processes. To facilitate and institutionalize these efforts, the college is taking steps to be more thorough and cyclical in its documentation and assessment process. The integrated planning and budget cycle at Foothill College takes into consideration the value of input and dialogue from all constituents. Foothill College is committed to using documented data assessment
and evaluation methods to validate institutional efforts and goals and to communicate that data and assessment to its constituencies. The new mission statement and ESMP were presented and approved by the board of trustees in June 2010. These documents inform the decision-making process, and track progress toward sustainable quality improvement and institutional effectiveness.
Standard II: Student Learning Programs & Services
II.A.
Instructional Programs
Foothill College offers a diverse range of high- quality educational offerings to its constituents in the community. Guided by a mission that embraces the role of a democratic educational institution, the institution provides degrees, certificates, transfer and career-orientated academic programs that are standard throughout the country, as well as programs that are unique and specific to the residents of California’s Silicon Valley. This includes core mission instruction in basic skills, transfer, lifelong learning and career preparation with a diversity of delivery methods, including online, hybrid and traditional classroom instruction.
Initiated in Fall 2006 and completed in Spring 2009, faculty developed rubrics to clearly define and outline measureable outcomes of the adopted institutional learning outcomes (ILOs). Since beginning in earnest in Fall 2008, Foothill College has made steady progress in developing, writing and reflecting on course-level student learning outcomes (SLOs). As of 2009–2010, program reviews are completed on an annual basis to reflect on program outcomes and assess the need for resource allocation. As a part of this process, faculty will assess their program-level outcomes and ensure alignment with course- and institutional- level outcomes.
Foothill College ensures high-quality instruction through comprehensive and rigorous faculty hiring and tenure processes. Faculty integrate pedagogy that encompasses diverse learning styles into the development of the course outline of record for classroom and laboratory instruction. The college has an established and effective curriculum review process that determines the relevance, appropriateness and currency of course offerings. Annual assessment of achievement of outcomes and future needs is occurring at the institutional, program and course level. For example, the career and technical education programs at Foothill College exceed the standard as evidenced by superior outcomes on licensing examinations.
The college has developed an integrated planning and budget process that is clearly linked to program review, core missions and learning outcomes at all levels. Every program and course offered by Foothill College receives the same level and quality of support services and resources regardless of location or mode of instruction. Foothill College remains centered and committed to the diverse needs and learning styles of its current student population while planning for the future student needs.
Abstract of the Self-Study
Standard II: Student Learning Programs & Services
II.B.
Student Support Services
Foothill College offers a full program of student services to meet the diverse needs of students, including counseling, financial aid, the Extended Opportunities Programs and Services program, admissions and records, the Student Success Center and testing services. In 2006, a new cycle of strategic planning began and the student services program review process was revised and streamlined to better align with the instructional program review process and timelines, and to incorporate service area outcomes (SAOs) in the program review process. The ongoing goal remains to generate valid data to enable the student services areas to make data-driven planning decisions in program development, program improvement, and human, financial and facilities resource allocation.
In Academic Year 2009–2010, Foothill’s student services areas developed, assessed and reflected upon two to three SAOs per area. In Academic Year 2010–2011, the 2009 SAOs were re-defined and further assessed. These results are used within the service areas to initiate discussions and examine student services through a holistic lens. This information is used to guide further planning and to better serve the student population. While several years of budget cuts have put significant stress on student support services, the college is still addressing the needs of students in a comprehensive way, and continues to seek outside sources of funding to offer new services, such as the Veterans Resource Center, which opened in Fall 2009. The college continues to look for ways to address student needs through online services and through technology.
II.C.
Library & Learning Support Services
Located at the heart of the Foothill College campus, the Hubert H. Semans Library provides a rich environment to support student learning, academic research and scholarly inquiry. The library is part of the college’s Learning Resource Center (LRC), which includes the Media Center, an open-access computer lab, study area and multimedia resource collection, and the Tutorial Center, an open-access multi-subject tutorial service center. As part of the original campus construction completed in 1961, the library’s physical study and learning spaces are currently in need of upgrades to support changing student needs such as power outlets for laptop computing. Two phases of upgrades are currently planned for the LRC, a short-term project, which will address needs such as more power outlets for student study areas, and a larger facilities upgrade project, which could involve expanding the library.
Equally central to the student learning and support experience is the library website, www.foothill.edu/
library, which serves the needs of all students, and in
particular serves the needs of Foothill’s population
of online students, which currently comprises approximately 20 percent of all student attendance. Technology is central to the learning experience at Foothill College, and the library and LRC have always been at the forefront of evaluating and adopting new educational and technological resources for students, through its website and through procurement and adoption of online resources and study tools. The Learning Resource Center serves as a central location for student learning, providing a well-equipped and welcoming environment conducive to independent and collaborative research and study. The library provides a balanced collection of print and online resources and the necessary equipment to support the use of the collection. The library acquires and maintains a collection of print and electronic materials which currently includes 90,000 print volumes, 280 print periodical subscriptions, 12,000 e-books, 2000 reserve items, and multiple general and subject specific databases providing access to thousands of articles and reference materials.