1. Program Review Presentation April 30th, 2014
Sign Language Studies
Program Review Presentation
April 30th, 2014

2. Program Description
Provides students interested in majoring in Sign Language Studies with a solid grounding in Sign Language Studies academic coursework based on a Deaf-centered framework that encourages students to embrace an empowered collaboration with Deaf people. Our program’s instruction is emphasized on American Sign Language, the native language of the Deaf people.
The students who are interested in enrolling in Deaf Studies courses as a major so they can matriculate with a certificate, an associates degree, to meet transfer requirements, or to pursue coursework as part of a personal enrichment quest.
Also, our program prepares students with a basic understanding of and appreciation for their roles in local, regional, national, and global Deaf-Hearing relations and how those relationships impact Deaf people. In addition, our program prepares students for entry- level positions working with the Deaf community.
Brief Description of your program. Who are you? One Slide, 2 minutes

3. Benchmarks Assignments, Midterms, and Finals
SLO assessment goals vs. results:
Goal for SILA 305: at least 80% of students to score 70% on a test necessary for satisfactory achievement of the SLO.
Result: 217 out of 223 (97%) students passed the score 70% or higher on the final exam.
Goal for SILA 316: at least 60% of students to score 70% on a test necessary for satisfactory achievement of the SLO.
Result: 44 out of 46 (91%) students passed the score 70% or higher on the final presentation.

4. Program -- Strengths
Our program went through the entire program curriculum revision including our mission statement and program title changed by working in collaboration with three other sister colleges.
Our program developed the Articulation list, which was approved by the Dean and shared with the College’s counselors.
The lab was implemented in Liberal Arts #120 where the Journalism and College Students newspaper, AR Current is located. Currently, Sign Language Studies has to share the lab space with Journalism, AR Current, and Interpreter Preparation Program.
The lab is directed by a 50% Lab Coordinator and two Lab Instructional Assistants (one permanent for 10 hours per week and one TEMP for 5 hours per week)
In order to streamline program’s mission statement, SLO’s, and program and courses curriculum, our program continues to provide training to our faculty to keep up-to-date within our field.

5. Program -- Challenges
Currently, Sign Language Studies has to share the lab space with Journalism, AR Current, and Interpreter Preparation Program and have limited accessibility to the lab with certain hours in the afternoon and evenings with no access to the lab in the mornings.
Due to lack of sufficient space in the lab, we don’t provide tutoring support in the lab. However, we continue to coordinate tutoring with LRC.
Due to lack of continual funding to maintain with DVDs orders and server to store the videos and videos live streaming to be available for students outside of lab.
Due to the state of California’s continuing economic downturn and subsequent budgetary crisis, the courses were cut and we lost some FTES thus, we did not hire an additional faculty.
Due to lack of continual funding to maintain providing different training to the program faculty in order, for them to keep updated in our field.

6. Planning Implications
Increase FTEs for lab coordinator and Instructional Assistants.
Lab hours and availability - Increase lab hours and availability to SILA students. Daytime hours especially in the mornings and Fridays, in particular, need to be increased.
With the Student Success Act of 2012, we need two additional full-time faculty, to provide consistent and high quality instruction to students with additional duties as student advisers for program completion.
Tutoring - In conjunction with LRC staff, an interactive class designed to train Deaf individuals to become tutors. And, to have a room for tutoring to be provided in the ASL/IPP lab where the tutors and students meet with the equipment and materials available for students in the lab.
Deaf Culture and American Sign Language Center - Establish a visually friendly facility including a new building, five classrooms, classroom lab, individual lab rooms and small group lab rooms.
Staff interpreter - Hire a full-time staff interpreter or two part-time staff interpreters to work with both full-time and adjunct faculty members.
Faculty Training – need to find more funding to maintain up-to-date training for faculty in this field.