Physical Science
Mission Statement
The broad mission of educators in the Physical Sciences is to share a dynamic method of inquiry that has been trained over centuries via an iterative process of observation, modeling, prediction, experimentation and observation of the fundamental constituents of the observable universe. Although it can be argued that this tradition is as old as humanity itself, its fruits have never been more impactful to our day-to-day lives than now; both directly in the form of increasingly accelerated technological advancement, and indirectly by serving as a kind of method testing-ground for modeling systems outside of the traditional physical sciences. The broad purpose of the Community College system is to provide a mechanism to enable people to enter the workforce with specific skills required for particular types of jobs and/or to prepare people to continue on to more education and training before entering the workforce. At Butte College specifically, our mission is to provide quality education, services and workforce training to students who aspire to become productive members of a diverse, sustainable and global society. Melding these two imperative missions in a meaningful way that can be used to contextualize our plans for the future requires a split mission: Our mission for STEM career track and non-STEM career track pathways. For the STEM skills career track student (~80% of PS FTES): It is the mission of the Butte College Physical Sciences department to provide students with: a robust and program-informed schedule that allows for published pathways that we serve to be completable by a dedicated student within advertised timelines, and a maximally-inclusive and high-quality educational experience in the physical sciences dedicated to increasing the access of STEM fields to people with diverse ways of thinking and various backgrounds under the operating assumption that science is a reflection of humanity�s understanding of the cosmos not a reflection of the cosmos itself. We will know that we are successful when we have determined that all students have been afforded the achievable opportunity to take their next steps with confidence. For the GE students seeking non-STEM career tracks (~20% of PS FTES): The Butte College Physical Science department will provide our General Education students with a mindful and welcoming effort to match their changing interests and behaviors with experiences that highlight the processes, products and power of the culture of the Physical Sciences and how they will continue to play a central role in creating a sustainable future for humanity.
Program Description
Overview:
The Department of Physical Sciences enjoys an excellent reputation within the campus community. The Chemistry, Geology, and Physics programs offer lower-division courses for science and engineering majors as well as preparatory courses for the nursing and respiratory therapy career programs and the Physical Science program offers general education courses for all majors. Students that have been through our programs return on a regular basis to reflect on their experiences, and the sense of collegiality they felt while in our classes. This is also reflected in student evaluations. Full-time faculty members Colin Ferguson, Penny Lillie, Jason Trento, Danielle Gray and Bob White are former Butte College students and decided to return to the department and give back some of what they received. We work with other departments (specifically Mathematics, Biology, and Computer Science) to create a student-friendly schedule with accessible offerings in a number of different formats. Most sections in all four programs tend to close before the end of registration, many with full wait lists, reflecting a high degree of demand for our programs as well as a solid reputation for our courses.
Outside of the classroom our department is involved in a number of project/activities that serve our mission.
We work closely with Butte College�s Supplemental Instruction (SI) Program which is run with love and skill by April Hennessy and facilitated by our students to provide a community of learning around our more challenging �gateway� courses. Every semester ~7 of our instructors participate in this program. In addition to the obvious benefit of the students that use SI the training and experiences that the facilitators get often helps them get into world-renowned institutions as they move on to their educational goals.
Elizabeth Wannenmacher and our colleague from the Mathematics Department, Tierra Lloyd serve as faculty advisors for the Science and Math Club. With regular and awe inducing contributions of demonstrations and technical presentations from our Chemistry Stockroom Magician Dave Carr and periodic tours of local science-based businesses among other typical club social events the Science and Math Club offers a no-stakes opportunity to create community around a common interest.
Delving in deeper into the details of the Physical Sciences Department (~ 6% of total college FTES):
Chemistry (60% FTES of PS Department, 4.41% of campus as of Fall 2019)
In Fall 2016, curricular details in CHEM 51 were restructured to use lab space more efficiently, resulting in an increase of section offerings from 3 to 9 in Spring 2019. Chemistry faculty then restructured the curriculum in CHEM 1 in a similar fashion that allowed offerings of that course to increase from 6 in Spring 2018 to 9 in Spring 2019. Increases in CHEM 110 offerings are dependent upon staffing and there are not many associate faculty available in this area. Currently we have two associate faculty and have added a third one for Spring 2020. However, starting Fall 2020, CHEM 110 will no longer be offered and a similar, yet transferrable course, CHEM 11 will take its place. We believe this course will continue to exhibit high demand and plan to offer at least as many sections as CHEM 110 currently has. The conversion of PS 108 into a chemistry lab room and the new large lecture portable have freed up space in other rooms to allow for increased growth in various chemistry courses. While enrollment across campus is somewhat declining, the demand for some chemistry courses continues to rise.
Martin Wallace tracks Chemistry Demand by Enrollment Day and history shows that CHEM 110, and CHEM 51 attain full enrollment by the 20 day after opening.
Despite the demand for courses such as CHEM 51 and 110, we simply do not have the full-time faculty to cover these classes without faculty volunteering for overloads on a regular basis. Plans for the new science building need to take into account this demand and allow for more lab rooms to meet demand and offer more sections during prime class time(9am-2pm).
The Chemistry program has two important needs: more full and part-time faculty and staff; and more money for equipment and supplies. From Fall 2008 to Fall 2019, chemistry sections increased from 19 to 31, yet this increase in course offerings is not consistent with budget increases over the years or support staff for these classes. The money increases we are asking for need to cover the cost of new hires, increased costs of chemicals and quantities being used, an increased need for student graders and assistants, and a need to being purchasing and updating equipment that will not be used immediately, but will, instead, be held for the new building.
Physics (14.4% FTES of PS Department 1.06% of campus):
Enrollment in the physics program has stagnated due to a lack of support in the Engineering program. A new engineering instructor has been hired starting the Fall of 2019, and the physics department is teaching Engineering 17. We have added a section to the Spring 2020 schedule and foresee the demand for physics to increase as the engineering program improves. Our increased offerings of PHYS 21, 22 and 43 every semester have met the current demand and now our course offering are on par with similar community colleges. The addition of a fourth physicist in the Fall of 2017 and a new hire starting in the Fall of 2019 has allowed us to meet our current demand and help teach much needed engineering courses. However, the physics program currently subsists on two lab rooms that it shares with geology and physical science programs which does not allow for any more growth due to lack of lab space. In addition, we anticipate ever increasing supply and equipment budgets to update antiquated lab technology, and begin stocking up for the new science building.
Geology (6.5% FTES of PS Department 0.48% of campus):
The geology program is quite strong considering we only have a single full-time instructor. We have a full schedule of Physical Geology (GEOL 32) and we continue to offer Historical Geology (GEOL 34) each Fall. We added a FA/SP Earth Science with Lab (PSC 11) at the request of counseling and the Child and Family Development Department as part of an early education AS-T that filled at its first offering and is currently being taught by a part-time instructor. The program's greatest needs are a commitment from administration--in light of the recently approved AS-T degree and Geology and added demand for Geologists in service to other departments--to offer more sections and hire a full-time instructor sometime in the near future. We put in the request for the full-time Geology for last year and will continue to do so in future years.
Physical Science (19.1% FTES of PS Department 1.41% of campus) :
Enrollments in the Physical Science program are very good--most classes fill well before the semester begins. The Weather classes (PSC 50 and 51) are very strong at both the Chico Center and the Main Campus. We finally added a new course, Natural Hazards (PSC 53), in Summer 2015. It was successful and is now being offered regularly each Fall semester. Environmental Science (PSC 10) continues to be extremely popular. We currently offer one section of 24 students that closes during the first week of registration. We would like to offer more sections but lack faculty to do so. We believe the interdisciplinary Introductory Physical Science (PSC 20 and 21) also has had very good enrollments but AS-T requirements have seen the introduction of two courses: Concepts in Physical Science (PSC 12) and Earth Science with Lab (PSC 11). Due to content overlap with PSC 20/21, this addition has caused a shift in offerings. We added FA/SP sections of PSC 12 and PSC 11 and we are reducing the offerings of PSC 20 and 21 (Reduced PSC 20/21 from 1 to 0 sections for Spring 2020). Still, we lost one section and gained two lec/labs worth so we are still growing. To meet the need of the lecture-only physical science course offering, the physicists have created a lecture-only version of the Introductory Astronomy course (PSC 30) called A Survey of the Universe (PSC 27) which has been offered in Fall 2019 and two sections in the Spring 2020. The goal is to meet the demand of the lecture-only physical science course previously met by PSC 20 with a popular offering that does not have the intimidating mathematical demands of the lab portion of PSC 30 and 30H and can also be offered in the online modality. We are unclear on how many sections of PSC 27 to offer as it may draw students in our other face to face courses.
Finally, our Physical Science Senior Laboratory Technician currently works under a ten-month contract. This position is responsible for three of our four programs; lacking the summer work time makes it very difficult for the tech to handle long-term projects and the growth of Summer offerings has increased by 50%. The physics and physical science faculty have had to forgo several building projects because of this. The increasing number of sections in both physical science and physics will only increase the tech's workload and the continued packing will reduce the time allowed for changes between labs which changes the nature of the work making it more stressful. We feel the tech can be much more effective if the position is recharacterized as a twelve-month one.
Accountability for Previously Funded Items
New full-time Physics faculty member
Amount: 114000.00
Used For Intended Purpose: Yes
Benefit
Our new Physics faculty member has allowed the department to help teach engineering courses, and allowed for the expansion of PSC course offerings.
New full-time Chemistry faculty member
Amount: 114000.00
Used For Intended Purpose: Yes
Benefit
Adding an additional Chemist has brought relief to our other faculty who have been teaching overloads. We are now close to meeting the demand that students have for chemistry.
Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes
Discipline Area Chemistry Semester Assessed Fall 2018 Date Completed 8/31/18 Completed By Jason Trento Looking Back Please begin with a look back at summaries submitted in the prior two semesters, and provide here a brief follow-up on any actions taken, resources requested, resources received, etc. Labs of been updated, Standardized tests have been utilized and exams and quizzes have been updated to maximize student competency in the learning outcomes. No significant problem area in student achievement need to be addressed at this time. Many faculty continue to make individual changes to courses as needs arise. Summary of “Brief Reflections” for Semester Assessed * Part 1 – Findings Student Learning Outcomes appear to be being met in the Chemistry Disciple. The chemists to build a larger data pool to so that accurate assessment can be met and analyzed to make the appropriate changes needed to increase student achievement in the future. The American Chemical Society exams given continue to show our students come out between the 70th - 80th percentile ranges. Part 2 – Strategies The same strategies continue to be used with the addition of adding activity sections for chemistry to improve student competency from current levels. More data will be needed to see if this transformation from traditional labs to activities increases overall SLO outcomes. Part 3 – Resource Needs Grader money, student assistants, SI leaders and Space continue to be ongoing resource needs. More lab and lecture space still need to be addressed. Additional Instructors are needed to meet the demand of our growing program. Discipline Area Physics Semester Assessed Spring 2018 Date Completed 10/10/18 Completed By Jason Trento Looking Back Please begin with a look back at summaries submitted in the prior two semesters, and provide here a brief follow-up on any actions taken, resources requested, resources received, etc. An emphasis on SLO’s related to lab techniques was the focus of recent summaries in the calculus-based physics courses and SLO’s related to developing math and problem solving was the emphasis in non-calculus-based courses. A redesign of several labs was accomplished with mixed results in SLO improvement. Problem solving continues to be an issue in algebra-based courses. Supplemental Instructors are going to be added in subsequent semesters provided the resources are available. Summary of “Brief Reflections” for Semester Assessed * Part 1 – Findings Students continue to struggle in developing problem solving skills with math proficiency as the biggest deficit in student success. Part 2 – Strategies Developing and implementing a problem review session for the physics 21/22 courses is being considered to improve SLO outcomes. Part 3 – Resource Needs The supplemental instructor (SI) program is going to have to be supported and grown to meet the demand of courses in our area. The additional work that students participate in with a peer will have a positive impact on SLO outcomes for physics.
Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (Instruction Departments)
The Physical Sciences Deparment has Chemistry, Geology, Physical Science and Physics.
Chemistry
Retention rates for Chemistry have remained constant at around 90% from 2015 - 2018. However, success rates have increased from 71% to 75%. This is due to pedagogical approach of doing dry labs and wet labs. The dry labs allow more time practicing the material with innovative teaching methods.
Geology
The retention rates for Geology have dipped slightly from 94% to 93%. Success rates have increased from 76% tp 77% with a dip in 2017-18. Thid drop is statistically insignificant feel the success rates are high.
Physical Science
The retention rates for Physical Science have dipped slightly from 94% to 91%. Success rates have increased from 74% tp 75% with a dip in 2016-17. Thid drop is statistically insignificant feel the success rates are high.
Physics
In terms of degrees and certificates, the Physical Sciences Department mostly services other degrees, therefore does not award many degrees and certificates. The majors who take our courses transfer with high units and often leave before achieving the degree or not applying for it.
Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)
Our biggest change and success in meeting the one of the Vision for Success goals was to convert CHEM 110 to CHEM 11. This course now is a transferrable course that allows students to reduce their overall units and keep on track to achieve there goal of completion and transfers.
Strategic Direction
The Physical Sciences Department supports the college in meeting its Strategic Direction and Priority Themes by:
1. Implementing AB 705
By having thoughful discussions of impact of students with no to little math skills taking our math heavy courses.
2. Implementing Guided Pathways
a. Strategic Scheduling
We have worked on building a schedule that meets students demands by offering more block scheduling and offering more sections.
3. Closing Equity Gaps
4. Meeting enrollment targets
Our department is one of the few that continues to grow at a time the campus enrollment id down.
5. Meeting student achievement goals
Our department continues to show acheivement of SLO's across all disciplines using a wide variety of assessment and proven research.
6. Fostering a Culture of Inclusiveness
Our department holds semester gatherings in each others homes. We also gather by weekly after department meetings to engage share experiences.
Program Review
Our latest program review was 2013-14. The Validation Team issued twelve (12) recommendations. Their status is outlined below.
New science building: The college has recently agreed to float a bond issue which was passed by Butte County voters, part of this bond will fund a new science building.
Counseling: The department worked closely in the past with two counselors, Debbie Reynolds and John Soldate, so that the advice given science students is germane to their majors and helps them navigate our courses efficiently and successfully. We would like a dedicated STEM counselor with the implementation of AB 705.
Fees: We used to collect profits from the sale of lab manuals, but the college rescinded this ability four years ago. The Validation team recommended that if the administration does not allow us to reinstate these profits, then they should make up the difference in our supply budgets. Recent policy changes by administration have enabled us to resume adding a small mark-up to our lab manuals provided we offer free online versions to students. We shall continue to report on the impacts of these policy improvements.
Long-term savings: With the resumed source on ongoing augmentations from the sales of the lab manuals which should provide an aspect of our budget that will scale with the amount of use of our materials, we can create a plan to save for critical equipment failure. It’s difficult to plan for that at this time since our department has yet to normalize. We will know more next year.
Hire an additional chemist: We successfully hired one tenure track Chemist for Fall 2019, but we need an additional hire now to meet growth demands. This will allow us to increase our student access further to meet still apparently latent demand.
Hire an additional geologist: We need an additional physical science hire now to meet growth demands for environmental science and physical science for liberal studies. This will allow us to increase our student access further to meet still apparently latent demand.
Smart room upgrades: With the reality that our new building is approximately a decade away, we are requesting Smart-room upgrades to bring us up to the institutional norm of classroom technology.
Prerequisite enforcement: Done.
Improved scheduling using all five days: This is something we have no control over. The faculty outside of physical sciences at large have convinced themselves that by only meeting their students four days per week instead of five somehow improves student success and access.
Tracking graduates: In progress. This will be closer to completion as the campus shifts from course to program thinking.
Chemical Hygiene Officer stipend: Done
Projects involving students: In our engineering physics series we have been implementing two project based aspects of the curriculum. In Physics 41 the students have a semester project called the Group Goldberg machine. It is an extended Rube Goldberg Machine that the whole class participates in. In Fall 2017, the Group Goldberg machine was triggered in the basement level of the library and it was a public success. In Physics 42, students have an individual “motor challenge” where students construct an electric motor out of a specified set of materials then get points for speed of rotation. Both of these projects are well liked by the students, provide an opportunity for community outside normal curriculum and is a low risk way to get experience with the frustrating and fulfilling process of creation moderated by the real constraints of nature …not arbitrary human assessment. Students now tour the new maker space and are using it to create the Rube Goldberg Machine and motor challenge parts.
Elimination of CHEM 110 and creation of CHEM 11: CHEM 110 has been a non-transferable course designed to prepare students for CHEM 1, CHEM 51 or to meet the prerequisite for Biology courses. Biology is now changing the prerequisite to CHEM 51 or CHEM 1. The new course will now be taken to prepare for CHEM 1 or CHEM 51 but will also be transferable.
Department Goals
1. Monitor Impact of AB 705 on our courses
2. Obtain a cochair for our department
3. Increase enrollment until demand is met
4. Find and recruit more associate faculty
5. Hold social functions to improve department cohesiveness
Future Development Strategies
Strategy 1 - Increased Lecture & Laboratory Space
All four programs share the same basic needs as last year: one, the ability to add sections of high-demand classes to the schedule, both at Chico Center and Main Campus; two, more lecture, laboratory and office space; three, more funds for both supplies (to account for inflation, depreciation, and attrition) and student assistants; and, four, more staff that scale with our growth which has been finally allowed and supported by administration. The recently approved 2016 bond measure will solve the space issues (and staff issues) long-term, but we need to think about short-term solutions. Conversion of PS 108 from a lecture room to a lab room and a new large lecture portable has met the needs of added sections for chemistry until the much-needed new science building opens around 2027, but physics and physical science lab space needs more space for growth. With the added strain in our area of teaching engineering courses, we need more space. We can investigate innovative but locally untested strategies to employ hybrid online methodologies to open up some of the lecture space (like offering 1/3 of the lecture time online) but lab space is the limiting constraint since we, as a department, will not sanction any online lab offerings attached to our reputation as a department and at the suggestions of outside entities like the American Chemical Society.
To unpack this request consider the following realities. Recent shifts in curricular structure have opened up lab space to add three new sections of our severely impacted CHEM 1 offerings. This moved chemistry dry lab activities into a lecture room. If you consider the potential downstream growth that will result from our increased offerings in CHEM 1 (namely adding sections to CHEM 2 and ultimately CHEM 21), We can currently consider our chemistry lab space booked for the behavior of the students we serve and the current full-time faculty we have. We still see latent need that would support at least two new sections of CHEM 51, so we are still capable of growth, but we will need another hire to meet this demand. We also have been offering night classes for CHEM 110 and a newly opened CHEM 51 section which are both full to capacity. We need more full-time faculty to free up part-time faculty to teach increased offerings in the evenings. As for Physics, Physical Science and Geology our lab space is 93% full five days a week from 9-5pm. This reality is static and largely immovable.
We are running out of reliable options for expanding to meet the needs of our students in primary program pathways serving numerous programs within and outside our department. Which, by the way, also bring in GE FTES. Our stem students are alpha consumers of college with impressive career options and the opportunity for significant social mobility. Not often are you faced with win-win propositions as clean as what would result from expansion of our STEM programs in general which are anchored in Math and Natural Sciences. We believe it is urgent to act now for the sake of the next decades to find the end of the student demand for our classes so that we may reliably assess the needs of the building we are going to start planning. We cannot find this latent demand until we don’t have wait lists and we can’t do this without a concerted institutional effort to give space for us to expand and the patience to let the students fill into our new expanded state.
Since the bond will most likely go to infrastructure and not to equipment and consumables, we also need to start increasing our equipment and supply budgets--slowly, but regularly--so as to begin purchasing equipment over the next seven years that can be stored and moved into the new building.
Initiatives
- Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement
- Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success
- Using Data-Informed Processes for Continuous Improvement
- Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning
Supporting Rationale
See above
Supporting Rationale Alignment
Supports the College's Strategic Direction and Priorities: No
Supports Program Review Recommendations: No
Supports Course level SLOs: Yes
Supports PLOs: Yes
Supports ILO - Think Critically: No
Supports ILO - Communicate Competently: No
Supports ILO - Engage Collaboratively: No
Supports ILO - Work Effectively: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Credentials: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Transfer: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Time to Degree: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Employment in field of Study: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Reducing Equity Gaps: Yes
Strategy 2 - Twelve-month Senior Laboratory Technician and Part-time Technician
The senior physical science laboratory technician is currently serving on a ten-month contract. This individual is responsible for the equipment, lab facilities, and supply and grader budgets of three (3) of the four (4) programs in the department: physics, physical science, and geology. A successful senior laboratory technician is one who is orderly, punctual, self-motivating, and knowledgeable in the physical sciences in the broadest sense. Most importantly, however, this position demands someone who enjoys seizing the initiative and working on projects that enhance student success and whose benefits might not accrue for several semesters. As we increase the number of sections, the responsibilities of the senior laboratory technician will inevitably increase as well. When we move into the new science building, this will only become a larger issue. Given our needs now and our anticipated needs in the long-term, we want to recharacterize this position into a twelve-month one. The chemistry program has seen extensive growth over the last decade, and now has ten full-time faculty and 31 sections and requires more support in this area.
Initiatives
- Modeling Sustainability
- Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement
- Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success
- Using Data-Informed Processes for Continuous Improvement
- Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning
Supporting Rationale
Increasing demand in physics and the uncertainty surrounding the overall space allocations for the entire department in the near future have greatly added to the senior laboratory technician's normal duties and job stress level. These duties include: maintaining and servicing all the laboratory and demonstration equipment for the three programs; overseeing and dispersing monies from the supply and grader budgets for those programs; summer school support; and, working on various building and laboratory projects that enhance students' experiences, provide safer work environments, maker space help for student projects and help the department as a whole operate more efficiently. The time available for these routine duties, however, is slowly eroding due to the ever-increasing time the technician must devote to help the physics program grow. The technician's absence from the college for two months each summer exacerbates this problem, making it very difficult for him to accomplish many long-term projects since many of his routine duties are being squeezed into ten months. While the department does have another full-time senior technician, the physical science tech position has duties unique to the position.
A bulleted list of duties that currently are NOT being performed at only ten months include:
•end of year inventory of equipment and consumable supplies.
•cleaning and calibrating laboratory equipment.
•pricing and purchasing new laboratory equipment and supplies.
•designing and building new laboratory equipment.
•researching and helping develop new laboratory experiments and demonstrations.
•developing new skills that enhance work: lathe work; chemical safety; soldering; milling; Datatel.
•organizing physics and physical sciences stockroom.
•setting up purchase orders.
Supporting Rationale Alignment
Supports the College's Strategic Direction and Priorities: No
Supports Program Review Recommendations: Yes
Supports Course level SLOs: Yes
Supports PLOs: Yes
Supports ILO - Think Critically: No
Supports ILO - Communicate Competently: No
Supports ILO - Engage Collaboratively: No
Supports ILO - Work Effectively: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Credentials: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Transfer: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Time to Degree: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Employment in field of Study: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Reducing Equity Gaps: No
Strategy 3 - Equipment
What our department makes the college in terms of FTES due to lab hours is slightly offset by the cost of running labs (though a thorough accounting of the money made by our students after leaving our programs we believe would show a return on investment more than acceptable by taxpayers). We have extensive equipment needs and no dedicated equipment budget. Some of this is to replace outmoded and/or unserviceable equipment, and some of it is upgrades, and some of it is simply to acquire more units due to more sections of a given class. Finally, we anticipate further needs in the future to equip the new science building. As we have grown, the usage of the equipment we have accelerates and increases the frequency of replacement and maintenance requirements. With recent growth (~6 more lab sections in last year) we anticipate a commensurate increase in our equipment repair and replacement needs at the very least.
Initiatives
- Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement
- Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success
- Using Data-Informed Processes for Continuous Improvement
- Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning
Supporting Rationale
The Physical Sciences only work when students perform experiments. Therefore, specialized equipment and dedicated facilities are key components in every class we teach. Equipment must be maintained and calibrated and we have to continually replenish consumables like chemicals, glassware, carbonized paper, electrical components, testing samples, housekeeping materials, etc. Relentless improvements in technology, along with continual software upgrades, means we constantly need to improve the way we use our equipment, or replace it, or completely change the way we do experiments. All of this requires a large supply budget, a budget that increases over time.
Supporting Rationale Alignment
Supports the College's Strategic Direction and Priorities: No
Supports Program Review Recommendations: Yes
Supports Course level SLOs: Yes
Supports PLOs: Yes
Supports ILO - Think Critically: Yes
Supports ILO - Communicate Competently: No
Supports ILO - Engage Collaboratively: No
Supports ILO - Work Effectively: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Credentials: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Transfer: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Time to Degree: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Employment in field of Study: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Reducing Equity Gaps: No
Strategy 4 - Student Grader and Student Lab Assistant Money
As we continue to add sections and try to fulfill other tasks for the college (e.g., SLO assessment), it is becoming even more important for us to have sufficient and ongoing funds available for student graders and student assistants. Recent reinstatement of the ability to gain student funds from small mark-ups of the lab manuals has decreased the long term concern for maintaining the meticulous and proven pedagogy used by the Chemistry instructors but we remain uncertain about where the funding levels will normalize. Consequently, to avoid breaking a working model of evaluation of student work, the Chemistry program needs continued monies to continue with this proven pedagogical choice. Last year the college graciously awarded us more monies toward this cause, but we anticipate our grading needs to continue to increase with the addition of 3 more full-time chemists and this support must continue at least in the short-term. Increased minimum wage, more glassware and lab prep require more monies for student assistance helping in set-ups and cleaning glassware that our senior lab technician can’t keep up with.
Initiatives
- Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement
- Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success
- Using Data-Informed Processes for Continuous Improvement
- Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning
- Enhancing a Culture of Equity and Inclusiveness
Supporting Rationale
Mastery of the physical sciences requires focused attention on detail and the nurturing of analytical skills. Hence, grading lab reports and other work is necessary, yet very time-consuming for the instructors especially since many of us are on overload. Employing our successful students as graders yields three great benefits: 1) Students receive significantly more feedback with an increased level of detail and in a more timely manner than the instructor would be able to provide alone. 2) Instructors are better able to focus on student success and learning outcomes in their courses. 3) The student graders receive valuable training in analytical skills and physical intuition, as well as a source of income with a highly flexible schedule. An increase in minimum wage and increase in the sheer volume of labs require more student assistants and hence more monies.
Supporting Rationale Alignment
Supports the College's Strategic Direction and Priorities: No
Supports Program Review Recommendations: Yes
Supports Course level SLOs: No
Supports PLOs: No
Supports ILO - Think Critically: No
Supports ILO - Communicate Competently: No
Supports ILO - Engage Collaboratively: No
Supports ILO - Work Effectively: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Credentials: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Transfer: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Time to Degree: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Employment in field of Study: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Reducing Equity Gaps: No
Strategy 5 - Professional Development Travel Funds for STEM Instructors
Technology and scientific advancement as well as advancements in STEM teaching strategies are all in a era of rapid and accelerating change. The nature and global ubiquity of the importance of STEM tends to make the nature of conferences at the cutting edge of the scientific and technological endeavor to be more national in nature than local. When this fact is coupled with generally available funds to all faculty it results in a situation where our STEM instructors are less able to keep skills updated with their fields because to do so would require travel to areas further from home. As our campus culture shifts to design with the end in mind our STEM instructors have to keep abreast of the end more regularly since Science and Technology is changing more rapidly than other transfer fields. STEM instructors need more travel funds to keep even with the campus at large in professional development.
Initiatives
- Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement
- Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success
- Using Data-Informed Processes for Continuous Improvement
- Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning
Supporting Rationale
See above
Supporting Rationale Alignment
Supports the College's Strategic Direction and Priorities: No
Supports Program Review Recommendations: Yes
Supports Course level SLOs: Yes
Supports PLOs: Yes
Supports ILO - Think Critically: No
Supports ILO - Communicate Competently: Yes
Supports ILO - Engage Collaboratively: Yes
Supports ILO - Work Effectively: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Credentials: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Transfer: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Time to Degree: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Employment in field of Study: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Reducing Equity Gaps: No
Strategy 6 - Maker Space
The college needs to fully supporting moving forward the Maker Space on campus where students and faculty can work on various construction and fabrication projects. We fully support this as we see that students mostly learn by doing. Physics students are now being required to tour the maker space and think about and do projects connected to class work. The continued support by the college of the Maker Space gives them just that without it impacting our instructional lab rooms. We hope the administration continues to support this project.
Initiatives
- Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success
- Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning
Supporting Rationale
See Above
Supporting Rationale Alignment
Supports the College's Strategic Direction and Priorities: No
Supports Program Review Recommendations: No
Supports Course level SLOs: Yes
Supports PLOs: Yes
Supports ILO - Think Critically: No
Supports ILO - Communicate Competently: No
Supports ILO - Engage Collaboratively: No
Supports ILO - Work Effectively: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Credentials: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Transfer: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Time to Degree: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Employment in field of Study: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Reducing Equity Gaps: No
Requested Non-Financial Resources
Lecture and laboratory space. We would like the college to consider remodeling unused space (e.g., automotive) into labs or possibly lecture rooms. Since there is no other appropriate space on main campus for physical science and physics labs, this seems a sensible solution. If not, then consider moving some labs into temporary portable spaces that could also serve the Life Sciences department until the new science building is finished.
Current Financial Resources
The department currently has external funding sources from the sales of lab manuals. These funds are deposited into foundation accounts.
Augmentation Requests
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Chemistry | Operating Expenses | $9,400.00 | $14,500.00 | ||
| Student Grader and Assistant Money | Graded assignments are at the core of how Chemistry is taught. Students must receive feedback on assignments to correct errors in technique and concepts. Course content builds on previous understanding, so this process of learn, apply, correct, and understand is then applied to additional topics. The College�s support for student grading did not keep pace with increases in enrollment, so faculty began to add a small surcharge to faculty-produced lab manuals (with the blessing of the College�s administration) and used these funds to support the demand for grading. In 2014, this practice was suddenly stopped by the College administration. However, in spite of promises to replace the funding, no permanent solution to the loss of this support has come forward. This has had a significant negative impact on our educational programs, affecting our ability to achieve our Program Student Learning Outcomes. Laboratory reports and homework assignments are two major categories of graded assignments used to support student these SLOs. Laboratory experiments are critical for Chemistry Program SLOs #1 and #2. Students prepare for each experiment by reading the experimental introduction and procedure (including safety warnings). Many classes require that students complete a �pre-lab� that includes sample calculations and concept questions. The students then complete the experiment, and data is then used to determine the experiment�s results, which involves graphing and/or calculations using the data on the report. Finally, students are asked to interpret data, reflect on the experimental procedure, and answer concept questions based on their results (which applies to SLO#3). These reports provide the student important feedback on their understanding of the experiment and its concepts. Homework assignments address SLOs #2 and #3. Students are assigned reading in their text, and then directed to answer questions (in writing) about what they have read. Collecting and grading homework assignments is especially critical in entry-level chemistry classes, since the students may not yet understand the essential nature of hands-on learning in the natural sciences. In November 2015, an affective survey was administered to five different chemistry classes (310 responses) to assess the value of graded assignments to the students in those classes. These courses varied in whether homework was simply assigned (and not collected) or collected and graded and not all courses required pre-lab assignments. The results indicated that feedback is seen as being extremely important to students (80-100% responded this is always or sometimes true), and comments are especially helpful to them (87-94%). Timely feedback is critical to the students (90-100% as very important or important). Homework is also universally seen as essential in preparing for examinations (95-100% as true). Finally, pre-labs and especially graded lab reports are seen as valuable teaching and learning tools (80-97%). Select comments included: � When teachers write comments on my paper it really helps me to see what I have done wrong in the problem. � Having homework being fully graded, rather than only partly graded would be fantastic. It helps hone in on study issues. � It is concerning not to receive corrected assignments in a timely manner because it is hard to compare any progress. It is clear homework and reports that are graded, include comments, and are returned in a timely fashion, are at the core of student success in chemistry courses. It is not physically possible for instructors to fulfill this responsibility without help. A core part of our instructional program, fundamental to achieving student learning outcomes. In addition, increased lab offerings have lead to more glassware that student assistants wash freeing up time for lab techs. Minimum wage continues to increase as well. |
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| 2 | Physics, Physical Science & Geology | Personnel | $11,000.00 | $11,000.00 | ||
| Twelve-month Senior Physical Sciences Laboratory Technician | Our Physical Sciences Senior Lab Technician is currently on a ten-month contract. He is unable to utilize the summer months to work on badly needed long-term projects. We want to recharacterize this position into a twelve-month one. Since we've added sections to the summer schedule and spring schedule and we plan to continue adding, we need to have a full-year technician. While Rusty is very good at juggling his various duties and assignments, he lacks to time to work on long-range projects over the summer. We have a growing list of physics and physical science demonstration equipment that we would like to have Rusty build and test and given the constraints he has during the normal academic year, these assignments can only be realized in a summer setting. |
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| 3 | Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and Physical Science | Equipment | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| 2nd Projector for PS 131 | Effective use of technology and best pedagogical practices need the use of multiple media sources to be projected simultaneously. Students need to be engaged with lecture notes, videos, diagrams, and multimedia demonstrations to stay actively engaged in science content. |
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| 4 | Geology | Operating Expenses | $0.00 | $1,800.00 | ||
| Increase in annual supply and travel budgets | The current Geology budget is $643 for supplies and $290 for travel. This amount has not changed in at least six years. We seek an ongoing increase of $767 ($357 for supplies and $410 for travel) as well as the creation of a dedicated equipment budget (there currently isn't one) funded at $1000. Maps, scratch pads, glass plates, and other consumables continue to increase in price. The program also wants to slowly purchase microscopes and balances for the new building. We ask for a travel money increase since the field trips are very popular with the students and assessments have shown that they improve student success. |
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| 5 | Chemistry | Personnel | $40,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Chemistry Senior Laboratory Technician- Part-time Request | The current lab technician was hired in Fall 2007 and in Fall 2008 there were five full-time faculty and 19 sections of courses offered. The chemistry program has seen extensive growth over the last decade, and now has ten full-time faculty and 31 sections offered as of Fall 2019. This increased growth has resulted in an increased workload for the current lab technician without any significant increase in salary, who also serves as the Chemical Hygiene Officer for the college and manages chemistry division funds. We are requesting a part-time lab technician position to help offset this increased workload for our current lab technician. This position could possibly take charge of the prep work required for a few of the chemistry courses and allow our current lab technician to better focus on more difficult class preps and equipment maintenance. |
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| 6 | Chemistry/Physics/Physical Science/Geology | Facilities | $60,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Smart Classroom Updates | Three Chemistry Lab spaces, One Physical Science Lab, One Physics Lab and Two lecture spaces needs computers, Projectors, Document Cameras and associated setup. Specifically, Document Camera in PS 105, Reworking of projector and layout in SSG 102, 14 computers (PC�s) and a Black and White Printer for Chemistry activities. Adjustable controls on lighting that work with the smart room technology. |
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| 7 | Chemistry | Equipment | $1,050.00 | $0.00 | ||
| New Printer | Recent changes to the structure of the CHEM 1 curriculum opened space in the wet lab room by moving some class meetings to another room in the building. The new room lacks the computers and printer that the wet lab room provides and there are times when students must go back to the wet lab room to complete certain graphing tasks. We recently acquired a set of unused laptops from another department on campus that must be updated, but still need a printer to make the new room more functional for the CHEM 1 activities. |
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| 8 | Physics, Physical Science | Equipment | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| High Speed Camera | To achieve the analysis of many types of motion a high speed camera is needed to observe phenomena that happen of milliseconds. A camera with 4000 fps is versatile enough for these observations. This camera would be used in all physics and astronomy labs. |
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| 9 | Physics and Physical Science | Equipment | $3,200.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Dynamic track systems(1.2 meter frictionless tracks, wireless smart carts, etc.) | This equipment is a part of ongoing update to outdated technology. This equipment brings data collection into the 21st century and allows students far more opportunities for learning. |
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| 10 | Physics and Physical Science | Equipment | $3,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| MacBook Pro (to make a total of 6) | We need another MacBook Pro to allow for six lab groups. The computers are used in multiple experiments. |
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| 11 | Physics and Physical Science | Equipment | $9,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Speed of Light Systems | Updating this lab to modern technology. Our old measuring systems are unreliable and do not give acceptable results. |
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| 12 | Physics and Physical Science | Equipment | $6,300.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Three Adiabatic Gas Law Apparatus and 850 Universal Interface | We do not currently have an all-in-one device that allows experimenting on the Gas Laws. The equipment and interface allow data to be collected in real time for the students. |
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| 13 | Physics and Physical Science | Equipment | $3,500.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six hot plates and stirrers | With increased lab offering, we need additional hot plates and stirrers. We can not fully equip labs at the present time. |
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| 14 | Physics | Equipment | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Faraday's Law Apparatus | Currently we do not have an experiment that allows students to explore Faraday's Law. This new equipment will provide that opportunity. |
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| 15 | Physics | Equipment | $24,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Electron Charge to Mass Ratio System (Helmholtz coils, Tube, Power supplies) | Currently we do not have enough equipment to properly run this lab. Students need to work in groups of 3-4 per system. We need the addition of six more systems to operate this lab effectively. |
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| 16 | Physics | Operating Expenses | $0.00 | $4,517.00 | ||
| Increased supply, grader, and equipment budgets | The current Physics budget is $5708 ($2763 for supplies, $2720 for student graders, and $225 for student assistants). The program has NO dedicated equipment budget. We ask for ongoing increases in the supply and student grader budgets of $237 and $280, respectively, and the creation of a dedicated equipment budget of $4000. The increases for supplies and graders reflect increases in the costs of consumables and increases in the minimum wage. Also, as we add sections to the schedule and full-time faculty take on overloads, they need more student graders. The new equipment budget will help us begin purchasing expensive, yet necessary, equipment for the new science building. (Some of this equipment is listed as separate augmentation requests.) Also, current equipment costs are covered by the supply budget or offset by using Foundation money (since we no longer receive profits from the sale of lab manuals, our Foundation accounts inexorably decrease). Examples of new equipment include: optics benches; liquids lab materials; and circuit labs. Finally, more sections means increases in printing costs, which are currently covered by the Chemistry program. |
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| 17 | Physical Science | Operating Expenses | $0.00 | $3,336.00 | ||
| Increased budgets for supplies | Like Geology and Physics, this program has NO dedicated equipment budget. The current budget is $1304 ($824 for supplies, $340 for student graders, and $140 for travel). We seek ongoing increases of $676 for supplies, $660 for student graders, and the creation of an equipment budget funded at $2000. These increases cover the increase of printing and student grader costs as we continue to add sections. The new equipment budget will help us begin purchasing equipment for the new science building. |
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| 18 | Chemistry | Equipment | $2,464.00 | $0.00 | ||
| LabQuest pH Sensors | LabQuests are utilized to gather data in many different experiments and each experiment requires a specific sensor or attachment in order to gather the necessary data. The current pH sensors are failing and need to be replaced? pH sensor: 28 @ $88 = $2,464 |
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| 19 | Chemistry | Equipment | $2,492.00 | $0.00 | ||
| LabQuest Gas-Pressure Sensors | LabQuests are utilized to gather data in many different experiments and each experiment requires a specific sensor or attachment in order to gather the necessary data. The current gas-pressure sensors are failing and need to be replaced? Gas-Pressure Sensor: 28 @ $89 = $2,492 |
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| 20 | Chemistry | Equipment | $3,332.00 | $0.00 | ||
| LabQuest Calorimeters | LabQuests are utilized to gather data in many different experiments and each experiment requires a specific sensor or attachment in order to gather the necessary data. The current calorimeters are failing and need to be replaced? Calorimeter: 28 @ $119 = $3,332 |
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| 21 | Chemistry | Equipment | $213.00 | $0.00 | ||
| LabQuest Barometers | LabQuests are utilized to gather data in many different experiments and each experiment requires a specific sensor or attachment in order to gather the necessary data. The current barometers are failing and need to be replaced. ? Barometer: 3 @ $71 = $213 |
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| 22 | Chemistry | Equipment | $3,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Analytical Balance | Analytical balances are heavily used in experiments to precisely determine masses. One such balance has failed, which has left the classrooms with one less available to students, creating unnecessary wait times in experiments where timing can be an issue. |
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| 23 | Chemistry, Physics and Physical Science | Equipment | $9,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Three MacBook Pro for Smart Classrooms: PS 105, PS 139, PS 131 | These have not been replaced by the campus. The MacBooks are from 2008, the trackpads don't work, and some applications don't work. |
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| 24 | Physics | Equipment | $3,500.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Ohaus *0.01 gram balance | These are needed to support the growth of our lab sections. |
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| 25 | Physics | Equipment | $2,100.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Ohaus 0.1 gram balance | These are needed to support the growth of our lab sections |
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| 26 | Physics | Equipment | $4,600.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Centripetal Force System | Our current systems are outdated and breaking down. |
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| 27 | Physics | Equipment | $4,700.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Ampere Law Apparatus | This equipment will replace outdated and poorly functioning equipment we currently have. |
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| 28 | Physics | Equipment | $550.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Pasco Demonstration motor/generator | This demo is needed to demonstrate many electromagnetic ideas used in physics and engineering. |
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| 29 | Physics | Equipment | $3,700.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Ideal Gas Law systems | Currently, we do not have an experiment to explore the ideal gas law. This equipment is needed to support our lab program. |
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| 30 | Physics | Equipment | $3,700.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Six Steam Generators | Our current steam generators are falling apart and need to be replaced. Having working equipment that boils water is also important for student safety. |
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| 31 | Physics and Physical Science | Equipment | $6,500.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Ulimaker 3D Printer | Our students need to be using the latest technology in designing and building projects for our classes. |
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