replaced by the College ages its financial affairs with integrity and in Council. The constituent groups provide their input to the President on these committee rec- a manner that ensures financial stability. The ommendations. The President makes the final level of financial resources provides a reason- decisions. The college operational plan submit- able expectation of both short-term and long- ted to the district reflects this college planning term financial solvency. Financial resource and budget process. (III.D-3) (III.D-4) planning is integrated with institutional planning. To tackle the more than $700,000 in cuts needed to balance the 2004-05 budget, the college III.D.1. The institution relies upon its mission formed the Institutional Effectiveness Task and goals as the foundation for financial plan- Force, which combined the planning and budg- ning. et committees as one ad hoc committee. This committee was entrusted with the task of rec- III.D.1.a. Financial planning is integrated with ommending a prioritized list of reductions. To and supports all institutional planning. balance the 2005-06 budget, the college engaged DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: in a similar process. (III.D-5)

West has implemented a planning and budget- The decision making process is complicated by ing process to integrate institutional planning the high percentage of the college budget with fiscal planning to support the Integrated expended on salaries and benefits, which Master Plan mission and goals. In this process restricts the discretionary funds available, espe- the educational plan drives the budget. cially when there are mid-year reductions and Decisions affecting financial resource distribu- fee increases that affect enrollment. tion are to be derived from the collaborative efforts of all constituencies. (III.D-1) The self study survey of the college community indicates that 39 percent agree and 15 percent West’s financial planning process must follow strongly agree for a total of 54 percent who the guidelines and timelines recommended by believe the resources and funding are allocated the District Budget Committee as approved by in a fair manner. (III.D-6) the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees. The college’s annual planning and budgeting cycle SELF-EVALUATION: in keeping with the district process and as outlined in the Integrated Master Plan directly The college planning process is integrated with links planning and budgeting. Activities and supports institutional planning. College throughout the year include: goals have been identified at the Leadership Retreat. Guides to unit planning have been • Leadership retreat issued to all college entities to guide them on • Program review and unit planning the planning process and the timelines. Because • Prioritization the timelines are sometimes difficult to observe, • Development of budget recommendations many recommendations and decisions have to • Constituency groups’ input be made late in the process. Because of mid- • Decisions by the President on priorities year cuts, large projected shortfalls and the and budget urgency to balance the budget over the last few • Communication of decisions to the years, the budget and planning committees constituencies. (III.D-2)

201 WLAC SELF STUDY RESOURCES have met jointly in the Institutional Effective- Here are examples: ness Task Force. In order to address the effectiveness and timeliness of the planning and • State Instructional Equipment Funds and budgeting process, especially in view of the Telecommunications Technology, new governance structure, the process needs to Infrastructure Programs (TTIP) funds be reviewed. (III.D-7) enabled the college to maintain participation in the statewide internet, purchase PLANNING AGENDA: new equipment and to improve the technology infrastructure. • The college successfully secured Title V • The college will revise the planning and funding from the federal government for budget process to address the change in more than $2.7 million over five years to the governance structure and the issue of address academic success, academic tech- timeliness by concurrently developing unit nology infrastructure and faculty and staff plans and operating budgets. (III.D-8) development in technology use. • Prop A and AA bond measures provided III.D.1.b. Institutional planning reflects realis- $178 million for renovation and new tic assessment of financial resources availabil- construction. ity, development of financial resources, part- • The West Los Angeles College Foundation, nerships, and expenditure requirements. a separate entity with its own governing board, continues to conduct fundraising DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: activities. (III.D-10) (III.D-11) (III.D-12) (III.D-13) (III.D-14) The majority of West’s financial resources ulti- mately derive from the state of California, The college also generates dedicated revenue, which uses an allocation formula driven prima- which is income derived from ancillary activi- rily by enrollment measured in full time equiv- ties such as the leasing of campus facilities, alent students (FTES). The state sets a rate of traffic citations, two-percent enrollment fees, funding for a prescribed population of students international student application fees, non-resi- (the base), and usually determines a percentage dent tuition and transcripts. The amount gener- of annual growth in enrollment which will also ated in 2004-05 was approximately $500,000. be funded, if it is reached. If a college exceeds (III.D-15) its base-plus-growth allotment, additional revenue may be generated in basic skills enroll- In the two years following the last accreditation ment. The allocation of the finite pot of basic visit in 2000, West experienced significant skills monies depends on the ratio of the col- increases in both revenue and expenditures. lege’s level of participation against that of other The college was then caught in the grips of colleges in the state. California’s fiscal crisis. In December 2002, community colleges throughout the State were The Los Angeles Community College District hit with cuts to funding for the year then receives the state apportionment and distrib- underway. West was unable to control its utes funds to the nine colleges, in general using expenditures trend quickly enough and ended allocation formulae aligned with the state’s. A the fiscal year with a deficit of over $1,000,000. portion of the state funds are retained for (III.D-16) District-wide expenses. (III.D-9) In 2003-04, the college took immediate action to In addition, the college receives funds and address its fiscal crisis by prudently trimming administers a number of categorical programs spending. In spite of further reductions in rev- and specially funded programs awarded enue, the college managed to end that year with through federal, state and local agencies, all a positive balance and did reach its enrollment helpful in recruiting and retaining students. target. (III.D-17)

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In the 2004-05 fiscal year, California hiked student fees from $18 to $26 per unit. An The next step is to develop a marketing plan in improved economic climate meant more job order to assess the need for courses and pro- opportunities for potential students and that grams and how best to promote the college to led to a decrease in enrollment. At the same the community, which will help to develop real- time the college had a limited marketing budg- istic assessments of revenue from enrollment et, which also impacted enrollment. In the and budget needs. (III.D-20) (III.D-21) 2004-05 academic year, enrollment fell below the projected revenue/enrollment target. The West develops the annual operational budget college did not receive anticipated additional by following the guidelines provided by the growth and basic skills funds. The Institutional District through the college’s planning and Effectiveness Task Force, which combined the budget process. Each year the District provides planning and budget committees, was estab- a preliminary estimate of West’s allocation for lished to make recommendations to address the the coming year, based on best estimates of the projected shortfall. A very large percentage of as-yet-undetermined state budget. This conser- the college general fund budget (approximately vative preliminary allocation typically would 95 percent) is earmarked for salaries and bene- not cover all expenses the college reasonably fits, critically limiting any reduction in discre- expects. Our budgeting must take into consid- tionary funds. The other grants and special eration growth requirements, collective bargain- funds are restricted and therefore can only be ing union salary increases, step and column used for their targeted programs. increases for personnel in addition to potential Recommendations were made and action taken hikes in benefit costs, utility rate increases and to address the shortfall but they were not suffi- other items. West drafts an operational plan cient. The result was a $570,479 deficit in 2004- which under-funds expected but flexible 05. (III.D-5) (III.D-18) (III.D-19) expenses such as salaries for adjunct faculty in the Spring and Summer sessions. As the state West is taking various actions to meet 2005-06 budget develops, the allocation usually increas- FTES goals in order to capture available finan- es, but the final allocation is not determined cial resources. The Budget Committee is review- before August. Funds for the under-funded ing expenditures for possible reduction. The items have to be identified during the course of Strategic Enrollment Management Committee is the year. Furthermore, the college cannot reviewing course enrollment and demand in know its precise allocation for a given year order to maximize the effectiveness of offerings. until that fiscal year is over and enrollments The Marketing Committee was merged with the have been tabulated. If enrollment is not strong Strategic Enrollment Management Committee, or if costs increase for salaries or other areas, and the merged committees are addressing the securing funds during the course of the year is results of the Focus Group Marketing Study. difficult. (III.D-2) (III.D-22)

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SELF-EVALUATION: DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

West strives to live within its means. However, The District maintained its contingency reserve the college has had overdrafts of its budget in at three percent of its projected unrestricted two of the last three years, and the District has general fund expenditures for fiscal year 2004- covered them. Efforts to reduce shortfalls have 2005 as shown in the final budget adopted by been made through budget reductions using the the Board of Trustees. In the 2005-2006 Budget planning and budgeting process and the Allocation Mechanism, it is indicated that “the Institutional Effectiveness Task Force. District shall maintain a contingency reserve of However, cost increases and the very large per- 3.5 percent of total unrestricted general fund centage of the budget dedicated to salaries and revenue.” The District is responsible for the benefits, combined with enrollment decreases, management and repayment of all long-term have resulted in the college not being able to obligated liabilities, such as refunding balance its budget. Changes in enrollment have Certificates of Participation, General Obligation had significant impact on the generation of rev- Bonds, workers’ compensation claims and enue through the district’s allocation mecha- insurance costs. These long-term and continu- nism. The development and implementation of ing costs are included in funds retained by the a marketing plan will help but will not guaran- District to support District operations. Long tee a matching of revenues and expenses, as term payments are made directly by the there will always be risks in projecting enroll- District. (III.D-23) (III.D-24) ment demand. As preliminary District allocations are usually below the final allocation, the The college budget process follows the district college should develop budgets for conserva- process and annually formulates our budgets. tive, probable and optimistic scenarios and plan Colleges are mandated to balance their budgets. for the probable budget, preparing prioritized If a college experiences a deficit, the deficit will lists for reduction or addition depending on the be repaid by the college over a three-year peri- actual allocation. With the funding levels uncer- od starting one year after incurring the deficit. tain and difficulty in reducing budgets once the year has started, as evidenced by the college’s SELF-EVALUATION: overdrafts, this approach would help the college to have a more realistic assessment of the The college budget and planning process budget at the beginning of the fiscal year. addresses the long term plans of the college. However, with the limited resources, increasing PLANNING AGENDA: costs and enrollment decline, the college has had to establish the Institutional Effectiveness • The Budget Committee will develop a Task Force to develop recommendations on budget plan with three scenarios: conserva- budget reductions for the short term to balance tive, probable and optimistic with regard the budget. West has implemented various cost to revenue and expenditures saving measures including a hiring freeze and • The Strategic Enrollment Committee will minimizing expenditures not directly related to develop a marketing plan to assess demand instruction. and promote visibility of the college and our programs to our service area. The college meets the standard.

III.D.1.c. When making short-range financial III.D.1.d The institution clearly defines and plans, the institution considers its long-range follows its guidelines and processes for finan- financial priorities to assure financial stabili- cial planning and budget development, with ty. The institution clearly identifies and plans all constituencies having appropriate opportu- for payment of liabilities and future obliga- nities to participate in the development of tions. institutional plans and budgets.

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DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: For the last two years we have asked an ad hoc committee, the Institutional Effectiveness Task Force, to review budget priorities and develop The District has a Board-adopted budget alloca- recommendations for expenditure reductions. tion mechanism to allocate funds to the col- These were distributed to the constituencies leges, district office and district-wide accounts. through the College Coordinating Council. We The budget calendar and operational plan have used our budget process, but the timelines instructions are provided each year to colleges in the calendar have not always been met, and with guidelines to develop their annual budg- there has been confusion on how the recom- ets. The District budget is developed each year mendations are distributed to the constituencies in extensive consultation with the District as discussed at the Leadership Retreat. Budget Committee. The college budget follows the planning and budget cycle described in the Adjustments to the allocation may occur at the Integrated Master Plan. The calendar, instruc- tentative budget and final budget stages. The tions and forms are included in the Unit Plan college operational budget will be adjusted Guide. (III.D-1) (III.D-2) (III.D-7) (III.D-9) accordingly. The final budget is submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval and adoption The college’s operational plan, which is submit- in early September. The college will receive a ted to the District, is developed as part of this final budget after this Board approval. (III.D- planning and budgeting cycle. The Vice 26) (III.D-27) President of Administrative Services coordinates the budget preparation process for the college. This process begins with the Vice SELF-EVALUATION: President in conjunction with the Budget Committee developing parameters for prepar- In order to meet deadlines, an Institutional ing a college operational plan following guide- Effectiveness Task Force has been established lines set by the District. Administrators, faculty the last two years as an ad hoc committee. The and staff have appropriate opportunities to par- confusion in the governance structure has been ticipate in the planning and budget process. aggravated by the turnover in the position of the chief budget officer; there have been three Operational plan instructions together with Vice Presidents of Administrative Services in budget preparation worksheets are sent to the the last three years. With the changes in the Vice Presidents of each major division. As governance structure, which clearly establish explained in Standard I.B.3, each of the col- the decision making process and opportunity lege’s units completes an annual program for constituency input, the Budget Committee review and unit plan. The Vice Presidents meet should be able to accomplish its role. (III.D-28) with division chairs and department managers to discuss unit plans and determine division The Budget Committee with representatives needs in accordance with the college goals and from various constituencies is charged with objectives established in the Integrated Master establishing fiscal priorities, monitoring finan- Plan. Requests for additional resources should cial planning and making recommendations. be included in the unit plans. When the budget The committee is taking a stronger role in the preparation worksheets become available, each financial planning and management of the col- division compiles its requests and prioritizes lege. (III.D-28) them. In the prescribed planning and budget cycle, they are to be submitted to the Budget The Budget Committee reviews the allocation of Committee, which meets jointly with the resources and expenditures as part of budget College Planning Committee to produce a sin- development to assess the appropriateness of gle prioritized list. The constituencies then the allocations and expenditures for programs. provide their input on the recommendations to This Budget Committee will now need to the President, who makes the final decision. include in this assessment student learning out- The Operational Plan is submitted to the comes. The college has developed institutional District Budget Office based on the college pre- learning outcomes and is in the process of liminary allocation. (III.D-4) (III.D-25) developing program outcomes for all programs.

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It is also developing an assessment plan to SAP is being enhanced to provide better and evaluate the achievement of these outcomes. timely financial information on-line access. The assessment plan should assist the Budget Information can be accessed through Business Committee in evaluating the appropriate alloca- Warehouse (BW) reports available on the tion of resources. LACCD website.

At the institutional level, the understanding, Once the college operational budget is devel- participation and competency of financial plan- oped and approved, it is installed into the SAP ning and budgeting varies a great deal. To system, allowing division chairs and depart- encourage administrators, division chairs and ment managers to monitor their budgets on- department managers to become more actively line. Fiscal controls are in place that require involved in the development and management appropriate account numbers and sufficient of their departmental budgets, budget training funds be established before documents can be workshops will be scheduled for the 2005-06 processed. The system also features built-in fiscal year. control mechanisms that prevent account over- runs. The Vice President of Administration PLANNING AGENDA: reviews and approves all budget transfers and expenditure transfers as well as documents that obligate college funds. • The Budget Committee will integrate the assessment of institutional and program The Controller’s Office at District Business outcomes in its allocation of resources Services is responsible for the maintenance of • Administrative Services will schedule the centralized financial system and for compil- budget training workshops for unit plan ing financial and accounting external reports budget managers (administrators, division for all the colleges and the District. The chairs and department managers) and District maintains an updated chart of accounts constituency leadership to help them guaranteeing its compliance with the California understand the process, expectations and Community Colleges reporting requirements. timeline of the budget development cycle The chart of accounts is accessible through the especially in view of the new governance LACCD website. (III.D-29) structure. An external independent auditor conducts an III.D.2. To assure the financial integrity of the annual audit of the college financial statements institution and responsible use of financial and the related budget and accounting policies resources, the financial management system and procedures. Copies of the audit reports are has appropriate control mechanisms and wide- sent to the college and are available for review. ly disseminates dependable and timely infor- The audit performed by KPMG, LLP for the mation for sound financial decision making. year ending June 30, 2004, confirmed that the year’s financial statements were fairly present- III.D.2.a. Financial documents, including the ed and conformed to accounting principles gen- budget and independent audit, reflect appro- erally accepted in the United States of America. priate allocation and use of financial resources (III.D-30) to support student learning programs and services. Institutional responses to external SELF-EVALUATION: audit findings are comprehensive, timely, and communicated appropriately. The annual external audit indicated there were DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: “no matters involving internal control and its operation that we consider to be material weaknesses.” The development of an assessment A new financial management system, Systems, plan for the college will be important to ensure Applications and Products (SAP), was imple- resources are allocated in keeping with institu- mented on July 1, 2002.The computerized sys- tional and program outcomes. (III.D-30) tem can be accessed by all college personnel. The college meets the standard.

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Planning Committee, College Council, III.D.2.b. Appropriate financial information is Academic Senate, Classified Forum and at the provided throughout the institution. administrators’ meetings. (III.D-31) (III.D-32) DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: (III.D-33)

The District Financial Management System was SELF-EVALUATION: implemented on SAP software July1, 2002. Procurement and accounts payable have been These reports provide detailed and summary automated, and services have significantly information sufficient for the campus communi- improved. The District implemented Human ty to evaluate the college’s financial condition. Resources System in SAP for personnel and The projected fiscal year financial status is payroll operations on July 1, 2005. The District relayed to the campus via monthly reports. Office Business Division periodically submits reports to the Board, and each college updates This information is presented in several loca- its financial plan on a monthly basis to the tions including the Budget Committee, the Chancellor, who updates the District Budget College Planning Committee and the College Committee and the Board. Council so constituencies have several opportunities to obtain it. Town Hall meetings have The District has also made available financial, been held to brief the campus community on instructional and human resource information the status of the budget. However, not all cam- through the Business Warehouse application. pus personnel are able to attend. Extensive training sessions have been provided to technical personnel, and training is now PLANNING AGENDA: being extended to other personnel. It is intended that Business Warehouse will be the primary • The college will post Budget Committee means for most employees to access district minutes and financial information on the information. intranet website. Financial information about specific areas of the college that emanates from the district office is III.D.2.c. The institution has sufficient cash shared with appropriate personnel on campus. flow and reserves to maintain stability, strate- It is also disseminated to various constituencies gies for appropriate risk management, and through committee meetings. realistic plans to meet financial emergencies and unforeseen occurrences. In 2005, Administrative Services coordinated with the chair of the Program Review DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Subcommittee to revise the unit planning document. By providing unit managers and chairs The District Controller’s Office is the primary with detailed data on their budgeted items for entity responsible for maintaining District cash the previous fiscal year and for the fiscal year flow and reserves. A significant portion of the currently underway, the revised document will District cash balance is invested with the Los ensure that chairs are fully aware of their budg- Angeles County treasurer. The district also et status as they do their program review and invests its cash balances in U.S. government unit plans, and that the information they pro- securities, certificates of deposit and other vide will feed directly into the deliberations for interest-bearing instruments. the next budget. The revisions are under consideration by the College Planning Committee The LACCD is self-insured up to a maximum of and the Budget Committee. up to $500,000 for each workers’ compensation Budget and enrollment plan information includ- claim, $250,000 per employment practices ed in the monthly closing report, monthly pro- claims, $100,000 for each general liability claim jection and college financial plan and quarterly up to an amount aggregate of $300,000. Funds report is disseminated to the college community are allocated to meet risk management potential through the Budget Committee, College liabilities at the district-wide level.

207 WLAC SELF STUDY RESOURCES

Historically, the District has maintained liquidi- III.D.2.d. The institution practices effective ty at all times and has been able to meet all oversight of finances, including management long term obligations. of financial aid, grants, externally funded programs, contractual relationships, auxiliary It is district policy to maintain a mandated min- organizations or foundations, and institutional imum three percent contingency reserve to meet investments and assets. emergencies. For FY 2005-06, the District set aside 3.5 percent, $16,152,932 as a contingency DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: reserve in the final unrestricted general fund budget. The Board Rules and Administrative Regulations specify the delegation of certain The District also maintains a comprehensive set authorities and responsibilities and delineate of Board Rules, Administrative Regulations and the individual person charged with these business procedures governing risk manage- responsibilities. The District Business Services ment practices. (III.D-34) (III.D-35) (III.D-36) Division ensures strict adherence to and compliance with the budget and accounting manual In the past three years, the college has been prepared by the California Community operating with limited resources. In FY 2002-03, Colleges. (III.D-34) (III.D-35) the college incurred a deficit of $1,086,200. Through prudent spending and aggressive cost The President is responsible for overseeing the saving measures, West ended the following year college’s fiscal matters. Internal policies and with a surplus of $196,558. However, the 2004- procedures are in place to maintain comprehen- 05 FTES target was not achieved, resulting in a sive financial records of all transactions. The loss of additional growth funds and basic skills Vice President of Administrative Services has monies that had been included in the initial primary responsibility to manage and control projected total allocation for 2004-05. the fiscal resources of the college. Each division Consequently, the college ended the fiscal year chair or department manager is responsible for with a deficit of $570,479. The college is devel- the accuracy and integrity of its financial trans- oping marketing plans to improve the enroll- actions. ment projections and capture potential enrollment. Financial aid enables economically deprived stu- SELF-EVALUATION: Financial dents to achieve their edu- aid enables cational goals. The West does not have any contingency funds for economically responsibility for manage- emergencies. The college relies upon the district ment of financial aid is contingency fund to meet emergencies. The deprived under the supervision of development of a budget with different scenar- students to the Vice President of ios, marketing plan and assessment of potential Student Services, and day- enrollment will assist in matching revenues achieve their to-day operation is dele- with expenditures. The college will still need to educational gated to the financial aid modify revenue projections and expenditures manager. Effective over- based on actual enrollments. goals. sight for student financial aid is provided through PLANNING AGENDA: the collaborative effort of the college and the District Central Financial Aid Office. An annual external audit of federal • The college will develop a budget plan and state financial programs is performed by with different scenarios based on assump- KPMG, LLP. In addition, an audit is performed tions of conservative, probable and every four years by the California Student Aid optimistic outcomes with regard to revenue Commission for Fiscal Management of State and its planned expenditures Grants and Loan Programs. These audit reports indicate no instances of material non-compliance. (III.D-30)

WLAC SELF STUDY 208 RESOURCES

All grants and specially funded programs are SELF-EVALUATION: managed by program directors who report to a supervising administrator. The college has suc- The 2004 audit conducted by external inde- cessfully applied for and obtained a number of pendent auditors for financial aid and various federal, state and local grants including the specially funded programs were “unqualified,” coveted Title III and Title V Grants from the which signifies that the auditors were satisfied federal government. Program directors adminis- with the financial statements and no instances ter all of these funds in accordance with specif- of material non-compliance were noted. ic guidelines. External audits have confirmed (III.D-30) that the college complies with all funding requirements. These programs augment college The college meets the standard. efforts to improve student retentions and recruitment. (III.D-30) III.D.2.e. All financial resources, including those from auxiliary activities, fund-raising The West Los Angeles College Foundation is a efforts, and grants are used with integrity in a non-profit organization and is a separate entity manner consistent with the mission and goals from the college. The college President and the of the institution. Foundation Board members are responsible for approving all of the organization’s activities to DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: ensure that they are operating in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. All monies provided to the college whether The Foundation sponsors fundraising activities they come from the general fund, from and awards scholarships. (III.D-37) fundraising efforts or from grants are used to support the objectives of the Integrated Master The Associated Students Organization (ASO) is Plan. All funds are intended to help students a recognized entity of the Los Angeles achieve measurable student learning outcomes, Community College District and is funded by those that are institutional and those that are student fees. The group sponsors the annual specific to individual academic programs and student orientation, Multicultural Festival, services. Dean’s Tea and June graduation ceremony. The ASO fund is administered in accordance with SELF-EVALUATION: provisions of the California Education Code and is subject to an annual audit by an external Our diverse population of students benefit from CPA firm. (III.D-30) the increased instructional support, scholarships and other perks endowed by special Food services consist of a catering truck con- funds. Please see III.D.2.d. for an explanation of tracted through ASO, a convenience store oper- how these funds are used with integrity. ated by Enterprise Services, the retail money- making arm of West, and vending machines The college meets the standard. contracted through Enterprise Services. The convenience store is a self-supporting retail III.D.2.f. Contractual agreements with external enterprise that generated net income of $14,653 entities are consistent with the mission and in 2004-05. (III.D-38) goals of the institution, governed by institutional policies, and contain appropriate provi- The Bookstore is also operated by Enterprise sions to maintain the integrity of the institu- Services. In 2004-05, it covered all operating tion. expenses and generated a net profit of $72,139. The Bookstore has carryover and reserve bal- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: ances of approximately $800,000 including restricted inventory and capital improvement The President and Vice President of balances of approximately $500,000. (III.D-39) Administrative Services are authorized by the Board of Trustees to execute short-term agree

209 WLAC SELF STUDY RESOURCES

ments and purchase orders not to exceed DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: $5,000. Contracts in excess of $5,000 are processed by a regional procurement specialist. Since the decentralization of the procurement Any contractual agreement that requires formal function from the District Office to the campus bidding is processed by the District Contracts in 2000 and the implementation in 2002 of the Office. (III.D-34) (III.D-35) SAP financial system, the procurement and accounts payable functions have been automat- The District Contracts Office together with the ed, and services have significantly improved. Office of the General Counsel have developed Effective July 2005, the human resource/payroll standard contracts that incorporate termination system was implemented into SAP. This system and amendment clauses insuring control over will tie together the position control and pay- the term and outcome of executed contracts. roll expenses with the financial system. The Office of General Counsel serves as an available resource to interpret contractual policies and regulations as set forth by Board Rules SELF-EVALUATION: and state and federal regulations. Anytime a new software system is implemented For example, West has entered into contracts there will be issues to resolve. West is working with the Los Angeles County Probation to resolve several issues. Staff is being trained Department for administration of justice class- in the new human resources system and contin- es, and it has signed a contract with UCLA to ues to increase proficiency. There is a steep offer an Allied Health Program. A facilities learning curve because there are many details lease contract with the Los Angeles Avengers to absorb. Staff members are reviewing existing Arena Football team for use of West’s new ath- payroll practices to evaluate how best to work letic field will generate $455,000 in additional with the new SAP system. The District provides revenue over a five-year term. limited assistance and support resulting in problems with inaccurate or missing payments Specially funded programs are secured via con- that have to be corrected on an individual basis. tracts with the U.S. Department. of Education, In some cases, it has taken several weeks or the State of California and several Los Angeles more to resolve specific payroll issues because County agencies. employees have split assignments and might be paid from multiple sources of funding. The college has assigned an administrative analyst as SELF-EVALUATION: the single point of contact for employees with personnel and payroll problems. Contractual agreements are negotiated and executed in accordance with federal, state and district policies and procedures. Each contract is PLANNING AGENDA: driven through layers of control at the college and district levels. All contracts must be • The college will continue its effort to reviewed, approved and ratified by the Board formulate a plan to balance the 2005-06 of Trustees to insure compliance with laws and budget and fine tune the SAP HR system. regulations. III.D.3. The institution systematically assesses The college has been in compliance with all cur- the effective use of financial resources and rent district contract rules and procedures. uses the results of the evaluation as the basis for improvement. The college meets the standard. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: III.D.2.g. The institution regularly evaluates its financial management processes, and the The college is in the process of changing its results of the evaluation are used to improve governance structure to further align planning financial management systems. and budgeting and to improve the use of financial data and integrate the assessment of

WLAC SELF STUDY 210 RESOURCES

institutional and program outcomes in resource the process needs to be developed in order to allocation. The College Planning Committee ensure the new process is working effectively. and Budget Committee are now subcommittees of a stronger central body, the College Council. PLANNING AGENDA: These committees are overseeing the changes in budgeting processes discussed throughout this • On an annual basis, the Budget Committee standard. (III.D-3) in conjunction with the College Planning Committee and College Council will SELF-EVALUATION: review the current planning and budgeting processes, forms and fiscal management The change in the governance structure is practices in order to improve the college intended to clarify and improve the financial fiscal management system. decision-making process. An annual review of

211 WLAC SELF STUDY RESOURCES

STANDARD III.D. DOCUMENTATION

III.D-1 Integrated Master Plan III.D-2 2005-2006 Budget Operational Plan Instructions III.D-3 West Los Angeles College Council III.D-4 West Los Angeles College 2005-06 Operational Plan III.D-5 West Los Angeles College Institutional Effectiveness Task Force Budget Reduction Recommendations III.D-6 West Los Angeles College 2005 Self-Study Questionnaire, Preliminary Results III.D-7 West Los Angeles College Unit Plan Guide III.D-8 Proposed Annual Planning and Budgeting Timeline for 2006-07 III.D-9 Los Angeles Community College District 2005-06 Final Budget Allocation Mechanism III.D-10 State Instructional Equipment Funds III.D-11 Telecommunication and Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) III.D-12 Title V Grant Award Notification III.D-13 Prop A and AA Bond Measures Allocations III.D-14 West Los Angeles College Foundation Annual Financial Statement III.D-15 2004-05 Dedicated Revenue Status (Year End Final Closing) III.D-16 Unrestricted General Fund 2002-03 Open Orders and Ending Balance III.D-17 Unrestricted General Fund 2003-04 Open orders and Ending Balance III.D-18 2004-05 FTES Annual III.D-19 West Los Angeles College 2004-05 Final Year End Closing Report III.D-20 2005-06 Draft FTES Targets III.D-21 West Los Angeles Community College vs. Two Major Competitors Final Report October 2005 III.D-22 2005-06 Preliminary Budget Planning Allocations III.D-23 Final Budget 2004-05 III.D-24 Final Budget 2005-06 III.D-25 Budget Preparation Memo to Vice Presidents III.D-26 2005-06 Tentative Budget Allocation III.D-27 2005-06 Final Budget Unrestricted General Fund III.D-28 West Los Angeles College Implementation of Participatory Governance Agreement Budget Process III.D-29 LACCD District Website – Chart of Accounts III.D-30 Los Angeles Community College District Report on Audited Basic Financial Statements June 30, 2004 III.D-31 West Los Angeles College Unrestricted General Fund Monthly Closing Report III.D-32 West Los Angeles College Monthly Projection III.D-33 West Los Angeles College Quarterly Report III.D-34 Los Angeles Community College District Board Rules III.D-35 Los Angeles Community College District Administrative Regulations and Procedures III.D-36 Los Angeles Community College District Business Manual III.D-37 West Los Angeles College Foundation By-laws III.D-38 LACCD Cafeteria Operating Statement (Fund 60006) July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 III.D-39 LACCD Bookstore Operating Statement (Fund 80008) July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005

WLAC SELF STUDY 212 STANDARD IV LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

at every level have the opportunity to provide input The institution recognizes and utilizes the contri- into their unit’s annual program review and unit butions of leadership throughout the organization plan to improve their respective service areas. for continuous improvement of the institution. (IV.A–1) Governance roles are designed to facilitate decisions that support student learning programs and A Leadership Retreat has been held every year since services and improve institutional effectiveness, 2001 to evaluate the college’s effectiveness in imple- while acknowledging the designated responsibili- menting its goals and to identify newly targeted ties of the governing board and the chief adminis- objectives. The college’s commitment to communica- trator. tions has been evident in the publication of the weekly bulletin, in missives sent by senior staff, at IV.A. Decision-Making Roles and Processes town hall meetings and in the President’s open-door policy. Dialogue encourages innovation and problem The institution recognizes that ethical and effective solving in all of these venues. (IV.A–2) leadership throughout the organization enables the institution to identify institutional values, set and Ideas for improvement come to fruition via multiple achieve goals, learn, and improve. avenues within the existing governance structure, as occurred in introducing academic programs such as IV.A.1. Institutional leaders create an environment Drug and Alcohol Studies and Allied Health, and in for empowerment, innovation, and institutional managing the spectacular growth of online courses excellence. They encourage staff, faculty, adminis- to boost our enrollment and to meet the needs of stu- trators, and students, no matter what their official dents who because of family, work and other time titles, to take initiative in improving the practices, constraints cannot come to the campus. Proposals programs, and services in which they are involved. that grow out of program review and unit plans, When ideas for improvement have policy or signif- which often reflect employment demand in the icant institution-wide implications, systematic par- region, are submitted to the College Planning ticipative processes are used to assure effective dis- Committee for review. Courses introduced through cussion, planning and implementation. those programs wend their way through the Curriculum Committee where they are scrutinized DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: for their value to students, the community and program integrity together with “significant institution- At West Los Angeles College, we have come to wide implications” in each instance, constituent par- understand that ethical and effective leadership is ticipation is paramount. (IV.A–1) demonstrated by, and indeed results from, a continual effort to solicit, receive, evaluate and implement At the 2005 Leadership Retreat, the college formed the contributions of the entire college, and to do so in two ad hoc committees charged with the task of reor- an open, systematic and timely manner. We seek new ganizing the governance structure. One committee ideas that result in specific actions to improve stu- developed the timeline while the other drafted the dent outcomes. Articulated governance documents, reconfiguration. In a record 30 days, the committees open meetings of constituent groups, various com- proposed a new college council empowered to make mittees and consultation among campus leaders are recommendations to the President. (IV.A–2) (IV.A–3) the tools used to generate ideas as well as to evaluate and execute those ideas. SELF-EVALUATION:

West’s planning mechanisms are based upon a cycli- The college’s attempt to develop an inclusive and cal process that includes program review, unit plan- efficient system of governance has sometimes led to ning, prioritization, budget analysis, constituency the creation of a number of committees plagued by feedback and presidential approval. This system is inefficient communication among them. This ineffi- described in detail in Standard I.B.3. cient communication hampered well-established, structures and processes such as the new initiative Through its constituency representatives on commit- process, program review and unit planning. In addi- tees and in constituency leader consultation with the tion, it has been discussed during our self-study President, West has in place identifiable channels of meetings that our governance structure was chal- communication. All faculty, staff and administrators lenged by the informal leadership style of the former

213 WLAC SELF STUDY LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE college President and its impact on the functioning IV.A.2.a. Faculty and administrators have a substan- of committees, including levels of participation by tive and clearly defined role in institutional gover- constituencies. Further, the changing cast of senior nance and exercise a substantial voice in institu- staff members - for example, three Vice Presidents tional policies, planning, and budget that relate to for Administrative Services have served the college their areas of responsibility and expertise. from 2000-2005 – was also a factor. West has used Students and staff also have established mecha- these experiences to renew its commitment to effec- nisms or organizations for providing input into tive governance with a clear set of governance docu- institutional decisions. ments and the inclusion of all college constituencies with the new College Council. (IV.A–3) DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

Important work is done in open committee meetings; Four main constituencies comprise the campus lead- however, a shortage of representatives to serve on all ership and participate in the governance process. the committees impacts the college’s ability to have • In accordance with state law, the Academic broad participation and to implement college goals. Senate is relied upon primarily for all To reduce duplication of effort and/or lack of suffi- academic and professional matters, while the cient membership, the Program Review Committee American Federation of Teachers Faculty was absorbed into the Planning Committee. (IV.A–4) Guild AFT 1521 represents faculty in all bargaining and work environment issues. The 2005 Self-Study question- (IV.A–6) (IV.A–7) “I enjoy naire reveals that the college • The Associated Students Organization repre- community sees value in par- sents the students. (IV.A–8) collaborating ticipating in governance and • Staff participates in a Classified Forum address- that such participation leads ing issues not covered in collective bargaining with my to favorable outcomes. agreements. The AFT College Staff Guild 1521A Eighty-five percent of those represents the majority of classified staff, while surveyed agreed or strongly colleagues.” the Service Employees International Union, agreed with the statement, “I SEIU, Los Angeles City and County School enjoy collaborating with my Employees’ Union Local 99 represents non-AFT colleagues.” Seventy-five staff. (IV.A–9) (IV.A–10) percent agreed or strongly agreed that, “Meetings • Senior Administrators (Vice Presidents) do not work toward the overall mission of educating stu- have a specific constituency group, but partici- dents.” The study confirmed that faculty feels more pate in governance as assigned by the college empowered to contribute to the well being of the col- President. The Teamsters Public Professional lege than does the staff. Responding to the state- and Medical Employees Los Angeles ment, “I feel it is my responsibility to be on at least Community College District Administrators one committee,” 84 percent of the full-time faculty Unit Local 911 represents the Deans and agreed or strongly agreed. Whereas 45 percent of the Associate Deans. SEIU Supervisory Employees’ classified support staff agreed or strongly agreed Union Local 347 represents some supervisors. with “I feel my participation will help improve These unions have representatives on some WLAC.” The gap in responses to other related ques- committees. (IV.A–11) (IV.A–12) tions was less pronounced, but the tendency is clear. The college continues to systematically evaluate col- In academic and professional matters, the Academic lege-wide committees. (IV.A–5) Senate represents the faculty. The Senate, which meets twice a month, serves as a forum for faculty The college meets the standard. discussion and resolutions. In addition, the Senate establishes policies for faculty professional develop- IV.A.2. The institution establishes and implements ment activities and enunciates academic standards. a written policy providing for faculty, staff, admin- The Senate leadership consults with the college istrator, and student participation in decision-mak- President once a month. ing processes. The policy specifies the manner in which individuals bring forward ideas from their The Senate is comprised of the following elected offi- constituencies and work together on appropriate cers: President, Vice President, Secretary and policy, planning and special–purpose bodies. Treasurer who are elected for two-year terms by the

WLAC SELF STUDY 214 LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE full-time faculty. The faculty also elects the six sena- from the ASO. Regular participation by ASO leader- tors-at-large every two years. Adjunct faculty have ship partially offsets a low level of participation from the right to elect two representatives, and each aca- students in general: 81 percent of the students sur- demic division elects a representative to the veyed did not participate in college-wide meetings. Academic Senate. (IV.A–13) Thirty-six percent rarely or never participate and 45 percent have no experience of participation in college The AFT Faculty Guild is the exclusive bargaining wide meetings. (IV.A–14) representative of faculty, as defined in the bargaining agreement and state collective bargaining laws. It SELF-EVALUATION: represents more than 100 full-time and more than 300 adjunct faculty at West. The union negotiates a Although the majority of the staff is represented by three-year contract with the Los Angeles Community the AFT College Guild, several other unions repre- College District, which governs salaries, working sent from one to twenty staff members. They have conditions, calendars, class size, assignments, intel- representation on some college committees, and they lectual property, leaves, benefits, retirement, evalua- submit recommendations directly to the President for tions, committee service and grievances. A complete consideration. The Classified Forum is intended to text of the agreement can be found at provide the staff with a united voice, but it has to be www.aft1521.org. careful not to encroach on union issues. The AFT elects a chapter President and Executive The college has tried to ensure that all classified staff Board representatives every two years. The chapter are represented. The Classified Forum, a body of all at West holds a general membership meeting every classified employees, was instituted to accomplish month during the academic year, and its Executive this. Although not a bargaining unit, the Classified Board meets weekly. Meeting schedules and min- Forum serves as an informal voice of all staff at West. utes of these meetings are available at the AFT web- It has sometimes been able to represent all classified site at www.aft1521.org; click on colleges and then staff in committees, but when contract issues arise, WLAC. bargaining units must be consulted. In such cases, each staff union should have input. With so many The AFT participates in weekly meetings with the small labor unions, it is often difficult to agree on administration and meets with individual faculty how much representation to reserve for these units. members as necessary to make sure that the labor In most cases, the college has agreed to give equal contract is abided by and to inform the faculty of any representation to each union. However, this some- matters that may impact them. times creates more conflict, making it difficult to reach consensus. Concerns about double representa- The students, represented by the ASO, have specified tion have been raised when staff members are repre- areas of interest in which California law guarantees sented in governance by both their unions and the them the right to participate effectively: codes of stu- Classified Forum. (IV.A–15) (IV.A–16) dent conduct, academic disciplinary policies, courses or programs that should be initiated or discontinued, During a planning meeting on August 1, 2005 vigor- processes for institutional planning and budget ous debate ensued over the selection of representa- development, standards, student services planning tives for the committee on prioritization of staff posi- and development, student fees within the authority tions. Leaders of the AFT Staff, the SEIU and the of the district to adopt, and any other district and Classified Forum caucused and unanimously voted college policy, procedure or related matter that the to trade the place of the Classified Forum on the district governing Board determines will have a sig- Prioritization Committee for representation of every nificant effect on students. ASO recommendations in staff union. This is a step in the direction of stream- those designated areas of interest receive every rea- lining and creating a more effective and inclusive sonable consideration by the college President. system of participatory governance. (IV.A–17) ASO conducts annual elections for the offices of With steady and concerted efforts over several years, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and West Los Angeles College has continued to improve Chief Justice. ASO meets biweekly. An administrator our participatory governance structures. Each con- or a faculty member supported by re-assigned time, stituency works and participates within the scope of serves as the ASO advisor. The Academic Senate’s its responsibilities, and now, with the establishment meeting agendas routinely accommodate reports 215 WLAC SELF STUDY LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

of the College Council, constituencies are empow- SELF-EVALUATION: ered to recommend positions on college-wide issues. An example of the Academic Senate identifying an The college meets the standard. institutional value and improving a mode of deliver- ing instruction was the transition from Program for IV.A.2.b.The institution relies on faculty, its Accelerated College Education (PACE) to the Academic Senate or other appropriate faculty struc- Accelerated College Transfer (ACT). When concerns tures, the curriculum committee, and academic arose regarding academic integrity and non-compli- administrators for recommendations about student ance with state educational regualtions in the PACE learning programs and services. program, the Senate directed its Educational Policies and Standards Committee (EPSC) to conduct an in- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: depth analysis of the issues. The EPSC recommended that PACE follow the state guidelines as they relate West relies on faculty, the Academic Senate, academ- to programs; thus was born ACT. Although not ic divisions and academic administrators for recom- everyone agreed with the revising of PACE into the mendations about student learning programs and more educationally sound program ACT, the process services. was inclusive and broad-based. The metamorphosis of PACE to ACT occurred because of well-defined Following California law, West relies primarily upon academic college processes and required inclusive the Academic Senate for all academic and faculty and broad-based coordination among faculty, staff professional matters. Faculty are recognized as hav- and student services. (IV.A–20) ing particular expertise in “curriculum, including establishing prerequisites and placing courses within During the term of the former President, a number of disciplines; degree and certificate requirements; faculty were reassigned to performed semi-adminis- grading policies; policies for faculty professional trative duties. This resulted in more adjuncts being development activities; processes for program hired and students spending less time with full-time review; faculty roles and annual reports; educational faculty members. The Academic Senate formed a program development; district and college gover- task force to study these reassigned time responsibil- nance structures as related to faculty roles; processes ities. Based on the task force’s findings, the Academic for institutional planning and budget development; Senate recommended to the President that reas- standards or policies regarding student preparation signed time be given sparingly. The President relied and success; and other academic and professional primary upon the Senate’s recommendation and matters as mutually agreed on by the President and reassigned time was reduced to allow full-time facul- Academic Senate.” Thus, the administration has the ty to spend more time in the classroom. (IV.A–20) duty to “consult collegially” with the Academic Senate on these matters. The role of the Academic The Academic Senate is exploring methods to meas- Senate’s Curriculum Committee in ensuring faculty ure program effectiveness in order to improve stu- leadership in course development is described in dent learning outcomes and performance. These Standard II.A.1. (IV.A–6) methods will include setting a research agenda, identifying the qualities of effective teaching and deter- In bi-weekly meetings of Divisional Council, aca- mining criteria for reassigned time. The Academic demic administrators and chairs of academic divi- Senate has also established a viability committee that sions grapple with a variety of issues. In Fall 2003, a will develop a process to assess programs viability Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) committee com- every year. (IV.A–20) prised of administrators and faculty was instituted; the SLO Committee identified nine student learning With the appointment of our interim President and outcomes, which it recommended be incorporated the restructuring of our participatory governance into curriculum, service programs and operations of agreements, positive change is under way. the college. The nine outcomes are: critical thinking, communication, quantitative reasoning, self-aware- SELF-EVALUATION: ness and interpersonal skills, civic responsibility, technological competence, cultural diversity, ethics, The college meets the standard. and aesthetics. (IV.A–18) (IV.A–19)

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proved frustrating, leading constituencies to act as IV.A.3. Through established governance structures, separate entities rather than encouraging the spirit of processes, and practices, the governing Board, cooperation and team work. The CCC met and con- administrators, faculty, staff, and students work sidered issues in light of West’s written goals, but together for the good of the institution. These could not arrive at group decisions; decision-making processes facilitate discussion of ideas and effec- was to be left to the college President, who could tive communication among the institution’s con- depend on the CCC for input from the constituen- stituencies. cies. As discussed below at Standard IV.B.2.b, the for- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: mer President did not always utilize the written processes that the CCC was to facilitate. The newly- instituted College Council does make recommenda- From 2000-2002 the college enthusiastically wel- tions to the President as a college-wide body. (IV.A.3) comed positive changes: we had completed a long struggle to codify governance structures, we had an The goal of the College energetic new President, and we had money to . . . sign-offs by Planning Committee is to spend. But, in December of 2002 the state of ensure that “Planning California experienced a budget crisis, and our fund- faculty and Drives Budget.” As ing for the year already half over was cut by more staff affected described below than five percent. Attempts to expand our enroll- (Standard IV.A.5), this ment failed as the state of California raised student by a unit plan committee has been very fees from $11, to $18, to $26 a unit. A freeze on hir- and program active in the past six years ing in many areas left employees doing more work in developing mecha- with fewer resources. review now nisms to meet this goal. demonstrate In particular, the commit- As discussed below (Standard IV.A.5), the college tee has incorporated unit has made continual improvements to our gover- the depth of planning and program nance structures, clarifying, coordinating and stream- involvement review into its work, so lining its committees to achieve the goals of the that chairs and managers Master Plan. The difficulties of aligning decisions in this process. have come to see the with written processes stand out with particular importance of completing clarity in lean years. In a good year, the Budget this yearly process. The Committee has assisted the Committee guides decisions on less than six percent Program Review Committee in fine-tuning the of our budget (the rest being committed to salaries instruments for unit planning and program review, and benefits); since 2002, the Committee has focused both to make them easier to complete, and to make almost exclusively on identifying budget reductions. the resulting documents more significant. Since In these circumstances, it is difficult for the 2003, sign-offs by faculty and staff affected by a unit Committee to see itself as implementing Integrated plan and program review now demonstrate the Master Plan goals. In the last three years we have depth of involvement in this process. In spite of the resorted to emergency procedures to balance our delays and interruptions to the planning timeline, budget. In Spring of 2004 and 2005, after the Budget the committee has been successful in prioritizing the Committee had produced a draft budget for the next budget requests and initiatives. (IV.A–21) year (the process is described in Standard III.D.1.d.) a task force was established to cut $1 million from The college President and senior staff, which consists the budget, and in 2005, the task lasted through the of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Vice summer. These circumstances also highlight the need President of Student Services, the Vice President of for reliable, readily-accessible research. With the hir- Administrative Services and the Dean of Planning ing in October 2005 of a research analyst and the and Research have consulted twice monthly with establishment of the Office of Institutional leaders of the other college constituencies to discuss Effectiveness, these needs will be addressed. operational issues, to set operational priorities for the college and to work in concert on the overall plan- West has noted other strains in our governance struc- ning and implementation of decisions. The Vice tures. Gathering college leaders at the College President of Academic Affairs presides over a bi- Coordinating Council (CCC), but not allowing them monthly meeting of Divisional Council, which brings to make recommendations to the President as a body, all the chairs together.

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In response to this, in Fall 2005, a committee com- In responding to the self study survey, 45 percent of prised of the Academic Senate President and Vice full-time faculty said that they attended three or President, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and fewer meeting during the year. To the question “I the Vice President of Student Services and the col- feel it is my responsibility to be on a least one com- lege’s compliance officer worked on and completed mittee,” 53 percent agreed or strongly agreed, where- the Student Equity Plan, which has been signed off as 47 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed. There by the Academic Senate and forwarded to the State is a clear need for more faculty, student and staff par- Chancellor’s Office. The AFT Faculty Guild President ticipation in college committees. Strategies to was also invited to participate in the writing of this address this issue will be part of the agenda in a report. number of venues, such as the College Council and the Academic Senate. SELF-EVALUATION: Other committees seem to be functioning as intended. The Academic Senate has played an important The college has governance structures and processes role in directing issues to appropriate committees, that provide for the participation of all constituencies and in setting up its own ad hoc committees when in college governance for the good of the institution. necessary. A recent example involves concerns The practice of governance has proven to be chal- among some of the faculty about distance education. lenging. West has struggled with several gover- In response to these concerns, the Academic Senate nance issues: the communication and implementa- referred this to its Curriculum Committee, which tion of the college’s planning goals, the proper and developed an addendum to the course outline. In efficient role of the College Coordinating Committee, this document, the specific techniques used to ensure the regular availability of updated data and research appropriate student learning outcomes in the online analysis that facilitates communication and provides section of a class must be spelled out. (IV.A–20) objective criteria to decision-making bodies, and the effective interfacing of planning and budget process- Even with this amount of consultation, some faculty es. Many of these issues have been noted in regular feel that more is needed. One example of lack of con- self-evaluations by college governing bodies and are sultation with faculty was the development of the discussed at IV.A.5. Some of these issues such as the Student Equity Plan, which faculty were asked to replacement of the College Coordinating Committee participate in during the 2004/2005 holiday break. by the College Council and the alignment of plan- Faculty complained that this urgent task was pre- ning and budget cycles have been recently sented to them at the last minute. Instead, there addressed.

WLAC SELF STUDY 218 LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE should have been adequate time allotted for a contin- IV.A.4. The institution advocates and demonstrates uous, regular process to produce such an important honesty and integrity in its relationships with plan through a series of meetings with broader col- external agencies. It agrees to comply with lege participation. Accrediting Commission standards, policies, and West’s students, many of whom have family and guidelines, and Commission requirements for pub- work obligations, find it difficult to fit scheduled lic disclosure, self study and other reports, team committee meetings into their daily activities. The visits, and prior approval of substantive changes. Spring 2005 Student Survey shows that 67 percent of The institution moves expeditiously to respond to the students have jobs and other responsibilities that recommendations made by the Commission. take precedence over college committees. ESCRIPTIVE UMMARY Furthermore, Board Rules set the terms of ASO offi- D S : cers at one year; they learn about their duties, get started on them and leave office in a condensed time Since its last full accreditation visit, the college span. Several proposals are being examined to moved expeditiously to address recommendations increase student participation. One proposal is the from the Commission. An Interim report and a adoption of two-year terms for the ASO officers. midterm report were positive and addressed the (IV.A–22) Accrediting Commission’s recommendations.

In the classified arena, our self-study questionnaire West strives for honesty and integrity through sever- indicates that many classified staff do not feel al college processes. The college undergoes periodic empowered to participate in college’s decision mak- audits and complies with federal and state guide- ing. A few classified staff indicated that they would lines for programs such as EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, like to be included in the program review and unit Title III, Title V, TRiO and Upward Bound. West planning process. Aside from the problem of allot- demonstrates integrity in its relationship with other ting representation to various unions (discussed external agencies such as the American Bar above at IV.A.2.a.), some staff have duties which Association for the Paralegal Program, the American make their attendance at a meeting very difficult. Dental Association for the Dental Hygiene Program (IV.A–4) and the Federal Aviation Administration program for the Aviation Program. West has included in its col- In the context of the appointment of a new interim lege Master Plan several value statements, one President for the college and the proposal to re-struc- specifically demonstrating integrity in the public ture our current shared governance agreements, forum: “Practicing the values of respect, honesty, there is a great deal of anticipation of positive courtesy and fairness pursuing our goals with dedi- changes that can be made. cation and commitment following through on com- mitments, encompass one of the processes of honesty PLANNING AGENDA: and integrity.” (IV.A–20)

• The Interim President and the Academic Senate SELF-EVALUATION: will work together to identify academic and professional issues and to address them outside West’s efforts to be honest and to demonstrate of the College Council. integrity extends to working well with the communi- • In Spring 2006, through its Budget and ty. West makes every effort to include the public in Planning Committees, the College Council will decision-making that will affect the community. For align the budget and planning cycles example, the Environmental Impact Report was a • The College Council and the Academic Senate joint effort between the college and the community will adjust decision-making periods specified in and construction of a second access road was a major the Shared Governance Agreements in order to decision made by the college and the community. facilitate timely decision making. • The Vice President of Academic Affairs will The college meets the standard. encourage division chairs to consider service to the college in faculty evaluations, as prescribed by the Agreement between the District and the AFT Faculty Guild.

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review and Unit Planning Committee annually revis- IV.A.5.The role of leadership and the institution’s es its instruments to fine-tune the process; one result governance and decision-making structures and has been the consolidation of the program review processes are regularly evaluated to ensure their instrument and unit planning instruments and the integrity and effectiveness. The institution widely inclusion of SLOs. Program review and unit plan- communicates the results of these evaluations and ning, which feed into both planning and budget uses them as the basis for improvement. decisions, have been folded into the planning cycle, DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: with the advice and consent of the Academic Senate.

The Academic Senate constantly evaluates new state Since our last accreditation in 2000, West has devoted laws and regulations that affect its decision-making significant time and energy to evaluating our deci- charge in academic and professional matters. sion-making processes. Some committees periodical- Discussions about distance education, for example, ly evaluate themselves. Other committees undertake occurred during Spring 2005 senate meetings self-evaluation in the course of addressing needed changes. The 2000 Accreditation Self-Study process West’s Integrated Master Plan articulates an on- and the subsequent preparation of Interim and going cycle of self-evaluation and adjustment, Midterm Reports spurred improvement in gover- designed to encourage thoughtful participation from nance and decision-making structures and processes. across the college community. A key feature of the The Leadership Retreat, codified in the Integrated plan is an annual Leadership Retreat, a day set aside Master Plan, has become a venue for annual reflec- to consider how the college is working and to recom- tion on governance. With the arrival of the interim mend changes. The Retreat is charged not only with President in 2005, the college is evaluating new identifying “preliminary areas for focused planning methods of assessing its governance and decision- in the fall,” but also to “provide each participant making processes. with the knowledge of how the college deliberates and comes to agreement on major decisions.” The Following the 2000 accreditation visit, the college retreat gathers leadership from college constituencies President and Academic Senate President drafted the - administration, faculty, staff and students - in their Shared Governance Agreements that lay out our various incarnations (for example, the Academic major committees. The committees that prepared the Senate and the AFT Faculty Guild leadership both Interim and Midterm Reports reviewed how the represent faculty; classified forum and several shared governance committees were functioning. unions represent staff). The preliminary findings of the committee for the Midterm Report suggested the need to revise the The 2001 Retreat identified five Master Plan Strategic agreements, and this was undertaken by the Directions: student success, human resources and Planning Committee and the organizational development, marketing and out- College Coordinating Council, which established a reach, financial health and technology. The result subcommittee to propose language changes. All the was the production in 2003 of an Integrated Master agreements were painstakingly revised, with the last Plan, which replaced the shorter Master Plan written of the five revisions adopted by June, 2004. (IV.A–21) in 2000. The yearly planning cycle agreed upon in (IV.A–22) the college’s Educational Master Plan includes evaluation of the decision-making structures. The 2003 At the committee level, some processes are regularly Retreat featured a series of structured exercises that evaluated. The College Coordinating Council, which helped the attendees understand the participatory has been replaced by the College Council, brought governance structure, the planning-decision model constituency leaders to the same table to gather and the implementation process. In 2004, a consult- information and track the integrity of the decision- ant helped the participants track the progress West making process. The newly adopted College Council was making in reaching goals established in the gives constituency members power to recommend to Master Plan, evaluating the strengths and weakness- the President as a body. Modifications to the College es of the college pertaining to the Plan, identifying Planning Committee charge and timetable were the functions and roles of the campus committees brought before the Academic Senate regularly in and making recommendations to streamline all com- 2001-2003, as the committee oversaw the creation of mittees into effective functioning groups. (IV.A-23) the Integrated College Master Plan. The Program

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Fifty-three members of the college community attended the 2005 Retreat, where a consultant assisted them in understanding and learning about the working styles, relationships and the interdependent nature of contributions in participatory governance from all constituencies. In addition, college leaders examined the four standards of accreditation and rated what they considered to be the most pressing issues facing the college. The confusing governance structure was rated as the top concern. The leaders agreed to charge an ad hoc committee with the task of reviewing, streamlining and consolidating all shared governance agreements. Given a 30-day timeline, the ad hoc committee completed its task and issued a proposal that was presented for discussion and approval to college constituencies between Flex Day 2005 and September 27, 2005. The resulting College Council differed from its predecessor, the College Coordinating Council, in one important way: members make formal recommendations to the President. (IV.A–2) (IV.A–3)

In addition to these college-wide discussions that take place at the annual retreats, various constituency bodies and committees also engage in self-evalua- Committee for its review and endorsement. The tion. The Faculty Position Identification and commendations and recommendations from the Prioritization (FPIP) Committee has established a Program Review Evaluation Subommittee were biennial cycle to fine-tune its processes, documenting distributed at an Academic Senate meeting. the changes and seeking the approval of the administration and the Academic Senate for those changes. SELF-EVALUATION:

The Program Review and Unit Planning The annual Leadership Retreats offered the college a Subcommittee of the Planning Committee regularly once-a-year opportunity to evaluate decision-making updates its instruments, employing feedback from processes. Self-reflective activities of committees and the users. In 2005, the Classified Forum decided to constituency bodies, as well as by the accreditation cede its place on a proposed Committee for the self-study process itself, also afford opportunities for Prioritization of Staff Hiring in favor of representa- assessment that leads to improved effectiveness. tion by all the unions representing staff. In 2003, the The speed with which West managed to create a con- Curriculum Committee instituted a technical review crete proposal to replace the CCC with a College before each committee meeting to assure that com- Council is also a welcome contrast to the lengthy mittee time was devoted to substantive issues. gestation periods for earlier agreements and their (IV.A–18) revisions.

In 2005, the Planning Committee established a Relying so much on the retreats needs to change Program Review Evaluation Subcommittee, charged because they are conducted in a very short period, a with assessing the Comprehensive Program review day. Instead, an ongoing process would assure reports of English, math, dental hygiene, English as greater integrity and effectiveness. a second language and counseling. This committee, comprised of representatives from the faculty and PLANNING AGENDA: the classified staff, developed an evaluation mechanism. It held interviews with those responsible for • The college will explore alternative on-going the reports. Their findings, commendations and methods to evaluate its governance, decision- recommendations, were forwarded to the Planning making structures and processes.

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IV.A: DOCUMENTATION:

IV.A-1 Unit Plan Guide 2004-2005 for 2005-2006 IV.A-2 Leadership Retreat Reports IV.A-3 West Los Angeles College Council IV.A-4 CCC Presentation, September 13, 2004 IV.A-5 West Los Angeles College 2005 Self-Study Questionnaire Preliminary Results IV.A-6 Defining And Understanding The Role Of The Academic Senate - Excerpts From Title 5 (http://www.academicsenate.cc.ca.us/Publications/Papers/ImplicationsBrownAct.htm#3) IV.A-7 Agreement between the Los Angeles Community College District and the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild Local 1521, CFT/AFT, AFL-CIO (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_ agreements/AFT/documents/LACCD-AFTAgreement05-08.pdf) IV.A-8 LACCD Board Rules - Student Organizations (http://www.laccd.edu/board_rules/documents/Chapter%20IX/Ch.%20IX%20-%20Article%20I.doc) IV.A-9 Agreement between the American Federation of Teachers College Staff Guild Local 1521A, CFT/AFT, AFL/CIO and the Los Angeles Community College District (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_ bargaining_agreements/documents/aft-staff-guild-2002-2005-contract.pdf) IV.A-10 Agreement between the Los Angeles Community College District and the Los Angeles City & County School Employees Union Local 99, AFL-CIO S.E.I.U. (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreements/documents/local-99-2002- 2005contract.pdf) IV.A-11 Agreement between the Los Angeles Community College District and the Los Angeles Community College District Administrators' Unit represented by California Teamsters Public, Professional and Medical Employees Union Local 911 (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreements/ documents/local-911-2002-2005-contract.pdf) IV.A-12 Agreement between the Los Angeles Community College District and Supervisory Employees' Union S.E.I.U Local 347 (http://www.laccd.edu/collective_bargaining_agreements/documents/local-347- 2002-2005-contract.pdf) IV.A-13 Academic Senate Constitution IV.A-14 ASO Officers and Committee Assignments IV.A-15 WLAC 1st Classified Conference IV.A-16 The Classified Forum 2005 IV.A-17 College Planning Committee, August 1, 2005 IV.A-18 Minutes of the Divisional Council IV.A-19 West's Student Learning Outcomes Story IV.A-20 Minutes of the Academic Senate IV.A-21 West Los Angeles College Implementation of Planning Process, November 2003 IV.A-22 Spring 2005 Student Survey Results IV.A-23 West Los Angeles College Integrated Master Plan Vol. 1, Educational Master Plan IV.A-24 Shared Governance Agreements, 2000 IV.A-25 West Los Angeles College Campus-Wide Committees 2004-2005

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IV.B. BOARD AND ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION The Board delegates the implementation of its policies to the Chancellor at the District office and to the Presidents of the nine colleges as noted in IV.B.1.j. In addition to the leadership of individuals and constituencies, institutions recognize the designat- SELF-EVALUATION: ed responsibilities of the governing board for setting policies and of the chief administrator for the As an independent policy-making body that reflects effective operation of the institution. Multi-college the diversity of the District, the Board advocates districts/systems clearly define the organizational effectively for the institution. roles of the district/system and the colleges. The college meets the standard. IV.B.1. The institution has a governing board that is responsible for establishing policies to assure the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of the student IV.B.1.b. The governing board establishes policies learning programs and services and the financial consistent with the mission statement to ensure the stability of the institution. The governing board quality, integrity, and improvement of student adheres to a clearly defined policy for selecting and learning programs and services and the resources evaluating the chief administrator for the college or necessary to support them. the district/system. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: IV.B.1.a. The governing board is an independent policy-making body that reflects the public interest The Board of Trustees exercises oversight of the col- in board activities and decisions. Once the board lege’s educational programs by promulgating Board reaches a decision, it acts as a whole. It advocates Rules and Administrative Regulations that establish for and defends the institution and protects it from standards for graduation, set policies for curriculum undue influence or pressure. development, and detail the faculty’s role in all educational matters. The Board Rules and DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Administrative Regulations are available on the web, at www.laccd.edu/board_rules/ and The Los Angeles Community College District com- www.laccd.edu/adnim_regs/. Chapter VI of the prises nine related colleges, each of which is directly Board Rules articulates Board policies in relation answerable to a seven-member Board of Trustees. to the curriculum approval process (10.2). LACCD Board members are elected by eligible Administrative Regulations E-64 (“Procedures for voters to four-year terms. Trustee elections are held Development and Approval of New Programs”) on a staggered basis, with three or four seats being (10.3) and E-65 (“Curriculum Approval: Standards filled every two years. Board members elect a and Procedures”) (10.4) further detail the Board’s President and Vice President to serve one-year terms role in ensuring the quality of the College’s academic during their annual organizational meeting. In offerings. In addition, Chapter VII of the Board compliance with Board Rules (available at Rules (“Academic Senate and Board of Trustees www.laccd.edu/board_rules), a student member is Shared Governance Policy”) (10.5) clarifies the cen- elected by students District-wide annually for a one- tral role played by the District and College Academic year term (Article X). (IV.B–1) Senates in relation to “all academic and professional matters,” including educational program and cur- The independence of the Board of Trustees as a poli- riculum development, the establishment and mainte- cy-making body is guaranteed by the fact that its nance of educational standards, and the supervision membership is elected at large across one of the most of all academic courses and programs. The Board is demographically diverse urban areas in the United also directly responsible for guaranteeing the States. Historically, the Board’s membership has College’s institutional integrity and financial health. reflected the diversity of its service area, in terms of It does so by periodically reviewing and approving gender, ethnicity, and geographic location. Held the College’s “Mission” and “Vision” statements and both at the District’s central office and at all nine of by requiring regular reports from each College the colleges during the academic year, Board meet- President on the College budgets. Each year, an out- ings are well-publicized and open to public partici- side agency makes an independent audit of the pation. District’s and each College’s financial statements and

225 WLAC SELF STUDY LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE accounting practices. District administrative offices campuses, and the Board assumes responsibility for oversee compliance with all Federal, State, and local all of them. The District’s Budget Committee bears policies in relation to student financial aid and other responsibility for monitoring all aspects of District special fiscal programs, for which the Board is ulti- and college finances. mately responsible. (IV.B–2) SELF-EVALUATION: During the past six years, district administrators, the Council of Academic Affairs, and the District The Board of Trustees takes full responsibility for Academic Senate have worked to streamline proce- education quality, legal matters and financial integri- dures for the approval of academic programs and ty of the institution. courses. As part of this effort, Administrative Regulation E-65 (“Curriculum Approval: Standards The college meets the standard. and Procedures”) has been revised to decentralize the curriculum approval process and to empower local college faculty. A new policy on Emergency IV.B.1.d.The institution or the governing board Equivalencies has also been adopted to facilitate the publishes the board bylaws and policies specifying hiring of adjunct faculty (Board Rule 10305 & the board’s size, duties, responsibilities, structure, Personnel Guide B 342). In addition, the District has and operating procedures. recently adopted a series of new Board Rules man- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: dating program review, biannual review of vocational programs, program viability review, and program The duties and responsibilities of the Board of discontinuance processes at the college level (Board Trustees are defined externally by the State Rules 6801—6803.1). Education Code (Section 70902) and internally by the Board Rules (Chapter II, Article III) (10.9). The SELF-EVALUATION: Board Rules and Administrative Regulations are publicized on at the District website. These and other aspects of “decentralization” promise to professionalize the local college faculty and to SELF-EVALUATION: make college academic programs more responsive to stake holders in their immediate service areas. Board Board by-laws, policies and procedures are published. policies, consistent with the college’s mission statement, do support the quality, integrity and improve- The college meets the standard. ment of student learning programs and services.

The college meets the standard. IV.B.1.e. The governing board acts in a manner consistent with its policies and bylaws. The board regularly evaluates its policies and practices and revis- IV.B.1.c. The governing board has ultimate respon- es them as necessary. sibility for educational quality, legal matters, and financial integrity. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: According to the District’s 2000 ACJCC Self Study, the LACCD’s own internal checks and balances have The Board of Trustees monitors the educational qual- generally been effective in ensuring compliance with ity of all LACCD programs through the activities of the Board’s externally and internally defined duties its Committee on Educational Programs and Student and responsibilities. The Chancellor and General Success. This committee addresses all issues related Counsel also play an important role in this monitor- to educational effectiveness, student achievement ing process. and educational program support. In addition, it oversees the accreditation process and reviews and The LACCD Chancellor’s Directive Number 70 comments on college accreditation reports. The State (“District-wide Internal Management Consultation Chancellor’s Office and District General Counsel Process”) outlines the process for the adoption of apprise the Board of its responsibility for all legal Board Rules and the Administrative Regulations that matters associated with the operation of all nine support them.

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SELF-EVALUATION: The college meets the standard.

All Board Rules and Administrative Regulations IV.B.1.g. The governing board’s self-evaluation established under the auspices of this consultation processes for assessing board performance are process are subject to regular review and revision by clearly defined, implemented, and published in its District administrative staff to ensure that they policies or bylaws. remain appropriate and effective. Board Rule and Administrative Regulation revisions are reviewed DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: and considered for adoption during the Board’s regular monthly meetings. The Board relies on the The Board policies on self-evaluation include an 18- Chancellor and the College Presidents to ensure that item self-evaluation “Checklist” periodically used to all Board Rules and Administrative Regulations are evaluate the overall Board effectiveness. In July, 2000, implemented uniformly and effectively across the Board Members also participated in a special one- District. For example, working in collaboration with day self-evaluation retreat, during which they the District Academic Senate, the Board has revised worked with District administrative staff to clarify District hiring procedures by adopting the State their goals and objectives and to discuss new direc- Minimum Qualifications for all faculty positions. tions and evaluate current District practices. Future The Board has also recently revised District-wide fac- self-evaluations will expand on this model and will ulty hiring policies in order to streamline procedures incorporate additional feedback on the Board’s “per- and to give campuses direct control over their own ceived performance.” The most recent Board self hiring processes. evaluation occurred in Spring 2005. At that time, the Board reviewed its criteria and approach to self-eval- The college meets the standard. uation. (IV.B–3)

IV.B.1.f. The governing board has a program for SELF-EVALUATION: board development and new member orientation. It has a mechanism for providing for continuity of Board policies on self-evaluation are clearly defined board membership and staggered terms of office. and published; implementation is a priority.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: The college meets the standard.

Over the past two years, the Board of Trustees has IV.B.1.h. The governing board has a code of ethics instituted through the Chancellor’s office an orienta- that includes a clearly defined policy for dealing tion process for new members and has engaged in a with behavior that violates its code. series of day-long retreats devoted to self-evaluation and agenda setting. Involving the Chancellor, other DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: key District personnel, and, when appropriate, the college Presidents, these retreats are intended to aid The Board of Trustees’ formal “Statement of Ethics the Board in the process of strategic planning and and Conduct” outlines specific principles that the institutional goal setting. Trustees must observe in relation to the fulfillment of their functions, including the need to serve the pub- SELF-EVALUATION: lic interest, to represent the interests of all LACCD students, to avoid conflicts of interest, to maintain an While there is no formal guarantee of continuity of institutional atmosphere that promotes open inquiry leadership within the Board, the staggering of Board and debate and to respect the letter and intent of the elections does provide some margin of coherence. Ralph M. Brown Act. (IV.B–4) In addition, the fact that Board incumbents are frequently re-elected to their positions provides a SELF-EVALUATION: measure of continuity to District governance. The Board’s odd-year election schedule guarantees that The Board’s ethics statement provides a clearly Board races enjoy prominence on the ballot, but also defined policy for behavior that violates its code. leads to lower voter turnouts. These programs and mechanisms for new member orientation work effec- The college meets the standard. tively. 227 WLAC SELF STUDY LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

“Liaison for Accreditation” in 2000 to coordinate IV.B.1.i. The governing board is informed about Board activities and oversight in relation to all col- and involved in the accreditation process. lege accreditations. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: The Board’s Educational Programs and Student Success Committee have also played a direct role in The Board of Trustees Educational Programs and college accreditation efforts by sponsoring several Student Success Committee monitors the accredita- District-wide accreditation workshops for Steering tion self-study processes of the nine colleges and Committees and Standard Chairs over the past six reviews their final self-study reports. Board mem- years. Drawing on the expertise of past accredita- bers also meet directly with accreditation visiting tion self-study chairs and key ACCJC staff members, teams and respond to their questions and concerns. these day-long workshops have brought team mem- In addition, the Board works through its Educational bers together from all campuses undergoing self- Programs and Student Success Committee to ensure study to share information and discuss the chal- that past accreditation recommendations are lenges they confront in the accreditation process. addressed effectively and appropriately at the Accreditation Liaison Officers and Faculty Chairs District and college level. from across the District have also met under the auspices of the Educational Programs and Student In spring 2000, the District completed its first Self Success Committee throughout the accreditation Study as part of the Multi-College Pilot Project process to coordinate their efforts and to compare undertaken in collaboration with the Accrediting best practices. Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (10.11). This District self study was subsequently Over the past six years the Board of Trustees, the revisited and revised in 2002. One of the key issues District Administration and the Faculty Guild have identified in the self study was the need to clarify worked together to address past accreditation con- lines of accountability and authority within the cerns related to college funding and to secure the District; we address this issue and its impact on the financial future of the nine LACCD colleges. The Accreditation Self Study process below, at IV.B.3.a. District Budget Committee (DBC), for example, was reconstituted in 2003 to assure broader faculty and Since the initial Multi-Campus Pilot Project, the staff participation. Under its guidance, District allo- Board has taken a much more pro-active role in the cation procedures and policies have been revised to college accreditation process. In response to accredi- more accurately reflect the needs of each college’s tation recommendations arising from the last round educational programs. District, Board, and Guild of “Seaside” (Harbor, West, Southwest) college site cooperation has also resulted in positive ending visits, the Chancellor created the position of Board

WLAC SELF STUDY 228 LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE balances and a growing District-wide contingency tees for all CEO positions also include community fund over the past six years. The maintenance of a representatives. In accordance with the Ralph M. significant contingency fund has allowed the District Brown Act, contracts of employment and compensa- to minimize the impact of State budget cuts on local tion for these positions are approved by the Board in college programs, and it has also made it possible for open session. The Board evaluates the Chancellor’s smaller LACCD colleges to seek additional funding performance annually. The Chancellor conducts reg- when needed to support educational offerings. ular evaluations of the College Presidents in accor- Finally, two major bond measures passed in 2001 dance with Board Rules. have provided more than a billion dollars for capital construction projects on all LACCD campuses that The selection process for the Chancellor and other will directly benefit the District’s instructional pro- key administrative positions typically involve grams. national searches conducted by hiring committees comprising representatives of all stakeholder groups. SELF-EVALUATION: New hiring procedures implemented by the Board in 2000 have increased community and faculty involve- The Board’s proactive activities include the new liai- ment in the selection of college Presidents. These son for accreditation, created by the Chancellor in changes appear to have promoted greater stability in 2000. This liaison coordinates accreditation activities college leadership across the District. across the nine colleges, providing valuable assistance. In the past, there has been some question about the The college meets the standard. consistency and thoroughness of the evaluation process of District administrators and college IV.B.1.j. The governing board has the responsibility Presidents. However, a new process was adopted for selecting and evaluating the district/system five years ago that mandates the hiring of an outside chief administrator (most often known as the consultant to facilitate the evaluation of key adminis- Chancellor) in a multi-college district/system or the trative personnel by means of interviews with rele- college chief administrator (most often known as vant college constituency groups. West’s previous the President) in the case of a single college. The President was evaluated in this way in 2004. governing board delegates full responsibility and authority to him/her to implement and administer SELF-EVALUATION: board policies without board interference and holds him/her accountable for the operation of the This process appears to have worked well in some district/system or college, respectively. cases over the past few years and may be used in addition to other proven evaluating tools to assess In multi-college districts/systems, the governing administrative performance. A similar consultant- board establishes a clearly defined policy for led process has also been adopted by the Board for selecting and evaluating the Presidents of the the periodic evaluation of the Chancellor. colleges.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: The college meets the standard.

In accordance with Board Rules, the Board of IV.B.2. The President has primary responsibility for Trustees bears primary responsibility for selecting the quality of the institution he/she leads. He/she and evaluating the performance of the District provides effective leadership in planning, organiz- Chancellor. The Board shares responsibility with the ing, budgeting, selecting and developing person- Chancellor for hiring and evaluating the perform- nel, and assessing institutional effectiveness. ance of District Vice Chancellors, College Presidents and the General Counsel, in accordance with Board IV.B.2.a. The President plans, oversees, and evalu- Rule 10308 and procedures outlined in the Personnel ates an administrative structure organized and Guide. Search committees for all of these positions staffed to reflect the institution's purposes, size, involve representatives of all relevant constituencies, and complexity. He/she delegates authority to including faculty, students and staff. Hiring commit- administrators and others consistent with their responsibilities, as appropriate.

229 WLAC SELF STUDY LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: that we focus on here. Well-liked as an individual by the college and broader local community, he pos- sessed excellent social skills and was always avail- The Board delegates responsibility for West to its able to all constituencies. However, concerns arose President, and has strengthened lines of authority among several constituencies regarding the effective- and accountability since 2002 (as discussed below in ness of his leadership. IV.B.3.c) The President prioritized planning and program In general, West has had a Vice President of review as top goals for West. He supported the sys- Academic Affairs, a Vice President of Student tematization of West’s planning processes, (described Services, and a Vice President of Administrative in section I.B.3) including the use of consultants in Services, but from 2001 to 2004, the former President developing the Integrated Master Plan from 2000- expanded this roster to include a Vice President of 2003 and appointing a Dean of Planning and Workforce Development, reflecting efforts to expand Research. The President and the college constituen- West’s vocational programs. This position was elimi- cies focused on building trust, improving the campus nated in 2004. Similarly, the President designated a climate, boosting morale and discussing where each Dean of Planning and Research in response to devel- constituency fit into the college governance struc- oping needs for data-driven decision making. ture. Constituencies seemed encouraged and requested participation in the governance processes. SELF-EVALUATION: By contrast, the President’s emphasis on entrepre- Over the past five years, West experienced a number neurial flexibility sometimes confused participants in of changes in administrative personnel. The current college governance. It seemed as though significant Interim President plans, oversees and evaluates cur- decisions were being made on the basis of verbal rent administrators and delegates authority as appro- exchanges. For example, the Ice Hockey Program priate. The college is engaged in the search for a per- introduced in 2001 had not appeared in long- or manent president. intermediate-range planning documents such as the Master Plan or the Athletic Department’s unit plan. The college meets the standard. Another example of this rush to action without qual- IV.B.2.b. The President guides institutional ity research and analysis was the establishment at improvement of the teaching and learning environ- West of the Inglewood School District Honors High ment by the following: School Program to meet the needs of Inglewood • establishing a collegial process that sets High students for advanced placement courses. The values, goals, and priorities; plan was to enroll ninth graders in West’s classes, • ensuring that evaluation and planning rely on meeting both high school requirements and provid- high quality research and analysis on external ing college credit. Nevertheless, the program, highly and internal conditions; popular with Inglewood students and parents, had • ensuring that educational planning is to be discontinued after one year because the con- integrated with resource planning and flicts that it presented with classroom usage and distribution to achieve student learning services for West student. Other examples of this outcomes; and lack of planning and research analysis was the col- • establishing procedures to evaluate overall lege’s attempt to sign a contract with the Department institutional planning and implementation of Defense and the actual signing of contracts with efforts. the private English Language School and the Avengers football team. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: SELF-EVALUATION: In the current evaluation cycle, West has had three Presidents: one retired in the summer of 2000. The The college constituencies and the interim President next left for another job in July 2005, and a one-year are working in a positive and collegial manner to interim President is now serving. For most of the find creative, yet data-driven, and college-wide cycle, we have had one President, and it is his tenure adopted processes and policies that help us to

WLAC SELF STUDY 230 LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE identify our weak areas and formulate sound solu- IV.B.2.e. The President works and communicates tions. A good example of this progress has been the effectively with the communities served by the adoption of the College Council Agreement in Fall institution. 2005. (IV.B-5) DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: PLANNING AGENDA: West’s former President • Through the new College Council, the college Brown bag reached out to the surround- will continue to track college planning and think tanks ing community, attending the implementation efforts to ensure that educa- meetings of governing bodies tional planning is integrated with resource afford all and civic organizations. Our planning and distribution to achieve student members of new interim President has learning outcomes. the college continued the practice and has expanded the college rela- community a IV.B.2.c. The President assures the implementation tions with the surrounding of statutes, regulations, and governing board poli- collegial venue community. Brown bag think cies and assures that institutional practices are con- outside of tanks, begun in Fall 2005, sistent with institutional mission and policies. afford all members of the col- committee lege community a collegial DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: meetings venue outside of committee meetings to address concerns The interim President conforms to applicable statues by individuals and groups. In and regulations, including Board policies. Spring 2005, West’s surrounding communities approved our Environmental Impact Report related SELF-EVALUATION: to Prop. A/AA construction projects.

The college meets the standard. SELF-EVALUATION:

The brown bag think tanks further enhance commu- IV.B.2.d. The President effectively controls budget nication and have led to noticeable improvements in and expenditures. the campus’ overall cleanliness and aesthetics.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: The college meets the standard. The current Interim President is helping West effectively address budget problems extending back to IV.B.3. In multi-college districts or systems, the dis- the December 2002 mid-year budget cuts. West ran trict/system provides primary leadership in setting budget deficits in 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. Budget and communicating expectations of educational surpluses of 2000-2002 had been invested in growth, excellence and integrity throughout the district/sys- and some of the projects did not bear fruit. tem and assures support for the effective operation of the colleges. It establishes clearly defined roles As noted in Standard III.D, the college has written of authority and responsibility between the col- agreements ensuring constituencies opportunities to leges and the district/system and acts as the liaison provide the President with detailed advice about the between the colleges and the governing board. budget, and there are mechanisms in place to track actual expenditures. IV.B.3.a.The district/system clearly delineates and communicates the operational responsibilities and functions of the district/system from those of the SELF-EVALUATION: colleges and consistently adheres to this delineation in practice. The Interim President is working diligently with all constituencies through the College Council to adopt DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: budget mechanisms to balance the budget. A district Vice Chancellor is assisting. The LACCD is comprised of ten operational centers (the District Office and the nine colleges). These The college meets the standard. 231 WLAC SELF STUDY LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE operational centers have collective and individual the quality of the Accreditation effort on their cam- areas of responsibility that are governed, both inter- puses. As the result of this District-wide collabora- nally and externally, through legislative parameters, tion, two inter-collegiate meetings on Accreditation the Education Code, Board Rules, Administrative were held during the 2001-2002 academic year. The Regulations, and current and past practices. first, held on November 30, 2001 at LATTC and featuring ACCJC’s Associate Director, offered steering Since December 1999, the Board of Trustees has pur- committee members an overview of the Accreditation sued a policy of partial administrative decentraliza- process and a chance to review the “matrix” generat- tion, which has had the effect of shifting additional ed during the original MCPP and the responses that responsibility and accountability for planning and it solicited. The second meeting, held on March 15, decision making to the local college level. The prin- 2002 at LACC, featured presentations by former ciple of administrative decentralization has become members of the original Multi-College Pilot Project the basis for efforts by the District Office and the col- and invited steering committees to raise questions in leges to clarify and delineate operational responsibil- relation to the District’s role in Accreditation. ities. It is understood that while the decentralization philosophy is a work in progress that will require As a result of these District-wide coordination meet- periodic review and change, it does serve to provide ings, a “Functional Map” was developed to clarify a framework for understanding and implementation. District and College responsibilities. This document delineated responsibilities for all functions identified In addition, in 2000, the Los Angeles Community in the Accreditation Standards and identified College District participated in a pilot program whether they pertain to the District (Administration organized by the Accrediting Commission for and Board of Trustees), the nine LACCD colleges Community and Junior Colleges aimed at clarifying (Administration or local Academic Senates), or a lines of accountability and authority in districts with District-wide body (the AFT, District Academic multiple colleges. Known as the Multi-College Pilot Senate, or District-wide committees). Copies of these Program (MCPP), this effort involved representatives “Functional Maps” were reviewed and critiqued by from Los Angeles Valley College, Los Angeles Pierce members of the Accreditation Steering Committees College and Los Angeles Mission College, all of of each of the LACCD colleges involved in Self which participated in the self-study process during Studies in the 2002-3 academic year, and the “Map” the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 academic years. Over itself was adopted as an accurate representation of this period, members of the steering committees of District lines of accountability by the District each college’s accreditation teams met independent- Administration and the Board of Trustees. During ly, and on occasion with ACCJC representatives, to the Fall of 2004, this draft document was circulated explore issues of District-wide authority and again among the District’s “Seaside” colleges accountability. These meetings led to the creation of (Harbor West and Southwest) to further refine the a “matrix” of 417 questions which was then submit- delineation of District/College functions in light of ted to the District Administration, the Board of the new Accreditation Standards. In Spring 2005, Trustees, the District Academic Senate and the lead- key faculty and administrative staff from these col- ership of the faculty bargaining unit. Answers to leges met with District personnel to review this draft these questions helped the colleges define lines of revision and to finalize a new “Functional Map.” responsibility and to respond more effectively to specific issues included in Accreditation Standards. SELF-EVALUATION:

In the 2001-2002 academic year, the MCPP effort was Decentralization, and its attendant clarification and continued by the next set of LACCD colleges to be delineation, continues and will require review and involved in Accreditation self studies: Los Angeles adjustments as needed. City College, Los Angeles Trade Technical College and East Los Angeles College. Administrative The college meets the standard. Liaison Officers and Faculty Chairs from the three colleges met repeatedly in the summer and fall of 2001 to compare notes on their approaches to the IV.B.3.b. The district/system provides effective Accreditation process, coordinate their activities and services that support the colleges in their missions plan District-wide meetings dedicated to promoting and functions.

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model. This model is consistent with Board policy, which prescribes that colleges receive revenue consistent with the manner that revenue is received by the District.

Under the State “program based funding” model, the District and, subsequently, the colleges, receive revenues based on “work load measures,” including faculty-student head count and full-time equivalent students (FTES). This model was adopted because the previous expenditure-based model did not encourage effective resource management or fiscal restraint.

The District’s allocation model was developed by the District Budget Committee (DBC), which is comprised of the nine college Presidents, faculty repre- DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: sentatives, the District Academic Senate, and collective bargaining unit representatives. Periodically, the The District Office’s primary purpose is to provide DBC reviews the allocation model and recommends operational and logistical support to the colleges. In changes to the model when it perceives they are nec- this effort, the District Office offers an array of sup- essary; among these changes were changes to the port services to the colleges. The main services way in which colleges receive growth money, basic involve Instructional and Student Services Support, skills money, the appreciation of budget targets and Institutional Research, Human Resources, Business growth goals. Services, Financial Services, Legal Services, Public and Marketing Relations and Information As part of the 2000 revision, the District Budget Technology services. Collaborative procedures Committee (DBC) was restructured to include addi- between the District and the colleges include the tional faculty representation and to expand both AFT Budget Allocation Model, the Codes for Student and Academic Senate participation. Furthermore, Conduct and implementation of Board Rules. The the allocation model was revised, adopting a “win- District assesses its effectiveness through self-study dow shade approach” to the allocation of growth and audit reports. dollars to insure that each college that grew to its “funded growth cap” would receive the dollars. The previous version of the model only insured that a SELF-EVALUATION: college would receive its percentage of total growth The District provides support services consistently FTES generated by the District. Additionally, the and equitably to all colleges. Each college, through DBC recommended the creation of growth its funding allocations, determines specific opera- targets/ceilings. This mechanism was designed to tional and educational priorities, which may vary help the District and the colleges maximize FTES from college to college. growth and basic skills revenue, while protecting colleges from expending resources to generate FTES for The college meets the standard. which they would not be funded.

In direct response to the situation of colleges such as IV.B.3.c. The district/system provides fair distribu- Harbor, which ended 2002 in deficit, the DBC also tion of resources that are adequate to support the instituted “Allocation Grant” procedures. Under effective operations of the colleges. these procedures, a college which ended the year in deficit can request the intervention of the DBC Grant DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: Allocation Taskforce. The Taskforce, comprised of administrators, faculty and staff from other colleges Since West’s last accreditation in 2000, the District in the District, first solicits a formal “Grant has revisited its budget allocation process. In 1998, Allocation Proposal” from the college—a fiscal “self- the LACCD had accepted a revenue-based model study,” in which the college presents its assessment that mirrored the State Community College funding

233 WLAC SELF STUDY LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE of the causes of its expected deficit. Following a address budget problems before they arise. As a review of the Grant Allocation Request, the Taskforce result of these procedures, the District has main- reviews all the pertinent college and District fiscal tained at least a 3% contingency reserve fund every and other appropriate data, visits the college, meets year since the reform of the District Budget with administrators, faculty and staff, and subse- Committee and the allocation formula in 2000. quently issues a set of recommendations to help the college reach financial independence. If the college From an external standpoint, the District’s outside follows these recommendations, a portion of the auditor (Price/Waterhouse & Cooper) is the primary deficit is offset with District funds from the contin- tool for the assessment of effectiveness of its financial gency reserves. management systems. Internally, the primary role of the District-wide Budget Committee is as an advisory SELF-EVALUATION: council to the Chancellor and through the Chancellor to the Board. Additionally, the Board, Presidents, and public are provided with periodic updates and The Grant Allocation process appears to have been a presentations regarding the LACCD’s financial state successful venture. As the result of District interven- of affairs (past, present and future). tion, Harbor College, for example, has seen its deficit reduced from $3M to $1M since the implementation of the Grant Allocation Taskforce’s recommenda- SELF-EVALUATION: tions. West has not applied yet for an Allocation Grant to offset its deficits; the College has felt the In the 2005-2006 Budget Allocation Mechanism, the loss of local autonomy in budgeting outweighed the contingency reserve is increased to 3.5 percent. The freedom provided by debt relief. Nevertheless, the District effectively controls its expenditures. budget deficits we have been sustaining for the last few years merit a strong review of our budgetary The college meets the standard. choices and processes. IV.B.3.e. The Chancellor gives full responsibility Finally, in response to the suggestion that the FTES and authority to the Presidents of the colleges to funding base formula does not adequately provide implement and administer delegated district/sys- resources necessary for colleges to serve their com- tem policies without his/her interference and holds munities, the Senior Vice Chancellor convened an them accountable for the operation of the colleges. FTES Allocation Taskforce in Fall 2005. This Taskforce gathered geographic “service” areas as DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: well as data on student attendance by zip code. Additionally, it looked at attendance by “college Since the adoption of administrative decentralization going age” students. After careful deliberation, the as the current approach to District/college relations, taskforce concluded that the base allocation formula Presidents have enjoyed additional freedom to make was appropriate to the populations in their “service” key decisions and have also been held more directly area, and that it should be continued. accountable for their actions than they have been in the past. College Presidents undergo regular con- The college meets the standard. sultant-administered evaluations, periodically conducted by the Chancellor’s office. Containing clear “grades” for their effectiveness in key areas, these IV.B.3.d. The district/system effectively controls its evaluations are reviewed and approved by the Board expenditures. of Trustees. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: SELF-EVALUATION: Meeting on a monthly basis, the District Budget Committee, with administrative, faculty, and staff The Chancellor’s Office conducts biannual consult- representation from all nine LACCD colleges, moni- ant-administered evaluations. The Board of Trustees tors all college budgets and expenditures. College reviews and approves these evaluations. budget projections, including reserve funds, are tracked from quarter to quarter, and District staff The college meets the standard. meet with college administrators as needed to

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IV.B.3.f. The district/system acts as the liaison their integrity and effectiveness in assisting the col- between the colleges and the governing board. The leges in meeting educational goals. The district/sys- district/system and the colleges use effective meth- tem widely communicates the results of these eval- ods of communication, and they exchange informa- uations and uses them as the basis for improvement. tion in a timely manner. DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY: The LACCD’s policy for “identifying, considering Communication between the colleges and the and acting upon operation and policy matters” is District Office is essential to the success of the contained in the Chancellor’s Directive Number 70 – LACCD and its colleges’ educational and operational “District-wide Internal Management Consultation responsibilities. The District provides various Process,” which was issued on October 26, 1995. The reports pertaining to such areas a finance, personnel form of Board Rules and Administrative Regulations and demographics to assist the colleges. There are (which are issued through the Chancellor’s Office) district-wide committees at various levels that facili- are addressed in this directive. The policy engages tate participation and sharing of information among the LACCD’s three councils of Vice Presidents (the the colleges and District, such as the Presidents’ Council of Academic Affairs, the Council of Cabinet, the Vice President of Academic Affairs Administration, and the Council of Student Council, the Vice Presidents of Administrative Services), the Chancellor’s Cabinet (consisting of the Services Council, and the Chief Student Services Chancellor and college Presidents) in the policy Officer Council. The Chancellor routinely visits the development and review process. When appropri- colleges and conducts cabinet meetings and other ate, other district-wide committees and constituency meetings and other related sessions involving the groups are consulted in this process as well – e.g. the College Presidents and District Office staff as neces- District Academic Senate, the AFT College Guild, sary. The mainframe computer database, or DEC, and the Board’s Student Affairs Committee (com- allows colleges personnel to access student and other prised of the Student Trustee, the nine Associated pertinent information related to college operations Student Body Presidents and at least one Board and enrollment management. Information is also Member). easily exchanged through courier service, email, fax and telephone. In addition, the delineation of district/college roles and functions is reviewed and revised regularly Additionally, representatives from the District’s vari- under the auspices of the Board of Trustees ous constituency groups have a seat at the “resource Committee on Educational Programs and Student table” at every Board meeting, and their comments Success as a regular part of the District’s on-going are a standing item on each Board agenda. accreditation self-study effort. Over the past three Representatives from the resource table also have the years, for example, faculty and staff from all nine opportunity to take part in the discussion of any district colleges have reviewed and revised the item that comes before the Board for a vote. “Functional Map” that delineates District/college Representatives at the resource table come from the responsibilities. Most recently, the Seaside colleges following constituencies: all collective bargaining met in Spring 2005 to revise the “Functional Map” units (including the faculty, staff and administrative and to discuss the integrity and effectiveness of key unions), the District Academic Senate and students. support and decision-making processes with district personnel. SELF-EVALUATION: SELF-EVALUATION: Administrative decentralization affords college presidents greater authority to make decisions and Through a number of mechanisms, both the District accountability for these. and West Los Angeles College evaluate district/system roles, governance and decision-making process- The college meets the standard. es and structures. Cabinet and committee meetings widely communicate evaluation results and lead to IV.B.3.g. The district/system regularly evaluates dis- improvement. trict/system role delineation and governance and The college meets the standard. decision-making structures and processes to assure

235 WLAC SELF STUDY LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

STANDARD IV.B. DOCUMENTATION

IV.B-1 LACCD Board Rules – Student Trustee (http://www.laccd.edu/board_rules/) IV.B-2 LACCD Administrative Regulations (http://www.laccd.edu/admin_regs/) IV.B-3 Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees Self Evaluation, September 2005 IV.B-4 LACCD Board Rules – Meetings (http://www.laccd.edu/board_rules/) IV.B-5 West Los Angeles College Council

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