FINAL REPORT – April 8, 2011SHORELINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

VISUAL COMMUNICATIONSTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

REVIEWWinter-Spring 2011

Prepared by Karen Demetre, Consultant

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TABLE OF CONTENTSPURPOSE......................................................... 3

METHODOLOGY……………………………... 4

CONSULTANT REPORTFindings on Program Review Elements Assessment …………………………………….. 5

Program Information…………………………… 7Student Data Trends…………………………… 10

Curriculum………………………………………. 26 Faculty……………………………………………. 32Resources……………………………………….. 34Schedule of Classes…………………………… 36Partnerships…………………………………….. 37Support Services………………………………. 38Revenue Potential……………………………… 40The Virtual College…………………………….. 40Competition………..……………………………. 41Program Access………………………………... 43Labor Market Opportunities………….………. 44

Analysis of Findings Institutional Issues…………………………....... 46

Program Strengths……………………………… 47 Recommendations…………………………....... 48

APPENDIXFaculty Response..……………………………… 51

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Student Survey Results………………….......... 66 Advisory Committee Survey Results………… 72

Student Data……………………………………… 82PURPOSE

The purpose of the program review process at Shoreline Community College is continuous quality improvement. This process is scheduled on a five year cycle across all instructional areas at the college.

This process serves to meet standards established by the State Board for Community and Technical College Education and the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Relevant accreditation standards are listed below:

4.A Assessment

4.A.1 The institution engages in ongoing systematic collection and analysis of meaningful, assessable, and verifiable data – quantitative and/or qualitative, as appropriate to its indicators of achievement – as the basis for evaluating the accomplishment of its core theme objectives.

4.A.2 The institution engages in an effective system of evaluation of its programs and services, wherever offered and however delivered, to evaluate achievement of clearly-identified program goals or intended outcomes. Faculty has a primary role in the evaluation of educational programs and services.

4.A.3 The institution documents, through an effective, regular, and comprehensive system of assessment of student achievement, that students who complete its educational courses, programs, and degrees, wherever offered and however delivered, achieve identified course, program, and degree learning outcomes. Faculty (members) with teaching responsibilities are responsible for evaluating student achievement of clearly-identified learning outcomes.

4.A.4 The institution evaluates holistically the alignment, correlation, and integration of programs and services with respect to accomplishment of core theme objectives.

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METHODOLOGYFirst Committee Meeting

(orientation including full-time faculty, division dean, workforce dean, institutional researcher, and consultant)

Qualitative Information Collected College website, planning guides, brochures Schedule of Classes Class Cancellations and Wait Lists Full-Time Faculty Input (written assignment) Student Surveys (68 currently in program) Advisory Committee Roster + Meeting Minutes Advisory Committee Surveys (5 + PTF working in field) Full-Time Faculty Interview Division Dean Interview Program Review Report (2005) Program Goals for 2010-11

Quantitative Information Collected Faculty teaching loads (full-time and part-time) Division budget figures Annualized FTES, Headcount, and % of Enrollment

(by program and by certificate + degree) Student demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, academic +

economic disadvantage) Completion of degrees and certificates Student grade distributions State and college comparative data on S:F ratios State employment data on former students

Final Committee Meeting(discussion of consultant’s report + program review process)

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Completion + Distribution of Final Program Review Report

CONSULTANT REPORT Visual Communications Technology

Winter 2011

ELEMENTS REVIEWED, FINDINGS, + ANALYSIS

1. ASSESSMENT (FAC. REPORT Pg 51)

TOOLS TO ASSESS PROGRAM OUTCOMES1.1 Program outcomes have been established for each degree and certificate option

and are clearly stated in the program website and college catalog. After a three-year curriculum revision process, faculty has identified four common learning outcomes which can be used for VCT Program assessment in the future. Although general education courses are required in all degree options, there is no obvious reference to these learning outcomes for two of the new degrees (Graphic Design and Production Art plus Animation and Video for Multimedia) or the one-year certificates (VCT Foundation; and VCT Foundation with Specialization). Required general education courses help students develop communication and human relations skills to function effectively in the workplace; and it is appropriate to include them in the list of program outcomes. This appears to be an oversight that faculty are willing to address in the future.

1.2 Published outcomes for various degrees and certificate options do not mention skills in entrepreneurship and self-promotion. This might be an appropriate addition for areas of study where graduates often seek employment on a freelance or independent contractor basis.

1.3 Advisory committee members seem unfamiliar with published program outcomes, but are aware of assessments for student projects. Since program outcomes provide the foundation for curriculum development and assessment of student learning, it would be beneficial to discuss these with the committee in order to deepen their understanding of the program.

1.4 The VCT faculty is skilled at assessing student learning in their discipline and employs a variety of methods to accomplish this. Hands-on authentic assessments of student abilities and job-related performance are prevalent throughout the curriculum. Many opportunities are provided for students to apply knowledge and learn through experiential and “real life” experiences. Portfolios utilized in degree and one-year certificate options provide excellent tools for

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assessment of student learning over time, as well as preparation for job search. The graphic design “competitive mentorship program” started by the advisory committee provides valuable feedback on student work to support learning.

1.5 At the present time there is no formal system for tracking aggregate data on indicators/measures that demonstrate overall achievement of program outcomes. Monitoring of student learning over time occurs within individual courses by instructors who collect and evaluate samples of student work. Assessment of student learning on a program-wide basis over time is rather general and primarily uses periodic feedback from current students and advisory committee members. Graduate follow-up consists of occasional conversations or contacts.

1.6 Improved student data from the institutional researcher is one tool for ongoing assessment of program outcomes (such as patterns of course completion and grades earned). However, it would be more enlightening to select samples of student work across the program and annually document student performance levels on these. Data collection could be structured to address some of the following questions:

What projects or student work samples best represent program-level learning outcomes? (i.e. selected portfolios, assignments, or projects?)

How well are students performing on these work samples? (percent that meet minimum standards, percent that exceed minimum and/or achieve essential competencies)

What are faculty expectations for overall student achievement in the program and how well are these being met over time? (i.e. XX% of students meet minimum standards for XXXX portfolio, which is X% above/below our program outcome goal)

As curriculum changes are initiated, it becomes increasingly important for faculty to assess student learning outcomes across the program to determine how well the new curriculum is working and whether future adjustments are needed. This would also be helpful in addressing any concerns regarding the impact of significant reductions that are planned for print-production content.

1.7 Although self-perception does not equate to actual measurement of student learning over time, it is noteworthy that a large sample of survey respondents (68 students) gave predominantly high ratings for how well their individual learning needs were met (77%) and how well they were prepared for employment (59%). This indicates that most current students are satisfied with the education provided by this program and are confident it gives them adequate preparation for working in the field. More feedback from former students working in the field would provide further validation of these perceptions. This can be difficult to achieve, but might be possible with periodic outreach using a list serve.

1.8 State data on employment of former students (completers and early leavers) shows about two-thirds or more are employed one year after leaving the college. Faculty reports numerous types of positions and examples of graduates doing freelance work. Although the reported percentage of graduates working in the field seems modest, it is under-reported due to the difficulty of tracking many individuals who are self-employed in a variety of settings. Follow-up is

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particularly problematic for graduates who work in this field, but the anecdotal evidence is positive.

TOOLS TO ASSESS GENERAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES1.9 Master course outlines identify general education outcomes addressed in each

course; however, specific guidelines/criteria or performance levels (rubrics) for assessing achievement of general education outcomes have not been defined by the college. Since many courses and assignments or projects include multiple learning outcomes it is sometimes difficult to isolate and collect assessment data on individual general education outcomes. Although it is assumed that passing grades demonstrate satisfactory achievement of general education outcomes, this area of assessment could be further refined as shown in the following chart:

General Education Outcomes Learning Outcome

Assessment Measure

Data Collected Evaluation of Data Actions Taken

List here the measures the program uses to assess progress toward the outcome (grades or quality of selected projects/ portfolios, stud or grad. surveys, placement data, re-tention statistics, etc.)

List here the specific data collected

Describe here what the data mean.

Describe the actions taken, based on the evaluation of the data

Quantitative Reasoning

Communication

Multicultural Understanding

Information Literacy

Gen. Intellectual AbilitiesGlobal Awareness

EVIDENCE OF ACTION BASED ON ASSESSMENT FINDINGS 1.10 Faculty continually evaluate student learning in their classes and actively seek

feedback from students and advisory committee members to guide instructional efforts. Since employers and graduates indicate that portfolios are critical to hiring, the faculty adjusted every master course outline to “more clearly focus on portfolio-worthy project-based learning”. Also, they identified the need for students to create workbooks that show their creative processes. Other examples of action based on assessment findings include merging of 5 AAAS degrees into 3 degrees, revising one-year certificates, changing course titles, and modifying courses to reflect changes in the industry.

2. PROGRAM INFORMATION (FAC. REPORT Pg 52)

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ACCURACY2.1 Academic planning guides on the website are generally accurate and

complete. The VCT faculty has designed a new program webpage and they indicate that it “will completely re-brand the program to correlate to the recently approved curriculum changes. The faculty will more directly manage the maintenance of this new website. This should be posted for spring quarter 2011 to follow the changes in the degree options.” Faculty has expressed concern about lack of institutional support for updating the website and administrative obstacles when they attempt to do the work themselves.

2.2 The website states a range of book costs for every degree and certificate. While these appear appropriate for degrees and one-year certificates, the standardized statement (“Varies per quarter. Approximately $200”) for every short-term certificate seems odd. Curricula vary greatly among the ten short-term certificates and individualized estimates would be more helpful to students.

RELEVANCY2.3 Current students surveyed provided a range of responses on helpfulness

of program information (website and printed materials). Around half of the respondents (48%) rated it as good or excellent; however, 36% rated it as fair which indicates room for further improvement. This may relate in part to the difficulty of navigating the college website. As an example, the webpage on VCT degrees provides an excellent outline of “Planning Hints and Tips”, but this may be difficult to find with the following pathway: SCC homepage A-Z Index – Visual Arts – Visual Arts Center – VCT Degree – Planning Hints and Tips. Since the VCT program does not have a separate listing on the A-Z Index, the pathway to reach program specific information becomes longer.

2.4 Program descriptions on the website and brochure provide helpful information about employment opportunities associated with each degree and certificate. Greater emphasis may be needed to highlight the fact that employee positions are competitive, but there are opportunities to be self-employed or work on a freelance basis for graduates with strong entrepreneurial and business skills.

2.5 The website and catalog indicate the program offers flexibility and the opportunity to enter at any point. An important caveat is stated about course scheduling: “Students who do not start fall quarter may find conflicts in course scheduling that require longer time to graduate.” Unfortunately this point does not stand out or receive strong emphasis. Since more than one-third of the VCT courses are offered only once per year, students’ academic planning might be improved by highlighting this fact on planning guides. A consistent symbol (#, *, etc.) could be used to identify courses offered once per year. Some students indicate difficulty with class scheduling conflicts and course availability; and thus, reminders about courses offered once per year might be helpful. There are also indications that some students are not referring to the annual course schedule.

CURRENCY2.6 Program information on the website, brochure, and planning guides has been

updated within the last year, but there is now a need to incorporate recently approved changes for the degrees. Also, the names of VCT faculty listed in the

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website needs revision. Periodic updating of the website, brochure, and planning guides is managed by a combination of people from the public information office, VCT faculty/staff and workforce education office.

2.7 Information racks in the FOSS building display planning guides for VCT degrees and certificates. Some out-of-date sheets were found for several VCT certificates (Advanced Digital Illustration/Animation, Advanced Multimedia, and Digital Video for New Media). Systematic review/ and purging of old materials is needed for these information racks, especially with the merging of degrees and changing one-year certificates.

CONGRUENCE2.8 The website provides consistent presentation of headings for each program

option (i.e. quarterly costs, program description, etc.). Courses are tagged as general education (communication, computation, and human relations) in all degree options. This approach differentiates technical courses from transfer courses or courses that apply general education concepts to the field; and it clearly documents that accreditation standards are met.

2.9 New planning guides for one-year certificates include sample class schedules, which will help students with academic planning. Planning guides for degrees do not give sample class schedules, but they could refer students to the guides for one-year certificates which comprise the core of these degrees.

2.10 Content is generally consistent for the website, program brochure, and planning guides, although the program name is inconsistent (Visual Communication versus Communications). Another small discrepancy is the new planning guide for the AAAS/AAS-T degree in Animation and Video for Multimedia which states length of program as 99-120 credits on the first page, but shows total degree credits required as 97-120 on the second page.

ACCESSIBILITY 2.11 Most program information is provided through word-of-mouth and the website.

The college has no marketing office and thus no staff or funding is provided to develop a managed marketing plan for the VCT program (unlike private schools that compete for VCT students). Fortunately the program attracts sufficient enrollment due to its good reputation and professional networking of faculty; however, more support for marketing would greatly help the program..

2.12 The Visual Communications Technology Program is not identified separately in the website A-Z index. It is necessary to go through the Visual Arts listing or the link for Professional-Technical Programs to find the VCT Program. Students indicate the college website is difficult to navigate and is not very user friendly.

2.13 Limited copies of the printed college catalog are available, but the website provides access to the same information. Other printed materials include program brochures and academic planning guides available in the FOSS building, Visual Arts building, and Advising Center.

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3. STUDENT DATA TRENDS (FAC. REPORT Pg 53)

NOTES: Issues affecting accuracy of students’ program intent codes may impact

some institutional data used in this review.

It is difficult to track enrollment with VCT classes that are dual listed as ART or that change to the ART designation to support articulation and transfer.

For the purpose of this review, data represents the five VCT degree options including Graphic Design, Digital Image Production, Digital Arts and Imagery, Digital Interactive Media, and Marketing. The review also includes a one-year certificate of proficiency. The degrees and one-year certificates will be modified beginning spring 2011.

ANNUAL ENROLLMENT – ANNUALIZED STATE FTES

3.1 Annualized state-funded FTES for the VCT Program reached a six-year high point (299 AnFTES) for 2009-10. (Note: one annualized full-time equivalent student = 45 credits/year). Since a decline in 2007-08, the program has become one of the largest prof-tech programs at Shoreline C.C.

3.2 Between 2008-9 and 2009-10 the overall annualized FTES dropped for certificates, but increased for degrees in the VCT Program. VCT degrees constitute the vast majority (93%) of AnFTES produced by the program. Faculty reports that students appear to be taking more classes than in the past, which may be a result of unemployment rates.

3.3 Educational goals are somewhat varied for current students. The student survey indicates almost 80% are seeking a two year degree. Career enrichment is a primary goal for many students (over 60%); and about one-third of the student respondents take VCT courses for personal enrichment. It would be helpful to have more data on transfer rates to 4-years schools, since most VCT students earn 2-year degrees.

3.4 General factors that inhibit enrollment include increased tuition and fees, discontinued or reduced financial aid, and budget constraints that make it difficult to retain under-filled classes or add sections for students on wait lists.

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HEADCOUNT PERCENTAGE

3.5 About two thirds of degree enrollment has been produced by two options: Graphic Design AAAS (43% of degree enrollment) Digital Arts/Imagery AAAS (22% of degree enrollment).

In third place is Digital Interactive Media AAAS, with the highest and most consistent growth rate over the last three years. Other degree options have produced much smaller enrollment, with the least in Digital Image Production. Revised degree options may cause a shift in future enrollment patterns.

3.6 VCT certificates produce far less enrollment than the degree options. Very few VCT students seek certificates as their terminal goal.

3.7 The highest enrollment for a certificate option is produced by the advanced certificate for Web Design (introduction).

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING GRAPHS SHOW ANNUALIZED FTES FOR GROUPS OF CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES. GRAPHS SHOWING PERCENTAGES ARE IN THE APPENDIX.

A 78 A89 A90 A78 A89 A90Cert/Adv 9 18 15 3.4% 6.7% 5.0%Cert/Fnd 12 11 5 4.5% 4.1% 1.7%Degrees 246 238 279 92.1% 89.1% 93.3%Grand Total 267 267 299

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ANNUAL ENROLLMENT: STUDENT HEADCOUNT and PERCENTAGE OF PROGRAM ENROLLMENT

3.8 Compared to 2007, annual student headcount in 2010 for one-year and

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foundational certificates was down by more than 50%. In contrast, annual student headcount in degree options was noticeably higher in 2009-10 (reaching an annual total of 275 students).

3.9 A vast majority (around 90%) of student headcount during the last three years was concentrated in the degree options.

NOTE: A GRAPH SHOWING PERCENTAGES IS IN THE APPENDIX.

ENROLLMENT COUNT PERCENTAGE

A78 A89 A90 A78 A89 A90Cert – 1Yr 13 9 6 Cert – 1 Yr 4.6% 3.3% 2.0%Cert – Adv 9 18 15 Cert – Adv 3.2% 6.5% 4.9%Cert – Fndtn 12 11 5 Cert – Fndtn 4.3% 4.0% 1.6%Degrees 246 238 279 Degrees 87.9% 86.2% 91.5%Grand Total 280 276 305

ANNUAL FALL ENROLLMENT: STUDENT-TO-FACULTY RATIO

3.10 The overall student to faculty ratio for the Visual Communications Technology Program is favorable (around 20:1) and has increased steadily over the last three years (2007-8 through 2009-10). This increase reflects demand for the program as well as faculty efforts to improve efficiency of class scheduling. Class capacities (around 20) are dictated by equipment and facility space, placing practical limits on the program’s ability to increase the student-to-faculty ratio.

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S:F Ratio, VCT

0

5

10

15

20

25

A452 A562 A672 A782 A892 A902

S:F Ratio

S:F RATIOS FOR FALL QUARTERS ONLY

STUDENT GENDER: ENROLLMENT COUNT AND PERCENTAGE

3.11 The VCT Program has remarkable gender balance that surpasses many workforce programs. Male students constituted a slight majority in 2009-10 (around 53%). Gender percentages varied slightly in different program options.

3.12 Although the total percentage of females is fairly close to that of males in the VCT Program, the proportion of female students decreased somewhat across all groups of certificates between 2008-9 and 2009-10. Reasons for this are unclear, but might relate to trends for worker retraining students.

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING GRAPHS SHOW ENROLLMENT COUNTS FOR VCT CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES. GRAPHS SHOWING PERCENTAGE OF PROGRAM ENROLLMENT ARE INCLUDED IN THE APPENDIX.

A45 A56 A67 A78 A89 A90S:F Ratio 13.8 15.2 15.0 17.1 17.2 20.1

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STUDENT ETHNICITY: ENROLLMENT COUNT + PERCENTAGE

3.13 In 2009-10 white students comprised the largest percentage in degree options (62%) and foundational certificate options (80%). Targeted marketing pieces supported by Perkins funds might help attract more non-Caucasian students in the future.

3.14 In contrast during 2009-10 non-white students constituted a large majority (84%) in one-year certificate options. During that time, the advanced certificate options showed reasonable balance between white (52%) and non-white students (47%). These are positive indicators that student diversity is significant in the VCT Program.

3.15 A three-year analysis (2007 through 2010) shows some significant trends: one-year certificates -- increase of non-white students (esp. international) foundational and advanced certificates -- increase of white students degrees -- decrease of white students

3.16 Annual enrollment figures for 2009-10 show representation of underserved groups varies with the program option. Non-Caucasian groups with the highest representation are shown below:

One-year certificates - International 34%; Other race 34% Advanced certificates - International 20%; Other race 20%Foundational certificates - Asian/Pacific Island.. 20%Degree options - Asian/Pacific Island. 10%; Other race 15%

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING GRAPHS SHOW ENROLLMENT COUNTS FOR VCT CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES. GRAPHS SHOWING PERCENTAGE OF PROGRAM ENROLLMENT ARE INCLUDED IN THE APPENDIX.

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STUDENT AGE: ENROLLMENT COUNT AND PERCENTAGE

3.17 The Visual Communications Technology Program attracts a broad range of student age groups. In 2009-10 the percentages were similar for students under 30 years and those 30 years and older in the one-year certificates,

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advanced certificates, and degrees. An exception was the foundational certificates which predominantly enrolled younger students (under 30 years).

3.18 For 2009-10 the largest age groups in different program options were:

One-year certificates: 45-49 years (many age groups) Advanced certificates: 20-24 years (many age groups) Foundation certificates: 19-29 years (few age groups) Degrees: 19-29 years (many age groups)

3.19 Significant trends in student age over the last 2 or 3 yrs are listed below:

One-year certificates: big increase of older students (45-49 years) with declines across many other age groups (possibly due to worker retraining)

Advanced certificates: big increase of younger students (20-24 years)with smaller gains across many other age groups

Foundation certificates: big increase in younger students (19-29 years) and sharp decline in students over 30 years

Degrees: increases for many age groups (20 – 49 years)

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING GRAPHS SHOW ENROLLMENT COUNTS FOR VCT CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES. GRAPHS SHOWING PERCENTAGE OF PROGRAM ENROLLMENT ARE INCLUDED IN THE APPENDIX.

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STUDENT ECONOMIC STATUS: ENROLLMENT COUNT + PERCENTAGE

3.20 The number and percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the Visual Communications Technology Program have been increasing. In 2009-10 around 30.51% of students were economically disadvantaged. Compared to 2007-08 this percentage represents a 9% increase (from 21% to 30%).

ENROLLMENT COUNTS PERCENTAGESECON_DISAD A78 A89 A90 A78 A89 A90Y 60 71 93 21.4% 25.7% 30.5%N 220 205 212 78.6% 74.3% 69.5%Totals 280 276 305

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STUDENT ACADEMIC STATUS: ENROLLMENT COUNT + PERCENTAGE

3.21 The number and percentage of Visual Communications Technology students considered to be academically disadvantaged has decreased to the lowest level in the last six years (dropping from 18.9% in 2005-6 to 12.8% in 2009-10).

HEADCOUNT PERCENTAGE

Acad Disadv Y NGrand Total Y N

A78 55 225 280 19.6% 80.4%

A89 42 234 276 15.2%

84.8%

A90 39 266 305 12.8% 87.2%

GRADES: FREQUENCY AND PERCENTAGE BY YEAR

3.22 During 2009-10 the highest percentage was for A grades (49%) and the second highest percentage was for B grades (20%). Both have increased since 2007-8. The next highest frequencies are C, P and NC (no credit) grades.

3.23 A favorable finding is the percentage of failing and no credit grades (F and NC) declined slightly and remained modest (2-5% of student grades). Withdrawal grades (W and Z) also had low frequencies (1-3%) and only fluctuated slightly.

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ENROLLMENT COUNTS PERCENTAGESA78 A89 A90 A78 A89 A90

* 46 55 65 * 3.5% 3.4% 3.5%A 611 771 902 A 46.2% 47.4% 48.8%B 216 327 362 B 16.3% 20.1% 19.6%C 83 105 106 C 6.3% 6.5% 5.7%D 27 29 41 D 2.0% 1.8% 2.2%F 50 37 38 F 3.8% 2.3% 2.1%I 12 12 24 I .9% .7% 1.3%N 6 10 12 N .5% .6% .7%NC 87 96 95 NC 6.6% 5.9% 5.1%P 94 100 106 P 7.1% 6.1% 5.7%V 29 23 19 V 2.2% 1.4% 1.0%W 52 33 52 W 3.9% 2.0% 2.8%Z 10 29 25 Z .8% 1.8% 1.4%

DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES: AWARDS COUNT BY YEAR

3.24 After a drop during 2008-09 in the total number of degrees and certificates awarded by the program, significant increases (50% or higher) occurred in the numbers of VCT degrees and foundational certificates awarded in 2009-10. The aggregate of all degrees and certificates awarded increased 67% between 2008-9 and 2009-10. This is a very dramatic upsurge.

3.25 The largest group of academic awards earned during 2009-10 in the VCT

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Program were the foundational certificates (50%) followed by degrees (20%). Numbers of one-year + advanced certificate awards are much smaller.Although enrollment has been declining for one-year and foundational certificates, the number of awards increased, which points to improved retention.

3.26 Certificates have recently been revised; and approval is pending. Faculty believe that numerous certificates promote marketing and student persistence leading to more “completers” for the program. However, it is advisable to periodically re-evaluate the number of certificates and inactivate those with low completion rates. As an alternative, those could be changed to “Endorsements” or “Concentrations” which don’t count in state statistics for program “completers”.

VCT: Awards By Year

0102030405060708090

Cert_1Yr Cert_Adv Cert_Fndtn Degrees

A78

A89

A90

NOTE: GRAPH SHOWING PERCENTAGES IS IN THE APPENDIX.

FORMER STUDENTS: EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS

3.27 The 2008-9 state estimates of former students indicate moderately favorable employment rates for program completers. This data gives the impression that approximately 25% – 40% (around a third) experience some difficulty finding employment related to their training. However, the state data may under-report student employment which occurs on a freelance basis in this field.

3.28 Employment rates for early leavers are somewhat lower than for completers, but a significant number are able to find employment in the industry.

STATE ESTIMATED EMPLOYMENT RATES

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Early Leavers 08-09 Completers 08-09Digit. Media Web/Multi.

38% (9) 0% (4) 55% (2) 100% (1)

Computer Graphics

63% (18) 61% (9)73% (12)

Graphic Design 100% (2) 100% (1)

3.29 Recently it has been noted that VCT students with worker retraining or similar

funding are finding jobs more quickly. While this is positive for students, it may impact program enrollment negatively if students leave the program earlier. Another possible outcome could be an increasing percentage of worker retraining students attracted to the program because of good job opportunities. Changes in the economy may necessitate adjusting program marketing and retention efforts as tuition costs increase and guaranteed enrollments become more competitive. 

4. CURRICULUM (FAC. REPORT Pg 54).GENERAL OBSERVATIONS4.1 This is one of the most comprehensive VCT programs in the northwest

region of the community college system. Faculty report that the program is seen as “having a breadth of curriculum in both fine arts and technical adaptation that separates (it) from other programs”. The VCT curriculum offers a well integrated set of foundation courses in art and design, computer graphics, visual communication media, business and communications. Students have many opportunities to study diverse areas and pursue specialized studies in the field. Courses and short-term certificates are designed to build on each other (i.e. laddering); and areas of specialization may be added to a two-year degree. The program provides excellent flexibility for students to create their own educational pathways. Many courses are integrated into two or more degree/certificate options, which supports student progress and higher course enrollment.

4.2 The program offers a broad range of courses to serve both academic transfer and workforce training students, as well as students seeking personal enrichment. Numerous academic awards are offered, including five AAAS degrees, two one-year certificates, and 10 short-term certificates (12–23 credits) for students preparing for entry-level employment and incumbent workers seeking upgrade of professional skills. Effective spring quarter 2011, the number of AAAS degrees will be reduced from 5 to 3 (also with AAS-T designations) and curriculum modifications will be implemented for the Marketing AAAS. It has been difficult to manage so many degree options, and this consolidation provides improved curricular efficiency and better alignment with industry trends.

4.3 Each of the new AAAS degrees contains more than 90 credits (95-121

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credits). Although this is not unusual, two of these degrees reach a much higher number of credits than many other two-year professional-technical degrees. This “credit creep” requires more time and money from students; and in combination with increasing costs may contribute to student attrition or slower completion time. Advisory committee members express different views depending on their industry sector. Many indicate that essential workplace skills are more important than the number of credits, but some have observed that the program can’t be everything to everybody.

4.4 The difficulty with credits presents a dilemma described by one instructor as follows: “It is difficult to offer the diversity we do within an industry that has expanded into so many areas and not have issues in this regard – (it is) tough to reduce credits without impacting that which makes us special.” The dean has expressed concern about degrees with a high number of credits for several reasons: (1) these are overly expensive and time-consuming for students; (2) they make it difficult for faculty to add new content into the curriculum; and (3) they impact the program’s ability to compete with other programs offering visual communications degrees closer to 90 credits.

4.5 Regarding course consolidation, a few students (10% of the survey respondents) suggested combining certain courses (especially those with overlap related to printing production including VCT 111, 154, 155, 128, 157, 228, 257). Some advisory committee members have also suggested consolidation of printing-related courses; and VCT faculty are giving this serious consideration. Course titles of VCT 157 and 257 mention “Electronic Prepress”, which is an area that has lost many industry jobs. VCT 157 may be improperly named, because it actually teaches students about “Preflighting” (making sure that digital documents are properly built and do not cause delays or extra costs in the prepress process). An understanding of the “Computer to Press” (CTP) technology is needed by all VCT students; and graphic designers need to know how to produce press-ready content that is trouble free. Faculty is aware of this as they plan for future curriculum revisions.

It might be helpful for the Workforce Education Office to provide support for: (1) a formal DACUM process with industry representatives and (2) a subsequent curriculum planning workshop for VCT faculty. This would help faculty identify the best way to address current and emerging curriculum issues.

4.6 Recent feedback from advisory committee members includes favorable comments and ratings (average 4.0 out of 5 for curriculum alignment with industry needs). Key suggestions for curriculum development include:

More internships (not necessary to wait until second year) More emphasis on interactive media and additional software skills Opportunity for students to analyze samples of agency projects Add training in project management skills Clarify career pathways for students

4.7 All AAAS degrees include separate courses for general education/related instruction in communication, quantitative reasoning, and human relations. The human relations content ranges from 2 to 5 credits; plus the additional requirement for a multicultural course is an excellent feature. Each

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AAAS degree requires 15-20 credits of general education/related instruction which equates to 12% to 21% of total credits. This meets minimum accreditation standards, but the low end (15 credits) is sub-standard compared to the typical two-year associate degree (20% of total credits is considered more appropriate).

4.8 The curriculum is planned for appropriate sequencing and experiential learning (able to do, not just know theory). Prerequisite courses are not required prior to entry; however, recommended prerequisites for some VCT courses are mentioned on planning guides. Opportunities for challenge exams and portfolio review are available to help students seeking entry to advanced courses.

4.9 Four questions about the curriculum have occurred to the consultant: Do students gain sufficient entrepreneurship skill in areas of study that

may lead to freelance or contract work? Why are courses in human relations or customer service not required for

some certificates that list customer service as potential employment? Given the breadth of curriculum content, how can sufficient depth be

provided to meet industry expectations (i.e. mastery of more software sets, teamwork, project management, etc.) while facing constraints in college resources and credits for a two-year degree?

How can the program better prepare graduates to work in the computer game industry, since CIS/CS course offerings have been reduced?

VCT faculty has been struggling with these issues for some time, but they recently reached consensus on moving forward with significant changes that address these concerns (refer to section 4.19 – 4.25 on planned course changes/additions).

4.10 The student survey presents generally positive findings on curriculum: around two-thirds (65%) rate effectiveness of curriculum structure as good

or excellent over three quarters (84%) view study of art and design theory as important

to reaching their career goals over three-quarters (77%) rate the support of their individual learning

needs as good or excellent over half (59%) of surveyed students rate their preparation for

employment as good or excellent.

4.11 Internships are recommended by faculty to give students experience that helpsthem understand industry expectations and compete for jobs. A spring quarter student event (competition) with industry professionals also provides excellent feedback/mentoring to students. Approximately 10-20% of the VCT students complete internships (depending on the quarter and class load). Some students indicate they would like more emphasis and help in understanding expectations of the real-life work environment (i.e. arranging internships and having more contact/guest lectures from professionals in the field). The VCT 111 class and some of the other production classes put students in touch with businesses, which lead to internships. When considering potential course elimination or conversion to online formats, faculty should consider how to preserve business contacts that lead to internships. Although internships are encouraged these are not required for graduation. Obstacles include workload constraints for faculty

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and lack of a college coordinator. Advisory committee members suggest more internships; and their help should be requested to achieve this goal.

4.12 The most frequent recommendations from student surveys are to add more technology-related classes. Examples include website content management, digital video creation/editing, software such as Adobe and MS Apple, design and programming languages, and more advanced classes in Maya and animation. It is uncertain whether college budget constraints can support this expansion.

4.13 Guidance for career planning receives mixed ratings from current students (29% rate it as good or excellent; and 30% rate it as adequate). There are indications that some students believe they need more help with career planning. In addition, around half of the survey respondents were not aware of the existence of VCT short-term and one-year certificates.

4.14 Integration of music tech students and VCT students is limited. Increased contact with music technology students could be beneficial for selected projects; however, this might require changes in curriculum sequencing and philosophic alignment of faculty between programs.

DISTANCE LEARNING4.15 Only one class (VCT 124 – MAC) is offered in an online format. Faculty has a

workforce grant to support development of more hybrid and fully online courses; and they are evaluating classes for potential conversion to online delivery. With consideration for student preferences, faculty selected several introductory courses for conversion to a hybrid format: Art 201 (Graphic Design I), VCT 128 (Indesign), VCT 135 (Flash I), and VCT 136 (Photoshop). Other classes with hands-on components might be converted to a hybrid format, but faculty is reticent about teaching technical skills in fully online courses. Many VCT students do not deal well with software problems, and faculty intends to compare results for classes taught in both face-to-face and hybrid formats.

4.16 Student survey responses indicate that many do not favor distance learning. Only one fourth (25%) say they are likely to take hybrid classes offered in the VCT program; and another 40% are ambivalent but might consider some of these. Student responses are even less favorable about fully online courses (only 17% are likely to enroll and another 25% are ambivalent). They identify computer-based courses (VCT 134, 136, 175, etc.) as most desirable for a hybrid format. Introductory courses (such as VCT 111, 124, 125) are mentioned by a few students as their most preferred VCT courses for a fully online format. The vast majority of survey respondents (82%) indicated they would NOT consider enrolling in a VCT program taught entirely or mostly online.

RECENT COURSE MODIFICATIONS 4.17 The VCT curriculum has evolved over the last few years due to changing

technologies and market demands. Faculty should be commended for curriculum modifications which required a 3-year intensive, collaborative process. Results included updated planning guides and master course outlines, a reduction of AAAS degrees from 5 to 3 (also with AAS-T designations), the addition of a one-year certificate of proficiency, and revision/updating of

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the Marketing AAAS. These new VCT degrees reflect employee/employee feedback about common practices in the industry. Software development and technology has dictated the merging of software applications for foundational breadth and mastery of skills. It was not necessary to create new degrees, but rather to merge similar degrees that crossed over in many courses. 

4.18 The latest changes (approved in January 2011) are shown below:A. The already existing VCT programs: Graphic Design (AAAS) and Digital

Image Production (AAAS) have been merged and replaced by the following program: VCT: Graphic Design and Production Art (AAAS )

Due to the above change the following already existing options have been moved to be options to the primary program Graphic Design and Production Art (AAAS): VCT: Foundation w/ Customized Specialization (Cert) VCT: Visual Communications Foundation (Cert)

B. The already existing VCT programs: Digital Arts and Imagery (AAAS) and Digital Interactive Media (AAAS) have been merged and replaced by the following program: VCT: Animation and Video for Multimedia (AAAS)

Due to the above change the following already existing options have been moved to be options to the primary VCT program: Animation and Video for Multimedia (AAAS): VCT: Web Design Introduction (Cert) VCT: Web Dev w/emphasis in Web Design (Cert)

C. The already existing VCT program for Marketing (AAAS) has been grandfathered in as a primary program; and curriculum modifications have been approved.

D. For existing AAAS degrees the following AAS-T degrees have been added: VCT: Animation and Video for Multimedia (AAAS + AAS-T) VCT: Graphic Design and Production Art (AAAS + AAS-T) VCT: Marketing (AAAS)

PLANNED COURSE CHANGES/ADDITIONS4.19 Faculty demonstrates a strong commitment to ongoing curriculum

improvement and innovation. Effective spring quarter 2011 three new AAAS degrees (consolidated from 5) will be available along with AAS-T designations and two new one-year certificates. Faculty is now considering future revisions for the Marketing degree to “become more relevant for the entrepreneurial student looking for more business background”. This is very appropriate considering the growth of contract-based jobs in the field of visual communications technology.

4.20 In addition, some short-term certificates have recently been revised and are moving through the approval process.

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4.21 Faculty is interested in developing an option for Digital Game Art by partnering with another program that offers the programming side to the degree. An existing set of courses could be molded into a “Game Art” certificate, but two or three new courses would also be needed to cover game design and structure, game history, character rigging/animation, and illustration style.

4.22 Faculty acknowledges that more room is needed in the curriculum in order to add new content. Since credits are already high, discussions are underway about possible credit reductions or consolidation of courses as described below:

Develop a foundational degree with some specialization (closer to 90 credits, “do-able” in six quarters), and then offer advanced certificates beyond 90 credits for additional skills.

Consolidate and develop hybrid courses for VCT degree tracks including Graphic Design, Technical software (Adobe Creative Suite), Interactive Multimedia/Animation, Video, and Print Production.

Reduce the sequence of print production courses (VCT 111, 154, 155, 157, 257) to the following 3 classes with new titles and new content from other VCT areas that could also be consolidated:

VCT 111 – Survey of Media Production ) VCT 157 – Graphic Arts Workflow Processes VCT 155 – Digital Output Processes

Faculty agreed that the term “production” refers to more than just printing; and therefore a survey class would include other types (Web/multimedia, animation and video, etc.) VCT 111 might be taught in hybrid format and include six field trips to area businesses representing different areas of the visual communications industry in Seattle. This would give students excellent exposure to current industry settings, help them with career planning, and possibly increase the potential for more internships.

VCT 157 would include a variety of topics including project management, preflighting/troubleshooting, etc. and might be taught as hybrid and/or fully online which could provide on-the-job training for new print buyers and print customer service reps worldwide. VCT 155 would cover standard devices and new innovations for outputting digital content. This course is important for two reasons: (1) every designer needs to understand digital output, and (2) these output devices are generating many new start-up business opportunities for entrepreneurs (i.e. custom heat transfer for apparel, signage for storefront windows, etc.).

4.23 VCT faculty recognize that entrepreneurship training is increasingly important in an industry where the agency model is outdated and is being replaced by more freelance, contract work. They are considering creation of an additional short-term certificate as a stand-alone online sequence, or as supplemental training after completion of a one-year certificate or two-year degree. This is an excellent option to help students learn about setting up a business, getting licensed, bookkeeping, tax preparation, customer service, and legal issues. Partnering with the Business Administration Program could be helpful in this regard.

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4.24 VCT faculty plan to collaborate with Film/Video and Photography programs to improve coordination of respective course offerings. This is an excellent idea considering converging technologies and labor market needs.

4.25 Faculty has surveyed students about their interest in an advanced VCT degree. Although this is not a high priority at the present time, current students revealed 62% were likely or very likely to stay in the program and pursue a four-year applied baccalaureate degree if offered by Shoreline Community College.

5. FACULTY (FAC. REPORT Pg 56)

SUFFICIENCY OF FT AND PT FACULTY5.1 It is noteworthy that the survey of current students included 37 comments (65% of

respondents) that specifically mentioned faculty as a program strength. This positive viewpoint is also expressed by advisory committee members and the division dean. Faculty report the present combination of full and part-time instructors brings a rich diversity of knowledge, experience, and talent to the program. All part-time instructors are currently working in the field; and their expertise enables them to lead advanced and specialized classes. This excellent mix of instructors works diligently to collaborate as a team in order to “coordinate in all aspects of the program” and stay abreast of changes in their field. Their dedication, communication, and planning promote continued quality and viability of this program.

5.2 Integration with the art program is evidenced by communication among full-time faculty and cross-over for course requirements. This improves curriculum cohesiveness and supports students taking courses in both programs.

5.3 The program has three full-time VCT faculty members, one of whom recently received tenured status. It is extremely fortunate that the third full-time VCT instructor position has been retained, because it is essential for the stability of this large program.

5.4 Full-time instructors typically teach 3 classes per quarter (35.26% for each class equals 105% load). The ART/VCT contact hour base is 17, but VCT faculty are teaching 18 contact hours which is within the faculty contract band to not be compensated. This workload is similar for many professional-technical faculty, which exceeds the requirement for academic transfer faculty. VCT faculty are giving back to the college by working 18 hours while getting paid for 17 per week; however, they also have the opportunity to add moonlight assignments which provide more income for full-time faculty.

5.5 The total annualized load taught by 3 full-time faculty during 2009-10 was around 62% of the total teaching effort during the academic year (Fall, Wtr, Spr - excluding summer quarter). Although this is a favorable ratio of full-time to part-time faculty, it includes overloads (moonlight assignments) for full-time instructors.

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5.6 In addition, six part-time instructors taught a total annualized load equal to 2.2 annualized full-time equivalent faculty (excluding summer). Combining AnFTEF for full-time and part-time faculty during the academic year (excludng summer) gives a total of 5.8 full-time equivalent faculty teaching in the VCT Program during 2009-10 (excluding summer). This demonstrates a favorable proportion of part-time faculty (around 38%). Granting tenure to the third full-time instructor is a positive step to maintain stability in this large program with a comprehensive and dynamic curriculum.

RESOURCES FOR COORDINATION WORK 5.7 Program chairs have been eliminated, but administrative support is provided by a

Program Manager for Visual and Performing Arts (refer to Resources section 6.4). The three full-time VCT faculty work as a team, however there is no faculty lead other than a liaison with the advisory committee. The program would benefit by having one full-time instructor designated to provide leadership for the rogram in order to clarify roles and ensure efficient planning and problem-solving.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY5.8 Visual communications technology faculty are continually obliged to learn

new technologies for the industry and for online instruction. VCT classes are often scheduled for larger blocks of time, which makes it difficult for faculty to participate in professional development offerings, college committees, and department meetings. This causes a degree of professional isolation.

5.9 Professional development funds are ensured by the faculty negotiated agreement ($ 450 per year for each full-time instructor) and some funding is available from the Workforce Education Office. This financial support is helpful, but is not sufficient to support the cost of expensive courses for professional upgrade in changing technologies and industry practices.

FACULTY Annualized FTEF Fall 2009 – Spring 2010 Fall 2009 – Spring 2010

Full-Time Faculty - 3 3.63/yr (incld. overloads)

Part-Time Faculty – 6 2.22/yrTotal FTF + PTF 5.85 AnFTEF (F,W,Sp)

Ratio FTF to PTF (FWS) 63% FTF to 37% PTF

Summer 2010 Summer 2010

Part-Time Faculty - 3 .47 AnFTEF (Sum only)

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6. RESOURCES (FAC. REPORT Pg 56)

ADEQUACY OF FISCAL RESOURCES6.1 Faculty, staff, and administrators work diligently to support and improve the VCT

Program. Fiscal resources are tight due to ongoing budget reductions for the college, which makes it problematic to fund additional expenditures. A primary source of income is the state general fund operating budget. Supplemental support comes from federal workforce education funds (i.e. Carl Perkins and worker retraining allocations to the college) for a variety of purposes including professional and curriculum development. Adobe software suite licenses have been supported by worker retraining or Perkins funds

6.2 In addition, the program maximizes use of revenue from various student fees. VCT fees cover actual expenses for the VCT print shop, packets, printing cards, copier, and individual software and boutique. SCC computer lab fees support 3-year rotation of CPU hardware, which has been very helpful. Computer lab aides are paid by TSS student technology fees.

6.3 Some class clustering has occurred to support student progression and efficient use of instructional resources in the program. Disadvantages include more stress/work for faculty and less guidance for students.

6.4 The VCT Program is well served by a Program Manager, who performs a broad range of essential duties to support visual and performing arts programs. In past years a program chair served the Art, Art History, Humanities, and VCT programs as a whole. The VCT Program has never been granted their own chair with responsibilities exclusively assigned to VCT. Since program chairs have been eliminated, more administrative and coordinating duties have been handled by the Program Manager for visual and performing arts. The VCT faculty report says “necessary functions are now added to faculty responsibilities and further stress the personnel needed to keep the program healthy.” In contrast to this viewpoint, the consultant has been informed that necessary functions perceived as additional duties are actually considered to be faculty duties inherent with a professional technical program (i.e. student recruitment, staying current with industry outcomes, liaison activities, labor market surveys, etc.). This matter warrants discussion with the division dean to clarify expectations and needs.

6.5 Faculty indicates that limited time is the most critical resource issue for the VCT Program. They reflect the belief that reduced support staff increases faculty workload and limits time for essential professional development and non-instructional duties.

6.6 Professional development funds provided by the faculty agreement are helpful but insufficient to meet faculty needs for professional certification which can be very expensive.

6.7 The college foundation has not been approached about conducting fund raising for faculty professional development, but this is worth exploring in the future.

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PAST YEAR COSTS VERSUS FTES EARNED 6.8 Instructional costs (faculty salary and benefits) for the most recent complete

academic year (2009-10) in the VCT Program totaled approximately $ 370,771. Based on a total of 299 annualized FTES generated in state-funded courses during 2009-10, the estimated instructional costs (i.e. total faculty salaries and benefits divided by total AnFTES) was around $ 1,240 per annualized FTES. This cost is less than many other professional technical programs at the college, which indicates instructional efficiency.

6.9 The annual operating budget for goods and services combines a number of instructional areas (Art, Art History, Humanities, VCT, Drama, Film); and therefore individual program expenses are not easily determined. Budgeted amounts for goods and services are similar to those for capital equipment (around $ 4,400).Good planning has ensured ongoing upgrade of essential hardware and software, but the impact of future budget reductions is uncertain.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, SPACE, + LAB EQUIPMENT 6.10 The Visual Arts Center houses all fine arts and technical arts (plus art history and

other humanities classes). This facility was designed for these instructional programs and provides an appropriate learning environment that promotes student networking between disciplines and collaborative learning.

6.11 VCT faculty, students, and advisory committee members appreciate the cutting edge technology and facilities that rival or surpass many other programs in the region. Ongoing support and upgrade for software and hardware has become very stable, which is a great benefit to this program. However, there are still two significant challenges: Computer networking in the VCT building was not planned for expansion Hardware and software upgrades do not align with the predictable budget

cycles at the collegeAdditional costs have occurred to replace switches in order to add more ports. Also, license renewal at the wrong time can be a waste of money.

6.12 The survey of current students shows generally favorable ratings for program resources including information technology, equipment, space, and supplies (71% rate resources as good or excellent). Around one fourth (24%) are less satisfied, especially with lab hours and number of available open lab computers. VCT classes require considerable studio time and project development time outside of regular class meetings. The one open lab is often insufficient to meet this student need; and therefore faculty try to make room for students if there are open seats during their class times. The program needs another MAC-based computer lab in the VCT building with 10 or 12 work stations. Outside of the VCT building there are some MAC computers, but they lack the necessary software.

6.13 A survey of current advisory committee members reveals a high rating (4.6 out of 5) for adequacy of program facilities and resources.

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7. SCHEDULE OF CLASSES (FAC. REPORT Pg 58) ALIGNMENT WITH NEEDS OF TARGET POPULATION 7.1 Faculty put considerable thought into developing a coordinated schedule of

classes that maximizes use of available facilities from early morning until mid-evening and minimizes potential conflicts. The VCT program shares facilities with the fine arts program; and class schedules integrate course offerings from both programs. Students can schedule courses over a two day period each week and have time for other commitments such as employment and family obligations.

7.2 The survey of current students shows more than half (55%) of respondents rate class schedules as good or excellent in meeting student needs. While this is a favorable finding, there is concern that around a third of respondents indicate time conflicts for VCT class schedules occur frequently; and another 25% of respondents report conflicts occur occasionally. Class schedule difficulty has occurred for required VCT courses and advanced courses, especially those offered once per year. The faculty report states: “Many students will have difficulty keeping their focus on one degree planning sheet and opt to take electives that are not required; thus resulting in a class conflict and a tough decision. They often want to take more courses rather than fewer to prepare themselves for industry.”

7.3 Planning guides for one-year certificates provide examples of recommended course sequencing to help students with academic planning; and the website provides an annual class schedule for reference. It appears that students do not routinely use these references when planning quarter class schedules. It might be helpful to provide more obvious reminders about courses offered only once per year (coding these on planning guides) and to highlight a statement that taking non-required courses may lead to class schedule conflicts. Enrollment patterns may change as students begin new degree options; and faculty should seek student feedback in the future to guide construction of class schedules.

7.4 About one third of VCT courses are offered only once per year; and students who enter after fall quarter encounter more class schedule conflicts. Faculty is aware of this, but faces budget and facility constraints that make it difficult to add more class sections. Class sizes in computer-based and technical lab courses are limited by available space and equipment.

7.5 Increased enrollment has led to expanded class wait lists (more in first year courses). It is not uncommon for students to be turned away because classes cannot accommodate them. This was very apparent spring quarter 2010 (total of 80 students on wait lists). Although wait lists are prevalent, faculty hesitates to add sections because they fear it might draw students away from other sections and cause cancellations. Enrollment management policies have necessarily become more restrictive due to severe budget cuts; and faculty feels pressure to increase class caps. In response to student demand, significant class overloads have occurred (i.e. 5 extra students in software classes and 10 or more extra students in design classes). Sometimes there are not enough seats or

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workstations for individual use; and students find it necessary to bring their own laptop computers to class.

7.6 Very few class cancellations occur, but class clustering has been utilized to maximize enrollment, instructional efficiency, and student progression since the college cannot afford to run smaller, under-filled classes. These are appropriate goals, but this strategy has disadvantages including more stress for faculty and less instructor interaction with students than solo classes. Some clustering of classes has resulted in pronounced overloads (ex: VCT 134 + 234 had 29 students despite a class cap of 20); and this situation creates problems for teaching and learning.

7.7 Future development of online and hybrid courses could improve course access for students with jobs or family obligations. Also, it might reduce class schedule conflicts. However, most students surveyed indicated they would not enroll in a VCT program taught entirely or mostly online.

8. PARTNERSHIPS (FAC. REPORT Pg 59)

ACTIVE PARTNERS 8.1 The VCT Advisory Committee regularly provides feedback on various program

elements. Membership was recently updated and comprises a large committee with 17 industry representatives (6 employers, 10 employees, and one labor rep). The majority of committee members have participated in the last two years: 24% regularly (4); 52% occasionally (9); and 24% never (4). Inactive members should be removed from the committee. The roster shows a mix of new and veteran members who represent different sectors of the industry. Membership is predominantly male; and more diversity would be beneficial. Full-time faculty and part-time instructors currently working in the field attend meetings regularly and actively engage in discussion with committee members.

8.2 Advisory committee members gave favorable reviews of advisory committee effectiveness. They provided a few, miscellaneous suggestions including more frequent contact and earlier agenda items. Members contribute many ideas and faculty makes an effort to implement most suggestions. Sometimes the diversity of industry representatives makes it challenging to reach consensus on program priorities or curriculum changes since the program covers so many areas in the field. Support for the program typically involves advice on curriculum and current labor market needs, along with internships, mentoring, and hiring graduates. This could be expanded to include donating equipment, sharing current samples of agency projects, and increasing internship opportunities.

8.3 The VCT Program maintains an excellent variety of other partnerships: Employers seeking interns and job applicants from the program Field trips to digital print industry locations Study abroad opportunities Mentoring projects/competitions involving industry employees and employers Involvement and networking with professional organizations

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High school liaison (Edmonds School District Media Advisory Committee) Participation in Washington Interactive Network (local industry developments)

8.4 Articulation agreements have been developed with several area schools including Evergreen State University (upside down 2+2 degree) and Lake Washington Technical College (applied baccalaureate degree).

TARGETED NEW BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY PARTNERS 8.5 Internship opportunities necessitate more partnering with local employers

and artists in the community to provide coordinated education/training for students. Help from the advisory committee is essential to develop this network of placement sites.

8.6 New partnerships and articulation agreements will be explored utilizing the Five Star Consortium (especially with regards to the computer game industry).

9. SUPPORT SERVICES (FAC. REPORT Pg 60)

COORDINATION WITH SUPPORT SERVICES 9.1 Numerous support services are utilized by the VCT program and its students.

Technical Support Services (TSS) supports classroom teaching through a technician with specialized expertise in VCT-specific set ups. While the quality of technical services is good, there is only one individual who is well prepared to solve VCT technical issues. No backup replacement is fully trained for this service, which leaves the instructional program potentially vulnerable if the primary technician is unavailable for an extended period of time. VCT faculty indicates the need for improved collaboration with TSS.(especially for installation and maintenance of the ADOBE suite).

9.2 Lack of institutional support for program marketing and improvement of the college website are serious issues for the VCT Program. It is truly embarrassing for a visual arts program to be represented by a website without high quality design features that are are not appealing, stimulating or user-friendly. Also, more funding and staff assistance are needed to improve program visibility and attract more students through professional strategies for marketing and branding. Faculty is being encouraged to increase program enrollment, but they need help overcoming obstacles (Public Information Office); and more time is needed to do marketing and community outreach. Requesting help from advisory committee members might be a low-cost alternative. Also, workforce funds might be available to support some materials and activities.

9.3 The technician overseeing the college print shop provides instructionalsupport for VCT production classes. This operation is essential for VCT students to complete their degrees.

9.4 Valuable support service is also provided by the Program Manager for Visual and Performing Arts. This individual performs a broad range of services to

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assist students on a daily basis, maintain facilities/technology, support department communication, and handle many administrative functions that are essential for program operation. Also, she provides liaison with service-specific offices outside VCT (financial aid, registration, workforce education). Since this employee has been assigned responsibility for additional programs, there is less time to support the VCT Program.

EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPPORT SERVICES 9.5 A survey of current students shows around half (47%) of respondents find that

academic advising meets their needs (rated as excellent or good). The Humanities Advisor is available to all students; and VCT full-time faculty provides individual advising during posted office hours. VCT faculty has made a concerted effort to improve advising services by more availability on Fridays, cross-training for all certificates and degrees, and a specialized advising bulletin board to post the most current planning sheets, announcements, and information on general college services for students.

9.6 A smaller group (32%) of student respondents rated academic advising services as fair and their comments indicate some unmet needs. However, faculty find that many VCT students seek advising at the last minute, don’t plan on an annual basis, and take courses of interest that are not required. VCT students might benefit from more reminders on the website and planning guides about the annual class schedule, as well as causes of class schedule conflicts (example: coding courses on planning guides that are offered once or twice per year). Forms for annual academic planning might also help students avoid problems.

9.7 Faculty indicates student advising loads are heavy for both current and potential students. Since demand for these services is difficult to meet, faculty is considering group advising sessions to efficiently serve more students.

9.8 Referrals to advising, tutoring, and counseling services as well as the Office of Special Services occur frequently and have been utilized by many VCT students.

The student survey indicates the majority are satisfied with other support services (lab assistance for equipment/software, computer/software/server reliability, tutoring, financial aid, and counseling).

GAPS IDENTIFIED 9.9 Career guidance and job search information is provided through Work Source

and the Worker Retraining Office, plus interaction with VCT faculty. The student survey indicates the majority (59%) of respondents think there is adequate or good career guidance. For the remainder of respondents (23%) there is a desire for more assistance in this area. This might be addressed by including more content in the curriculum, website, or mentoring activities.

9.10 A very big issue for the VCT program is the “open door policy” that allows enrollment of students who cannot comprehend or perform required work (i.e. brain injury, behavior disorders, etc.). Faculty report instances where severely disruptive student behavior has caused other students to leave or feel unsafe. Faculty was told by the VP for Student Services that nothing can be done because these students have a right to be there. Thus, faculty has considered

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establishing an admission requirement (such as portfolio review). Further investigation is needed to determine whether the Office of Special Services can provide needed support. Also, a discussion with other personnel referring these students is needed to explain program requirements. If these strategies do not resolve the problem, then an admission requirement may be the best option.

10. REVENUE POTENTIAL (FAC. REPORT pg 62) POSSIBILITIES FOR REVENUE GENERATION10.1 Full-time faculty is “maxed out” with their day to day duties, and they find it

difficult to accept additional responsibilities such as grants and contracts.  However, the following strategies could be workable for generating more revenue (might require participation of part-time faculty): Offer workshops on specialized skills for identified populations Contracts with businesses for employee upgrade/continuing education Contract with 5-star consortium to provide printing services Increase online or hybrid course offerings

10.2 Another suggestion is to offer vacant seats in regular classes to students seeking non-credit options. While this might be possible, it is problematic due to increased classroom management duties for faculty.

10.3 Facility rental has been discussed as a possible revenue stream, but this is not practical. Renters would interfere with high student use of the facilities and would be very disruptive to the instructional program. Further, a variety of security issues (i.e. network, hardware, etc.) would have to be addressed.

10.4 The new Marketing AAAS option is designed around business aspects of the VCT industry. Internship experiences might focus on revenue generation for the college and program. Perhaps visual art fairs could be coordinated to give students an opportunity to practice event management and merchandising techniques. Sponsorships could support raffles of donated prizes and tax-free proceeds would create income streams back to the college and program. This approach is planned for the new Music Technology Marketing degree; and collaboration between programs might prove beneficial.

11. THE VIRTUAL COLLEGE (FAC. REPORT Pg 63)

11.1 VCT faculty is developing plans to support the president’s vision for increasing the number of online courses in all areas. Only one hybrid course (VCT 124) is offered at this time, but many students complete general education courses or electives as online or hybrid courses. Faculty intends to convert some theory courses to online delivery, with consideration for student preferences shown in the recent survey. Currently all the faculty are developing at least one course per quarter in a hybrid format. VCT courses presently convey a lot of information through Blackboard and their server configuration, so designating these as hybrid

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courses would formalize current practices. Most technology-based courses and those with applied skills will continue to require some face-to-face instruction.

11.2 The VCT program can increase the number of classes offered in an online or hybrid format, but it will take time for course development and professional development. Faculty expresses concern about the time constraints they face.

11.3 Some VCT students surveyed are interested in distance learning, but they definitely prefer hybrid versus fully online courses as shown below:

Hybrid courses (25% favorable + 40% ambivalent) Fully online courses (17% favorable + 25% ambivalent)

In addition, the majority (82%) indicate that they would not enroll if the VCT program was taught mostly or entirely online. Likewise, advisory committee members are somewhat supportive of hybrid or online courses, but 100% of those surveyed were opposed to a VCT program that is primarily online.

11.4 Students believe theory based subjects and courses that do not require hands-on use of specialized equipment would work best in a fully online or hybrid format. Computer-based courses (VCT 134, 136, 175, etc.) are seen as most desirable for a hybrid format. Introductory courses (VCT 111, 124, 125) are mentioned by a few students as most preferred for a fully online format.

12. COMPETITION (FAC. REPORT Pg 63)

STRENGTHS:12.1 This program distinguishes itself by offering a comprehensive curriculum with

many courses that represent various sectors of the industry. The range of options combined with flexibility and open admission every quarter keeps the program competitive. Graphic design and “front-end production” are major areas of focus in the program. All VCT degrees feature integration of fine arts and technology with a strong emphasis on foundational design skills. Breadth of the program is supported by experienced faculty, current software/hardware, plus experiential learning and practical application throughout the curriculum.

12.2 Diverse degree and certificate options reflect industry input and emerging trends. Students are prepared for a wide range of employment opportunities including positions in graphic design, web and interactive media, print media, media production, animation and video (including digital gaming and film industries), and marketing (including advertising). The curriculum will be strengthened by updated degrees beginning spring quarter 2011 as well as future development of hybrid and online courses.

12.3 Primary reasons that students select this program instead of attending other colleges include convenient location and the broad range of courses with flexible options (degrees and certificates). Other reasons are the reasonable cost and financial aid (especially worker retraining). More than half (51%) of students surveyed heard about the program from word-of-mouth and referrals, while another third (31%) used the website.

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12.4 Student surveys give a strong indication that most (83%) are likely to recommend this program to others. It is also noteworthy that two-thirds of student respondents identified faculty as a major strength of this program. This view is shared by the advisory committee.

WEAKNESSES12.5 Competition for VCT students in the community college system exists in

the local area; however, some of the closest colleges (Edmonds, North Seattle, and Seattle Central) have recently reduced offerings which might cause more students to attend Shoreline C.C. North Seattle C.C. is not a strong competitor due to limited visual communications courses. Greater competition comes from Edmonds C.C., Seattle Central C.C., and Lake Washington Technical College which offer focused VCT courses, degrees, and certificates. Edmonds C.C. has more advanced courses related to game design/development. Lake Washington Technical College offers many VCT certificates including computer game development, two AAS degrees, plus the applied bachelor’s degree designed for working adults (hybrid, online, and evening courses). Offering more hybrid VCT courses at Shoreline C.C. might increase the competitive edge of the program.

Community or Tech. College

Degrees Certificates Evening Courses

Distance Learning

Edmonds ATA-Visual Communic (105cr)

Computer Game Dev (63-66cr)Visual Com-Graphic Design (18 cr)Visual Com-Multimedia (17 cr)Visual Com-Video Prod (17 cr)

Yes-some

No

Yes-some

No

Online-all

No

Everett AFA-Graphic Design(91-102cr)ATA-Multimedia Design (96-99 cr)

Graphic Design (43-53cr) or (15-18cr)Digital Illustration (42-53cr) or (15-18cr)Web Design (47-58cr) or (15-18cr)

No No

Lake Wash AAS-Multimedia Design + Production (98 cr)AAS-Video & Web Prod (97 cr)AAS-Animation/Game Design (102 cr)BTAD-Bac. In Tech Art Design (AAAS + 90 cr)

Web Design (77 cr)Print Design (71 cr)Video&WebProd (82 cr)Web Specialty(17-18 cr)Dig Audio/Video Editing (15 cr)Print Specialty(17-18 cr)Illustrator/Photoshop Specialty (15 cr)Web Page Developmnt (16-18 cr)Web Server App (15cr)`

Yes-some Hybrid + Online

North Seattle AAS-T Communication, Business, & Media (95 cr)

Com+Media Arts (50 cr)Commun, Bus & Media (45 cr)

Yes -some No

Seattle Central AAS-Commercial Photography (119 cr)AAS-Graphic Design (120 cr)AAS-Film+Video Com (103 cr)

Commercial Photog Cert +AAS-T (105 cr)Graphic Design (108 cr)Publishing Arts (54 cr)

No No

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AAS-T-Web Design (89 cr) Web Design (66 cr)

12.6 The Shoreline Community College VCT Program also faces competition from private schools (The Art Institute, Digipen, etc.) and public four-year schools, but these pose less threat because they are far more expensive.

12.7 Some advisory committee members have identified a need for more in-depth training related to interactive media (i.e. animation and video degree). They point out that the computer game industry is strong, but requires more software training and programming to make graduates competitive. Faculty has been exploring curricular expansion related to game design, but this type of program growth is inhibited by reduced CIS offerings. Video game development occurs primarily on the PC windows platform; and CIS/CS offerings at the college have been greatly reduced. If the college cannot add more computer science courses, then it will not be possible to offer a full game design/development option which competes well with programs in local community colleges or private programs. An alternative is to articulate with colleges who offer computer programming options; however, faculty has limited time to do this research and development.

13. PROGRAM ACCESS (FAC. REPORT Pg 64)

13.1 The VCT Program is extremely flexible and supports open entry every quarter without restrictive admission requirements (i.e. portfolio review, prerequisite courses, etc.). Students can chose from a variety of first quarter classes to create their schedule; and they can select from many options (degrees and certificates) for academic transfer, career advancement or personal enrichment.

13.2 The VCT Program draws a mix of racially diverse students, but Caucasian students comprise the largest percentage of overall program enrollment (around 62% in degrees and 80% in foundational certificates during 2009-10). Annual enrollment figures (student headcount) for 2009-10 show representation of diverse groups varies with the program option. The highest percentage of non-Caucasian students occurs for one-year certificates (84%) with a significant increase in international students and various ethnicities during 2009-10. Advanced certificates also attract student diversity, with about half reported as non-Caucasian.

13.3 The program has achieved exceptional gender balance (around 53% overall), but this varies somewhat across different options. However, during the last two years the percentage of female students has declined somewhat for certificates.

13.4 A broad range of age groups is evident for the various degree options. One-year certificates serve a larger percentage of older students (45-49 years), which relates to unemployment and availability of worker retraining benefits. Somewhat younger students 19-29 years are the largest age group (around 50%) in other areas (degrees, foundation certificates, + advanced certificates).

13.5 Economically disadvantaged students have increased up to 30%, which may be a reflection of increased college costs. It is encouraging that these students still have access to the VCT Program.

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13.6 Academically disadvantaged students have decreased dramatically (down to 13%) in the last three years. Reasons for the trend are unclear at this time.

13.7 Students who commute longer distances, are employed, or have family obligations would benefit from more hybrid or online course offerings that provide more convenient access to some VCT courses.

14. LABOR MARKET OPPORTUNITIES (FAC. REPORT Pg 65)

INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES 14.1 Advisory committee members indicate the visual communications industry is

experiencing tremendous change brought about by technology and economic trends. They note large design firms have declined and more marketing efforts occur in the online environment. Information from the Print Council confirms that the print industry is in a time of evolution and transition, but it still plays a major role in the new era of integrated marketing (coordinated print and digital media). Statistics show increasing use of direct mailing (including ad inserts and print catalogs) which brings a good return on investment for companies.

14.2 The number of employee positions has declined in traditional printing and illustration, while positions related to web-based, interactive media and the computer gaming/video industry have increased. The industry is seeking workers with specialized skill sets who can participate in collaborative team projects. Besides the requisite technical skills, employees need soft skills related to collaboration, communication, and problem-solving. Demand for project management skills is increasing, but this is not taught in the VCT Program.

14.3 Free access to the internet has dramatically altered the distribution system; and more workers operate on a freelance basis as independent contractors. This is difficult to track and quantify; however, the visual communications field is a large industry with many occupations for graduates to pursue. Small companies and entrepreneurial owners can be successful if they have specific knowledge in Flash/action scripting and editing to procure competitive contracts.

14.4 Advisory committee meeting minutes describe an increasingly competitive job market that requires persistence for entry-level job searches. Graduates need to be flexible and continuous learners since software is constantly changing. Artists need to self-publish and promote themselves, which requires entrepreneur skills. Some job prospects are better outside of Seattle, especially as the marketplace is becoming more global. Professional, customized portfolios are critical in the hiring process; and thus VCT faculty has placed a stronger emphasis on these. Faculty also encourages internships which are very important to help students gain real-life experience about the ways people make a living in this industry and develop a network of professional contacts.

EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS14.5 The Workforce Explorer (Washington State labor market website) places service

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industries among the fastest growing (projections to 2030). Professional and business services are predicted to increase by approximately 4.5%. This has favorable implications for visual communication technology students seeking employment related to advertising and other business-support services such as packaging design, website development, etc.

14.6 According to Workforce Explorer the following occupations are in demand in the Seattle-King County area (data updated in 2010). All of these are projected to have positive ten year growth (2008-18) in Washington State:

Occupational Areas WA State Projected Growth 2008-18

Art Director 13.9% Artists + Related Workers 14.2% Computer Specialists 7.1% Graphic Designers 9.0% Marketing Managers 12.1% Media + Communic. Wrkers 8.3% Multimed Artists+Animators 18.5%

The above occupations are reported to have favorable compensation. Graphic designers and media/communication workers earn an annual average around $54,000-55,000 with a bachelor’s degree. Higher salaries are reported for multimedia artists/animators ($66,000 or more per year) as well as art directors and marketing managers. Besides employee positions, entrepreneurs will also find global business opportunities through digital technologies and the internet.

14.7 Recent developments indicate an improved job market in the Seattle area for VCT students. Worker retraining students are finding jobs more readily and employer requests for VCT interns are increasing.

14.8 According to Workforce Explorer the following occupations are in decline.These are projected to decrease around 4% or more in the short-term (2011-13) for the Pacific Northwest region. Projected ten year declines (2008-18) will be much higher as shown below:

Occupational Areas WA State Projected Decline 2008-18

Desktop Publishers - 8.1%

The visual communications industry is changing as automated processes reduce the number of employees in some sectors. Print production is not going away and print plants remain busy, but development of “Direct-to-Plate” systems has eliminated the need for multiple people in prepress departments. This explains statistics which project more than a 20% decline in jobs for Print/Prepress over the next ten years. However, VCT students still need a sound understanding of print production and correct file preparation, which is important in the workplace.

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CONSULTANT’S ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS

Institutional IssuesInstitutional issues are apparent in some of the program findings. The following items warrant administrative attention at the college:

ASSESSMENT Support for faculty professional development and activities related to

ongoing assessment of program outcomes, including systems for follow up of former students (workforce and transfer) * (see NOTE)

Criteria and tracking system to assess general education outcomes

PROGRAM INFORMATION Difficulty updating content and improving functionality of college website

(hard to navigate)

STUDENT DATA TRENDS Accuracy of student intent codes for validity of statistical data

RESOURCES Funding prof-tech faculty development for current certifications

Elimination of program chairs

SUPPORT SERVICES Limited support for coordinating external internships

Inadequate marketing for prof-tech programs is very serious. More financial support and professional level expertise are needed to improve effectiveness of the college website and provide a high end visual presence for the VCT Program. The college needs personnel with specialized skills in graphic design and marketing to plan and implement integrated strategies that will attract more students. * (see NOTE )

TSS lacks back-up for specialized software/hardware in VCT Program

Lack of automated degree audit system to help students improve their academic planning and help faculty provide more efficient advising

* NOTE: Has the SCC Foundation been approached about providing support for faculty professional development? This might include workshops or mentoring on assessment of program outcomes and student learning outcomes. Another critical need is funding for program marketing.

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Program StrengthsThe VCT Program has numerous strengths (some of these are listed below):

ASSESSMENT Prevalent use of student portfolios and feedback from industry

professionals to evaluate curriculum and student projects

PROGRAM INFORMATION Plans for a new program website that re-brands the program

STUDENT DATA TRENDS Student headcount has increased for the degree options Student-to-faculty ratio increased the last three years (above

the state average for these classes) Non-white students were a large majority (84%) in one-year certificate

options and 47% in advanced certificate options (2009-10) Dramatic upsurge in completion rates (degrees + certificates awarded) Exceptional gender balance (in overall program)

CURRICULUM Multifaceted program provides flexibility for students to shift and move

through various educational pathways (laddering of certificates) Diverse course offerings prepare students for broad range of occupations

and serve variety of students (workforce, transfer, + personal enrichment) Continual updating reflects changes in the industry and student needs Solid foundation in art and design theory Many opportunities for experiential learning

FACULTY Very knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated instructors

RESOURCES Hardware and software is regularly updated by the college Student fees provide funding for essential support services

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES Annual schedule of classes is efficiently coordinated to minimize

cancellations and maximize facility usage.

PARTNERSHIPS Strong connections with the professional and business communities Advisory committee has expanded membership + active involvement

COMPETITION Program maintains a unique niche in the community college system Positive reputation brings many student referrals by word of mouth.

CONSULTANT’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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Note: Highlighted areas were mentioned in 2005 program review report

TOP PRIORITY ASSESSMENT (Section 1)

Revise program outcomes as necessary to include abilities related to general education and development of entrepreneurial and social networking skills

Create and implement a system to assess program outcomes including follow-up on former students (Seek Perkins funds to support this effort including a developing a list serve to survey/communicate with current and former students) and document follow-up actions based on findings.

PROGRAM INFORMATION (Section 2) Address findings related to accuracy, currency, congruency, and accessibility of

program information on the website.

CURRICULUM (Section 4) Seek support from Workforce Education Dean to conduct a DACUM workshop with

industry representatives followed by a two-day faculty curriculum workshop (using Perkins/workforce funds) to address current and emerging curriculum issues including program credits, career guidance, entrepreneur skills, project management, interactive media, game art, and integration with other SCC programs (i.e. Video/Film, Photography, Music Tech) based on technological convergence.

Continue to increase internships with help from the advisory committee

RESOURCES (Section 6) Establish another MAC lab with 10-15 workstations in the VCT building

Seek support for program marketing and upgrade of the VCT Program web pages (possibly with workforce education funds and advisory committee assistance). (See Page 46, Institutional Issues, Support Services)

SUPPORT SERVICES (Section 9) Provide administrative outreach to TSS to discuss cross-training of technicians

who can adequately support VCT hardware and software.

Provide administrative outreach to student services for discussion of classroom issues with disruptive, special needs students (i.e. brain injury, etc.) If solutions cannot be implemented, then establish an admission requirement to address this.

THE VIRTUAL COLLEGE (Section 11) Continue development of new online and/or hybrid courses (consider courses

offered by competitors); and inform students of these plans/projected timelines

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PARTNERSHIPS (Section 8) Utilize administrative representation in Five Star Consortium to develop

partnerships and articulation agreements (especially with regard to the computer game industry)

MODERATE PRIORITY

ASSESSMENT (Section 1) Create and implement a system to begin assessment of general education

outcomes and document follow-up actions based on findings

STUDENT DATA TRENDS (Section 3) Seek data on transfer rates for VCT graduates who seek 4-year degrees

Employ targeted marketing (using Perkins funds?) to further strengthen ethnic diversity and increase the number of females in the program

FACULTY (Section 5) Convene a meeting with the VCT faculty and division dean to discuss

expectations and needs related to program coordination duties

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES (Section 7) Evaluate the cost-to-benefit ratio of offering more class sections in areas of

student demand/need that show re-occurring wait lists

PARTNERSHIPS (Section 8) Ask advisory committee to review program outcomes and help establish more

student internships

Continue to retire inactive advisory committee members; and strengthen working relationships with active members to increase their contributions to the program (including student mentoring and program marketing)

SUPPORT SERVICES (Section 9) Provide periodic group advising sessions and survey students to identify needs. Give students more reminders about factors that increase/decrease likelihood of

class schedule conflicts

COMPETITION (Section 12) Seek more articulation agreements to maintain a competitive edge and support

students with a high number of college credits.

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APPENDIX

FACULTY RESPONSE……………… 51

STUDENT SURVEY…………………..67

ADVISORY COMMITTEE SURVEY...73

STUDENT DATA………………………83

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VCT PROGRAM REVIEW – FEBRUARY 2011FACULTY RESPONSE

1. Assessment

For the purpose of this review for 2010-2011, the VCT degree options include Graphic Design, Digital Image Production, Digital Arts and Imagery, Digital Interactive Media and Marketing. This review also includes a one year certificate of proficiency, foundational short term certificates and advanced short term certificates (10 total). For the purposes of this review at the time of changes already set in motion, it was decided to group the data resources into 4 identifiable and useful sets of data which are stated as 1. Degrees, 2. One year Certificate of Proficiencies, 3. Short Term Certificates – Foundation and 4. Short Term Certificates-Advanced. For future reviews it will be interesting to see the individual breakdowns.

As part of the VCT program, the flexibility and ability to move and advance within the program has always been an asset. However, it also can become difficult to manage with so many degree options. Furthermore, the merging of software skills within suite programs dictated that the program must also merge in many areas. As a result, after a 3 year intensive and collaborative process, the degrees were merged into 3 (from 5), the certificates broadened into 2, (from 1) and the short term certificates remained the same with the ultimate goal that those initially seeking the short term certificates become part of a larger option to complete the one year or two year degree. The revised degrees become effective Spring 2011. During that elaborate process to redo curriculum, the VCT program faculty identified 4 common learning outcomes that relate individually to the curriculum as an indicator for assessment of the vct program, and rewrote each Master Course Outline to include the following:

Use software to practice real-world skills for current industry work.Use an established design process (research, sketches, rough computer

drafts/comps, edited finals), to create (projects for this course).Use industry software proficiently as an instrument to create and edit with

design elements.Prepare final project solutions for presentation to, and receive feedback from, a

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public audience such as a class critique and make adaptations accordingly (using print or online format.)

In essence, these new outcomes forge the internal review process that started as early as Spring 2008. The VCT faculty have worked hard to collaborate as a team, using all available resources to come up with comprehensive changes to the degree that can last for the next 3 years and still be able to flux with rampant changes in industry happening continually. In order to make room for new courses, current course need to be continually reviewed, revised or eliminated.

When it comes to assessment, we know from employers and graduates that the student portfolio is key to hiring. While the degree or certificate may weed them through a filtering process of those with no educational background, the employers like to see either a physical or digital portfolio prior to hiring. Therefore, the faculty have already adjusted every course MCO to more clearly focus on portfolio-worthy project-based learning. As seen in the current Advisory Committee Survey, this is one of the vital components of a viable instructional program. Faculty routinely monitor and assure student learning outcomes through their own collections of past and current student projects. In referring to this database of student projects, faculty communicate the level of quality required for current student work as well as use this to continue to ‘set the bar high’. When assessment in the form of written tests are used, faculty can easily witness the current level of student progress in learning outcomes, and again measure that against past courses’ met and unmet outcomes. Faculty should be contacted for access to any of these monitoring and collection systems, which are individual classes and student projects and therefore do not display well in a data-entry system.

The college tracks the effectiveness of our outcomes through the services offered by the Prof-Tech office during program reviews. However, the most salient information we get is from students and former graduates informally. Successful students who have taken the time to email or drop a letter of thanks is sometimes offered with a critique and review of their time spent here. In addition, we have also gained a great deal of insight through a competitive mentorship program specific to graphic design which started in 2003 by members of our advisory board. The ongoing feedback and support from design/industry mentors has been invaluable to students. The short term certificates are harder to track as very few of our students only earn just the certificates: they are intended for students to earn as they move through either the 1 year or 2 year degrees. Very few use the

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certificates as terminal progress.

The feedback we get from employers and advisory board is significant in that the recent changes to the degrees and certificates, which include course changes, title changes and inclusion, are all a result of the changes in industry (including software/technologies), employer feedback based on portfolios and student feedback as they reach their goals. We are often noted as having a breadth of curriculum in both fine arts and technical adaptation that separates those from other programs, and that our students are a reflection of that model.

2. Program InformationInformation about the VCT program degree options and class offerings is available on the college website: http://www.shoreline.edu/vctprogram.aspx and a program website from 2003 http://www.shoreline.edu/vis/ as well as in brochures and planning sheets. Information on brochures and planning sheets are updated annually. Information on the websites are updated as needed.

The quarterly schedule, available as an online version, reflects current information about course content, prerequisites, meeting times, and staffing.

There is not a lot of detail in the brochure. The program has been too large to encompass all of the information and program nuances. The “splash format” does provide program names and basic information that allow students to identify keywords and understand the general options available to them. The use of brochures in conjunction with Planning Sheets and Worker Retraining (and other orientations) has proven to be more effective in communicating the flexibility and integration of this program.

Students frequently report they found out about our program both by word-of-mouth and online. Our reputation has proven itself as often we are referred by similar programs or advisors from other community colleges. Faculty keep in contact when possible, with other programs through advisors, conferences and general academic networking. There is no marketing office on campus and no staff to provide a more managed marketing campaign due to our limited funding profile (unlike well-endowed private schools that we compete with for area students). Fortunately, due to word-of-mouth on what we offer, we are generally able to attract enough prospective students.

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Currently being designed and posted is a new website that will completely rebrand the program to correlate to the curriculum changes. The faculty will more directly manage the maintenance of this new website. This should be posted for Spring quarter 2011 to follow the changes in the degree options.

3. Student Data Trends

Enrollment in the VCT Program has been fairly consistent for the last six years. It is sometimes hard to track the enrollments with classes that are dual listed with Art or are listed with the Art designation. This will continue to be the case as some dual listings will be dropped to be listed under ART to give the students flexibility to articulate and transfer with the Shoreline AFA as well as with 4 year colleges. What has dramatically improved is the student faculty ratio, which in the past has hovered around 13:1 but at the writing of this report is now a far higher 20:1 of students:faculty. Also, each student coming through our doors is currently taking more classes than in the past. This may be due to the state of the national unemployment rates. The FTE was 63 and is now increased to 90.

Students enrolled in VCT degree and certificate programs are eligible to receive funding through a variety of sources, with options of Worker Retraining, BFET, and Opportunity Grant to name a few. While some students may get in the door with initial funding from these sources and may only need the short term funding to upgrade their skills, many may seek traditional FAFSA and grant funding to complete the full degree as the statistics show. We are currently seeing a significant increase of students with a broader range of experience (ages 25-29 and 30-34) – often seeking to upgrade skills to their portfolio. This makes up the majority of our student body, unlike the main campus of SCC’s student body which is a more traditional, fresh out of high school, prospective transfer student.

Somewhat typical of the industry the ethnicity inbalance is evident — the majority of our students are caucasian. The percentage of economically- and academically-disadvantaged students have remained relatively constant over 5 years. It should be noted that our program has an ‘open door’ system where any and all applicants gain entry to the program; any ethnic shifts would be due to our student populations’ word-of-mouth campaign in their requisite community rather than a marketing campaign or entrance-guarding procedure. The balance of gender in

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the VCT program is somewhat negligible with no glaring disparity between gender, and again would not be a product of a marketing campaign or entrance-guarding procedure.

We have seen changes due to unemployment, but this year we have also seen those same students struggle with the discontinuation of funding. Also, out of our control are family and personal emergencies and unexpected employment opportunities which would cause a student to interrupt or abort their academic progress. As a program, we do not have the resources or staff to collect data on all students, however what we can do is this: we always have a conversation with students when it is known that they are suffering difficulties to ascertain whether there are resources available to help the situation the student is facing. The college at large provides a fulltime staff of counselors and some aid sources for particular situations and students are referred to these programs.

4. CurriculumAs stated earlier the VCT program has already undergone change due to review and need. At the same time the technology and software has changed, the industry has changed and the hire of a new faculty has supported the evolution process. Christine Shafner has been the lead in foundational computer graphics and vector-based illustration, Jim Reddin has been the lead for Digital imaging and image production, and new faculty Al Yates was hired to be the lead for the strength of the program in Graphic Design. The three of them coordinate in all aspects of the program.

The industry demands of our graduates have changed significantly – due to the economy and changes in technology and software. While a student 4 years ago could specialize in one piece of software it is now requisite that they are fluent in a whole software suite at the minimum. In addition, mastery of skills in other software sets them above the local competition when it comes to the needs of the employer, as reminded to us by our Advisory Board.

While most jobs listed may be categorized into one job title such as graphic design, the job skills are far reaching; into web design/development, animation and scripting (as guided by our Advisory Committee). In addition, as jobs become more contract based – with smaller teams having proficiency in multiple skills – the need for project management and development is highly sought after.

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The VCT program has been very active in recruiting fresh, relevant and changing Advisory Board members that can assist the faculty to assure that the curriculum is continually assessed and upgraded. We also have used members to recruit for teaching. Our Associate Faculty are either recruited from other excellent private schools or direct from industry, and help keep us on track with offering ever-changing industry-level perspective and focus.

By condensing the VCT degree options from 5 down to 3 the faculty used the feedback from advisory board, industry and graduate feedback. The Marketing degree option has always been in place with the idea that some students may not be fully competitive in the design field but that degree is still being looked at for revisions to become more relevant for the entrepreneural student looking for more business background.

Because of the state’s budget situation, our college has been hit with extreme budget cuts. This has impacted VCT students in many ways, one of which being fewer classes being offered as ‘solo’ classes. Classes which had a few empty seats in the past would always run; however the grim reality is that now if we have a nominal number of seats not filled, the course will have to be cancelled. Scheduling two (or more) classes to be taught in the same room by one instructor at the same time is how we can offer some of our classes reliably. The instructors are stretched thin (“look stressed” as reported in the Student Surveys) with covering two or more different curriculums in the same room due to these budget shortfalls.

The greatest lesson we can give our students is the flexibility to change with the demands in the market. It is intended that they learn there is no ‘one’ direct career path. While design skills may stay constant with trends, the need to continually update software skills and into new industry-dictated directions is neverending. As read in the Advisory Committee’s Survey there is currently increased demand for students who are trained in interactive media including animation, web, and gaming; and who have a strong technical portfolio, who are talented designers and strong communicators. Today’s industry is much more web and interactive-media focused, and communication-based and this reality has shaped the revision of the VCT departments degree options.

5. FacultyIt is intended that Al Yates receive tenure in March 2011. Al brings the most recent

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industry experience with his background as a graphic designer and art director. Both Christine Shafner and Jim Reddin have extensive backgrounds in their applied fields as well as in their teaching experience at the community college level.

There has been little turnover for full and part time VCT faculty. Part time faculty – who tend to have the most relevant and recent industry backgrounds— lead our advanced and specialized classes with their expertise. Our ratio of fulltime to parttime faculty is 50/50%. Our design faculty, one from industry and the other from a leading for-profit art school, give our program a lead in competitors programs with our unique community college pricing structure. Our part time faculty have been invaluable in lending their expertise and time to our students. We are hoping the status quo is sustainable, and that if we were to grow the program, we would be able to hire another fulltime faculty as associate faculty are added. Absolutely essential is maintaining the fulltime faculty numbers for the management of the program as the associate faculty concentrate solely on teaching.

Our prospective students do ask about the experience of our faculty. They want to know their backgrounds, they want to know if our faculty have relevancy in current industry trends and technology. Our faculty – both full and part time all have backgrounds in traditional art. Our part time faculty are relevant in that they are working in the industry and teaching. Our full time faculty, while teaching full time maintain their skills with outside projects whenever possible.

6. ResourcesWe are very fortunate to have committed faculty staff and administrators that recognize the value of the VCT program. The 2000 building houses the Visual Arts Center – where all fine arts, art history and VCT classes are taught, as well as some humanities classes. The building becomes a community for our students. The physical location, while on the end of campus, is a home away from home for many of our students who bring in potluck food to share with other students at night and on the weekends. The fine arts and technical arts classes are truly supported by students crossing over in the disciplines.

Our computer labs are supported through the college technology lab structure and are on a 3 year rotation. Adobe software suite licenses have been supported through Worker Retraining or Perkins support.

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Software and hardware technology has become more stable to the point that “whole building system failures” of the past have become almost negligent.

However, it can be said with all that is good, there also exists the bad. The computer networking in the building was not solidly planned for growth or expansion. During construction, it was eliminated in many rooms to save money. The computer stations and set ups in the labs are limited in how they can be used due to access points and network ports. Growth or adding network ports is not always an option in every classroom. Switches have had to be replaced to add more ports.

Hardware and software upgrades do not come at the predictable budget cycling of the college. It is hard to make plans to prepare if others do not understand this. Each year we may request funding for continued license upgrades – but they are given at a two year cycle which rolls over in September in odd years. If we are granted that funding in July or in January the assumption is that it needs to be used at that given time, not banked to take advantage of the license cycle. Renewing licenses at the wrong time can end up being a total waste of money that many may not understand.

The primary resource issue is time, which is related to a shortfall of staff and support staff. As of two years ago, campus budgets have cut all VCT Department Chair funding. This support role provided time for the myriad administrative functions, reports, management of instructional labs, issues with problem students, finding and hiring associate faculty, campus and community outreach, department committee leadership, articulation work with area schools, supporting the advisory committee, visitations to other programs, integration of curriculum with transfer schools, and the other tasks the department chair had the time and resources to handle as in the past. These necessary functions are now added to faculty responsibilities and further stress the personnel needed to keep the program healthy.

Support for professional development of faculty is limited. Time is very limited for faculty to continually upgrade leaving summers about the only time to tackle a large suite upgrade. Monetary support for professional development can also be of limited availability in certain training scenarios. It would be helpful to have more opportunities to bring professional development training to campus for group training sessions. The question of becoming “certified” as software experts

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through professional organizations is dictated by the lack of time.

The pressure to perform at such high levels with limited time as the workload increases and demands on time and attention is often in conflict for the faculty as their first obligation is to teach their students. Advising, staying current with curriculum, college faculty obligations, assessments, maintaining contact with employer and industry trends, and program promotion is extremely time sensitive and time consuming. And important. Taking from one area to lend to other areas is not always possible. Time management and prioritizing is often left to non-instructional days. VCT faculty also are required to teach 17 contact hours rather than the standard 15 that many other programs require of their faculty on the same campus. Also note, VCT faculty need to continue to ‘retool themselves’ by relearning each new release of software and review all course materials.

Our program has the benefit of retaining a Program Manager, who assists in each and every support structure including building our class schedules, greeting prospective students and handing out program information, being a presence in the building while faculty are occupied and in class, ordering materials and making sure the facilities run smoothly. However, in the past this support position was fulltime. Due to budget cuts on campus, this program support is now divided between several other programs on campus and is titled ‘Program Manager for Visual and Performing Arts’.

7. ScheduleThe schedule of classes in the VCT building has evolved since 1995 when the fine art and vct programs were housed in one building. There have been relatively few changes since then. As most of the courses in the building tend to be 66 contact hours – requiring 6 hours a week most of our classes are offered on MW or TTh and start at 9:30am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm and then 6:00pm. Therefore, the building is actively open from 7:00am through 9:00pm most days of the week, with faculty and/or associate faculty present, with Saturday and Sunday open hours for lab or class.

The fine arts classes and VCT classes closely integrate with their programs so the schedule is also oriented to the student needing the same days and times. Students can schedule their courses over a 2 day period leaving them time for work, family and other commitments, which is much more in line with our student population’s outside responsibilities. Other required or general education classes

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can usually be oriented to their schedules as well without a lot of down time to their days. Most students are encouraged to use summers to take their required general education classes.

Most classes in VCT require a great deal of studio time and project development and students may not have the specialized software at home, or they may require a great deal of time to render on the computer. They may also be visual learners so it has become important to students to have access to at least one open lab through the day. Even so, with one lab open for student use all labs can still be be busy & this can limit lab options for student work. Faculty do try to make room for students if they should have open seats during their class times. A great deal of our student learning is done informally, in smaller groups outside of class meeting times.

With three instructional computer labs, and 3 full time faculty it means that at least twice a week, each faculty may be in class for 6 hours and through the week it means at least one faculty will be in class when the others are not. Therefore, department meetings are difficult to schedule and are left for either late in the day or on days when those instructors have no scheduled classes. Time is also needed for student advising, department, division and campus meetings, grading, office hours, curriculum planning, email, correspondence, prospective student inquiries, building tours, and touching base with associate faculty.

Many of our advanced classes are clustered with beginning classes, with the idea that advanced students are at the level to work independently after given a design problem/assignment. Beginning students tend to get the bulk of one on one lecture instruction, while the advanced students may require less lecture, but more valuable critiques on the final project. This system has numerous advantages as well as disadvantages; but it is one way to offer more classes while making do with less in terms of staff and resources.

Schedule construction is meticulous, and carefully reviewed for conflicts, planned with class cancelations, re-clustering and faculty reassignments if necessary. It is not perfect. In addition, one benefit to our program is that students may choose from among many classes when building their schedule, as time and interests demand. This is not a ‘lock-step’, fulltime-only 2-yr degree program, and this is one reason that many students seek us out. We have multiple short term certificates as well as several degrees plus the AFA degree to choose from and switch to as

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unfolding talents dictate. Many students will have difficulty keeping their focus on one degree-planning sheet and opt to take electives that are not required, thus resulting in a class conflict and a tough decision. They often want to take more courses rather than fewer to prepare themselves for industry.

8. PartnershipsAdvisory Committee members regularly give feedback on program elements. Employers regularly seek interns and job applicants from our programs. Faculty are always recruiting new members. Jim Reddin requires field trips to various digital print industry locations throughout the academic year which puts students in contact with potential internships & employers. VCT students also have an opportunity for study abroad through our IP office at BASW –Denmark. Five VCT students have already taken advantage of the learning opportunity.

We have an articulation agreement in place with several area schools including Evergreen College.

The VCT program has also sought out the Graphic Artists Guild, the AIGA and other professional organizations as a means for students to network and participate with employers. In spring 2010, the VCT Club hosted all-day event bringing industry and over 60 students together for a design competition, open panel discussion and industry-professionals’ critiques of student portfolios.

An informal mentoring project between local industry employees and employers was developed by the interest and motivation of one of our advisory members, Daniela Birch. She saw this as a marketing tool for our program. This was greatly successful for our students, but after a period of time, very exclusive to those who were mentored, and very time- and labor-intensive. A change was introduced in Spring 2010 to expand the opportunities to a greater population.

The program manager for fine, performing and technical arts, Mary Bonar has been on the Edmonds School District Media Advisory Committee as a liaison to the high schools. As a result, faculty from VCT and Film/Drama are also participating with those high school faculty as well.

9. Support Services

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Support comes to the VCT program in many ways, but first and foremost must be attributed to our fulltime and parttime faculty. Without their expertise and time in and outside of the classroom we would be at a loss. These personnel are the only advisory presence on campus that is familiar with the vagaries of the VCT degrees and outside industry demands.

TSS supports our classroom teaching experience. Specifically, Pete Pickering has become invaluable in the support of our technology needs. He is in charge of maintaining all of the computers, printers, servers, software and upgrades, network and general trouble shooting. At one time Pete was housed in the building tasked with supporting the needs of our program but was later moved into the main TSS offices. His absence is noted. His expertise in our specific set ups are unique to the other TSS employees and often he is the only one who can solve our issues. Every break between quarters Pete installs upgrades to the computers in the labs and offices and maintains the server as well as changing passwords to over 1500 student folders.

Mary Bonar is the program manager for the fine, performing and visual arts programs. Mary works closely with our dean on communication issues as we are often unavailable for long periods of time in the classrooms and labs. She also works with a variety of offices on campus which feed our program. This would include the offices of Workforce (Worker Retraining, Basic Foods, Opportunity Grant) as the main contact for students to enter the program. This may require tours, meeting with prospective students, and other offices on campus. Mary performs a wide variety of duties for the division as well, ranging from scheduling rooms and activities, managing hourly employees and work-study students, maintaining hardware and software inventories throughout the building, maintaining license upgrade cycles, budget tracking and planning, and all purchasing documents. Mary works closely with TSS to insure that hardware and software upgrades are assessed and performed for the building, and planning for hardware deployment in networking and server maintenance.

Andy Conrad,who works in the college print shop provides the instructional support for our production classes. Many of the instructors bring students from their classes to tour this facility and Andy provides much needed insight into the production process. At various times his facilities become an on-the-job training facility for students wishing to gain more experience in the production end of the visual communication process. Once a year Andy has more direct contact with the

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student production staff of the Spindrift, the colleges multiple award winning art & literary publication. His operation and support is essential for our students to complete their degrees.

Student advising is generally available for all students in the Humanities Division by the Humanities Advisor, Alicia Zweifach. When specific details are needed that reach beyond the scope of these offices, students are directed to instructors within the VCT program.

The Visual Arts program has made a concerted effort to better serve the students with advising and thus retention of students. It is noted that much of the ongoing student advising, of VCT students, is done by the faculty within the department. Coverage has been made for faculty availability on fridays to see students, and “all” faculty are able to initially help with students on “all” degrees, important and noteworthy as there may be a great crossover in the various program degrees and certificates. Student services within the Visual Arts building consist primarily of informal communications between faculty and students. Each student may bring such extraordinary experience and depth that the advising may be very individual. Each faculty member posts contractually required office hours when students expect to find the instructor available in their office.

As part of the effort to improve advising, a specialized advising board was mounted to post the most current planning sheets, announcements and general college services that most of our students may require. It is located in the hallway that leads to faculty offices so that those students who may be waiting or just inquiring may also read or pick up valuable information. It would be helpful if as on other campuses, this college were able to implement prerequisite-checking for registration. Currently, when each VCT student is registering for the next quarter, a VCT faculty member has meet with and sign off on their registration paperwork after ascertaining their prerequisites, which is a very labor-intensive process. The college’s system is not set up to check for any prerequisites in a student’s transcript. In addition, there are several different degree choices and short-term certificates to be advised on.

Mary tends to be our main contact for service-specific offices outside the VCT program such as financial aid, registration or Workforce. She is able to get the issues directly to faculty with the understanding that teaching obligations may make it difficult for faculty to respond on their timelines.

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The college is able to provide some academic and professional technical tutors for students who may need assistance. Faculty can make specific recommendations to the tutoring office as to which students are qualified to tutor for a particular topic. Many students make use of this tutor support through individual and open lab tutoring.

The college also has advising and counseling services and is staffed by trained professionals and is immediately recommended when a student requests support and advice which may be personal. The Office of Special Services has also proven invaluable to some of our students with specific individual needs and accommodations.

10. Revenue PotentialRecently with discussion around the 5 star consortium it was suggested that our VCT Print Shop could become the hub for printing for the colleges allowing us to capitalize on our offset equipment. While digital output has been cost effective to achieve, lower printing quality may suffer. Most colleges have already eliminated their offset equipment. Our students are required to study the variety of print outputs including offset which has required that we keep our equipment. While we would not compete with local industry, this consolidation would establish an unrecognized revenue income, and could also provide some training opportunities for students in the program.

It has also been suggested to seek a model where we could maximize our classroom space with “tiers” of students based on seat availability. It may be similar to a continuing education model, but students would be registered as credit bearing, tier 1 – students doing all work, no credit, or tier 2 – students seeking information but not doing work, and no credit. Right now that may be too ambitious to finalize or manage and we are not sure how it may be done with the constraints of funding.

Computer lab rental is also an option but how to do so without impacting instruction is a factor. An option to expand curriculum into workshops, for specialized instruction geared at identified populations also holds some interest.

But with rentals, it would require an emphasis on network security, hardware security and personal safety as the student population would become more transient. Perhaps as classes are put online or hybrid formats developed will labs

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become more available. Our location and parking issues may also make us less desirable.

11. The Virtual CollegeOur focus is to teach good design in any media or software and at the same time impart that this industry is ever changing by software and hardware. Most of our learners tend to be visual. The concept of offering the VCT program completely online is difficult to visualize at this time. The student survey gave us more information on the direction we should take in the future. We were also careful to objectively query our Advisory Committee on this topic, as you will see from their survey. Our initial thought is that while theory may be taught online the applied skills may be difficult to convey. Hybrid course development may be more likely to be successful for our students.

To move all of our course work online raises many questions: will our students, who are mainly visual learners, succeed to be competitive or relevant? Do we have adequate resources to maintain such a program with our current infrastructure and limitations? How can we develop such a successful program with limited resources such as time?

Currently all of our faculty are developing at least one course per quarter for hybrid development. Faculty already convey a great deal of information through Blackboard and our server configuration but hybrid courses would formalize the process.

Many required general education courses or electives are already available as online or hybrid and students have taken advantage to building their schedules with those courses.

12. CompetitionShoreline’s VCT program is not the only program offered in the community college system. Shoreline was one of the first, and continues to be one of the most comprehensive that other schools have recently revised to model. The format for students to choose within the degree options with flexibility as well as start any quarter has always been very competitive.

The integration of fine arts and technology between degrees has always made SCC

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stand out from other programs. In the last 5-7 years, as other colleges have had to modify their programs to become more manageable and economical have they followed a similar SCC trend to merging technologies that mimics the reality of the industry. The comprehensive change in VCT degrees effective Spring 2011 –actually expand the students knowledge base and merge the required skills across the curriculum. SCC faculty are acutely aware that in that same time Seattle Central, North Seattle and Edmonds have all significantly reduced their visual communications courses and degree options.

While faculty have been exploring expansions to some expertise options in game design, the VCT program growth is limited to what our CIS program has been reduced to offer. Video game development is still mainly on the pc windows platform. The courses in CIS/CS discipline have been whittled down to the bare minimum and it is felt that we can not offer full game design or development to expand in VCT or MUSTC programs to be able to compete with Digipen. However, articulation at other colleges with more developed computer programming programs may be a viable option. Further research and development on this is limited due to lack of time.

We do have articulations with Lake Washington Vocational Tech and with Evergreen State College for our students wishing to pursue a 4 year applied design degree and we are working towards other formal articulations.

The Art Institute is a strong competitor by reputation. However, it is not uncommon to enroll former AI-S students who heard about SCC’s VCT program from current or former students. The cost incentive and access to technology is a strong reason to switch schools. Nintendo’s DigiPen is the model for 3d Game Design and development that is a costly investment for students. While that program is competitive we still find that employers seeking game programming is often contracted from outside the country.

13. Program AccessIt is not unusual to be contacted by new students seeking advising a week before the quarter begins. They may have just found out they are eligible for funding and are in the process of completing paperwork. The flexibility of the program allows for students to choose from a variety of first quarter classes to create their schedule.

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In other cases we may have students who have labored over their research into the choice of schools choose Shoreline as the one with the most comprehensive offerings in visual communications. Communication with faculty and staff may occur over a two year period with a high school junior, or with a dissatisfied employee looking to change their career direction or focus.

Regardless, while the VCT program has open enrollment, in every sense (with no portfolio review or admission process,) the VCT program demographics are primarily caucasion with a close split between female and male.

We have students who are retraining for new careers and students who are updating their skills. With the recent economics, we have had highly trained and currently employed students who are taking coursework to add new skills that will enhance their value to their employer.

14. Labor Market OpportunitiesThe labor market for our students is continually moving-— the one thing we know is that change is inevitable. The greatest strategy we need to impart is the ability to change with the software. Software is always changing and employees do not have time to train. The successful employee is the one who can learn on a continual basis.

We are hearing from our qualified and retrained students that entry level jobs are very hard to find right now. The industry seems to be supporting the need for specialized mastery in areas that can further collaborate in teams.

Our Advisory Committee reports the following: large design firms have gone away as the ability to keep a large firm of designers was too great. Smaller companies and entrepreneural owners are very successful, but specific knowledge in Flash/actionscripting and editing are musts to procure competitive contracts. The fact is that many advertising budgets have shrunk. Companies contract with the small firm up the street as they see that as as getting more for less (budget). Print budgets have shrunk appreciably, as more marketing efforts occur in the online environment.

Online resources are prevalent, it is easier to find the resources for web development in the form of a tutorial, template, or other service, that 2 years ago one of our students may have been contracted to do. On the other hand, the need

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for project management and development is required for those contracted services.

Our students are told upfront to get moving in the visual communications field they need to work in small scale for awhile; work on building a client list that allows for portfolio and network development that is necessary to compete. It has been contemplated that our students may be required as a course requisite to apply for their business license to do such work following graduation.

Zoomerang Survey ResultsShoreline Community CollegeProgram Review - Winter 2011

VCT STUDENT SURVEY

Response Status: CompletesFilter: No filter appliedFeb 14, 2011 1:12 PM PST

Your feedback is needed on the Visual Communications Technology Program. This is an important part of the college's program review process to help faculty and administrators better understand student experiences and needs at the college. Student input will be summarized without names and shared with the faculty and dean to use in future planning and program development. Thank you for your assistance. We value your feedback and suggestions.

1. What degree or certificate are you pursuing in the VCT Program?

68 Responses

2. Why are you taking Visual Communications Technology courses? (Choose all that apply)

for personal enrichment   32%

for career enrichment   63%

to earn a short-term certificate   4%

to earn a one-year certificate   6%

to earn a two-year degree   62%

to transfer for a bachelor's degree   16%

Other (please explain)   6%

3. Are you here for a 2-year degree?

Yes   79%

No   21%

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Total 100%

4. If you are pursuing a degree, are you a first year, second year, or third year student in the Visual Communications Tech. Program?

First Year   53%

Second Year   33%

Third Year   14%

Total 100%

5. Describe the career in which you plan to be working five years from now.

65 Responses

6. If Shoreline Community College had a four-year applied baccalaureate degree in Visual Communications Technology, how likely would you be to stay and pursue the degree?

No chance   7%

Not very likely   12%

50-50   19%

Likely   25%

Very likely   37%

Total 100%

7. How important do you think the study of Art and Design theory is to your career goals?

Not important at all   0%

Not very important   3%

50-50   13%

Important   31%

Very important   53%

Total 100%

8. Are you aware of the existence of VCT short-term and 1-year certificates?

Yes   49%

No   51%

Total 100%

9. Identify VCT clases you would consider enrollling in that can be moved to a hybrid class (hybrid means that 1-50% of the class is online and the rest is face-to-face in-class instruction). Courses:

43 Responses

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10. How interested would you be in taking these hybrid classes?

Very likely   8%

Likely   17%

50-50   40%

Not very likely   29%

No chance   6%

Total 100%

11. Identify VCT clases you would consider enrollling in that can be moved to ONLINE (NO face-to-face instruction; class is entirely taught online for the quarter). Courses:

43 Responses

12. How interested would you be in taking these online classes?

Very likely   5%

Likely   12%

50-50   25%

Not very likely   34%

No chance   25%

Total 100%

13. Would you consider enrolling in a Visual Communications Technology Program that was taught entirely or mostly online?

Yes   18%

No   82%

Total 100%

14. Identify any courses you think are less useful or not relevant for the VCT degree(s) that you are seeking.

36 Responses

Directions: Rate the program on each of the items (15 through 18) listed below by clicking on the most appropriate number (5 - High, 1 - Low). If an item is not applicable, click on the 'NA' button. Comments are encouraged and may be written under each item.  Please do not mention individual faculty names. Thank you.

15. Helpful program information on college website and printed materials:Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A

. 0 24 26 6 1

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0% 36% 39% 9% 1%

16. Effective curriculum structure:Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A

.1 17 35 9 1

1% 25% 52% 13% 1%

17. Support of your individual learning needs:Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A

.0 13 38 14 0

0% 19% 56% 21% 0%

18. Adequate preparation for employment (knowledge and skills for the field):Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A

.0 14 30 10 8

0% 21% 44% 15% 12%

19. Please rate the following program resources:Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

High Adequate So-so Poor N/A

Lab assistance for equipment/software11 17 5 5 7

16% 25% 7% 7% 10%

Lab hours are adequate10 15 10 7 8

15% 22% 15% 10% 12%

Computer/software/server reliability22 4 2 3 6

32% 6% 3% 4% 9%

Number of available 'open lab' computers8 15 16 9 8

12% 22% 24% 13% 12%

Tutoring services4 12 6 2 34

6% 18% 9% 3% 50%

Financial Aid services10 13 2 3 17

15% 19% 3% 4% 25%

Academic Advising7 17 7 5 8

10% 25% 10% 7% 12%

Counseling services6 12 5 3 24

9% 18% 7% 4% 36%

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20. Adequate guidance for career planning:

.Poor   5%

So-so   18%

Adequate   30%

Very good   18%

Excellent   11%

NA   18%

Total 100%

21. Adequate program resources (information technology, equipment, space, supplies):Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A

.2 14 35 13 1

3% 21% 52% 19% 1%

22. Class schedules meet student needs:Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A

.3 17 29 8 0

4% 25% 43% 12% 0%

23. How often have you experienced class conflicts with VCT class schedules? (Please offer specifics):

53 Responses

24. How often have you experienced class time conflicts between SCC and VCT class schedules? (Please offer specifics):

47 Responses

25. Academic advising meets student needs:Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

Poor Fair Good Excellent N/A

.2 21 19 12 8

3% 32% 29% 18% 12%

26. How likely are you to recommend program?Top number is the count of respondents selecting the option. Bottom % is percent of the total respondents selecting the option.

Not at all

50-50 Likely Very likely

N/A

.0 9 33 23 1

0% 13% 49% 34% 1%

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27. How did you hear about this program?

Website   34%

Advisor   15%

Other, (please explain)   51%

Total 100%

28. Why did you select this program rather than one at a different college?

64 Responses

29. What are the program strengths?

57 Responses

30. What recommendations would you make to improve the program or service to students?

50 Responses

NOTE: EXTENSIVE STUDENT COMMENTS ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST. THESE HAVE NOT BEEN INCLUDED BECAUSE THEY COMPRISE A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF PAGES.

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VCT ADVISORY COMMITTEE SURVEY SUMMARYFebruary, 2011

Shoreline Community CollegeWinter 2011

VISUAL COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (VCT) ADVISORY COMMITTEE SURVEY

Your feedback is needed on the Visual Communication Technology Program. This survey is an important part of the college’s program review process to help faculty and administrators better understand how industry representatives view the program and its ability to meet labor market needs in this field. This is part of the program’s required External Evaluation. Advisory Committee input will be summarized without names and shared collectively with the faculty, dean and you to use in future planning and program development. Thank you for your assistance. We value your feedback and suggestions. Our goal is 100% response. THANK YOU!

DIRECTIONS: Please write your comments or indicate ratings/responses for each of the questions below and return your completed survey to the consultant.

1. Did you take classes or graduate from this VCT program? Yes _____ No ______ Explain: Yes: 0 No: 3

Yes: 2* No: 2Total Yes: 2 Total No: 5

* As a graduate of the VCT Program – I was a graphic designer who needed computer training (software, too)* Took computer classes (1988-89) after graduating from Seattle Central CC in 1986.

2. How long have you served on this advisory committee?

Total: 4 (PTF: 3) This is my first meeting (one member checked as the 2nd meeting.)Total: 1 (PTF: 0) One yearTotal: 1 (PTF: 0) Two yearsTotal: 1 (PTF: 1) Three or more years

CURRICULUM:

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PT Faculty = Blue font

Industry members = Red font

3. How would you describe the major strengths of this program? Work will with outside community to design programs around what the business

community is asking for from their future employees. A one or two year degree can be an advantage in the high paying videogame sector. In

our space, work experience, internships and work done on real projects trumps more education. As such, a shorter degree that is well-integrated with professional experience can help fast track prospective employees who want into this segment.

Access to faculty. Good communication with industry. Decent facility Broad spectrum of courses Several areas of focus (Graphic Design, Web, Video, Animation.) Classes offered throughout the year (many classes) I don’t know yet.

4. What is your own perspective on the following areas of the current VCT program COMPARED with other schools in the Puget Sound region?

Graphic Design - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) ____ do not know____.Total 2 or 3/2.5: 2 (PTF: 2)Total 4: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 4.5: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 5: 1 (PTF: 1)Total Do not know: 2 (PTF: 0)

- Comments: Web/Anim.

Interactive Media - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) ____ do not know____.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 3: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 4.5: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 4 (PTF: 2)

- Comments: The broad focus of the animation & video degree could create difficulties for

students competing against more targeted programs like Degipen.

Print Media - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) ____ do not know____.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 3: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 3.4: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 4: 1 (PTF: 1)

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Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 3 (PTF: 1)

- Comments: They do well with the tools they have but do not have the support needed to do

much more. That is also the reality of the industry.

Media Production - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) ____ do not know____.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 3: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 6 (PTF: 3)

- Comments:

Software Training - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low)___ do not know_____.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2.5: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 3: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 3.5: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 4: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 4 (PTF: 3)

- Comments:

Video/FILM - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) ______ do not know _____.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 3: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 6 (PTF: 3)

- Comments:

5. Based on your experience as an advisory committee member, how well is the program curriculum aligned with industry needs?

Graphic Design - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) _____ do not know___.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)

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Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2.5: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 3: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 4: 3 (PTF: 1)Total 5: 1 (PTF: 1)Total Do not know: 1 (PTF: 0)

- Comments: Custom designed internships should be considered—i.e. for credit, not necessarily

at the end of the program.

Interactive Media - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) _____do not know ___.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 3: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 2 (PTF: 1)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 3 (PTF: 2)

- Comments: There is some strong foundations offered in the animation & video degree, but it

lacks education around some of the major software programs in our field. MAYA is a great start, but 3DS MAX and Blender are also large and growing players. That said, the focus on writing, communications and Photoshop will well-prepare job seekers to perform in interview.

Great to see the various software being taught in an ever-changing industry.

Print Media - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) _____ do not know_____.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 3: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 3 (PTF: 2)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 4 (PTF: 2)

- Comments:

Software Training - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) ____ do not know____.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 3: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 3 (PTF: 2)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 4 (PTF: 2)

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- Comments:

Video/FILM - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) _____ do not know_____.Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 3: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 5 (PTF: 3)

- Comments:

6. What suggestions do you have to help the program better align with current and emerging industry needs?

More training on actual production techniques to create smoother process from beginning to end of project.

The pace of our industry is extremely fast. It is hard to get in and keep up. I would strongly suggest as much focus on internships and work studies as possible for prospective videogame artists.

SCC does a great job asking industry questions and staying current. I would ask for the representative committee members to periodically provide their agency work so the instructor & students _____ dec______ in order to better understand all the various skill sets needed to complete the project.

Allow for experimental classes on emerging trends in visual communications technology. More advisory committee members from off-campus Stronger emphasis on digital in graphic design program, ie. Web-interactive.

7. As you review THE VCT degree and program planning sheets: Can you identify any courses that appear to be less relevant for

industry’s needs? Please specify: ART 144 on the animation & video degree. The other degrees don’t relate

directly to our industry so I do not have the insight to make any other recommendations.

Pending who or where a particular student enters the program – I would suggest some or all of the GER’s be available to test out of, or be replaced with intern credits or further degree courses.

Multi media –Flash unless game design becomes a program focus. GD: CIS105? CMST 203 | Amin & Vid: CIS 105 My preference would be to take out the advertising class components (esp. in a

2yr program) Illustration as a career in essentially gone-except for interactive advertising—not

indepth currently to justify students getting jobs in this area.

Can you identify any courses that you would like to see added to the planning sheets to help meet industry’s needs? Please specify:

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Marketing Degree & Visual Comm. Foundation need a statistical analysis math class for data mgt.

3DS MAX and Blender training. More internships, work studies & student productions. From a firing standpoint, it would be great to see something similar to declaring

a “major” (though not a class) so there’s a more clear career path. –i.e. production, design, illustrator, developer, animator, producer.

Interactive design for web applications Graphic Design 203 change to a grid based class (just take out the Adv.

Component); if possible add an adv. Typography class; Please add Design History Web scripting, Silverlight

8. What are your thoughts about a teaching curriculum that is a combination of online and face-to-face instruction? Where if fits it should be used. Impartial Could be great. Very student–specific on whether or not it works well. Mostly see online teaching as a complement to face-to-face teaching. Could work Not interested in teaching on-line. Too time consuming + impossible to do with print

base Graphic Design. For graphic design, foundation courses need face-to-face.

Would you favor a curriculum primarily online versus face-to-face in a classroom? ____ Yes ____ No Do not know ____.

Total Yes: 0 Total No: 7* (PTF: 4)

* Team work is critical in our industry. We rarely out source if at all. People skills are as important as technical knowledge.

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING:9. What do you know about the ways in which attainment of Visual

Technology Program outcomes are assessed at this college? (tools/measures used and performance levels expected) N/A Student projects (individual) are the main outcomes used for evaluation or

assessment. N/A Not familiar with latest MCO’s I’ve only seen outcomes accessed by projects completed—to what level

RESOURCES AND FACILITIES:10. Based on your experience, how adequate are program resources

(facilities, support staff, equipment, etc.) and what are the unmet needs? - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) _______ do not know _____.

Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 3: 0 (PTF: 0)

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Total 4: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 5: 2 (PTF: 2)Total Do not know: 2 (PTF: 1)One member rated as” 4/2”

- Comments: Based on what is currently happening they do not have the equipment to train on

from the production side. Seem solid. Equipment updated regularly – hardware $ software A prescribed portfolio requirement to access outcomes in each of the necessary

areas.

PARTNERSHIPS:11.How well do you think the VCT advisory committee functions, and what

improvements would you suggest? - Rate from 5 (high) to 1 (low) ________ do not know _____.

Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 3: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 3.5: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 4: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)Total Do not know: 3 (PTF: 2)

- Comments: New to VCT not sure. It is trying to cover too large of a space. The options for upcoming artists cover

too many fields. It is difficult to advise on traditional production art fields or to have them comment on the 3D/digital art field.

Faculty should consider pro-motively sending student resumes/portfolio URL’s to know agencies – for those key see as great potential.

Could have more frequent contact. Ask about agenda items and new potential members to add/invite a few weeks earlier. Phone calls?

12.What role does your business/company play in supporting the program?a. ___ advice on curriculumb. ___ equipment donationsc. ___ internship or mentoring opportunities for studentsd. ___ employment opportunities for graduatese. ___ other: (describe: teaching support, part-time instructor, tutor)

Total a: 4 (PTF: 2)Total b: 0 (PTF: 0)Total c: 3 (PTF: 2)Total d: 3 (PTF: 2)Total e: 2 (PTF: 1)

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COMPARISON WITH OTHER PROGRAMS:13. What do you believe makes this program unique or different from other

programs in the surrounding area? Program geared more to design and front end then production My only other comparison would be digipen for this field. In comparison this

program is faster, but puts less focus on internships/work experience. Accessibility to people without means combines with quality foundational courses. More classes offered multiple quarters; More focus tracks; Great campus! I honestly don’t know yet. It’s so different from the other school I teach at. Right

now if feels like less structure. Small class size; availability of printing equipment

EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS:14. How would you describe the current and future regional employment

outlook for graduates from this program?

- high demand areas? Web & interactive media, statistical analysis/sales marketing Videogames were unimpacted by the recession, and one of the competitive

industries in our area. Its fast growing and starting salaries of 45,000 – 55,000+. interactive, web design, developers Interactive design – basic graphic design, basic technical knowledge: ability to

use software & combine w/design abilities Gaming/Video/Web Motion based (Web, InteraChic); Print (Packaging + Retail) Nordstrom, Starbuck,

REI, Jones Soda, etc. (we live in a healthy market) Web interactive apps

- low demand areas? Not sure, decline in traditional print production The more traditional fields are necessary, but lower paying. Traditional art skills

are still an important foundation in our space. Print only designers Print Typography understanding, Intelligence level Print—illustration—photography

15. What do you most value in an entry-level employee? Ability to listen and understand-comprehension, Communication skills, Able to

adapt. A strong portfolio and ambitious attitude. Software skills, attitude( good), work ethic Graphic design abilities, initiative, verbal abilities. Can learn quickly $ easily Foundation education—writing skills ability to hit the ground running. Great

personality—adaptability—verbal expression.

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16.Which of the following would be a deterrent to hiring a graduate for a job position:

Weak portfolio, paired with strong communication skills. - Rate from 5 (high deterrant) to 1 (low deterrant) __________.

Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 3 (PTF: 2) Total 3: 2 (PTF: 3)Total 4: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 5: 2 (PTF: 0)

* depends on the person

Strong design skills, but weak production skills. - Rate from 5 (high deterrant) to 1 (low deterrant) _________.

Total 1: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 2: 2 (PTF: 2) *Total 3: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 5: 3 (PTF: 0)

* prod. Can be taught

Strong production skills, but weak design skills. - Rate from 5 (high deterrant) to 1 (low deterrant) _________.

Total 1: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 3 (PTF: 2)*Total 3: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 1 (PTF: 1)Total 5: 1 (PTF: 1)

*depends on what’s needed at the time* should have knowledge of both for working in a small company

Strong in print, but weak in web.- Rate from 5 (high deterrant) to 1 (low deterrant) __________.

Total 1: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 2: 2 (PTF: 2) *Total 3: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 5: 3 (PTF: 1)

* depends on what’s needed at the time.* should have knowledge of both for working in a small company

Strong in web skills, but weak in print design. - Rate from 5 (high deterrant) to 1 (low deterrant) __________.

Total 1: 2 (PTF: 1)Total 2: 1 (PTF: 0) Total 3: 1 (PTF: 0)Total 4: 0 (PTF: 0)Total 5: 0 (PTF: 0)

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Questions or final comments:

As basically a freelancer, I don’t have experience looking for someone to hire.

Developed by Karen Demetre, Program Review Consultant, and SCC VCT program, Winter 2011

VCT STUDENT DATAFOR PROGRAM REVIEW

ANNUALIZED FTES: Percentage by Certificates and Degrees

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ENROLLMENT: Percentage by Certificates and Degrees

84

85

86

GENDER: Percentage by Certificates and Degrees

87

88

ETHNICITY: Percentage by Certificates and Degrees

89

90

AGE GROUP: Percentage by Certificates and Degrees

91

92

ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED: Percentages

ACADMICALLY DISADVANTAGED: Percentages

93

GRADE FREQUENCY: Enrollment Headcounts

94