INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING

Purpose
The purpose of Instructional Planning is to recognize quality and assist in the continuous
strengthening and improvement of the college academic program as well as the support
services in the instruction component. The process is designed to:
• provide a rigorous examination of programs and their outcomes
• develop new insights into program effectiveness
• engage departments in planning program improvements that are responsive to
student and community needs
• provide information for resource allocation within departments and within the
college.
All programs and services will be reviewed every five years. During the sixth year, which
will coincide with the accreditation self study, programs will usually not be reviewed but
will be summarized. The Council for Instructional Planning determines the order in
which programs will be reviewed.

Goals
• Improve programs and services consistent with the College Master Plan,
Partnership for Excellence and the California Community College Mission
• Determine department direction and goals for the next 6 years
• Foster cooperation among college departments
• Develop information to assist in the allocation of resources
• Increase responsiveness to student and community needs
• Improve response to external and demographic changes
• Respond to state and federal mandates for accountability

Council for Instructional Planning Composition

Dean Council augmented by 3 faculty senators, 1 classified representative, 1 student.

Council Charge And Process

It is the responsibility of the CIP to guide the process of Instructional Planning. During
Spring Flex Week all faculty involved with planning will meet with their CIP colleagues
to review the overall planning process, and college goals and objectives that must be
addressed in program plans. At this meeting CIP members will meet in small groups with
program faculty to assist and provide direction in the development of each department’s
plan.

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Program faculty from each department will meet with their CIP mentors in late spring
after faculty have reviewed the background data provided in their Instructional Planning
Book and formulated tentative program directions. At this meeting program faculty will
present their analysis of the background data, describe the challenges they feel must be
addressed in the coming years, and outline the directions they would like to take the
program. CIP members will assess the faculty work in light of college goals and
objectives and provide suggestions for strengthening the department plan.
In the following spring, when the faculty have completed their program plans, the council
will review the content of each plan to insure that all findings and recommendations are
thoroughly supported by documentation and that the plan objectives conform with and
support college goals and objectives. Program faculty may be asked to make revisions to
their plan on the basis of this review.
After reviewing all of the program plans the CIP will prioritize program directions and
recommendations in a cluster ranking.
The recommendations will be prioritized for implementation as follows:
• high priority
• moderate priority
• low priority
• additional recommendations, which the council encourages the faculty to include
in the plan.
These priorities will be forwarded by the CIP to the Faculty Senate for their information
and review.
All of the instructional plans with the identified priorities from the CIP will be compiled
into a larger report and forwarded to the College Planning Council for use in resource
augmentation recommendations. In addition, divisions will use their plans to guide
budget augmentation requests.

Division Dean Responsibility

It is the role of the Division Dean to serve as a resource to the faculty as they develop the
department plan. Division Dean duties include:
• attending flex Instructional Planning workshop with their faculty
• meeting with faculty to review data, develop a schedule of meetings and
activities, and identify faculty who will lead the coordination of the plan
• guiding the development of the plan
• helping faculty adhere to the published timeline
• answering questions about the planning process, plan format and possible funding
sources
• reading drafts and consulting as appropriate

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 • signing completed plan signifying DC review of plan for completeness,
consistency with internal and external demands (labor market, instructional
methods, community needs, intersegmental trends)
• serving as the liaison between the CIP and the faculty

Dean Responsibility
The dean is the primary college resource for identifying labor market, community needs,
instructional methodologies, educational trends, and funding sources. The dean is
expected to communicate this information to the faculty and assist them in its use.

Resources Provided To The Program Faculty in the Instructional

Planning Book
Instructional Plan Format and Timeline
College Master Plan
Department’s Previous Instructional Plan and Updates
Cabrillo College Fact Book, identifying applicable areas
Current copies of department course outlines and prerequisite documentation
List of all programs going through the process in that year
List of resources
Labor Market information
Process Check List
Financial Information

Survey Summary
Programs and services planning will begin with surveys of students. The instruments will
be administered and tabulated through the Planning and Research Office the semester
prior to the commencement of planning.

Curriculum Review
During the first Spring Semester, each course and pre-requisite, co-requisite,
recommended preparation, or limit on enrollment will be reviewed by program faculty
for appropriateness, currency, and compliance as described in Title 5 regulations. During
this process, faculty must review every course listed in the catalog for the department
plus every pre- and co-requisite and recommended preparation. Changes, including
textbook updates, must be submitted to the College Curriculum Committee for action at
the December meeting. For each course that is not offered every semester, please modify
the course description to include, at the end of the description, the semester (f, s, win,
sum) or year (odd or even) in which it is intended to be offered.

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Attach to the completed program plan a list of program courses and note by each course
what, if any, change was made as a result of this curriculum review.
For example:
Ocean 10 –description change, text change
Geol 20- text change, deleted prerequisite
Geol 15- none
Submit any changes to the department’s model program, listed in the catalog, for spring
Curriculum Committee action. In addition, articulation agreements with high schools and
transfer institutions will be reviewed and/or initiated.

Program Data
Program data will be collected and presented in the Cabrillo College Fact Book. Faculty
will review program and college-wide data from the most current Fact Book as a basis for
planning.

Instruction Planning Report Format

The text of this report shall be from 3 to 10 pages and must be reviewed and signed by
the Division Dean and, if appropriate, the External Advisory Committee. The report must
be submitted with the official title page and must include, at the end, the curriculum
action summary described above. Each draft of the plan must be clearly dated. It will
include the following sections:

I. Background And Analysis

Program Description
Briefly describe the program, stating the program goals and the program’s relation to the
College Mission.

Relationships
After meeting with the faculty from related Cabrillo, university and high school
programs, employees, and/or advisory committees describe the importance of the
program to the community and/or other programs in the college. In writing this section
consider:
• those programs which utilize your classes as required or elective courses in their
own program
• overlap with other programs
• possible inter-programmatic collaboration
• utilization of cross-curricular programs such as the Work Based Learning
Resource Center, and the Library/Learning Resource Center
• other educational institutions in the vicinity offering the same or similar programs

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Occupational programs are to describe the labor market, including job availability and
wages for the program graduates.
Transfer programs are to list the appropriate universities with which the program has
been articulated.

Costs
Use the WSCH/FTEF information from the Instructional Planning Book to compare the
program load with the average for Cabrillo.
Use the FTES income and program expenditures to describe the cost effectiveness of the
program. Describe how it compares to the college average, including any reasons that the
data does not provide an accurate view of the program.
Provide other information helpful in understanding the load and cost effectiveness of the
program and describe how the efficiency (load and cost effectiveness) of the program can
be improved.

Student Success
Describe how the learner outcomes as defined in course outlines are measured and are
kept consistent in courses with multiple sections and in course sequences.
Define student success in your program including how it is measured and how success
and retention rates compare with overall student success and retention at Cabrillo
College.
Compare students’ success rates with the goals established in PFE and VTEA Core
Measures, which are included in the Instructional Planning Book.

Results Of Student Survey

Describe the trends identified in the student surveys.

Results Of External Data Research

Describe trends, issues, and challenges identified through your research of the labor
market; local, state, and nation economy; transfer requirements; laws and regulations; and
data pertaining to students entering the college.

II. Program Directions And Recommendations

Describe what is needed for your program to address the challenges identified in the
above background information. In formulating the program directions and
recommendations, consider all aspects needed to institute these recommendations and
remember that you are planning for the next 6 years. Describe how you will continue and
refine ongoing initiatives as well as implement new directions. Consider the following
and include, in your recommendations, all that apply: curriculum changes, methodology
including distance learning, use of work based and service learning strategies, scheduling,

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supplies, equipment, facilities, staffing, and ways to measure and improve student
success.
Be sure to write your program’s recommendations as specific goals addressing improved
student access and/or learning, and success in transfer or employment. List your program
recommendations in priority order according to their importance to student’s access and
success.
Maintain a distinction between the ends (the desired outcomes), and the means (the
actions and resources required to achieve the outcome). Hiring an instructor, acquiring
lab equipment, increasing supply budgets are the means to certain outcomes. From a
student-centered point of view these resources are useful because they are the means to
students’ learning, not ends in themselves. If possible, the learning outcome portion of
the recommendation should be stated in a way that allows measurement of whether the
desired outcome has been achieved.
Be specific about the outcomes rather than generic. For example, rather than saying,
“improve student success”, say, “increase one-on-one out-of-class assistance to ESL
students having difficulty with the technical language of biology in order to improve their
retention and success rate.”
Each recommendation or direction should include everything necessary to implement
your plan. In some cases additional resources may be necessary to implement the
directions. Identify and quantify those resources and when possible identify potential
funding sources. When there are multiple costs, sum the costs at the end of the list and
note whether the cost is one-time, start-up cost or an ongoing funding need.
Among other things, the program plan (and the Annual Update) is the starting point for
requests for additional college resources. The following categories are for budget
augmentation purposes. A situation may arise in which funding becomes available for
one more of these areas. Your projects will be considered for funding based upon the
results of the ranking and in what category the money becomes available. In parenthesis
immediately following each of your program recommendations, state the categories each
of your recommendations falls under.
Maintenance of programs
Innovative scheduling and delivery (methods, scheduling, locations)
Major growth (new program, new population, expansion)
Basic Skills
Improved Transfer
Career Development
The directions or recommendations that have costs associated with them will be routed,
for information, along with the CIP’s priority ranking to the appropriate committees and
administrators responsible for the allocation of college resources.

Examples of Program Directions

1) Meet the needs of working students for access to Associate Degree instruction
by offering 3 web-based distance-learning courses in math by Spring of 2002
serving a minimum of 90 students. (Innovative Scheduling and Delivery).

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 a) Evaluate existing materials available for purchase and discuss with Computing
Resources how to make selected curriculum available to students
• $1000 per year course license
b) Revise curriculum and schedule and market course
• Coordinate with Distance Learning Office to publicize the course
c) Provide staff development to faculty as needed to offer courses
• Utilize opportunities in TLC for faculty management of online course
d) Pilot course and evaluate student outcomes
e) Refine as needed
Costs:
Startup: for 3 courses: $3,000

2) Develop Skills Certificate Program for working students to be ready for the fall 2002
Schedule of Classes (Career Development, Major Growth)
a) Review offerings of UCSC Extension and other programs serving working
students to determine course offerings, scheduling patterns, certificate
requirements that appear to be serving working students.
b) Develop skills certificate in consultation with advisory committee and business
contacts provided by Career Education office.
c) Work with Matriculation and Assessment and Counseling and Guidance offices to
ensure simple, effective means for ensuring that students are adequately prepared
for the course.
d) Take skills certificate program to Curriculum Committee.
e) Work with Marketing and Communications and Career Education offices to
market certificate to potential students.
f) Offer classes required for certificate.

3) Develop program that provides instruction leading to career opportunities at the

Associate, Bachelors, and advanced degree levels in the emerging field of
biotechnology for 30 completers per year. Provide local biotechnology and lab
science employers with needed lab technicians. (Major Growth, Career Development)
a) Hire full-time instructor with expertise and industry experience in the area of
biotechnology.
• 1 FTE Instructor. $66,000 annually
b) Acquire 15 biotechnology lab kits
• $7,500 start-up

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 c) Increase supply budget for biotechnology consumables
• $2,000 annually
d) 15 hours of TA per week
• $5,000 annually
e) Develop internship program at local biotech companies with the assistance of the
Work Based Learning Resource Center
f) Costs
• Start-up: $7,500 (replaced every 5 years)
• On-going: $73,000

III. Curriculum, Requisite, and Model Program Review

Attach a list showing each course in your department, indicating what, if any, curriculum
action has occurred as a result of this review. Also, attach the completed “Course
Outline and Pre/Corequisite Approval Process Form” to your report. The form was
distributed in your Instructional Planning Book. Also attach the updated College
Catalog pages reflecting your program. These pages were duplicated and placed in your
Instructional Planning Book. Additional copies of the catalog pages can be found and
printed from http://www.cabrillo.cc.ca.us/INFORMATION/catalog/catalog.html. Be
certain after each course description that you have identified the semester (Sp or F) or
year (odd or even) in which you plan to offer each course. Finally, attach any updated
Articulation Agreements.

IV. Annual Update

Each department is expected to produce a one page annual update to its instructional plan
reporting progress towards implementing the recommendations and any necessary
adjustment to the original plans. CIP will receive these updates, which will then be
attached as addenda to the program’s instructional plan. These reports also will be
compiled into a comprehensive, campus-wide report celebrating all departmental
achievements during that year. This report is due in early December.

TIME LINE
January – Flex meeting to receive program data & survey results
February – Meetings with related parties
March –Review of resources distributed at Flex meeting
April – Curriculum and Requisite review
May – Curriculum and Requisite review
August – Department faculty use flex days for planning, 2nd flex meeting
September – Begin drafting plan

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October – Continue drafting plan
November – Continue refining plan, curriculum and requisite materials due
December – Submit plan to Division Dean for first review
December 15 – Annual update on existing plans due
January – Department faculty use flex days for completing plan, including review of statistics,
grammar, and spelling
February – Program Planning and Review Reports with Division Dean signature are due to
Instruction Office. Plans not submitted by February 12 will be held over for review until the next
year. Implementation (including potential funding) will be delayed.
March – CIP deliberations
April – Faculty Senate review; Model Program Revisions due
May – College Planning Council review
June – Governing Board presentation

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