Social Sciences and Career Option Programs
 Five-Year Vision

The Department of Social Sciences and Career Option Programs is a nexus of transfer disciplines and programs. The Social Sciences at Kirkwood include: Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Interdisciplinary Studies, and History. The Career Option Programs include: Communication Media/Public Relations, Criminal Justice (both Law Enforcement and Corrections), Disabilities Services Careers, Early Childhood Education, Education Careers, Human Services, Legal Assistant/Paralegal, and Sign Language Interpreter Training. The Department also houses the Kirkwood Community College student newspaper, the Communiqué, Kirkwood Student Productions, the Educational Resource Center, and Kirkwood Kids, the campus child care center. In fall, 2004, the Department generated over 18,800 credit hours, second only to the Iowa City Campus.

Shared Vision

By fostering critical and ethical thinking grounded in a solid knowledge base and practical skills, we challenge and inspire students and ourselves to be life-long learners and active citizens who use an understanding of the Social Sciences and Career Option Program experiences to enrich all of our lives and the communities in which we live.

Major Initiatives

  • Strengthening the Liberal Arts Core, General Education Competencies, and preparation for careers or transfer through assessment and through developing new courses and programs to meet the needs of the 21st Century
  • Expanding global and cultural understanding and appreciation of diversity
  • Expanding experiential learning for students, faculty and staff through service learning, faculty and staff professional development, intensive and continuous technology training, and partnering with agencies, schools and businesses
  • Developing and connecting  faculty and staff, full and part-time, throughout all centers and Iowa City, and across delivery systems
  • Incorporating  and assessing computer literacy, course and program learning outcomes and workplace skills, and student success initiatives throughout all courses and programs
  • Expanding and enhancing the Kirkwood Kids programming and services to children, faculty , staff, students in instructional programs and our community patrons through achieving national accreditation
  • Expanding the facilities, equipment and program offerings in Sign Language Interpreter Training Programs
  • Strengthening the Communications Media/PR Program by regular upgrading of equipment in order to maintain course offerings that replicate industry standards.

Capacity

  • Technology Support:  More web CT support (student and faculty); Widespread video equipment for micro teaching; Hybrid course support; add closed captioning capacity on campus for all videos and broadcasting; Ongoing assessment and upgrading of classroom and office equipment; Electronic broadcast equipment updated; instructional material including data bases, journals, models, video/DVDs; Computers – up to date and uniform software for each discipline and program; Intra college IM system; SMART Boards; increased Tech support for Elmo/videos; add self service copy machine to print shop
  • Facility Initiatives
    • Classroom space to accommodate group learning, room for activities, with trapezoidal furniture
    • Educational Resource Center, More microteaching rooms, expanded library/resource storage computer lab
    • Improved and increased office facilities, preferably individual. See Facilities Master Plan
    • To ensure confidentiality when working with students and 2) a quiet work environment
    • Integration of part-time faculty through increased office space contiguous to Department and expanded space for increased support staff
    • Department Conference room
    • Small conference rooms to meet with students and for TGIF
    • Addition to Child Care Center for two multi-age rooms, preschool, staff training room, parent information/conference room, additional classroom for Early Childhood Program, drop-off day care room; added dedicated parking.
  • Personnel Support: additional full-time Faculty and Support Staf
    •  Expand programs and discipline instructors / support staff
    •  Department Webmaster
    • Department IT support specialist
    • Adjunct support staff
  • Additional Faculty Support
    • Virtual office hours
    • Faculty handbook (especially for new faculty)
    • More availability for child care full and part time
    • Departmental copies of technology training manuals
    • More faculty representation on committees that make major decisions for us
  • Parking Spaces – increase blue spots in all lots
    • Enforce blue permit parking
    • Charge students who drive, but create a free shuttle campus service
    • Add visual emergency signal equipment throughout campus
  • Professional Development Resources – Center for  Excellence in Learning and Teaching
    • sufficient time/budget for targeting professional development opportunities: Teaching Circles, Faculty Endowed Chairs, campus visits by higher education experts, travel, expanded teaching of adults materials, student success materials, time/support for classroom research projects in disciplines and teaching
  • Student Support Initiatives
    • Create learning communities (connect students via similar class schedules)
    • Student Space – gather/network/study
    • Expanded Advising Resources on East side of campus: including testing and placement and prerequisites
    • Comprehensive orientation, with mandatory advising before registration and required Tools for College Success or College 101 seminars; more support for struggling students (note-taking services, counseling)
    • Career and Job Placement Center with programming for Career Panels, job fairs, college fairs, a Workplace Learning Connection for college internships and job-shadowing
    • expanded Student Health services and health insurance plan
    • support for computer literacy for learning and in workplace
    • designated Smoke-free/smoking areas strictly enforced
    • systems for connecting full-time and part-time students
    • expanded writing center programming to include discipline specific training in styles: APA. MLA, Criminal Justice, etc.
    • sponsorship of annual lecture series on Contemporary Issues

Ownership /Support

The Department of Social Sciences and Career Option Programs fully supports these initiatives and pledges to act upon them wholeheartedly as supported by the college and directed by our Dean.

Dashboard Indicators

Use Five Year Review data to create benchmarks and new Department policies and practices.

Evaluate professional development of faculty and staff by level of participation.

Evaluate student success through analysis of SPOTS, grade distribution, student surveys, faculty-designed assessments and by anecdotal information.

Achieve NAEYC national accreditation of the Kirkwood Kids Child Care Center.

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