Annual Report - Food Service

Program Mission and Goals

To develop the skills, knowledge and confidence essential to prepare students for a wide range of successful employment opportunities in culinary careers. Our faculty is committed to providing a fusion of hands-on experiences and theoretical instruction in an atmosphere reflective of our community's diverse culinary heritage.

Program Description

The Culinary Arts is one of several programs in the Vocational Technical Division of the college. Students who successfully complete the prescribed courses in the curriculum are awarded a Certificate of Completion, Certificate of Achievement, or Associate in Applied Science Degree.

There are three options for Certificates of Completion; 1) Preparation Cook, 2) Baking, and 3) Dining Room Supervision. The certificates range from 10 - 18 credits and each requires one or two semesters to complete. The Certificate of Achievement, 30 credits, provides students with a solid foundation in fundamental food preparation and baking skills and requires two semesters to complete.

The Associate in Applied Science Degree Program, 67 credits, emphasizes theoretical knowledge reinforced with "hands-on" training in various outlets including the program's fine dining restaurant "The Pearl."   The program goes beyond the classroom offering a variety of activities and events including networking with renowned chefs, guest speaker presentations, and externships.

The program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Accrediting Commission.

Assessment of Program SLOs

Curriculum: Complete program and course modifications resulting in new curriculum effective Fall 2005.

Overall Program Analysis

Overall program status is healthy. Although program majors dropped 12%, the PHI level is still well above the minimum level. This decrease in enrollment may be due to the continued facility renovations which may also have negatively affected the few measures that dipped below the minimum PHI levels.

Program demand is healthy. All measures for program demand but student semester hours were above the satisfactory levels. This drop is due to the phasing-in of the program's new curriculum. This number is expected to come in line in fall 2006 when all courses of the new curriculum are phased in.

Program efficiency is healthy. The number of classes taught, and student semester hours per full-time faculty levels are below the minimum level due to the phasing-in of the program's new curriculum. This number is expected to come in line in fall 2006 when all courses of the new curriculum are phased in. The number of majors per full-time equivalent faculty and average class size increased.

Program effectiveness is healthy. The number of degrees and certificates awarded increased 28% from the previous year and graduation rates increased 19%.

Informal surveys with graduates indicate general satisfaction with academic and technical preparation received.

Future Plans

As part of the last programmatic accreditation in May 2005, one area of non-compliance with the standards was "4.3 - The faculty is adequate in number to implement the program of instruction and related activities effectively and safely."   The team recommendations included "Full-time faculty positions need to be added to the program in order for the program to work in a more efficient manner."

The program is currently operating two faculty positions short. The first position, a full-time tenured track position is on loan to the Culinary Institute of the Pacific. This position should be returned at the end of this semester and the program should be able to fill it for the fall 2006 semester.

The second position was recently approved and will be advertised soon. This position should also be filled by the start of fall 2006 semester. This position is a new full-time tenure track position that was identified as a need when the program worked on its new curriculum.

The program is currently implementing the third phase of its newly modified curriculum. As such, faculty are fine-tuning and revising according to challenges faced and student feedback.

Having recently completed the "Certified Culinary Educator" program and the "Great Teachers" seminar, program faculty is very energized and excited and implements many strategies for improving student learning.

Program Articulations

None.

Advisory Board

 

 

 

Contact Us | Updated on July 2, 2006 | ©2006 Leeward Community College