The template is a guide, or framework, for your work in this arena. There may be sections or specific questions that seem less relevant to your program or discipline. Alternatively, there may be information you would like to provide that is not requested in the template. Please tailor your responses to the questions in the way that makes the most sense for your program and/or discipline, and add information as needed. It is perfectly acceptable to link to other sources where you have documented your work; please just leave a breadcrumb in the template itself so that others can locate your documentation (hyperlinks are the easiest way to leave a breadcrumb).
In this section, you are asked to review data dashboards to identify potential equity gaps in your courses and programs. You will look at course success and program enrollment, and develop potential action plans to address any gaps you've identified.
The outcomes section is absolutely critical, and should take the largest amount of time to complete. Because it is so important, two quarters out of every two year cycle are dedicated to this. Also, faculty are encouraged to work on their outcomes every quarter, whether or not there are other sections assigned. Section B requires you to define your outcomes, and describe how the information is communicated to students. This is also the section in which you are required to provide data. Your data does not necessarily need to be entered into the template, as long as it exists elsewhere. If you have other documents or reports that you use to store your information, just reference those in the template and make sure they are accessible. For example, you might have your information in an Excel spreadsheet, a Google document, etc., and that's totally acceptable as long as there is a link to it. Not providing any data, however, is unacceptable. Accreditation requires us to provide evidence that our students are learning the things we have identified for them to learn, and this is where we do that.
If you are new and unsure what the outcomes are for your program or discipline, please familiarize yourself with the relevant degree requirements pages in the LCC Academic Catalog. Faculty need to be assessing the outcomes identified on those pages. If the outcomes are incorrect or outdated, the degree requirements should be revised. For more information about developing and tracking outcomes, please see the "Student Learning Outcomes" module in this handbook.
Section C provides faculty with an opportunity to regularly review and evaluate several elements of their curriculum. We recognize that this work is ongoing for faculty; the Curriculum & Program Review template is just a way to document what is already happening.
This section is designed to encourage faculty members to think about the next steps students will take once they complete their program at LCC, whether it's entering the workforce or transferring to another higher education institution. Ultimately, our students are preparing to enter the workforce whether they plan to transfer to another institution or go directly to work, and all faculty are encouraged to address the labor market questions in this section.
When responding to the resource question, you are encouraged to be realistic in your analysis. For example, it makes sense that certain disciplines need more whiteboard space in their classrooms to enhance their curriculum and therefore could/should request them. It makes less sense to request a dozen new tenure-track positions for your discipline, given that we are tremendously under-resourced and likely to remain so for many years. Please be sure to share any resource needs you identify in your Curriculum & Program Review report with your dean.
Use this section to document any changes you've decided to make as a result of analyzing your data and/or curriculum. This critical step of the process is sometimes referred to as "closing the loop." Items listed in this section may or may not require resources and/or discussion with your dean or vice president.