City College of San Francisco - California Competes

STANDARD II.A
program develops a self-study report that assesses
its level of learning and teaching excellence,
establishes a six-year plan, and identifies, where
appropriate, new costs for achieving planning
objectives. Fundamentally, the self-study report
provides programs an opportunity to self-reflect,
discover strengths and weaknesses, and identify
areas in need of improvement.
The DACUM 3 process has also been utilized to
ensure instructional programs are current and of
high quality. Essentially, DACUM is a refined
brainstorming process where a facilitator works
closely with members of a program’s advisory
committee to design new programs or revise
existing programs.
Many vocational programs (e.g., Registered
Nursing, Diagnostic Medical Imaging, and
Licensed Vocational Nursing) are subject to additional
review by external agencies. These reviews
are primarily for program accreditation purposes
and include a review process similar to the institution’s
Program Review (e.g., an assessment of
program currency is made). [Ref. 1]
The institution uses a variety of means to decide
the fields of study in which to offer programs.
Market trends and industry needs play a significant
role in the development of new programs.
For example, the institution recently received a
$4.2 million grant from the Gordon and Betty
Moore Foundation. This grant represents a
unique public-private collaboration between the
institution and the California Pacific Medical
Center and St. Luke’s Hospital. This collaboration
will significantly increase the number of
students admitted into the Nursing Program by
augmenting the current program with afternoon
and evening classes that are flexible in delivery
and promote a learning environment that is
competency-based and emphasizes problem
solving.
On other occasions, the institution has partnered
with community-based organizations in
order to address labor shortages. The Mission
Hiring Hall, for example, asked that a program
be developed to train secretaries for the construction
industry. The Hiring Hall recruits
prospective students, secures student stipends
and places these students into internships. The
Hiring Hall also provides counselors in order to
ensure the greatest likelihood of student success.
These partnerships are examples of how the
institution develops instructional programs that
reflect the work needs of the community and
serve the training needs of students.
II.A.1.a. The institution identifies and seeks to
meet the varied educational needs of its students
through programs consistent with their educational
preparation and the diversity,
demographics and economy of its communities.
The institution relies upon research and analysis
to identify student learning needs and to assess
progress toward achieving stated learning outcomes.
The institution serves a great diversity of students
in a wide variety of programs in credit,
noncredit, contract education, and continuing
education that are designed to meet the varied
needs of our students. Information on student
demographics is readily available from reports
such as the Environmental Scan Report produced
by the Office of Research, Planning and Grants
and the Decision Support System (DSS) 4 that is
maintained by the same office. [Ref. 22] It is
important to note that a large number of basic
skills students are served in the credit program.
3 DACUM is an acronym that stands for Designing ACurriculUM. The DACUM process has been used for over 40 years to
conduct job analyses in every field imaginable all over the world. It is primarily used to create and update training and education
programs. It is unique in the sense that expert workers are used to determine curriculum, rather than having curriculum
selected by instructors, college professors, or training managers. By making workers the experts, DACUM narrows the gap
between what is typically taught in classes and what workers actually need to know to achieve excellence in the workplace.
4 The Decision Support System (DSS) was developed by the Office of Research, Planning and Grants in order to enhance access
to institutional data pertaining to students, courses and programs. Available to the College community in 2001, the DSS is a
web-based interface within the institution’s intranet that accesses a data warehouse. The DSS was shown to have a positive
impact on user perceptions of data and the use of data in decision making (Decentralizing Data Through Decision Support
Systems: The Impact of Increased Access to Data on Decision-Making).
110 CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO