Current Program

Students enroll in Biology courses to meet requirements for transfer to a four-year institution, for personal enrichment, for retraining or upgrading employment skills, and as preparation for enrolling in the Nursing program. In recent years course offerings have changed due to changes in technology and the increasing use of technology in the workplace and in the classroom, changes in the college's budget conditions, and changes in students' basic skill levels.

Degrees and Certificates - No degrees or certificates are offered.

Personnel - At this time, five full-time faculty members and eight part-time faculty members teach Biology classes. One full-time classified employee, one part-time classified employee and five student workers also are employed in the program.

Teaching Methodologies - Lecture and lab are the most predominant type of teaching methods in use in the program. Lecture/lab, lecture/demonstration and large lecture/study groups also are used.

Technology - At this time no online or distance education technology is used in the program.

Equipment - At present, environators for microbial cultures are in need of repair, and several microscopes need to be replaced.

Facilities - Facilities need improvements in ventilation and exhaust.

Future Program

Biology courses will likely need to adapt to continuing changes in technology and in student academic preparation. It is projected that enrollment in Biology courses will match the overall college enrollment in both the mid term and the long term. See Program Projections.

Degrees and Certificates - The department is planning to offer a program in Biotechnology.

Personnel - See Projected Faculty and Staff Needs.

Teaching Methodologies - It is projected that additional teaching methods will begin to be used as more technology is available. For example, it seems likely that more self-paced, computerized and/or online methods will be employed to reach all the students.

Technology - While improvements in technology will aid in classroom instruction, it is unlikely that alternative delivery systems, such as online courses and other distance education, will become the norm because of the on-campus lab requirements of most classes.

Equipment - One of the program's disarticulated human skeletons needs to be replaced, and an autoclave needs to be replaced as well. A new copy machine is needed.

Facilities - Current classrooms and labs need better ventilation and exhaust systems. Storage facilities are needed for carts. A cold room is needed for storage of biological materials, and new fume hoods are needed to meet safety standards. More classrooms, two large lecture rooms and a larger lab space and prep room are needed, as is another lab space. With the addition of faculty and staff, more office space and a conference room are needed

Staff Development - Training in the use of electronic classrooms and presentation software would be welcomed.

Special Recommendation

The department should explore the use of new technologies for classroom, lab and field work.