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The United Nations and the UN Mission for a Referendum in the Western Sahara (MINURSO)
In 1991, a ceasefire sponsored by the UN and the Organization of African Unity – now the African Union – was signed, and the UN Mission for a Referendum in the Western Sahara (MINURSO) was deployed to begin preparations for a democratic referendum for the Saharawi people. MINURSO's original mandate included – and includes – the identification of voters for a referendum, the organization of said referendum, and the maintenance of the ceasefire. Each year between 1991 and 1996, the UN stated that it planned to hold the referendum by the following year. Nonetheless, because of challenges to the voter lists by both sides, work was painstakingly slow. In 1999 and 2000, MINURSO finally published its lists: 250,000 Saharawis were identified, and just over 86,000 were determined to be eligible voters. Both sides were then allowed to submit appeals – over 130,000 were submitted in one month, causing MINURSO to abandon its referendum preparations. The key issues remain the eligibility of Moroccan settlers in Western Sahara to participate in the referendum process and the participation of the various members of the Saharawi diaspora, both in the refugee camps and beyond.
In 1997, the UN then appointed James Baker, a former U.S. Secretary of State, as the Secretary General's Personal Envoy, to try to break the impasse with the voter identification process. In 2001, Baker submitted his first Peace Plan, which would have made the Western Sahara an autonomous region of Morocco. This proposal was accepted by Morocco but rejected by the Polisario Front.
Baker submitted a revised plan in 2002, which suggested a provisional government chosen by the voters on MINURSO's list, followed by a true self-determination referendum for Saharawis on the list and all residents who had lived in the Western Sahara since 1999. To the general surprise of all those involved, the Polisario accepted Baker Plan II, but the Moroccans rejected it – stating that they refused to support any plan that allowed for a vote on full independence. With the failure of his second plan, Baker resigned.
The second Baker Plan was the closest the UN has come to finding a solution to the conflict. In 2007, the UN called for direct negotiations between the Polisario and Morocco. Five rounds of negotiations later, neither side has been willing to compromise on its position. The Secretary General's new Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross, another former U.S. diplomat, has traveled extensively throughout the region in an attempt to build the political capital needed to resolve the conflict.
Meanwhile, MINURSO remains deployed in the Western Sahara – its headquarters located in the Moroccan-controlled territory and protected by Moroccan security forces. Today, it is the only UN peacekeeping force in the world that does not include a human rights monitoring component in its mandate. While opponents suggest that the force is too small to monitor the well-documented human rights abuses by Moroccan security forces in the Western Sahara and the alleged abuses by the Polisario in the refugee camps, the Saharawis have been adamantly advocating for the inclusion of such a component. Each year the UN Security Council considers the extension of MINURSO's mandate, and for the past several years, the debate has revolved around the human rights issue. As has happened in the past, France – Morocco's biggest supporter in the Security Council – refused to allow any wording related to human rights to be included, despite strong backing from the United Kingdom. Political support for Morocco in the Security Council has thus hampered the UN's role as a credible peacekeeper and negotiator in the Western Sahara.
While Libya was the first country to support the Polisario and provide it with arms, Algeria soon became the Saharawis' most vocal supporter. The reasons for Algeria's interest in the conflict are many. First, Moroccan and Algeria are engaged in a power struggle in North Africa, which has resulted in the closing of the Moroccan-Algerian border for almost two decades. The incorporation of the Western Sahara into Morocco would extend Morocco's territory, threaten Algeria's influence, and allow Morocco's advanced military to focus elsewhere along its borders. Second, Algeria may also fear that if it secures control over the Western Sahara, Morocco will go after other territories that were part of the historic Greater Maghreb, including parts of Algeria itself.
According to the Algerian leadership, however, it supports the Polisario Front because of its own history and ideology. The Algerians waged a particularly brutal anti-colonial war in the 1950s and 1960s. The Algerian military and political elite argue that these are the only reasons for their support of the Polisario.
Algeria provides assistance to the Saharawis in a number of ways. First, the Algerian military provided training and arms to the Saharawi People's Liberation Army [ALPS] throughout the 1970s and 1980s, although such military aid has greatly reduced since the signing of the ceasefire and end of the Cold War. Secondly, the Algerian government provided and continues to provide – although numbers are not public – financial assistance to the Saharawi leadership to run the refugee camps, and continue its active diplomacy campaign, and run the SADR government. Even more importantly, the government granted the Polisario considerable independence in the refugee camps outside of Tindouf, which allowed the Saharawi fighters a safe-haven to recuperate, develop strategy, store ammunition and supplies, and keep Moroccan prisoners of war. The Tindouf refugee camps also provide a much-needed location in exile for the Saharawis who have joined the Polisario against Morocco. In return for inhabitance within Algerian borders, the Saharawi Army helps its Algerian counterpart patrol the huge desert borders of the North African country.
Algeria provides international support in a number of forums. Ambassadors in the U.S. consistently lobby the U.S. Congress and Department of State to support the Saharawis' right to self-determination. Algeria has also been instrumental in helping the SADR gain international recognition. Finally, its growing economy and power have given it increasing influence in the United Nations and the African Union, despite its loss of status as a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War. In these organizations, the Algerian representatives constantly encourage the international community to put pressure on Morocco to allow for a referendum on self-determination in the Western Sahara. Because of its proximity and influential role in the conflict, the UN has often allowed Algeria to participate as an observer in negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front, and UN Special Envoy Christopher Ross frequently meets with the Algerian leadership to include them in his efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict. Despite its continued support, however, Algeria's enthusiasm in defending the Saharawi cause has been partially diverted to other issues, primarily because it has had to focus inwardly on a long civil war in the 1990s and the growing threat of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb [AQIM] in the past decade. The Algerian population has begun to challenge its government's funding of an international movement. Conversely, the Saharawis at times argue that the Algerians could and should be doing more to support their cause. While the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front are the only UN-recognized parties to the conflict, without the continued support of Algeria, it is unlikely that the Polisario Front would be able to sustain the campaign for statehood and freedom in its current form.
Cuba has long been a close supporter of the Polisario Front, going back to the former's role as a key sponsor of anti-colonial independence movements throughout the Third World during the Cold War. While the Caribbean nation has offered both financial and weapons support to the Saharawis, its most important role has been the education of the Saharawi youth. Primary schooling is mandatory in the Tindouf refugee camps, but no secondary or advanced educational opportunities are available there. Therefore, Cuba has welcomed thousands of Saharawis to the island for continued education, often in technical and medical fields. Many Saharawi refugees – jokingly referred to Cubarawis – have spent up to 24 years in Cuba, receiving degrees in engineering, literature, languages, and medicine in exchange for mild manual labor on the island. In the early 2000s, three disgruntled Saharawis accused the Polisario Front of stealing children from their families and sending them to Cuba for hard labor and communist indoctrination. Hundreds of Cubarawis in the camps today refute such claims, insisting that their time in Cuba was a benefit they received from the Polisario and the Cuban government.
Spain is technically still the administering power of the Western Sahara, as it never complied with the UN's requests to arrange a referendum for the self-determination of its former colony. The Spanish government has refused to take a clear stance on the issue out of fear of upsetting Morocco, the closest North African country to its borders and a dominant political actor in the region. Spain is concerned with the trafficking of both illegal narcotics and immigrants from Morocco across the Strait of Gibraltar and to the Spanish Canary Islands. Furthermore, it is worried that a change in the status of the Western Sahara could spur further Moroccan pressure over its North African enclaves of Spain in Ceuta and Melilla – which are both located on the North African coast, though they are considered integral parts of Spain. Opposition parties in Spain routinely challenge the majority party's handling of the Western Saharan case, but no party in power has been willing to put real pressure on Morocco.
Spanish civil society, however, actively supports the Saharawis' right to self-determination. Associations of the Friends of the Western Sahara exist in almost every major Spanish city and arrange frequent trips of solidarity to the Saharawi refugee camps. These associations also arrange for Saharawi children from the camps to spend the unbearable Saharan summers with families throughout Spain. Protests supporting the Saharawis do occur in Spain, but the Spanish government has refrained from taking a significant active role in supporting Saharawi self- determination.
France has been Morocco's strongest international ally with respect to the Western Saharan conflict. This is partly due to France's historically tense relations with Algeria, going back to the bloody war for Algerian independence in the 1950s and 1960s. France has supplied Morocco with strong military and diplomatic support. The Moroccan army is equipped with French planes and weapons. Likewise, France has backed Morocco consistently in the UN Security Council, including its refusal to allow human rights monitoring in MINURSO's mandate.
United States
While the U.S. has never come out with a concrete position on the Western Saharan issue, in 2007, the Bush Administration lent its unofficial support to Morocco's autonomy plan as the most realistic solution to the enduring dispute. The U.S. government and Morocco are close allies, as Morocco was the first nation to sign a treaty with the independent United States of America. Likewise, the United States has long appreciated Morocco's positive efforts in attempting to find a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and, more recently, has counted on the close cooperation of Morocco in the Global War on Terror, as each nation seeks to combat the threat posed by violent, radical Islamic extremism. Morocco was named a major non-NATO ally by the U.S. in 2004, opening the Kingdom to increasing military support through the provision of funding, intelligence, and weapons. Thus, the United States' position can be viewed as one of tacit support of Morocco's de facto control over the Western Sahara.
-Mohammed Abdelaziz, Secretary General of Polisario Front - President of the SADR
At the behest of current UN Special Envoy to the Western Sahara Christopher Ross, the U.S. Department of State has ceased to make statements supporting either party in the conflict. President Obama has offered his public support for the UN's efforts in the resolving of the conflict and has encouraged both Morocco and the Polisario to cooperate with the international organization. Some members of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate advocate on behalf of Saharawi self-determination, while others support Morocco's position.
Coryright 2010, Organization For Statehood & Freedom


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2013 Fall Updates
Starting tomorrow, I will be assuming the primary role as SLO Coordinator for the college. Katryn Wiese's herculean efforts as SLO Coordinator created processes and resources that put us on a sustained and continous pathway to improved student learning (and accreditation!). She is now eager to resume her departmental responsibilities in Earth Sciences. She writes, "I am gratefully relinquishing the role of primary SLO Coordinator to Kristina Whalen, though I will continue to work with her in spring as technical support. I am confident that she will continue to lead us toward positive conversations and processes that bring all divisions and employees of the college together in a shared vision of supporting our college mission of continued excellence in student learning."
As a community, we would be remiss if we didn't pause to reflect on Katryn's leadership, achievements, and ability to pilot change. The following is just a few of the many campus leaders expressing gratitude:
"The leadership Katryn has shown in working with faculty as the SLO Coordinator is, I believe, one of the primary reasons CCSF has made such great progress on SLO's. She has been the face of SLO development for the college and in meeting this accreditation requirement and we all owe her a big thank you for her hard work."
--Robert Agrella, Special Trustee
"In her role of SLO coordinator Katryn has manifested great generosity in sharing knowledge and expertise -- and isn't that the essence of teaching? Even before CCSF was put on Show Cause, Katryn had been sharing her developing understanding of SLOs. Before she was drafted to serve as our formal coordinator, she was giving up large swaths of her own time to support college-wide work. As coordinator, she continued to give more than she will ever be compensated for. I've been told that the best way to thank a teacher is to make good use of what was learned, so let us give Katryn our deepest thanks, not just with heartfelt words, but by continuing and improving our own SLO work."
--Karen Saginor, Librarian
"Special thanks to Katryn for all you have done. You took a process started in a little way by the DCC - and built it into a college-wide process that may well be the key to full accreditation once again. You put up with important questions, idiotic questions, repeat questions - all with grace and patience. Thanks for all you have done."
--Darlene Alioto, Department Chair Council President
"Katryn single handedly changed the culture of assessment at CCSF. She provided not just her expertise, but she has the ability to tap into the best qualities in all of us - to remind us what we know and how best to share it. As a result, we have become better counselors, teachers, administrators, and staff. I think her belief in each of us along with her knowledge, generosity, and kindness has made CCSF a much better learning environment for everyone."
--Kathleen Mitchell, Counselor/Instructor
"Katryn's passion and drive to serve CCSF's student is evident in everything she does -- from inspiring and rallying the college community to focus on student learning outcomes, highlighting best practices and models within the institution, creating a learning environment for us to ensure that in all matters the College focuses on improvement so that our students get the best of what CCSF has to offer! Your work is the cornerstone of CCSF and I thank you!"
--Gohar Momjian, Associate Vice Chancellor of Institutional Development
"Thank you, Katryn, for the amazing leadership and force of change you have been for the college, the SLO process, and in helping update the natural sciences general education outcomes. Working with you and learning from you has made me a better leader and instructor."
--Chantilly Apollon, Faculty
"When I look back over the last year, I am amazed by and grateful for how much City College accomplished through Katryn's leadership on outcomes assessment. Her truly indelible mark on me, however, comes from her clear and unwavering focus on improving student learning and College services. Thank you for your hard work, Katryn – and thank you for reminding me to be inspired."
--Pam Mery, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness
"Thank you Katryn for working so hard and taking the leadership risks that were needed to get the entire college moving! You are the best."
--Diana Markham, Faculty
"Katryn, you are one of a kind, and will not be easily replaced. You move so quickly all the time and your brain clicks so fast. It's so hard to catch up with you. All your hard work on SLO will be remembered here at CCSF."
--Judy Seto, Management Assistant
"How appropriate that the force of nature that is Katryn should want to return to the Earth Sciences Department. Once this crisis has passed, if any one person can be said to have won CCSF's re-accreditation, it will be Katryn."
Fred Teti, Academic Senate President
Thank you, Katryn!
Kristina Whalen
SLO Coordinator
Results and recommendations are available for the coordinated
GE-Area C Spring 2013 assessment. Please review
the report and contribute to the ongoing discussions of the SLO
Committee, Planning Committee, Assessment Planning Team, and Academic
Senate Executive Council.
Congratulations! We are ALL getting used to the process of completing SLO progress reports at the end of each semester. Based on the reports already in, it's clear that people know where to find the forms, how to complete them, and how to see the results. Thank you all! Results are available through department/unit assessment web pages. For those who haven't yet completed the forms, please remember to do so before the end of this semester! (Click here to get to the reports.) Report only on what's been done for Fall 2013.
Based on feedback about departmental and unit workflow, in early January, when the spring semester starts, we will close the Fall 2013 reports and make the Spring 2014 reports available at the same time. With access to end-of-the-semester forms at the beginning of the semster, departments and units can easily keep track of progress made during the first month of the semester, at FLEX events and department meetings, and incorporate activity into Spring progress reports.
Kristina Whalen
SLO Coordinator
Important Reminder: Make sure that you have located, reset (if needed), or requested your CCSF google mail username and password for the Fall 2013 progress reports.
SLO Coordinator help and tech support is not available over the holiday. Last help lab is Monday, December 9, 1-2 pm in S 37.
Lots of professional development activities related to assessment are approaching. If you'd like some fresh ideas, a chance to dialogue with colleagues, or some clarity about assessment techniques, data collection, analysis, mapping, and assessment scheduling, please check out these opportunities:
December 9th from 2-3 pm in MU 398. Learn more about how to use the grading options in the upgraded version of Insight. Specifically, how to set up advanced grading for assignments by using rubrics and marking guides. Examples of each will be demonstrated.
Presenters: Diana Markham & Cynthia Dewar
Jan 9, FLEX Workshops
Using CATs (Course Assessment Techniques) in the Classroom.This session will explain CATs and share techniques. Attendees will leave with knowledge of how to implement several CAT practices that will allow meaningful adjustments to classroom instruction so as to better ensure students are meeting outcomes.
Presenter: Geisce Ly, Dean of Downtown Center
Mapping Assessments: In this hands-on workshop you will map your current assessments to SLOs in one of your courses. From there we will discuss strategies for documenting assessment of SLOs once every three years. Resources for mapping and rubrics for documentation/easy data collection will be provided. Time permitting, we will dialogue about making connections between SLO documentation and student achievement data. **Bring one syllabus listing your course SLOs and the assessments/assignments you use in class.
Presenter: Tracy Burt, Faculty CDEV; MIP Coordinator
Program-Level Assessment Strategies. This session will demystify program-level assessment by describing several data collection techniques, approaches, as well as data analysis at the program level.
Presenter Nick Akinkuoye, AVC of Academic Affairs--School Deans
Collegewide Dialogue Continued. This session will explain
the two kinds of institutional level assessments used at CCSF (ILOs
and GELOs) and provide participants with an overview of recently
collected college-wide data, a chance to shape thinking about action
plans related to learning trends across the college, and how members
of the college community may participate in a "deep"
Presenters: Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
As always, thanks for your incredible commitment to student learning.
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Before heading into the Thanksgiving holiday, please take the time to look over the Fall 2013 Assessment Progress report form. If you have already completed all the assessment work for this semester, consider filling out the report as soon as possible. Here is a FAQ on the fall 2013 reports.
With a deadline of Jan 2nd, do you expect faculty and staff to work
during the break?
There is no expectation that you have to work during the break. The deadline for the reports is also the deadline for submission of final grades. Just like grades, most of us like to have them completed and off our plate before the end of the final exam period. As a courtesy to those that may feel pressured by that timeline, the college has long established a final deadline for grades in January. The Assessment Progress Reports extend that same courtesy. Hopefully, almost all reports will be submitted by December 19th.
Wouldn't it better to allow faculty time at the beginning of the
next semester to discuss the work they did in the fall before they
submit the fall reports?
We have done this in the past but realized a "next semester" deadline for a "previous semester" report has problems. First, it treats the progress reports more as an assignment deadline than a snapshot of the work your unit completed during the semester. Second, it is not accurate. If your faculty get together to discuss data and improvements at the beginning of the semester then it is work done during that semester, not the semester previous. It should be included on the next progress report.
Is the reporting form different?
The reporting form will look very familiar. After the SLO Committee
analyzed the reports from August, we changed, and hopefully improved,
the form. A few questions have been added; others deleted. Consider
looking over the word
document of the form before starting to complete the form.
Do I still need a user name and password?
Yes! You still need the username and password to a CCSF google mail
account. Find your password well before you sit down to complete the
report. This username and password will allow the submitter to edit
the report later if needed. If you don't yet have a username/password
or forgot your password, see the instructions for
more information.
Where do I report the Critical Thinking ILO results for my program?
The Fall 2013 Assessment Progress Report will prompt program coordinators to input ILO results, if they are available. If data results will not be ready until spring, those results will be gathered then and the SLO Coordinator will contact you. You will only get a prompt for the ILO page if you check the box indicating the data was analyzed and discussed. All program coordinators should have established a rubric for how they define Proficient, Developing, and No Evidence and had conversations with faculty before entering those data (Fall Progress Report or Spring Progress Report). See instructions for more information.
Who needs to fill out a report?
Reports are due for every course, program, service program, and administrative unit on campus. Multiple instructors on the same course should coordinate with the course coordinator, or establish a course coordinator, so that multiple reports for the same course do not overwrite each other. Program/service/unit coordinators should be established for each program, service, or unit. Your direct supervisors are responsible for ensuring everyone completes these important and required reports on time.
Are these reports important?
Yes! They are an accreditation standard that we must meet. More importantly, they are a useful tool that CCSF employees are using to chart a path for the best educational experience for our students. Our Summary Report for Spring 2013 included many examples of the rich processes these reports capture. One said, "A feeling of camaraderie and an environment of collegiality was very evident early on. The more we engaged in the process, the more social it became, and the more academically enlightening." Be sure to make these reports valuable and useful for you and your ongoing efforts for course and program review and improvement.
Thank you for your contribution to our success in this process.
More questions? Come to our weekly drop-in help sessions, Mondays from 1-2 pm in Science 37. Or drop us an email.
Kristina Whalen & Katryn Wiese
CCSF SLO Coordinators
Assessment work on the campus has been vibrant and robust—and now recognized by the ACCJC! On October 30th, a Feed Back Memo on the College Status Report on SLO Implementation, prepared at the request of the SLO Coordinators and Gohar Momjian, arrived at the college from the ACCJC. Using a 1-5 scale and based on the report provided to the ACCJC in March, CCSF's overall score was 3.42. This score places CCSF into the category of Proficiency, and in many areas "solidly meeting expectation of standard." News to really celebrate is the top score of 5 given to the SLO Implementation work of student services!
The SLO Scorecard has been updated on the Outcomes and Assessment page for your review. This Scorecard provides all the evaluations provided to the college for the following areas: 1. Placement of authentic assessments; 2. Institutional dialog; 3. Decision-making based on SLO work; 4. Resource allocation based on assessment; 5. SLO reporting; 6. SLO alignment with degree outcomes; 7. Student awareness of outcomes, and more.
Alongside the evaluations by the ACCJC (based on last spring's progress report), the SLO Coordinators have provided our evaluation of how those scores may have improved since March.
In the report, two areas were ranked lower than the Proficiency earning score of 3. Krista Johns, Vice President of Policy of Planning for the ACCJC, conferenced with SLO Coordinators and ALO Momjian to elaborate and clarify those scores so that we have assurances that the path forward will correct these deficiencies. Notes of that conference are provided on the Scorecard.
It is clear that our work has been strong. The assessment work done to improve the educational experience for our students is remarkable and inspiring. Thank you for continuing to be some of the best educators in the State!
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
As mentioned last Friday, the new version of the biannual assessment progress reports is now available online. They are due by January 2nd for all courses, programs, and services. As a progress report, coordinators should understand these reports as summaries of work completed, NOT a requirement to do last-minute work. If no work was completed, just tell us your plans for the next semester. We hope this clarification will provide assurance that SLO reporting is a sustainable process.
We have added a few new questions to give us a better idea of assessment progress across the college. We have removed other questions to compensate. However, you will all need to gather additional information this reporting cycle before submitting your forms, including:
- Official outcomes location online (web address)
- Number of outcomes assessed to date
- Number of outcomes unassessed to date
- Current assessment cycles/frequency (how often are you assessing)
- AND... if you are an instructional or counseling program reporting on ILO#1 results, you will need to have the data available (though for many of these programs, you will be able to report on these results in Spring).
Please remember that these reports are an essential way to maintain
momentum in outcomes assessment, which is why we ask everyone to check
in on their progress twice a year. They are also a requirement for our
accreditation, and one for which we must demonstrate our continued
commitment and follow through. As we will discuss more in next week's
email, these centralized reports are an area in which we have been
found deficient in the past and thus must make a regular part of our
ongoing processes for the future.
We are working right now to identify and fund the purchase of a new
reporting software that will replace the home-grown Google Forms
reporting that we use right now. It is our hope that we will have that
program online by the end of Spring, so it will be ready for the next
reporting cycle. We also hope to upload into this software much of the
information you enter into the current reports. The new software will
roll out to be as similar to the current system as possible, but will
be more robust, user-friendly and sustainable than the current system,
and have room to expand as needed to meet our needs.
RECOMMENDATION: you have 2 months from now to complete these
progress reports. We recommend everyone jump in right away and get
started. Explore the form. Enter some preliminary information. You can
always follow the link in your email copy to return later to edit and
complete the report before you leave for vacation at the end of the
semester. And share the load!
Want help?
Come to our weekly drop-in help sessions -- 1-2 pm in S37, and our Friday Brown Bag Lunches -- 12-1 pm in S37. This Friday's topic:
Completing the Fall Assessment Progress Reports
Thanks all for your continued support of this process. We have come
so far. We just have to keep moving forward...
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Take a look at our now-published November Highlights (read more about outcomes-assessment highlights from Fashion and Library Information Technology and Disabled Students Programs and Services).
REMINDER: Attend today's brown bag lunch -- noon to 1 pm in Science 37 -- to learn ways to manage your SLO workload and make it more sustainable and manageable for the long haul!
Also now available: Fall
2013 Assessment Progress Reporting forms
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Looking for ways to manage your workload and make it sustainable?
We have a number of tips for making outcomes assessment in the
classroom integrate with the work you're already doing (instead of
adding more). Let us help.
Our Friday Brown Bag lunch, Nov 1st, 12-1 pm in S 37 will review some time-saving tips to help, especially ways to use already existing assessments.
CCSF has seen a huge culture shift on assessment, but some still note that assessments are time consuming. These instructors want more time for their students. Assessment and student interaction are not mutually exclusive. If you feel drained by conducting assessments, let us help. Like an Energy Audit of your home, SLO Coordinators can meet with course or program coordinators, go over your assessment practices, and make suggestions for how you might reconfigure your assessments so they are meaningful, "energy efficient," and elegant.
How to get help? Attend Friday's brown bag. Come to a Monday drop-in session (1-2 pm in S27). Email Kristina Whalen to set up an appointment. As with ALL teaching tasks, our work can take up as much time as we let it. (If all we taught was one class, we could still let it eat up 100% of our time.) Solutions exist. Let us help.
Meanwhile, we are still looking for volunteers to sign up for the Areas A and E workgroups for General Education Outcomes Assessment. These assessments are required for our accreditation, and here's an opportunity for faculty to volunteer to take on some of the workload. We need your help! (More information online.)
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Volunteers wanted for GE-Area A workgroup and GE-Area E workgroup
Spring 2014, we will be conducting a coordinated assessment of all general education outcomes within GE-Areas A and E. To assist with this process, we are right now forming two workgroups whose tasks will be to:
- Fall 2013: Develop/refine rubric to simplify collation of data
among multiple instructors.
- Fall 2013: Develop
instructions and examples to go to all instructors of Area
C-assessed courses explaining how to use rubric at end of semester
and reminding them that they will enter their information into
end-of-semester progress reporting forms.
- Fall 2013
and Spring 2014: Review existing mapping data for Area A or E and
consider refinements/gaps/next steps.
- Fall 2013 and
Spring 2014: Review outcomes and refine as necessary to ensure
continued value and appropriateness.
- Fall 2014:
Review completed end-of-semester progress reports and summarize,
analyze, and report on results
- Fall 2014: Facilitate
college-wide discussion of the results and suggested next
- Fall 2014: Complete a final evaluation report on the results and the process
If you'd like to volunteer, please email Kristina Whalen with your interest, department, and availability.
Please note that we cannot accommodate everyone's schedule, but those who are interested and can't make the final scheduled meeting times can continue to participate through email.
- Sample of work done by the GE-Area
C workgroup during Spring and Fall 2013.
- All
GE Outcomes
that satisfy GE Outcomes
- GE-Outcomes
Assessment schedule
Thank you for your consideration! We need your help.
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
More details:
Area A: communication and Analytical thinking requirement
Upon completion of this coursework, a student will be able to:
- use the principles and application of language toward logical thought
- demonstrate clear and precise expression
- critically evaluate communications in whatever symbol system the student uses
To satisfy the graduation requirement in Communication and Analytical Thinking, the student must complete at least three semester units from the following courses.
- American Sign Language 1A, 1B
- Biotechnology 108A
- Broadcast Electronic Media Arts 101
- Business English 74, 76
- Business Mathematics 66, 68
- Chemistry 17
- Child Development 108A, 108B
- Chinese 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 4A, 4B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 12A, 12B, 12C, 14A, 14B, 14C, 16, 17, 22, 31A, 31B
- Computer Networking and Information Technology 131, 132
- Computer Science 100, 101,110A, 111A, 112A, 113A, 130A, 131A, 132A, 150A, 151A, 155A, 183A
- Design 110
- Economics 5
- Engineering 38
- Engineering Technology 50, 108A, 108B
- English as a Second Language 79
- French 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 11A, 11B, 21, 22
- German 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 4A, 4B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 11A, 11B
- Interdisciplinary Studies 50
- Italian 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 15A, 15B
- Japanese 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 4A, 4B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 16
- Journalism 19, 26
- Labor and Community Studies 76A
- Learning Assistance 50, 60, 61*, 62*
- Library Information Technology 51
- Mathematics 40, 50, 55, 60, 70, 75, 80, 90, 92, 95, 97, 100A, 110A
- Microcomputer Applications for Business 160
- Multimedia Studies Program 125
- Music 3A, 29
- Philosophy 2, 4, 12A, 40
- Pilipino 1, 2, 10A, 10B, 10C
- Psychology 5
- Russian 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 15A, 15B, 20, 21, 21A, 21B, 22, 22A, 22B
- Spanish 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 5, 5S, 7, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 31, 31A, 31B, 32
- Speech 1A, 3, 4, 6, 11, 12, 20
- Supervision and Business Management 234
- *Only partially satisfies number of units required for this area
Area E: Humanities requirement
Upon completion of this coursework, a student will be able to:
- exhibit an understanding of the ways in which people through the ages in various cultures have created art
- demonstrate an aesthetic understanding
- make informed value judgments
- create an example of linguistic expression or philosophical reasoning
- contribute to the disciplines of fine and performing arts and analytical or creative writing
To satisfy the graduation requirement in the Humanities, the student must complete at least three semester units from the following courses.
- African American Studies 35, 50, 51, 55
- American Civilization 11A, 11B
- Architecture 31A, 31B, 32
- Art 101 through 109, 116, 118, 123, 124, 125A, 126, 130A, 140A, 146A, 160A, 170A, 180A
- Asian American Studies 6, 10, 20, 30
- Asian Studies 11, 12
- Broadcast Electronic Media Arts 103, 106
- Chinese 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 4A, 4B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 12A, 12B, 12C, 14A, 14B, 14C, 16, 17, 22, 29A, 29B, 31A, 31B, 39, 49
- Cinema 18, 20A, 20B, 21, 22, 23A
- Classics 35
- Dance 30, 32
- Design 101, 105, 110
- English 20, 30B, 32A/34A, 32B/34B, 36, 37, 41, 43, 44A, 44B, 48J, 48O, 49J, 49O, 50, 55, 56A, 56B, 56C, 57, 58A, 60
- Fashion 23
- French 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 11A, 11B, 21, 22, 41, 42
- German 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 4A, 4B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 11A, 11B
- Graphic Communications 21
- History 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 15A, 15B, 18A, 18B, 20, 31, 32, 34, 35A, 35B, 37, 48
- Humanities 7, 8, 11, 12, 20, 25, 35, 41A, 41B, 48
- Interdisciplinary Studies 4, 14, 23, 27A, 27B, 29, 30, 36, 38, 42, 44, 46, 47, 70
- Interior Design 138
- Italian 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 15A, 15B
- Japanese 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 4A, 4B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 16, 39, 49
- Labor and Community Studies 93A, 104A
- Latin American and Latino/a Studies 1, 14
- Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Studies 11, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 55, 77
- Music 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 21, 22A, 22B, 22C, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27A, 27C, 27R, 2850
- Philippine Studies 30
- Philosophy 2, 4, 25A, 25C
- Photography 50A, 50B
- Pilipino 1, 2, 10A, 10B, 10C, 39A, 39B
- Russian 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 15A, 15B, 20, 21, 21A, 21B, 22, 22A, 22B, 39A, 39B, 41
- Spanish 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 5, 5S, 7, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 31A, 31B, 32, 41
- Speech 5, 37, 38
- Theatre Arts 30, 31, 32, 150, 152, 163
- Women's Studies 10, 20
Summary and evaluation reports are in for the August 31st reporting forms. Also an update to the Annual Assessment Plan. All three reports will be discussed as informational items at upcoming Academic Senate Executive Council and Participatory Governance Planning Committee meetings. To provide feedback, please email the SLO Coordinators. Enjoy!
- August 31st Assessment Progress Reports -- A Summary of Results
- August 31st Assessment Progress Reports -- An Evaluation of the Process
- 2013-2014 Annual Assessment Plan
Upcoming Events:
Professional Development--Brown Bag Lunch Series
Join SLO Coordinators every Friday (12-1PM) as we informally, yet productively, explore topics related to Outcomes Assessment. Bring your "brown bag" to Science 37 for an engaging hour of sharing knowledge, sharing resources, and sharing lunch.
- Friday, October 18 TOPIC: Assessment cycles -- choosing the one that works best for you and is both valuable and sustainable
SLO Committee
Want to work on a committee that is project based and highly productive? Join the SLO Committee -- open to everyone who wants to help with ongoing efforts: Next meeting:Monday, October 21st -- Science 9 -- 2-3:30 pm.
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
ILO Assessment. Are you a course instructor with a Critical Thinking SLO? Is your program part of Fall 2013 ILO assessment? Did you answer "yes!" to the first question and "I don't know" to second? Don't be in the dark any longer. If you teach a course with a critical thinking SLO, find out if you are participating in the ILO assessment by doing any or all of the following : 1) Find the answer in your Spring 2013 Program Reports for your department (located on your department's SLO webpage—every department has one!) 2) ask your Program Coordinator or Department Chair 3) Ask Kristina Whalen, your SLO/ILO Assessment Coordinator.
Upcoming event s:
Monday, October 7th, 2-3:30 in S9, SLO Committee Meeting.
Friday, October 18 ,12-1 in S 37, SLO Brown Bag Lunch TOPIC: Assessment Cycles. How often should I Assess SLO/PSLO/AUOs?
SLO Coordinators
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
Outcome Assessment October Highlights
In this month's installment of HIGHLIGHTS, the Culinary Art and Hospitality program provides a model of how departments start creating a culture of intentionality with the wise use of faculty retreats, impeccably defined assessment processes, and regular staff meetings.
Faculty member Chantilly Apollon shares her reflections on using the rubric developed as part of the General Education Natural Sciences Area Assessment in Spring 2013 and how it helped her coordinate efforts and results across multiple instructors and sections for the same course.
Finally, Police Chief Andre Barnes demonstrates how the Public Safety Office has used Administrative Unit Outcomes to assess, report, work to identify gaps, and implement improvements.
Professional Development--Brown Bag Lunch Series
Join SLO Coordinators every Friday (12-1PM) as we informally, yet productively, explore topics related to Outcomes Assessment. Bring your "brown bag" to Science 37 for an engaging hour of sharing knowledge, sharing resources, and sharing lunch.
- Friday, October 4th TOPIC: Assessing your program to be part of the Fall 2013 ILO #1 assessment -- Critical Thinking and Information Competency -- What's involved? How will you report results?
- Friday, October 18 TOPIC: Assessment cycles -- choosing the one that works best for you and is both valuable and sustainable
- Friday October 25 TOPIC:Techniques and rubrics for assessing performances, presentations, works of art, and other creative or demonstrative work.
SLO Committee
Want to work on a committee that is project based and highly productive? Join the SLO Committee -- open to everyone who wants to help with ongoing efforts: Next meeting: Monday, October 7th -- Science 9 -- 2-3:30 pm.
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
The September 17th FLEX event on Accreditation was held last
Tuesday. Over 450 evaluations were received after the event, filled
with ideas to share with presenters and college leaders and input on
the GE-Area C results. The median satisfaction score was 8 out of 10.
Division/School meetings received the highest satisfaction ratings,
followed by concurrent sessions, and then the opening session. A
report on the event, including a summary of shared ideas and input is
now available here: Sept.
17 FLEX Evaluation Report. CRN numbers are available on the event
web page for faculty tracking FLEX attendance.
Thank you to EVERYONE who volunteered and helped make the day work.
We couldn't have done it without you. And thanks to all who jumped in
and embraced the goals of the day -- meeting new people and learning
how ongoing efforts at the college affect different units.
Upcoming events:
Friday October 4th 12-1 pm in Science 37
Part of the Fall 2013 Brown-Bag Lunch Trainings on SLOs and related topics
TOPIC: Assessing your program to be part of the Fall 2013 ILO #1 assessment -- Critical Thinking and Information Competency -- What's involved? How will you report results?
- SLO Committee meetings -- open to everyone who wants to help with ongoing efforts: Monday, October 7th -- Science 9 -- 2-3:30 pm
Thank you all for your efforts towards assessing outcomes across the college and using those data to effect program improvements.
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Thanks for your participation and discussion in Tuesday's college-wide FLEX event on accreditation. We would love to hear your ideas and reflections. Even if you have nothing to share, please fill out our evaluation form to indicate the sessions you attended (so we can get an accurate attendance headcount). Thank you!
EVALUATION FORM: https://docs.google.com/a/mail.ccsf.edu/forms/d/1vwLYuVJ7eFgOu6BT1lxfzyIns-R40ZGU4pCm7PAKXGY/viewform
Presentations from the opening session and some of the concurrent sessions are now posted on the event web page.
Additional presentations and summaries will be posted online within the next week or two including a summary of ideas shared through the evaluation form.
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinator
Q: What's the purpose of the 9/17 FLEX DAY?
A: The purpose is to generate robust dialogue and positive solutions to our accreditation issues. The day is designed so that people have a chance to learn about accreditation challenges in areas of the college they feel they know little about.
Q: The opening session is being webcast. Can't I watch it from my office or home computer?
A: The opening session is where the dialogue begins! We need people together in the same spot for maximum interaction.
Q: Where do I go?
A: Between 8:00-8:45 Diego Rivera is the place to be. Complimentary breakfast proceeds the opening session. When Diego Rivera fills, make your way to one of the six overflow rooms. Overflow rooms are assigned based on last digit of employee ID number.
- VART 114 (employee number ends in 0 to 1)
- VART 115 (employee number ends in 2 or 3)
- Rosenberg 304 (employee number ends in 4)
- Rosenberg 305 (employee number ends in 5)
- Science 100 (employee number ends in 6 or 7)
- Science 136 (employee number ends in 8 or 9)
Choose a session at 11:00AM that you feel you know little about.
At 1:00 PM, you should be with your school or division. See agenda for room details.
Q: Am I required to attend?
A: Everyone is required to attend. Some exceptions exist and some office with be staffed during the sessions. See the FLEX Guidelines.
Q: Will food be provided?
A: A light breakfast and afternoon cookie snack are provided. Employees are encourage to bring a lunch or ask your dean for guidance.
Q: Besides lunch, do I need to bring anything else?
A: You need a pen or pencil, something to write on, and a positive outlook.
Are you ready? (More details on 9/17
web page.)
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Next steps for outcomes assessment at CCSF? PROGRAM REVIEW and ongoing ILO #1 assessment!
Program Review: The annual program review process is in progress this Fall. Here's something EVERY program can get started on today. Review your outcomes-assessment data and activities over the past year (2012-2013) and summarize those to answer the following Program Review question:
Summarize overall departmental/program improvements implemented, in progress, or under consideration as a result of the assessment of learning, service, and/or administrative unit outcomes. (Be sure to reference the data/reports that underlie these new directions.)
And consider that if you plan to ask for resources this year in your Program Review (time, positions, budgets, software, instruments, etc.), you'll want to link those requests back to what your assessment data show. Start working on that now.
Fall 2013 ILO #1 assessment: stay tuned for more details
in our next email. This ongoing assessment affects nearly every
program undergoing assessment this Fall. (Find
more on our Fall 2013 ILO assessment website.)
Need help? Drop-in SLO help lab -- Mondays 1-2 pm in Science 37.
Our momentum is excellent. Let's keep directing it forward sustainably and thoughtfully.
Kristina Whalen & Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
We need your help! This month and this semester, the SLO
Committee has a LOT of work to do reporting on the Aug. 31 reports,
coordinating the 9/17 FLEX event, and coordinating ongoing ILO and GEO
assessments. Many hands make the work lighter and more manageable.
Faculty and staff of all classifications, heed our cry for help and
step up. We need you.
Next meeting: Monday 9/9 from 2-3:30 pm in S37.
17th: ALL-college ALL-day FLEX event:
- This event is for EVERYONE! All faculty and all staff, except those who have to remain in their offices as a skeleton crew.
- Evening Session has been added for evening instructors: 7-9 pm in MUB 140.
Come prepared:
- Please bring with you a writing utensil, a hard surface on which to write, and a willingness to take notes and share ideas!
- Make sure you know the room to which you've been
assigned for the main event.
- Location: Diego Rivera
Theatre -- (audience: first come first served -- must arrive
before 8:45 am) + rooms:
(Facilitators: Nathan Steele + Anna-Lisa Helmy) --
(audience: employee number ends in 0 to 1)
- VART 115 (Facilitators: Lindy McKnight + Simon
Hanson) -- (audience: employee number ends in 2 or
- Rosenberg 304 (Facilitators: Doug Love
+ Sheri Miraglia) -- (audience: employee number ends
in 4)
- Rosenberg 305 (Facilitators: Sami
Kudsi + Andrea Niosi) -- (audience: employee number
ends in 5)
- Science 100 (Facilitators:
Hitesh Soneji + Diana Markham) -- (audience: employee
number ends in 6 or 7)
- Science 136 (Facilitators: Roger King + Sam Bowne) -- (audience: employee number ends in 8 or 9)
- Location: Diego Rivera Theatre -- (audience: first come first served -- must arrive before 8:45 am) + rooms:
Ever onward...
Kristina Whalen & Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Just a reminder of a few upcoming events and resources:
- Need help with semester assessment activities and plans?
- Come to the weekly drop-in help sessions Mondays from 1-2 pm
in Science 37. Or, Wednesdays 5-6 pm -- MISSION 364 (email Sheri
Miraglia if you plan to attend this session)
- Review SLO/Outcomes Assessment Basics in our online SLO Handbook
- Learn what others are doing by reviewing our online outcomes-assessment HIGHLIGHTS newsletter.
- Come to the weekly drop-in help sessions Mondays from 1-2 pm in Science 37. Or, Wednesdays 5-6 pm -- MISSION 364 (email Sheri Miraglia if you plan to attend this session)
- Want to help support ongoing SLO efforts across the college? Join the SLO Committee and help. Next meeting: Monday 9/9 from 2-3:30 pm in S37. Important work for the semester includes facilitating our ongoing assessment of Institutional Learning Outcome #1: Critical Thinking and Information Competency.
- September 17th: ALL-college ALL-day FLEX event -- agenda now online: POSITIVE PATHWAYS TO ACCREDITATION: COLLEGE-WIDE ROBUST DIALOGUE
Clarification of FLEX requirement for faculty: 9/17 is a required FLEX day (it is NOT an independent FLEX day). For more details on your requirement, review the HR guidelines.
Kristina Whalen & Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
The August 31st deadline is past, and everyone responded
stupendously! KUDOS ON THE HARD WORK! Look what we
- 93% of instructional programs reported (that's 311!)
- 94% of courses reported (that's 1642!)
- 100% of counseling programs reported (23 reports)
- 93% of student service programs reported (26 reports)
- 22 reports from
Administrative Service Units, Centers, and other Academic Service
units that are joining the college-wide effort.
GIVE YOURSELVES A HAND! This reponse was the strongest yet in
our ongoing effort to create an outcomes-assessment cultural shift at
the college. This accomplishment is the result of hundreds of faculty
and staff from all corners of the college pulling together. Thanks to
everyone who worked so hard to meet this deadline and especially to
those of you who are working on ensuring your outcomes-assessment
efforts are authentic and valuable.
Summary reports of data submitted to date are being compiled right
now for college-wide review and analysis.
The next reporting cycle ends on January 31st. Between now and then, please be sure to conduct assessments in as valuable a way as possible for your course or program. A few tips for helping the January 31st reporting go quickly and smoothly:
- Remember that the biannual reports are SNAPSHOTS of what you've done over the past 6 months. They are not supposed to motivate increased workloads at the last minute. If certain work wasn't done, then it wasn't done. Report that no work was done, and indicate your plans to pick up the work in the following semester.
- During the Fall semester, conduct your outcomes-assessment activities and keep notes along the way. Store those notes where you can easily reference them come report time.
- Write down your reporting username and password! (Store it where you can easily find it -- perhaps in the same location as your outcomes-assessment-activities notes.)
- Analyzing data? Be sure to set aside time for discussion, whether you're evaluating data from last semester or this semester.
- Not enough time to do it all? Break up the tasks. Assess one semester. Analyze and discuss data the next.
- Teach a course? Coordinate with your SLO Course Coordinator to ensure you're all assessing the same SLO(s). If the course maps to a program, and that program is undergoing assessment this semester, coordinate with the Program Coordinator so you can be a part of the ongoing ILO assessment happening this Fall 2013.
- Breathe deep -- develop a sustainable process that brings real value to you and your colleagues.
Thanks again everyone. Onward!
Kristina Whalen & Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Resources and upcoming events:
- Have questions? Need help? Start now, and come to the weekly drop-in help sessions Mondays from 1-2 pm in Science 37.
- Review the September HIGHLIGHTS, our online outcomes-assessment newsletter.
- Want to play a bigger role? Join the SLO Committee and help. Every other Monday from 2-3:30 pm in S37.
September 17th: ALL-college ALL-day FLEX event -- agenda
now online: POSITIVE PATHWAYS TO ACCREDITATION:
Integrating accreditation and student learning, service, and administrative unit outcomes into our regular daily college workings & learning more about what happens in programs across the college
September HIGHLIGHTS, our online newsletter, showcasing great things happening in outcomes assessment across the college is now available. This month, read about these showcased programs: the Math Department, the Visual Media Design Department, and an update on a collaborative learning project between students in Registered Nursing and Radiologic Sciences.
Articles in the works for next month include highlights from Campus Public Safety and Culinary Arts & Hospitality Services.
Upcoming events:
One day left to submit the August 31st reports:
- Access reporting page for submissions, viewing data, or reviewing instructions.
- September 1st, we'll compile submitted data
for a report to the college.
- Regular weekly drop-in help sessions
September 17th: ALL-college ALL-day FLEX event -- agenda
now online: POSITIVE PATHWAYS TO ACCREDITATION:
Integrating accreditation and student learning, service, and administrative unit outcomes into our regular daily college workings & learning more about what happens in programs across the college
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
August 26th
Out of approximately 2000 reports needed by August 31, about 1250 are now in. That's 62.5%. Thanks for your help -- and let's keep the momentum going. We need 100% reporting. Nothing less! Please reach out to your chairs and program managers and see what help you can provide.
- Access reporting page for submitting reports and viewing submitted data.
- Already submitted your form and want to edit it? It's easy! Find
instructions here.
Upcoming events:
Drop-in help sessions (for SLOs):
- SPECIAL THIS WEEK: Friday, August 30, 10-11 am and 1-2 pm in Science 37.
- Can't get to Ocean Campus? Wednesdays 5-6 pm -- MISSION 364 (email Sheri Miraglia if you plan to attend)
- Mondays 1-2 pm -- Science 37
- Can't make any of the above? Send a colleague who can then help you afterwards.
CMS Workshop (2 hours flex credit available): Using the
Digital Asset Manager to store documents and images. And how to
link to what you have stored on your web pages. -- Wed 8/28,
10-noon in the Batmale 313 lab. Sign
up here!
September 17th: ALL-college ALL-day FLEX event -- agenda
now online: POSITIVE PATHWAYS TO ACCREDITATION:
Integrating accreditation and student learning, service, and administrative unit outcomes into our regular daily college workings & learning more about what happens in programs across the college
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Assessment stages are like colored belts in karate. Your course, program, or service advances from one stage to the next higher stage, until reaching the highest level. Once a black belt, the highest stage, there's no going backwards. You're at that level from then on.
At CCSF our stages move up in number. Stage 1, the lowest, is where you could imagine a new course, program, or service starts – with defined outcomes. Stage 2 is reached when you are conducting the first assessment of the students or served constituents. Stage 3 is reached when the data from the first assessment are being analyzed and discussed with decisions being made about future steps. Stage 4 is reached when changes are implemented. If no changes are deemed to be required, then stage 4 is skipped. Stage 5 is when the course, program, or service is reassessed. If there were no changes made, the assessment is just a way to ensure the outcomes are still being achieved. If changes were made, the assessment checks whether or not the changes are making a positive difference. Once stage 5 is reached, the loop is closed, so to speak.
Outcomes-assessment has become a process of continual quality improvement (in short called CQI). The process, outcomes, assessments, and analysis can all be improved, but the stage 5 designation stays. (You keep your black belt.)
Why do we have these assessment stage designations at all? The accurate reporting of assessment stages are absolutely necessary for the SLO Coordinators to be able to quantify our progress to our accrediting organization. We were supposed to be at stage 2 or higher for all courses, programs, and services by Fall 2012. To achieve completely the SLO standards, we need to be at 5. So keep moving forward, and report accurately!
Kristina Whalen & Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
The August 31st SLO reporting deadline is a little over 10 days away. Has your department completed reports for ALL its Spring 2013 offerings? As of Friday here were our statistics on completed reports:
- 52% of Spring 2013 courses had been entered
- 31% of instructional programs
- 90% of counseling programs
- 51% of administrative and student service programs
By August 31st, WE MUST ACHIEVE 100% of reporting. That's a lot of work that needs to be done between now and August 31st. Please help your department in any way you can.
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS of appreciation to these units that by Friday had completed 100% or nearly 100% of their reports: ESL, Library Information Technology, Math, Latin American Studies, Administration of Justice/Fire Science, Social Sciences, Transitional Studies, Women's Studies, Counseling, Student Health, and Earth Sciences.
Some clarifications:
- Reports for every course, instructional program, counseling program, and services must be submitted twice a year – once in the Jan. 31 reports. Once in the Aug. 31 reports.
- Submit only one report per course. Instructors of the same course need to cooperate on the entry as well as on the assessments in general.
- Reporting page: http://www.ccsf.edu/NEW/en/about-city-college/slo/reports/semester_assessment_reports.html. If you have not already done so, you will need to set up your username and password. Use the link on the reporting page to complete this important step.
- Your patience, commitment, and efforts to support the work of the college and each other in this endeavor are GREATLY appreciated.
Kristina Whalen & Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Week one of the semester – LOTS of craziness – hope all is going well.
- REMINDER: August 31st is the deadline for reporting ALL college-wide SLO activities that happened in Spring/Summer 2013 AND plans for Fall 2013. Review your department's progress. Do not miss this deadline! We must have reports from 100% of active courses and programs and services. (See reporting page for more details.)
- Questions? Need help? Come to drop-in help labs Mondays at 1 pm in S37 starting August 19th.
- Future planning: please be sure to hold September 17th in your schedule for a day-long college-wide meeting to discuss Accreditation challenges, responsibilities, and progress (including SLOs). Agenda and details to be posted next week. Goal: college-wide robust dialogue and the working together towards a shared mission of maintaining our accreditation.
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
What to know about the August 13th, 2013 FLEX DAY:
Department/Program/Service Chairs/Heads: Please be sure to include time in your department meetings to review your SLO progress and semester goals. These goals should include:
- Getting all courses, programs, and services to stage 2 by end of Fall 2013.
- Getting all courses, programs, and services to stage 5 as soon as possible.
- Ensuring all courses and programs taught in Spring/Summer/Fall 2013 are accounted for by August 31st in the official reporting forms.
- Ensuring all course outlines are updated, ESPECIALLY those so old they don't include SLOs!! Rare birds, but of utmost importance…
- Reviewing departmentally the data provided
through SLO assessment of courses, programs, and services for
2012-2013 to inform changes to the department and to report upon for
the year's program review SLO portion.
ALL FACULTY: Ensure that curriculum-committee-approved SLOs are listed on all syllabi and the website provided to students the first week of the semester.
EVERYONE: Professional Development on the SLO front:
- 1-2:30 pm -- S136 or S5 -- Return engagement: Addressing Diversity through SLOs and Active Learning -- Presented by Susmita Sengupta and Katryn Wiese -- S5 -- Review how SLOs and a variety of active learning tools can be used to better engage students and address diversity in background, learning styles, and more.
- 2:30-4 pm -- Open Drop-in Help Lab -- S45 -- Seek help submitting semester reports, refining outcomes and assessments, reviewing results, and/or planning and coordinating efforts across your program/department.
- 4-5 pm -- SLO Committee -- S45 -- Help us plan semester ILO and GEO assessments and working groups for ILO 1 and GEO areas B, C, and E.
Hope to see you at FLEX!
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
Much has been accomplished on the Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) front over the last year, and we should be proud. However, we also have much to do. We are still climbing the ladder toward full achievement of the ACCJC standards. Proficiency was required by Fall 2012 (and we are near, at, or exceeding proficiency in all those standards), but full Sustainable Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is the ultimate requirement, and we are not there yet.
To assist with our journey up the ladder, we will continue to send weekly emails this year, highlight programs that are setting good examples, and update and track our progress across the college through an online scorecard.
Meanwhile, many are asking, "What can I do?" EVERYONE plays a role in the SLO process. Below are 5 concrete steps you can take to help.
On the Instructional Effectiveness front, these simple things can make a real difference and bring concrete results for our College:
Find and bookmark your departmental or unit web page. All
programs/services/departments have one. Do you know where yours is?
Review the page and ask these questions:
- Is the assessment process your department follows clearly outlined and followed? (The visiting team reviewed websites and applauded our transparency. They saw great examples and poor examples. Which one is your department?)
- What kind of data are you and your colleagues collecting? Are they valuable? Are they being discussed? Are they inspiring change?
- Are you a part of the conversation and data collection? Are you playing an active role?
- Do you know who your department/program/course/service SLO Coordinator is?
- Are your program review documents posted? Is the SLO section in those documents at the level it needs to be? (Does it demonstrate the use of data to make departmental/program improvements?)
- If you're part of an instructional department, are ALL courses and programs submitting reports? And are ALL courses and programs at stage 2 or higher?
- Do you know your department's website webmaster? (Who edits that page?) Are all parts of the page current and correct? (This is the image you send to the rest of the college and the ACCJC. Is it accurate? Does it show your progress?)
- If the answer to any of the above questions is no, then actively work to make it better. Each department is in charge of its own protocols. If things aren't working well within your department, someone has to step in and lead. Let that be you.
- Meet the August 31st deadline for Assessment Reporting for ALL college-wide SLO activities that happened in Spring/Summer 2013 AND plans for Fall 2013. Get in the habit! It's not going away. Twice a year –August 31 and January 31, ALL programs, courses, and services MUST complete these reports. And that's the easy part… Ensuring that the work you report on is valuable, useful, authentic, and discussed widely – that depends on you. Provide evidence that assessment activities are being used to make needed improvements. Highlight those activities in your report.
- Instructional Departments: Kick that old course outline to the curb. If you are teaching from an outline more than 6 years old, volunteer to update the outline!
- Instructional Departments: If applicable, participate in the Fall 2013 coordinated assessment of ILO 1: Critical Thinking and Information Competency. If you are from an instructional department, and you have programs with SLOs that map to ILO 1, then plan to conduct assessments this Fall of at least one of those SLOs, so you can be part of this college-wide assessment.
- Service Departments (including Counseling Services): Think about the service modules you would like to gather data about to make your counseling and services areas stronger. It is important to keep the work up gathering data about individual programs within Student Services; now is the time to establish your commonalities across the Division, and identify and assess services outcomes.
- Attend Academic Senate SLO Committee meetings to help develop ongoing processes for sustainability and authenticity and help us meet the standards. EVERYONE WELCOME! The first meeting of the semester is August 13th, FLEX DAY, from 4-5 pm in S45. Meetings take place every 2 weeks throughout the semester (time and dates to be determined at first meeting of the semester.)
The college needs you now! Thanks for stepping up.
Kristina Whalen and Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinators
According to today's letter from Barbara Beno and the ACCJC, the ACCJC believes we "have not adequately addressed" multiple recommendations, including recommendation #4 -- Student Learning Outcomes.
Recommendation language: "To fully meet Standard II Student Learning Programs and Services, the team recommends that the college identify the intended SLOs at the course, program, general education, certificate and degree levels, develop and implement assessments of student learning, and analyze the results of assessment to improve student learning. The results of ongoing assessment of student learning outcomes should foster robust dialogues and yield continuous improvement of courses, programs and services and the alignment of college practices for continuous improvement."
I believe we have addressed the above recommendation adequately. We have made significant progress and are heading in the right direction. I am not alone in this opinion. It has been seconded by many external evaluators. Thus I find myself surprised by the ACCJC verdict on the SLO front.
No, we do not yet fully meet the ACCJC Standards related to SLOs,
but neither does most every other college in the ACCJC region. By
requiring a recent Proficiency report from all colleges in its
jurisdiction, clearly the ACCJC recognizes the challenge faced by
colleges in meeting the SLO standards and is acknowledging that since
hardly any college actually meets the standard yet, we have to move
forward one step at a time in the right direction. Progress is key --
not necessarily perfection here. Proficiency was required by March
2013. Sustainable Quality Improvement -- complete meeting of the
standard -- is a future goal.
I was also one of those unable to be present at the June ACCJC meeting due to the limited space. I and the new co-coordinator, Kristina Whalen, were turned away as the venue had been closed. We had wanted to hear the report on SLOs across the state and learn more about how the ACCJC works, so that we could respond better to its requirements. After being turned away, I sent them a respectful letter afterwards expressing my disappointment and my desire to hear about future opportunities for me to get to know them better. I received no response. I got a scanned copy of the SLO report from Karen Saginor after the meeting. (Scanned document on Academic Senate website.)
Based on that report, I would put CCSF squarely in the middle of the pack in the current list of ACCJC colleges on its progress with the SLO standards. That's a huge jump from where we were. While we do not yet MEET the standard, we are way ahead of many other colleges tackling this huge issue, and I believe we have developed a level of transparency and communication about our SLOs that sets a standard for others to follow.
View our own report as a comparison.
Bottom line: we can NOT let today's news discourage us. We have made significant progress in the area of SLOs and are heading in the right direction. Though not acknowledged by the ACCJC, it has been recognized by our peers. And we should feel good about it
My two cents on the SLO front...
Katryn Wiese
SLO Coordinator


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George Clooney led away in handcuffs after being arrested in Washington
The actor was led away in handcuffs after being warned three times for crossing a police line while protesting on the steps of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington.
George was joined by his father and a number of activists who accuse Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, of provoking a humanitarian crisis.
He said earlier that he hopes to draw more attention to the issue. And added that that "we're going to have a real humanitarian disaster," if action is not taken in the next three to four months.
The 50-year-old is co-founder of the Satellite Sentinel Project which uses private satellites to collect evidence of crimes against civilian populations in Sudan.
Last week he visited the volatile border region between Sudan and South Sudan, where he narrowly escaped a rocket strike.
The star saw burned-out villages and met with residents made homeless after aerial attacks by Sudan's military.


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OCEAN CITY – The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University, will once again host the 39th Annual Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival at the Roland E Powell Convention Center from April 24-26.
For visitors, the event offers an experience like no other. In addition to exhibitors selling their paintings, photography, ceramics, bronze sculptures, folk-art, home decorating items and jewelry, there are more than 1,500 bird carvings, many of which are carved by some of the world's best artists. Competitors of all levels, from youth to world champions, compete against their peers for the chance to win some of the $70,000 prize money, as well as recognition. There are 38 different divisions in which an artist can compete–decorative life-size and miniature wildfowl, floating waterfowl, interpretive, gunning decoys and contemporary antiques to name a few.
Bird carving has over the years become a truly international art form, with carvers from across the United States, Russia, Canada, Central America, Europe and Japan taking part in the competition. They all have one thing in common. Their artwork is inspired by the wildfowl they observe in nature.
"Some of our carvers are avid birders and others avid hunters, but they share a love for this wonderful, collectible art form," said Lora Bottinelli, executive director of the Ward Museum. "They observe the birds in their habitat and are fascinated by how they move, react and survive. Carvers try to capture the essence of a particular species in their sculptures and for some, their passion has become a vocation."
Bottinelli said that many of the bird carvings are so lifelike that many people think they are real and imagine the artwork will at some point take flight.
Activities for children include being introduced to carvings entered in the competition by other youth, and watching decoys being judged on the bay and in tanks. There is also a special Kids' Corner where kids can make soap carvings, carve a feather with power tools with instruction of a world champion carver and paint decoys, among other activities.
"April is also a great time to visit Ocean City," said Bottinelli. "The prices are lower, restaurants have many specials, and there is room to explore before the summer crowds arrive, so it's among the best times to visit."
The show hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday. The awards ceremony starts at 5:00 p.m. Saturday. Sunday the show is held from 10a.m.-4 p.m.


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David Brent (The Office) "They know I'm Rock N Roll..."
Printed on high quality 280 gsm smooth white card
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(Frame and mount not included)
• A truly unique minimal print from Posteritty, designers of the largest range of minimal posters on the interweb
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Sale of this item does not transfer its copyright.
Follow us on twitter @posteritty for ongoing competitions and offers.


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The Official and Unofficial Parties of Inauguration Weekend
(WASHINGTON) -- With the pomp and circumstance of the presidential inauguration come the parties, and for revelers this inaugural weekend, the official balls have been scaled down to two while unofficial soirees fill the weekend's social calendar.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee is hosting just two official inaugural balls this year, compared to the 10 official balls in 2009. The two balls, which will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Monday, will be the fewest balls held by a president since Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration in 1953.
One official celebration is the Commander-In-Chief's Ball to honor members of the military and their families. Tickets for the military ball, a tradition started by President George W. Bush in 2005, are free for invited attendees, which will include an estimated 4,000 active duty and service members, Medal of Honor recipients, and wounded warriors and their spouses.
But the giant fete of Monday night will be the Inaugural Ball.
The ticketing process for the balls faced a snafu when Ticketmaster, the outlet tasked with selling tickets at $60 a piece to the official ball, accidentally made the sale available one day early, causing the big fete to sell out before the intended sale time and leaving many hopeful party attendees empty handed.
Perhaps the best party is shaping up to be the Inaugural Ball just for the President and his staffs from the campaign and White House. It is being held the night after the public balls, Tuesday, at the same convention center, but different entertainment: Lady Gaga.
But it's not just the official balls that will rule the weekend. A number of unofficial balls are planned by state societies, interest groups, and other organizations across the Washington, D.C., area.
The Texas State Society is hosting a Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball at National Harbor with tickets starting at $250 on Saturday, and the Green Inaugural Ball at the Newseum has performer Will.i.am scheduled and members of the Washington Redskins team on Sunday.
On the night of the Inauguration, Churckey, a local bar, plans to host the Inaugural Brewer's Ball, featuring drinks from 10 breweries and the opportunity to mingle with stars of the brewing community for $150.
And who says just the adults should have fun? On Saturday, Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will host the Kids' Inaugural Concert, which was first held in 2009, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Though the details of where each of the musical acts will perform has yet to be announced, the Presidential Inaugural Committee has said that Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Far East Movement, fun., members of the cast of "Glee", John Legend, Katy Perry, Marc Anthony, Mindless Behavior, Nick Cannon, Smokey Robinson, Soul Children of Chicago, Stevie Wonder and Usher will all perform at the weekend's various official parties.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


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Since most of the data in post-election polling has offered little beyond a parade of ugly news, here's a glimmer of hope from Gallup:
For the first time in Gallup trends since 2000, a majority of Americans say it is not the federal government's responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage. Prior to 2009, a majority always felt the government should ensure healthcare coverage for all, though Americans' views have become more divided in recent years...Republicans, including Republican-leaning independents, are mostly responsible for the drop since 2007 in Americans' support for government ensuring universal health coverage. In 2007, 38% of Republicans thought the government should do so; now, 12% do. Among Democrats and Democratic leaners there has been a much smaller drop, from 81% saying the government should make sure all Americans are covered in 2007 to 71% now.
A look at the trendlines:
Americans also remain overwhelmingly opposed to the imposition of a government-run, single-payer healthcare system, which very much remains leftists' endgame:
One thing that has not changed is that Americans still widely prefer a system based on private insurance to one run by the government. Currently, 57% prefer a private system and 36% a government-run system, essentially the same as in 2010 and 2011. Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the percentage of Americans in favor of a government-run system ranged from 32% to 41%.
A few final notes: (1) Though Gallup's final likely voter poll prior to the election was off by four points, their registered voters numbers were pretty much spot on. In other words, their LV screen was too restrictive, but their overall data was sound. (2) Despite a heavily Democratic electorate on election day, a substantial plurality still supported Obamacare repeal, a result that mirrors stable polling trends. (3) For an idea of what a mind-blowing cluster Obamacare has already become, read this piece by Mary Katharine Ham. Deadlines keep getting pushed farther and farther back, and the administration has finally issued coverage rules for the state exchanges that are supposed to be up and running in a matter of months. These rules took 32 months to produce. An unmitigated mess.


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Boa Snowboard Boots
Boa snowboard boots are the pinnacle of performance fit and micro-adjustable lacing systems available to snowboarders. Helping riders dial in the most secure, easy, and fast on-the-fly adjustments so they can spend more time hitting the slopes and less time trying to get that perfect amount of support. A number of pro riders take advantage of the Boa's glove-like fit, including the likes of Brandon Reis, Megan Ginter, and Skylar Thornton, just to name a few. Pick up your snowboard boots at Zumiez, and you can choose from some of the top brands that utilize the revolutionary technology that the Boa lacing system provides. With top name brands like Vans, DC, thirty two, and Ride, you will be able to get the comfortable fit and style that you are after. Models like the Vans Encore, DC Scout, Ride Anthem, and the Thirty Two STW will provide you a powerful closure and durable lightweight construction so you can be confident that your boots will outlast even the longest of snow seasons. When throwing on snowboard boots this year, let the Boa lacing system help you spend less time lacing and more time riding in style and comfort.


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Is The Rachel Zoe Project Over?
Aug 22, 2013 6:39 PM EDT
The Rachel Zoe Project may have left the runway for good. In the September issue of Capitol File Magazine, Rachel Zoe commented on the future of the show. "We've done five years," she told the magazine. "I think it's time to probably m… Read more


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An Asian elephant conservation project
The Kinabatangan river floodplain represents one of the last vestiges of Borneo's elephants. 50 years ago, nearly 90 percent of the lands of Sabah, located on the northern tip of Borneo, were covered in equatorial forests. Today, protected forests cover 13% of the total land area. Unfortunately most of these protected forests are highly degraded and fragmented into 128 distinct forest reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and parks, many of which are in hilly or mountainous regions, or too small to be suitable habitats for the elephant. Recently studies have identified four Major Elephant Ranges (MER) in the state. More than 60% of these MER are found outside of protected areas in lands encompassing a large agricultural matrix, so it is imperative that a successful elephant conservation strategy must be designed at the landscape level. More than half of the current elephant population today is found in the commercial timber production forests of the interior of the state.
In addition, oil palm plantations cover 18% of Sabah's total landmass. Although these plantations are established on privately owned land, this forest conversion fragments the remaining elephant populations, further isolating them from one another. Oil palm plantations are often adjacent to wildlife habitat and are frequently raided by elephants causing severe economic losses to the planters who defend themselves by erecting electric fences or digging trenches, further fragmenting wildlife habitat and sometimes resulting in elephant injury or death.
The most destructive crop raiding is done by smaller groups of elephants coming into fields at night. These groups make less noise and are more difficult to track. Single bull elephants are the most efficient at raiding as they travel quickly and are very silent. To mitigate the raids, an elephant team tracks the elephants during the day in order to know where they are most likely to raid crops at night. The team can then inform local farmers and accompany them to scare the raiding elephants away. Usually lights, human voices and noise cannons are enough to inform the elephants that people are in the field and they simply go away.
Elephant forests are home to other endangered species. After meeting at a 2011 conservation summit held by Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Hutan has partnered with another Woodland Park Zoo Partner for Wildlife, the Hornbill Research Foundation, to bring hornbill conservation into the forefront of their field efforts in Asia.
Eight species of hornbill occur along the Kinabatangan River in varying densities. In 2012, a rapid assessment of the Hutan hornbill population and habitat was conducted in conjunction with Dr. Pilai Poonswad of the Hornbill Research Foundation. Recent surveys and interviews show that most species were slowly declining due to a lack of large trees and natural nest cavities. Programmatic elements including better understanding of the breeding ecology of hornbills, potential use of nest boxes and a network of interested partners are currently underway.
Thought to be descended from imported elephants, recent studies have confirmed that Bornean elephants are actually endemic to the island, colonizing during the late Pleistocene glaciation event, and greatly increasing its importance in terms of biodiversity. Current estimates reveal that about 2,000 elephants are surviving in Borneo, most in eastern Sabah in highly fragmented populations. These elephants live in two main social units: the family unit with a matriarch, daughters and offspring, and bull groups of often unrelated males. It is these males that cause the most extensive crop damage because of their high-energy food requirements.
In 2012, Hutan was merged with the Honorary Wildlife Wardens to create Wildlife Warden and Conflict Mitigation, or WWCM, to gain efficiency in the field. The unit is responsible for enforcing the law through continuous patrolling, mitigating conflicts with elephants, studying elephant movement and ecology, implementation of the Elephant State Action Plan, and supporting other conservation units. WWCM represents 10 full-time field research assistants hired from the local community. The Hutan Asian Elephant Conservation Project is run by Drs. Marc Ancrenaz and Isabelle Lackman, giving villagers and land owners practical solutions to potential wildlife problems.


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The Shugaku-in Imperial Villa (修学院離宮 Shugaku-in Rikyū?), or Shugaku-in Detached Palace, is a set of gardens and outbuildings (mostly tea-houses) in the hills of the eastern suburbs of Kyoto, Japan (separate from the Kyoto Imperial Palace). It is one of Japan's most important large-scale cultural treasures; its gardens are one of the great masterpieces of Japanese gardening.
The eight islands of Japan sprang into existence through Divine Intervention.The first two gods who came into existence were Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto, the Exalted Male and Exalted Female. It was their job to make the land for people to live on.They went to the bridge between heaven and earth and, using a jewel-encrusted halberd, Izanagi and Izanami churned up the sea into a frothy foam. As salty drips of water fell from the tip of the halberd the first island was formed. Its name was Onogoro.So far, so good. But when Izanagi and Izanami first met on their island, Izanami spoke to Isanagi without being spoken to first. Since she was the female, and this was improper, their first union created badly-formed offspring who were sent off into the sea in boats.The next time they met, Izanagi was sure to speak first, ensuring the proper rules were followed, and this time they produced eight children, which became the islands of Japan.I'm sure you did not fail to miss the significance of this myth for the establishment of Japanese formal society.At present, Japan is the financial capital of Asia. It has the second largest economy in the world and the largest metropolitan area (Tokyo.)Technically there are three thousand islands making up the Japanese archipelago. Izanagi and Izanami must have been busy little devils with their jewelled halberd...Japan's culture is highly technical and organized. Everything sparkles and swooshes on silent, miniaturized mechanisms.They're a world leader in robotics, and the Japanese have the longest life-expectancy on earth.Text by Steve Smith.


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Nature Center Adventures
Sunday, August 12, 2018
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
This event repeats every week on Sunday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 7/5/2018 and 8/17/2018.
Please note: This event has already taken place. Please use the Search options on the right to find upcoming events.
Join our Adventure Guides, who lead free nature-related programs at our Nature Centers this summer.
Nature Center Adventures connect New Yorkers of all ages to the natural world. Nature Center Adventure programs include scavenger hunts, nature crafts and games, and getting up close and personal with our nature center animals.
Programs vary by location.
Event Organizer
Contact Number
(718) 352-1769
Arts & Crafts, Education, Games, Best for Kids


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Alec Steinhagen's biggest rivals in diving are also his best friends from his tumbling days.
"It's one big family," the Boylan diver said. "Myself, Michael Klemm (Christian Life), Payton Stamen (Hononegah), we all competed against each other, practiced together.
"Now we're all diving and trying to boost each other. We're all really close friends and we're always talking and cheering each other on, but on the inside we all want to do the best we can."
Klemm beat out then-sophomore Steinhagen at last year's Byron Sectional. Steinhagen took second, but his point total wasn't high enough to reach state.
Now the junior is motivated to make another postseason run, and it starts Saturday at the diving portion of the NIC-10 Swimming Meet, which begins at 9 a.m.
"It's a big goal of mine to reach state and help my team these next two weeks," Steinhagen said. "I've been working at it all season long, trying to improve my skills so that I have a shot."
Stamen is seeded first with Steinhagen No. 2. Boylan diving coach Gary Wright thinks Steinhagen has a shot at making state this time around.
And it's not just based on hope. It's based on results.
"There was a really big diving meet called the Hinsdale Central diving invitational," Wright said. "Quite frankly, it's actually bigger than the state meet.
"Alec took eighth in that event. He's done a tremendous job this year and he's remained focused and could not only make the state meet, but could make the cut to make it into the final 12."
"My coach pointed out that some of those same divers would likely be at state," Steinhagen said. "That was definitely a confidence booster to show me where I was compared to other divers in Illinois."
Diving isn't just an individual event and can't be overlooked in meets, especially in conference meets. The strongest swimming teams in the NIC-10 traditionally have a strong diving program as well.
"The teams that are fortunate to have diving and good diving," Wright said. "It's a real shot in the arm for the swim team to grab those points.
"There's nothing worse than having a phenomenal swim team, but getting zero points out of diving."
Hononegah and Boylan are seeded No. 1 and No. 2 in a handful of events, including Jacob Ainsworth (Hononegah) and Mikey Rodriguez in the 200 IM, Carter Semenchuk (Hononegah) and Johnny Bravo (Boylan) in the 100 freestyle and the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay.
Hononegah, Boylan and Auburn are the conference favorites.
Joey Baskerville: 815-987-1353; email@example.com; @Baskerville_JS


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Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon Trails
|$0 to $25
|$25 to $50
|$50 to $75
|$75 to $100
|$100 and up
Bandon, OR 97411-6360
Course Details/History
- Architect Name – Ben Crenshaw/Bill Coore, ASGCA
- Greens Grass Type – Fescue Grass
- Regulation Length Holes – 72
- Twitter – https://www.pga.com/
Golf.com Editorial
Resort, 72 holes, $75 - $275
Bandon Trails has been ranked as one of the top courses in the U.S. by Golf Magazine's panel of experts.
Bandon Trails gets mixed reviews. It was Golf Magazine's best new course of 2005 and ranks 10th on the Top 100 You Can Play. Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore were given the least impressive property at Bandon and did a decent job with it. But Bandon Trails is just not in the same league as its siblings, Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes. The terrain is ho-hum, too many tee shots end up in divot-riddled collection areas, and the greens are so slippery and prone to sudden, unexplained shifts in direction that only a masochist or congressman could love them. The Trails has some fine holes, particularly on the front nine, but some of the holes on the back (Nos. 14 and 16 come to mind) will have you scratching your head.
From Sports Illustrated Writer-Reporter Rick Lipsey: It's a good thing that Bandon Dunes, hard by the Pacific Ocean, 250 miles south of Portland and 550 miles north of San Francisco, is probably the most out-of-the-way golf resort in America, if not the world. Otherwise, it would also be the most crowded. That's because no place on earth has as much outstanding and drop-dead gorgeous golf. Bandon has three courses, and all of them are ranked among the top 100 in the world according to Golf Magazine; no other facility has more than two tracks in the top 100. Created and financed by greeting card baron Mike Keiser, Bandon opened its first course, Bandon Dunes, in 1999. Some people said Keiser was crazy to hire David McLay Kidd, a novice 27-year-old golf architect, for the job, but the rave reviews instantly silenced the critics. Two years later, Keiser had Tom Doak build Pacific Dunes, and then in 2005 Keiser opened Bandon Trails, a layout designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.
14 Hours, 21.7 Miles, 2 Barking Dogs: Alan Shipnuck's marathon day at Bandon Dunes.
For more information, go to bandondunesgolf.com.
This Club has multiple courses:
Design - Bandon Trails at Bandon Trails, Bandon Dunes Resort
- Year Built: 2005
- Designer: Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw
- Greens Grass Type: Not Available
- Fairways Grass Type: Not Available
- Water Hazards: Not Available
- Sand Bunkers: Not Available
- Yardage Markers: Not Available
Other Courses at this Facility
Bandon, OR
Bandon, OR
Bandon, OR