SOCIOLOGY/SOCIAL WORK  DEPARTMENT

AUSTIN  COMMUNITY  COLLEGE

Fourth Revised Version

September 30, 1996

 

 

DEPARTMENT'S  VISION,  MISSION,  VALUES, 

AND  STRATEGIC  INTENTIONS

 

Work Document

 

 

VISION STATEMENT

 

The Sociology/Social Work Department of Austin Community College is highly committed to our College's vision: to be one of the best community colleges in the nation, providing excellent educational programs and services.  Consistent with this commitment, the Sociology/Social Work Department's vision or ideal is to have one of the strongest Sociology/Social Work programs within community colleges in the nation; one that  (a) provides students with quality learning experiences through excellent courses offered by the most highly qualified professionals in our field;  (b) promotes understanding through a heuristic process which engenders independent thinking and responsibility as well as higher-order competencies or skills for lifelong learning;  and (c)  challenges the human mind to explore new ideas and seek new opportunities.  Thus, our vision focuses on learning and growth.

 

 

MISSION STATEMENT

 

The mission of our Sociology/Social Work Department is to offer a strong educational program that stimulates learning and growth among our Sociology/Social Work students by providing the following:

 

(1)        Broad general knowledge in the different areas of Sociology/Social Work and

more in-depth knowledge in specific areas, such as social problems, social

welfare, criminology, race and minority relations, and social psychology;

 

(2)               Exposure to research methodologies and statistical applications in

Sociology/Social Work as             well as in other Sociology/Social Work-related

disciplines;

 

(3)              Experiences that  facilitate the transition from theory to practical applications in             everyday situations (both professional and personal);

 

(4)               Experiences that promote independent thinking and responsibility as well as the             development of higher-order competencies or skills such as abstract inquiry,             critical and creative thinking, analytical and scientific reasoning, problem             solving, and decision-making;

 

(5)               Experiences that increase our students' chances of success in a four-year college,             particularly those who transfer with an associate degree in Sociology/Social

Work, or its equivalent.

 

 

STATEMENT OF VALUES

 

The Sociology/Social Work Department strives for excellence in the quality of our courses, the delivery of instruction, and the overall management of our program.  Our commitment to excellence is reflected within the department's values of professional competence and scholarship, continual professional and personal development, academic responsibility and accountability, stewardship and collaboration, individual initiative and creativity, trust and respect, academic freedom, and professional integrity.  Inherent within our program and on-going curriculum development, are the additional values of the appreciation and respect for our multicultural community as well as the appreciation and respect for the dignity, equality, and worth of the individual person.

 

 

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF STRATEGIC INTENTIONS

 

The Sociology/Social Work Department's strategic intentions are to:

 

1)         Offer an educational program that is accessible to all individuals who can             benefit from the programs' educational-learning experiences and services.              (Consistent with Austin Community College strategic intention #2)

 

2)             Deliver excellent education in the field of Sociology/Social Work.  (Consistent

with Austin Community College strategic intention #3)

 

3)             Provide effective teaching in the field of Sociology/Social Work.  (Consistent

with Austin Community College strategic intention #4)

 

4)         Build strategic partnerships.  (Consistent with Austin Community College             strategic intention #5)

STRATEGIC INTENTIONS WITH CORRESPONDING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

 

STRATEGIC INTENTION #1:

 

The Sociology/Social Work Department of Austin Community College will offer an educational program that is accessible to all individuals who can benefit from the programs' educational-learning experiences and services. (Consistent with Austin Community College strategic intention #2)

 

Strategic Goals:

 

1.         We will help high school students in our community who are interested in             Sociology/Social Work to become familiar with our Sociology/Social Work

program at Austin Community College.

 

2.         We will help   under-represented groups in our community (e.g. minority and

            special-service students) who are interested in Sociology/Social Work to 

become familiar with our  Sociology/Social Work program  and with the special

services provided by the College  and our department to  assist students from 

these under-represented groups.

 

3.         We will help non -Sociology/Social Work majors to become familiar with Sociology/Social Work courses offered in our department that may fit their educational needs and requirements.

 

Strategic Objectives:

 

1.         We will develop and implement outreach strategies to help  high school             students who are interested in Sociology/Social Work to become familiar with

our Sociology/Social Work program at Austin Community College (Goal #1).

 

2.         We will develop and implement outreach strategies to help under-represented             groups  (e.g. minority and special-service students) who are interested in

            Sociology/Social Work to become familiar with our Sociology/Social Work

program  and with the  special  services provided by the College and our

department to assist students  from  these  under-represented groups. (Goal #2).

 

3.         We will develop and implement outreach strategies to help non-Sociology/Social Work majors to become familiar with Sociology/Social Work courses in our department that may fit their educational needs and requirements (Goal #3).

 

Indicators of Effectiveness (Assessment)

REVISION AND UPDATE OF THIS SECTION ARE STILL IN PROGRESS

 

Budget Plan and Needs

 

REVISION AND UPDATE OF THIS SECTION ARE STILL IN PROGRESS

 

STRATEGIC INTENTION #2:

 

The Sociology/Social Work Department of Austin Community College will deliver an excellent educational program in the field of Sociology/Social Work.  (Consistent with Austin Community College strategic intention #3)

 

 

Strategic Goals:

 

1.         We will offer quality courses that will transfer to  four-year colleges.

 

2.         We will offer quality courses that fit the educational needs of our

Sociology/Social Work and non-Sociology/Social Work majors,  as well as the

needs of our community.

 

3.         We will offer quality courses that represent the different areas of

Sociology/Social Work.

 

4.         We will offer courses that provide broad and general knowledge in the different             areas of Sociology/Social Work and courses that provide more in-depth

knowledge in specific areas.

 

5.         We will offer courses that expose our students to research methodologies and             statistical applications in Sociology/Social Work and other Sociology/Social

Work-related disciplines.

 

6.         We will offer courses that facilitate the transition from theory to practical

            applications in everyday situations (both professional and personal).

 

7.         We will offer courses that provide experiences that promote independent             thinking and responsibility as well as the development of higher-order             competencies or skills.

 

8.         We will offer courses that provide experiences that increase our students'

            chances of success in a four-year college.

 

9.         We will offer courses that are taught by highly qualified professionals in the field of Sociology/Social Work and who continuously update their skills and

competencies.

 

10.       We will offer courses that are taught primarily by full-time faculty who  are       able to  contribute on a full-time  basis to  the continual development,             improvement, delivery, and overall management of our program .

 

11.       We will help our Sociology/Social Work majors  at Austin Community College

to  become familiar with the requirements for an Associate Degree in

Sociology/Social Work and we             will assist them in obtaining the degree.

 

12.       We will help  our Sociology/Social Work majors  at Austin Community College

to  become familiar with educational opportunities in Sociology/Social Work at

four-year colleges.

 

Strategic Objectives:

 

1.         We will develop Departmental course goals and objectives to serve as a guide

            for faculty to  develop their own course  goals and objectives (Goals #1

            through #7).

 

2.         We will develop a syllabus guide with examples to  aid instructors in their             development of a detailed syllabus for the courses they teach (Goals #1

            through #3).

 

3.         We will continue to develop Sociology/Social Work courses that will transfer to

four-year colleges (Goal #1).

 

4.         We will continue  to  develop Sociology/Social Work courses which meet the

educational needs of our Sociology/Social Work and non-Sociology/Social

Work majors, as well as the needs of

            our community (Goal #2).

 

5.         We will continue to update the content of our Sociology/Social Work courses

            and use the latest textbook editions and most current instructional materials

            (Goals #1 and #2).

 

6.         We will develop a research laboratory course that will expose students

            to the use of computer statistical software (such as SPSS) in research (Goal #4).

 

7.         We will request new full-time faculty, starting with the campuses where they are             needed most, until the majority of our courses are taught by full-time instructors.              The Sociology/Social Work Task Force will be represented in the selection

committee (Goal #8).

 

8.         We will continue to hire part-time and full-time faculty from  among applicants             with the highest qualifications based on academic degree and experience as well    as other professional and personal qualifications that are important in our field             and our program (Goal #1 and #8).

 

9.         We will continue to   develop academic and career counseling and advising for       our Sociology/Social Work students, particularly for those who are planning to

obtain an associate degree and/or are planning to transfer to a four-year college

            (Goals #9 and #10).

 

10.       We will continue to evaluate the graduation degree plans submitted by the

Office             of Admissions and Records for students who are planning to graduate

with an associate degree in Sociology/Social Work  (Goal #9).

 

11.       We will request the  support and resources needed to  deliver an excellent 

educational             program in Sociology/Social Work (Goals #1 through #12).

 

Indicators of Effectiveness (Assessment)

REVISIONS AND UPDATE OF THIS SECTION ARE STILL IN PROGRESS

 

Budget Plan and Needs

REVISIONS AND UPDATE OF THIS SECTION ARE STILL IN PROGRESS

 

STRATEGIC INTENTION #3:

 

The Sociology/Social Work Department of Austin Community College will provide effective teaching in the field of Sociology/Social Work.  (Consistent with Austin Community College strategic intention #4)

 

 

Strategic Goals:

 

1.         Our faculty will keep current in the field of Sociology/Social Work, especially in the particular areas that they are teaching.

 

2.         Our faculty will be knowledgeable and experienced in the use of effective             instructional methods and techniques,  and they will apply this knowledge

            and experience in their Sociology/Social Work courses .

 

3.         Our faculty will be knowledgeable and experienced in the use of computer and     media technology to  assist teaching and learning,  and they will apply this             knowledge and experience  in appropriate Sociology/Social Work courses.

 

 

Strategic Objectives:

 

1.         Our department will encourage our faculty to participate in continuing

education activities in Sociology/Social Work and instruction both within ACC

and outside of ACC, and will support faculty participation in these activities 

(Goals #1, #2, and #3).

 

3.         Our department will encourage and support faculty efforts to contribute to

            the body of knowledge on effective teaching by conducting individual and            collaborative instructional initiatives or innovations, research, and assessment

            (Goals #2 and #3).

 

3.         Our department will distribute literature on instructional issues among our

            faculty (Goals #2 through  #3).

 

Indicators of Effectiveness (Assessment)

REVISIONS AND UPDATE OF THIS SECTION ARE STILL IN PROGRESS

 

Budget Plan and Needs

REVISIONS AND UPDATE OF THIS SECTION ARE STILL IN PROGRESS

 

STRATEGIC INTENTIONS #4:        

 

The Sociology/Social Work Department of Austin Community College will build strategic partnerships in the field of Sociology/Social Work.  (Consistent with Austin Community College strategic intention #4)

 

Strategic Goals:

 

1.         We will seek grants and scholarships with associations or institutions in the field             of Sociology/Social Work which will enhance learning opportunities for our

students.

 

2.         We will seek cooperative relationships within mental health agencies and other             educational institutions in the community to enhance the educational experience

of our students.

 

Strategic Objectives:

 

1.         We will write grant proposals to include our students in special projects such as        the Diversity Project 2000 offered through funding by NIDA and APA (Goal #1).

 

2.         We will continue our cooperative relationship with community mental health             agencies, state hospitals, the state school, AISD, etc. in order to provide practical             learning experience for our students (Goal #2).

 

 

Indicators of Effectiveness (Assessment)

REVISIONS AND UPDATE OF THIS SECTION ARE STILL IN PROGRESS

 

Budget Plan and Needs

REVISIONS AND UPDATE OF THIS SECTION ARE STILL IN PROGRESS

 

Indicators of Effectiveness (Assessment)

 

Goals #1 and #2 and Objectives #1 and #2 will be measured by tracking the number of  possible students in our community affected by our outreach program.

 

Goals #3 and #4 and Objectives #3 and #4 will be measured by tracking the number of students advised, counseled, or mentored by our faculty.

 

Budget Plan and Needs

 

- Release time for faculty members involved in implementing our outreach program

  and who are more intensively involved in academic and career counseling and

  advising.

 

- Hire more full-time faculty.

 

Indicators of Effectiveness (Assessment)

 

(These  need  to  be reviewed)

 

Objective #1 will be measured by the completion of program and course goals and objectives.  These instructional, learning-based goals and objectives will be rated by our faculty in order to evaluate their appropriateness and effectiveness.  This objective will also be measured through our student assessment evaluation system (assessment procedures need to be developed).

 

Objective #2 will be measured by the completion of the syllabus guide and the approval of this guide by our Sociology/Social Work Task Force.

 

Objective #3 will be measured by the number of new courses developed within a 5-year period.

 

Objective #4 will be measured by the number of courses taught which incorporate computer or electric-type of learning experiences.  Student assessment in these courses will also be a measure or indicator of effectiveness.  Instructor perceptions of effectiveness will also be a measure.

 

Objective #5 will be measured by the number  of students who are tutored or for which guidance is given by our instructors.

 

 

Budget Plan and Needs

 

(These also need  to  be reviewed)

 

- Release time for faculty involved in development of new courses

- Instructional computer programs

- Computer software

- New portable computers

 

Indicators of Effectiveness (Assessment)

 

(Needs  to  be reviewed and  revised )

 

Goal #1 will be measured by the number of full-time instructors hired each academic year.

 

Goal #2 will be measured by the number of continuing educational experiences our instructors attend.

 

Budget Plan and Needs   Goal #1

 

(Needs  to  be reviewed and revised)

 

Full-time faculty for the Pinnacle Campus (1997-1998)

Full-time faculty for the Cypress Creek Campus (1998-1999)

Full-time faculty for the Riverside Campus (1999-2000)

Full-time faculty for the Rio Grande Campus (2001-2002)

Full-time faculty for the Northridge Campus (2002-2003)

 

- Release time and financial support for faculty who attend out of city continuing 

  education workshops/seminars/conferences

 

Indicators of Effectiveness (Assessment)

 

Objective #1 will be measured by the number of students who are awarded a scholarship to be invited participants in Diversity 2000 Project and attend the American Psychological Association Convention.

 

Objective #2 will be measured by the number of students who have mastered or acquired learning experiences in the community provided by our community cooperative relationships.

 

Budget Plan and Needs

 

- Release time for faculty members involved in grant writing

- Release time for faculty members involved in implementing cooperative relationships 

  with community