By: Saki Kambe
Solutions sought out for scheduling conundrum
The class schedule at Peninsula College “really limits me and I end up taking classes I don’t really want to take just because of requirements and conflicts keeping me from taking the classes I want,” said Logan Matlock, current student who is pursuing an Associate in Arts Honors Degree.
However, Elita Nivens, student, said that she has never actually experienced difficulties with class scheduling, but she knows many students that have.
The majority of the classes at Peninsula College are scheduled between 9:10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
“Classes that are offered in the morning tend to fill up more than the afternoon classes,” Janet Lucas, outgoing dean of arts and science and Basic Education for Adults said. There is no denying that morning classes are more popular than those in the afternoon, but this cramped scheduling can give students a hard time.
Matlock said that if there are any scheduling conflicts, which there often are, it is nearly impossible not to miss a class you wanted or needed one quarter and having to wait a quarter or even a year. “Some people choose to take online classes to work around this. I know I have,” he said.
According to Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), Peninsula College has a total number of 1,993 Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES) as of 2018-2019 academic year. FTES is the equivalent of one student for 15 community college credits per quarter, as stated by the State Board.
So what does the class scheduling at another college with the same number of FTES look like? As reported by SBCTC, Grays Harbor in Aberdeen has 2,049 FTES, and Grays Harbor’s class scheduling is similar to PC’s; most classes are scheduled in the morning with not so many sections for each class. On the other hand, colleges such as Bellevue with 12,107 FTES have many sections of the same class offered in the morning, afternoon and evening.
Sharon Buck, vice president of instructions said that there is a reduction in student registration right now that probably makes it difficult for students to find more classes than it was three years ago.
“Most of that is due to the fact that we have fewer students than we had three years ago. It is unsustainable for us to offer classes that are really small. If three people want it and they may want it so bad, but we can’t offer a class with three people in it. There is no rule, per say, of what bottom number is for a class. But if the class has a cap of 30, it has to have at least 12 to 15 students to run,” Buck said.
Nivens said that she knows of an international student who had to graduate a year later to take one class that was only offered in the spring.
International Student Success Navigator Norma Gorham said that she would like to see more Face-to-Face classes, which can be very beneficial for international students with F-1 Visa in particular with the strict requirements for online classes.
“I think we have trouble finding enough Face-to-Face classes that will meet their requirements because as an International Student, you have to have ten credits that are Face-to-Face for every one online. So sometimes we have trouble getting the right balance,” Gorham said.
Although this is an issue that Gorham is indeed seeing that Buck is also aware of, Buck said that she knows this can be pretty frustrating in some ways.
One area where we have always tried to make sure that we serve is whether the class is online or not, Buck said.
She followed that International Students, and also the Servicemen and Servicewomen are those that need more Face-to-Face classes in comparison to online classes.
As for veterans, they cannot take all online classes or their benefits will not follow them, according to Buck. However, the college also has to take domestic students with a full-time job, a household to support, and athletes into consideration. They, on the other hand, utilize online classes.
“We always make sure that for any one class that is needed in popular programs like business, then we have at least once a year that is offered Face-to-Face, and not to have 100 percent online,” Buck said.
The class Schedule is created based on historical data as of now. Deans look at what the last year’s schedule was like, determine whether it was working or not, and fix whatever problems there were.
Matlock said he would love to see improvement in advising that looks a little further forward and accounts for scheduling conflicts.
This is something that is not very well-known, but Deans have an annual class schedule that they can access online. Hence, when creating an academic calendar, Deans and Buck encourage students to come talk to them if they would like to see information that is a little ahead. This should help with scheduling conflicts and being uncertain of what’s ahead.
Buck also suggested students to make the most out of the add and drop system when registering. Even when the class is full, there can be an additional section when the waitlist reaches a certain number. Lucas said that Nutrition class is an good example of that, and additional sections would appear once in a while, for it having a high demand.
“I don’t want students crying in the woods,” Buck said.
Quarterly academic advising for class registration will improve for the better as well, as a faculty adviser that is familiar with a student’s Area of Study and Student Services’ adviser will advise together.
This doesn’t happen for the upcoming advising for spring quarter, but it is planned that it would happen for fall quarter advising.
There will be a huge improvement in the overall class scheduling with the new ctcLink, and that is expected to be put in use from Fall Quarter 2020.
With the ctcLink, “as we get on the Guided Pathways, it’ll show us how many people are in the Pathway, it will be able to reveal how many of them are wanting to take statistics class next quarter, and that will allow us to adjust the number of sections we offer to the number of students who needed,” Buck said.
Furthermore, each student will have an account on the ctcLink, and they will have necessary information including annual class schedule.
Briefly
Writing Lab open for winter quarter
Writing need not be a solitary or agonizing process: the Writing Lab, room B137 in the Library, is open for the quarter. Tutors can help with any aspect of the writing process except copy editing and proofreading, and in all genres including personal projects and applications as well as assignments. Until March 5, the schedule will vary by day: Mondays 11a.m. to 4p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. March 5 through 19, the Lab will be open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Students can sign up for a 30 to 60 minute session in the appointment book found on the right corner of the Library’s front desk or by calling (360) 427-6361. Alternatively, students can access online tutoring at https://bit.ly/2O3p9tz.
“Our goal is to foster better writers rather than merely better papers,” says John Anderson, Writing Lab and eTutoring Coordinator.
The annual Flag of Nations Ceremony
Flag of Nations Ceremony will be held at the Pirate Union Building Jan. 30 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“Come join us for some fun, food and celebrating with the Peninsula College International Program,” said Jeremiah Johnson, assistant athletic director said.
Scholarships available
Applications opened for scholarships on Jan. 22. Visit www.theWashBoard.org to update or create a profile. Then type in “Peninsula College” and work on the application of your choice. Additional information about Peninsula College Foundation scholarships, application instructions, eligibility, and more, is available at https://pencol.edu/scholarships.
VP of Instruction retires
By: Saki Kambe
Peninsula College Vice President of Instruction, Sharon Buck announced that she will retire in April due to family health concerns, according to PC officials.
“Family needs come first,” Buck said. “I am sorry to go, but know it is necessary. We have a lot to accomplish in the short time before I leave, and I have faith that we can accomplish most of it.”
Peninsula College will immediately begin a search for Buck’s replacement, and hopes to complete a successful search by mid-April.
Buck says she knows that the college will continue their work assisting students in achieving living wage jobs, improving the local economy, and the future of the region.