Expanding access. Creatively responding to student needs and designing curriculum and programming to reflect and appeal to students’ lived experiences. All of these practices and more were represented at this year’s Comprehensive Program Review Share Outs on April 13, which started with the campus community engaging in conversation with program representatives about their posters, followed by a moderated panel discussion.
One of the CPR goals is to surface the challenges programs have faced so we can problem solve as a community, for instance:
• How do we contend with a contract that disincentivizes English faculty from teaching literature courses, which by extension likely impacts English degree completion?
• How do we maintain a high level of programming, despite flat and/or limited funding?
• How do we help students to excel in ESOL, English, and Math post AB705/ AB1705 (dismantling of pre-transfer courses)?
• How do we contend with structural issues, such as limited learning spaces in need of upgrades?
Numerous achievements also were celebrated, with some highlights below:
Student Success:
• More Middle College students are graduating with both a high school diploma and an AA degree than earlier cohorts.
• Automotive Technology student ASE certification averages over 90%.
• International students transfer at a higher rate than domestic students.
• The English Program replaced stand-alone remedial courses with extra support in transfer-level English, which yielded large increases in completion of transfer-level English.
• Students who receive tutoring at the STEM Center for MATH 251 and CHEM 210 are succeeding at a higher rate than those who do not.
Collaborations Across Programs:
• The Art program expanded campus collaborations through the Art Gallery, Empty Bowls, CIPHER mural project, Talisman, library projects and more!
• The Guardian Scholars Program/ NextUP partner with other student service areas to improve retention and ensure students receive the right balance of support without being overwhelmed.
• The International Student Program collaborates with campus partners including the Student Life/ Associated Students of Skyline College, making for a more vibrant globalized college community.
• The STEM Center supports 37 transferable STEM courses.
ZTC/ OER Growth:
• Considerable expansion of ZTC/OER course offerings has enabled the Art and English programs to expand accessibility to courses.
• Ripple effects of ZTC/OER college-wide expansion will enable the Educational Access Center to pivot in other directions, such as developing an AI User Guide using assistive technology with AI features.
Culturally Responsive Curriculum:
• The Economics Program aims to draw in more female students by creating curriculum that makes evident how economics permeates their lives through analysis of issues such as income inequality and rising household expenses.
• Middle College assigns texts that reflect to and speak to students’ lived experiences.
New Pathways/ Curriculum:
• The Mathematics Program created a degree and certificate in Data Science. They also created a new course, Math 212 in Computational and Applied Calculus, to address challenges related to AB705/1705.
• Automotive Technology aims to create hybrid and EV certification and degree pathways.
While not exhaustive, these highlights reflect the breadth of innovation across programs. For me, please view the recording of the panel discussion.
Please give kudos to this year’s participating CPR programs for their hard work, dedication, and thoughtfulness, and thanks to the Institutional Effectiveness Committee members for supporting these programs and helping to make the event a success!
Dream big!
Links to recording and to posters Event flyer: https://skylinecollege.edu/iec/assets/agendas-minutes/2025-2026/CPR%20Share%20Outs%202026-%20New%20Flyer%201.pdf
Posters: https://skylinecollege.edu/programreview/cpr/assets/shareouts/CPR%20Posters_2025-26.pdf
Photo Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/skyline_college/albums/72177720333072825/
Article written and photos taken by Karen Wong
