A new version of the Academic Program Review that will analyze diversity and equity in curriculum at El Camino College has been approved by the Academic Senate.

The Academic Program Review, which examines the needs of each department on campus through the departments’ individual perspectives, was discussed during the May 18 Academic Senate meeting on Zoom.

This program provides an opportunity for faculty to reflect on the successes and challenges of their departments and give feedback on how the programs can be improved to enhance student learning and success.

The Academic Program Review Committee, including Viviana Unda, director of institutional research and planning and Kevin Degnan, vice president of instructional effectiveness, have now worked together on the revised version of the review for a year and a half.

“Looking into these things is what moves our college forward and helps us see our greatest strengths and greatest needs,” Unda said.

After considering a variety of data, including student learning outcome (SLO) assessment results, the program review identifies changes to improve student learning and success in each department and its courses.

The newly revised review includes more questions analyzing equity issues, helping to work towards the equity goals El Camino College has.

Specifically, the new review aims to measure if or how well the college’s curriculum prepares students to actively engage in a diverse society, responds to diverse students’ learning needs and encourages instructors and students to investigate their own views, biases and values.

“The College Curriculum Committee has been involved through me within this process alongside two trainees to learn the process of what we can do at the curriculum level,” Janet Young, professor of childhood education and SLO co-coordinator said.

The level of work per department may remain the same or decrease. However, curriculum may become more analysis-based.

“With the revisions of the program review, the template and the annual plan template, the idea is that more people will be involved in seeing and revisiting what was said in the program review,” Degnan said.

The Academic Program Review Committee has now also removed the student survey as a blanket requirement, but programs that would like to keep the survey within their program can do so.

“The theory of these changes [is] to simplify what data is going to be looked at in the program review packets, but to also add in more analysis of what is included,” Degnan said.