DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

College admissions policies are consistent with and subject to Board rules and administrative regulations and are published regularly in the college Catalog (5.1), the Schedule of Classes (5.2), the Student Handbook (5.3), and the PACE Handbook (5.4). In addition, a memo sent to faculty and staff on the opening day of each semester details college policies governing late enrollment, adding classes, and other procedures.

All new students must go through the matriculation process (Catalog B-1), which includes admissions, assessment, orientation, and counseling. During all phases of matriculation, the student receives information orally and in print (5.5) about the college's programs, admissions policies, academic policies, refund policies, student conduct standards, complaint and grievance procedures, and graduation requirements. At the student orientation sessions, a new video presentation (5.6) explains these policies, and students can have their questions and concerns addressed. Most of this information is also available online. Plus, twice before each semester, the college sends an abbreviated mailer (5.7) to large portions of the San Fernando Valley that includes the schedule and admissions information and some descriptions of programs.

A district regulation on Student Grievance Procedures (E-55, revised February 16, 1995 and currently under review) (5.8) defines the series of steps to follow for student grievance resolution. Then an ombudsperson explains and assists the student through the complaint and grievance procedure. This procedure is published in a brochure (5.9).

In the past, locally developed surveys (5.10) as well as more formal surveys, such as the Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Survey and the Los Angeles Community College District Student Surveys, have been used from time to time to understand and review student satisfaction with existing student services.

The college provides services such as student assessment, financial aid, counseling, disabled student services, workshops on study skills, personal development classes, childcare (both on campus and in the community), tutoring and individualized instruction on basic skills, and the Center for Student Success (5.11). Instructors are asked to read information about these services to their students at the beginning of their classes each semester.

The Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges (COCCC) must approve all instruments used for both English as a Native Language (ENL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) student assessment. To receive approval, the COCCC must judge the assessment instrument as valid. To document the validity of the instrument, test developers must submit evidence to the COCCC in the form of studies of content validity, predictive validity, reliability, and item analysis, including an analysis of item bias. Consultants at the Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas, who are under contract to the COCCC, review and evaluate this documentation. Based on this review, it then approves the instrument for use in California Community Colleges. This process ensures that the college’s assessment instruments possess the necessary psychometric properties, including lack of bias.

In addition to the requirements for approval described above, the matriculation program guidelines stipulate that individual colleges must demonstrate that the assessment process is effective (see Standards, Policies, and Procedures for the Evaluation of Assessment Instruments Used in the California Community Colleges, Section III). To do this, the college has developed a placement model based on the use of multiple measures and has conducted research studies to examine the validity properties (predictive, cut-score, and consequent) and placement outcomes (disproportionate impact) of its assessment and placement process (5.12).

Input from the Matriculation Advisory Committee, instructional faculty (mainly in English, mathematics, and developmental communications), counseling faculty, research and assessment staff, and administration also aid the effectiveness of the assessment process. Instructional and counseling faculty have provided input based on classroom experience and student contacts while research and assessment staff have analyzed problems surrounding the operation of the assessment system. Administration has then used this information to develop strategies to better serve students, including better alignment of course offerings with student placement (5.13).

Availability of student services for outreach and nontraditional programs varies. PACE and Weekend College students have access to services on Saturdays, such as the bookstore, counseling, financial aid, admissions and records, GAIN, EOP&S, and the Veteran's Office. The PACE program has an outreach location at Monroe High School, but only a few services are available. Students must access most services at the college site. The new outreach Porter Ranch site has no services available. Although students in online classes currently do not have access to services, the college plans to provide counseling, orientation, and assessment online.

The college climate serves and supports its diverse student population. For example, when students use the services of the Admissions Office, the staff welcomes them in several languages, and the ethnic profile of the classified staff in many of the offices with which students interact reflects the diverse community. Student organizations that reflect campus diversity include MECHA, the Black Student Union, and the International Student Organization (5.14). Courses such as Chicano Studies (including specific courses on women's studies), Philosophy 20, and Humanities 54 include discussions of diversity issues and state so on the course outline (5.15). The Marketing Committee has planned recruitment activities, and recruitment efforts include a goal to increase diversity in the Honors/Transfer Alliance Program (5.16).

To make access easier, the college has simplified the registration process, with many students registering by phone and online. Students can register using a web-based application, common to all colleges, as part of a district-wide project to streamline the application process.

The campus climate fosters intellectual, ethical, civic, and personal development. The Associated Students Organization (ASO), the Center for Student Success, the Learning Center, the Transfer Center, the Child Development Center, the Century Art Gallery, various clubs, and individual instructors are primarily responsible for this important aspect of the college’s mission (5.17).

The ASO (5.18) encourages student involvement in the community. Members work with local charities and churches on fund-raising activities, and they also assist the American Red Cross with blood drives, bone marrow donor searches, and health service information dissemination to students. Recently, the ASO was active in providing information on the US Census and free tax consultation to students and community members.

The Center for Student Success assists students in acquiring the study skills they need to reach their goals. The center offers mentoring, college skills workshops, and tutoring for at-risk students. It also publishes a number of brochures, including "A Student’s Guide to Success," (5.19) with information on virtually every program or resource available to Mission College students.

Also, the Learning Center (5.20) provides academic help and advice for students. Here students will find the Writing Lab, the Reading Lab, and the Math Lab staffed with competent tutors. Tutoring for all college courses is available by appointment.

In addition, over fifty students have participated in the Honors/Transfer Alliance Program (5.21) by completing honors projects in UC transferable courses. Five of these students have gained admission to UCLA in the last three years. The college also has an active chapter of the Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) honor society (5.22), which promotes academic excellence and requires community service of all its members. AGS also presents classic and foreign films one Friday evening each month during fall and spring semesters.

The Child Development Center offers weekly workshops on parenting for student parents, foster parents, and child care providers, while the Century Art Gallery (5.23) sponsors monthly exhibits featuring local artists and holds other cultural events, including dance and music performances. In addition, the college now sponsors both a Latin jazz band and a Mariachi band that perform locally. In fall 2000, a harvest festival on campus featured arts and crafts by community artisans. Multimedia students sponsor art exhibits each semester on campus to present their work.

From 1997 through 1999, a public lecture series on the theme of "Unity in Diversity" included speakers such as actor Edward James Olmos; District Attorney Gil Garcetti; State Senator Tom Hayden, and News Anchor Laura Diaz. Distinguished guest speakers are featured in individual classes and at Saturday PACE conferences.

Finally, individual instructors in a variety of disciplines encourage their students to become involved in the community. For example, political science students are encouraged to participate in political campaigns. Many of these students continue as volunteers or interns after the course has completed. Currently, students are working, interning, or volunteering in the offices of Congress Member Howard Berman, State Senator Tom McClintock, and City Council Member Alex Padilla. Also, for four semesters, philosophy students have participated in a service learning ethics course by volunteering one hour a week to assist students with group projects in the AVID program at Maclay Middle School.

In regards to student records, all those on computer files are backed up on the college server and at the district office. Original grade sheets, positive attendance rosters, and all other related paper materials are kept in a storage area within the Admissions and Records Office. This area has space to store five to seven years of student records, so older records are stored in a secure location off campus. Only personnel in the Admissions and Records Office have control over and access to this area, and it is locked after business hours. Some paperwork, such as admission applications, is not secured during business hours.

The district maintains and is responsible for online student information. Access privileges to this system are obtained via approval of an online access authorization form, which grants the user rights to a particular screen or set of screens. A password controls entry to the system, and privileges are granted on a need-to-know basis. Only Admissions and Records staff has permission to input, edit, and change student records. Others can only view class and student information. In general, individual faculty members have passwords for viewing student information. All changes to student information must be made in writing on approved forms that require the signature of the instructor and appropriate administrator.

Students can also access their records by going to the Admissions and Records Office and submitting a request in writing, over the telephone, or online. All methods require students to provide their social security number for identification verification.

Some formal surveys of student services have taken place, including the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Surveys administered in spring 1996 and spring 1999. Several informal locally developed surveys have been conducted periodically for the Admissions and Records Office, the Child Development Center, DSP&S, and EOP&S.

In addition, the Student Services Committee, recently subsumed by the reformed College Advancement Committee in the new governance structure (see Standard 10), was involved in determining the need for student surveys. The committee included program directors, the vice president of student services, faculty, and a student representative whose membership was required by charter. The purpose of the committee was to plan student services and other activities to serve all the students enrolled in college programs.

SELF EVALUATION

A significant change in the admissions procedure since the last self-study is the advent of telephone and online registration. Planning and implementation for both have worked well. Data from the DEC system indicates a significant increase in the use of these procedures.

However, the district has changed the admissions policy (5.24) that allowed non-residents to co-enroll in high school and college courses for six units or less and, therefore, be exempt from full non-resident tuition. The new policy requires all non-residents to pay full tuition. This creates a barrier to a significant student population the college serves, so the district needs to evaluate this policy change.

The new Student Handbook and the college Website are attempts to improve the dissemination of current and accurate information about college programs and policies. The Student Handbook includes a calendar listing deadlines for many student obligations and has been given to every student. The number of students using the Website to submit applications and request services has increased although the overall numbers are still not significant.

As described above, the college has used various surveys to collect data on students' perceptions of college services. The District Student Survey (fall 1996), the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (spring 1996 and spring 1999), and the Spring 2000 Student Accreditation Survey all contained a number of questions asking students to rate their satisfaction with and, for some services, the importance of the services offered to students.

The college contracted with the USA Group/Noel-Levitz organization to administer and analyze student surveys in spring 1996 and spring 1999. The report titled "A Comprehensive Review of Student Satisfaction" compared the Noel-Levitz survey results between these two periods. The report focused on the gap between students' numerical rating of the importance of a service and the rating of their satisfaction with the service. The larger the gap for a particular service, the greater the degree to which students' expectations were not met. The report grouped the survey items into broad categories or scales and noted the impact on the performance gap in each scale. Table 5.0 summarizes in performance gaps discussed in the report.

Table 5.1: Summary of Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventories for Spring 1999 and Spring 2000

Generally, the Noel-Levitz surveys noted a positive performance gap in each of the major scales in both spring 1996 and spring 1999, implying that college provision of services did not meet students' expectations. However, Noel-Levitz did not employ a consistent methodology in both surveys. Therefore, the implication of declining college effectiveness in the provision of student services (i.e., increasing performance gap) over the period spring 1996 to spring 1999 may not be warranted.

Both the District Student Survey and the 2000 Student Accreditation Survey (5.25) used a similar survey methodology and provided a more positive view of student perceptions of college services that the Noel-Levitz surveys provided. Tables 5.2 and 5.3 below display student service items from both of these surveys.

Table 5.2: Selected Results of Fall 1996 District Student Survey

While the 1996 District Student Survey pointed to areas in need of improvement (because of low satisfaction or a satisfaction level below the district average), satisfaction with college services was at a high level and exceeded the district average in other areas. Similarly, the 2000 Student Accreditation Survey revealed high satisfaction in most student service areas. Moreover, the student service areas are about evenly distributed, in terms of performance gap (the difference between student perceptions of importance and satisfaction), between those needing improvement and those that do not.

Table 5.3: Selected Results of 2000 Student Accreditation Survey

The Noel-Levitz Institutional Priorities Survey (spring 1999) attempted to assess faculty and staff perceptions regarding some student services as did the 2000 Faculty/Staff Accreditation Survey (spring 2000). No evidence that this data has been used in the evaluation of student services exists.

While the past survey efforts were well intentioned, in practice the different surveys have provided confusing and sometimes contradictory results, which have made them almost unusable for purposes of evaluation. The reasons for this are threefold. First, the survey effort has not exhibited consistency in terms of frequency of administration. The district administered the last student survey in fall 1996. From 1996 to 1999, the district provided no budget for this effort. It has resumed in fall 2000, but funding for future surveys is uncertain. Similarly, the Noel-Levitz surveys were not administered between 1996 and 1999 and were only given in the spring semester. Thus, insufficient historical data exists from either survey to utilize in evaluation. Second, the use of different survey instruments has not permitted valid trend comparisons or establishment of baselines with regard to particular student service areas. Since the construction of items differs on each survey, comparing and interpreting them across surveys is difficult. Third, the survey methodology has varied considerably among the surveys. Some surveys were mailed while others were distributed in class, and each employed different sampling frames. All this has rendered the surveys almost unusable for even basic evaluative functions.

Moreover, the surveys have not been integrated into a systematic effort to assess the effectiveness of student services. The survey results have not been folded into an overall research plan aimed at identifying problems and understanding them in greater depth so as to improve the quality and types of services provided to students. Recently, the college established an office of campus development and institutional research staffed by an associate dean. This office, in conjunction with the college's newly developed assessment process, is beginning to extend assessment to student services. The office will also develop, in consultation with the various offices in student services, a research agenda (a set of questions) which, when addressed, will improve understanding of students' problems and suggest services which may remedy them.

From a broader perspective, the survey effort has lacked coherence because of the lack of a systematic program to assess student services. Assessment would establish key indicators, which may be items from the survey, and it is critical that these indicators be measured regularly using a consistent methodology. Thus, the absence of an assessment process has led to an unfocused survey effort, which has greatly limited the usefulness of survey data for evaluation purposes.

Orientation at the college is expanding to include online sessions. Students who otherwise have been unable to attend a session in person can now access the information.

The current grievance policy encompasses some confusing elements and a difficult set of timelines for students and the college to realistically meet. Drafts of the proposed revised policy provide much clearer explanations and procedures. However, the brochure for the ombudsperson (5.26) needs updating. Informal discussions and interviews with students suggest the office has been effective in assisting students with problems and complaints. Only one student grievance has been pursued into a formal process in the last two years.

Despite the fact that the college requires all non-exempt students to go through the matriculation process, interviews with counselors reveal that many students do not make appointments to complete an education plan. This is especially significant in light of the changing demographics of the college to a younger student population that is under-prepared for college work. Students do not meet with counselors for two reasons. First, many students who wait to apply to the college until just before the start of the semester must delay their matriculation process to a later date. Many of them simply do not follow through and see a counselor. Second, while students must attend an orientation session to obtain their assessment scores, counselors do not conduct the sessions, so a separate appointment must be scheduled for developing educational plans. Again, these students often do not see a counselor until late in their college career.

The fact that a significant number of students do not complete an education plan or work with a counselor indicates a barrier to this group achieving success. Evidence of a need for better educational planning is that, considering the entire student population, only about 7 percent of students receive degrees or certificates. Without setting goals, students cannot determine if they are on track. The college needs to develop a strategy that ensures every appropriate student completes a viable educational plan. This may include having counselors present at orientation sessions and accommodating late registrants so that they will see a counselor promptly.

One increase in support services is the additional childcare services that special funding from a Preschool State Educational grant provided. In this program, the college identifies local licensed childcare providers for parents needing services.

Although the Career Planning Center assists students with identifying career training requirements and outcomes, no job placement service has been available on campus. The college is planning to initiate a placement center in spring 2001. The college does hold a career day (5.27) each semester in which employers provide information on potential employment opportunities. Some programs on campus also strive to help students in this area. For example, the PACE program has begun an informal exchange of job information, and Multimedia Studies incorporates a page for internships and job placement information in its Website.

The college needs to increase the number of applicants for scholarships. Providing potential recipients with more information about what is available and listing scholarships online with linked application forms could accomplish this.

Although some elements of an evaluation system of student basic skills assessment are in place (valid instruments, valid cut-scores, disproportionate impact studies, committee structure, and input from various sources), a systematic evaluation process providing for continuous evaluation of the placement system does not formally exist. The required statistical studies were conducted once, and the only part of the process that is dynamic involves obtaining input on the actual operation of the system. Although the college may use this input to fine-tune the placement system, as a whole, it is not a formal and systematic evaluation. Moreover, the college has conducted minimal research beyond those studies that matriculation guidelines mandate. The college needs to develop an agenda for matriculation specific research and schedule for regular evaluation of this program.

The college does not provide student services at off-campus locations, such as Porter Ranch and Monroe High School, or even for many non-traditional programs on campus. A proposal to have interactive online sessions with counselors will be helpful, but all other services, such as financial aid and EOP&S, must follow suit. Also, it is not clear that ITV students have access to services. For students in the PACE program, the director provides assistance to students at the outreach site, but that is not equal to what on-campus students have available to them. The college needs a plan to make all services available in an equitable manner to all students.

The Multicultural Committee (5.28), a subcommittee of the Academic Senate, has plans for and has implemented several activities supporting diversity in the campus climate. However, its stated plan for an American Studies curriculum needs college support. Some active student organizations, such as MECHA, offer support to the diverse student population, but others lack advisors. Other groups, such as gays and lesbians or the relatively new Armenian population, have no formal student organization. Although the college offers a few courses in women's studies, it does not have a women's center. The college should address the need for the institution to create and support activities that promote a discussion of diversity and tolerance issues.

While many opportunities for intellectual, ethical, personal, and social development exist on campus, nearly two-thirds of students rarely participate in or have no experience with student activities (DSS, #47). Low participation might be expected because of students' job and other obligations (e.g., about 42 percent work 35 or more hours per week, SS #32). However, the college needs a better means of disseminating information about campus activities to inform students about volunteer opportunities, workshops, and cultural, academic, and artistic events so as to increase student involvement. Students and faculty should be actively encouraged to present excellent academic and artistic achievements to the campus community. The college should also make a better effort to invite outstanding speakers and performers to campus. The college needs to provide leadership and support for promoting co-curricular activities that expand the aesthetic, civic, intellectual, and ethical sensibilities of students, faculty, and staff.

The survey results above indicate that the college needs some sort of effective campus communication medium, such as touch-screen kiosks and/or an electronic bulletin board. All information about campus events should also be included on the college Website. The college generally lacks an overall plan for internal communication.

The new college process of institutional assessment and planning that is replacing program review will provide opportunities for all support services to create measurable objectives accompanied by key indicators. The procedure, as described in Standard 3, will allow for the evaluation of the various offices and programs with the goal of improving their effectiveness.

PLANNING AGENDA

11. Using the assessment and planning process, the vice president of student services and the vice president of academic affairs will develop measurable objectives with associated performance indicators that address the following issues: evaluating the effectiveness of all student services; ensuring that all appropriate students complete educational plans; increasing the number of applicants for scholarships; increasing student participation in co-curricular activities that expand the aesthetic, civic, intellectual and ethical sensibilities of students; ensuring that all services are available in an equitable manner to all students, including those in remote locations and in nontraditional programs; and increasing the number of students who participate in activities that promote a discussion of diversity and tolerance issues.

12. Using the assessment and planning process, the vice president of student services and the vice president of administrative services will develop a comprehensive campus-wide communication plan to ensure that students, faculty, staff, and administration are informed about the activities of every office and program.