The Department of Biological Sciences offers general education, transfer and allied health courses that develop lifelong learning skills for comprehending the natural world and thinking critically regarding scientific information.
The Biology Department provides various offerings to meet the needs of a diverse student population. (a) General Education courses satisfy Butte College Associate degree requirements and/or GE criteria at transfer universities. Options include Introduction to Biology (BIOL 1), Introduction to Human Biology (BIOL 2), Ecology and Field Biology (BIOL 5), Sustaining Life on Earth (BIOL 7), Current Issues in Biology (BIOL 9), and Honors Current Issues in Biology (BIOL 9H). (b) Biology Transfer Major courses in Zoology (BIOL 11), Botany (BIOL 12) and Cell/Molecular Biology (BIOL 13) parallel lower division core courses required for biology students at four-year institutions. They provide a foundation prior to specialization in upper division university work leading to a Bachelor's degree in biology or a related field. They also serve students who plan for advanced degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy or research biology. (c) Allied Health courses in Human Anatomy (BIOL 20), Human Physiology (BIOL 21) , Introduction to Microbiology (BIOL 15), and Anatomical Preparations (BIOL 30) prepare students for vocational programs and careers in nursing, respiratory therapy, paramedic, kinesiology, physical therapy, dental technician, chiropractic and others. The emphasis is on applied biological knowledge as it relates to fields of human health. During the 2014-15 academic year, the Biology Department had maximum enrollments in 70% of course sections at Census, with a fill rate of 107% (a few students are added over pedagogical caps in many sections). Demand for classes is very high with over 90% of class seats and wait lists filled to capacity before the first day of instruction; classes were filled and closed an average of 70 days before the start of instruction. Additionally, approximately 150 students were placed on the BIOL 15 master wait list this past year because they were not able to add the course. Even with relatively low section caps dictated by lab room constraints (24-26), department efficiency is very good with an FTES/FTEF ratio of 34 for 2014-15. Also, despite the academic rigor required in Biology Major and Allied Health coursework, student retention and success rates hover around 90% and 70%, respectively. The Biology Department occupies a major portion of the Life Science building, utilizing a large lecture hall, one small classroom and four laboratory rooms (3 exclusively, 1 shared with Agriculture). We also operate a bustling central stockroom and lab preparation area as well as a very small study-computer-tutor room equipped with models and other resource materials. The Department staff consists of 8 full-time instructors (and a ninth starting in Spring 2016), 12 associate faculty, two senior lab technicians and several student lab assistants. Most full-time faculty have extended workloads as they design, manage and coordinate lab activities and materials in one or more courses. Often, this involves large courses with multiple lab sections and associate faculty instructors.
Data Acquisition for Physiology Lab
Human Physiology, as well as other courses, can continue to utilize the data aquisition hardware/software which is integral to student success and greatly enhances the application of concepts learned in class.
One Full-time Faculty
We hired a faculty member who started in Fall 2015. The Biology Department will be able to have a larger portion of our classes taught by full-time faculty, further increasing student success through another full-time faculty presence in our department, simultaneously allowing for curriculum updates to our introductory biology courses.
One Botany Full-Time Faculty - Going back out Fall 2015
We hired a faculty member who starts Spring 2016. We can continue to offer a quality Biology Majors sequence with our newly hired Botanist, while simultaneously increasing student access to a full-time faculty member in our introductory biology course.
Summary from outcomes assessment 2014-2015.
Majors Assessment:
A common thread that became apparent across all courses in this assessment is that students generally show a high level of understanding of very detailed processes, and yet show much less understanding of bigger picture concepts. It may be that each of the instructors is assuming that students already have the larger picture in place from previous courses and thus we neglect to reinforce these central concepts throughout each of our own classes. We may also overlook that students will forget the bigger picture as they are cramming in the details of complex processes. Improvements for covering each particular content area are indicated in the assessments results summary document, however a particular improvement plan that would be implemented into each of the 3 courses assessed, is to continually revisit the larger, overall processes we discuss, as we introduce new detailed and more complex concepts. Ideally, broader context for each of our more information rich topics would be provided prior to a particular content module, and then again afterward, while asking students to make the connections between the new material they just learned, and the bigger picture we had been building on.
An additional challenge we have encountered is that in each of these courses, students are coming in with very different backgrounds. The diversity in backgrounds, especially concerning which of the BIOL majors sequence courses students have had, results in a great deal in redundancy in the material taught in each course, and just as many gaps in content that were presumed to be taught in the previous class. Both the instructors and students find this challenging and frustrating. Our goal is to create a more streamlined process for our students by enforcing a sequence in the BIOL majors sequence. In addition to improving our instruction by making it more efficient and in depth, the possible changes could reduce credit load for students, reduce course scheduling conflicts, increase completion rates, and accommodate more students into the sequence.
Some of the things we discussed include:
· Making a sequence mandatory, with Cell being the first
· Examining the possibility of offering Cell each semester
· Examining the possibility of offering all three (Cell/Zoo/Botany) each semester
· Looking at the idea of changing these classes from 5 units to 4 (1 lab instead of two)
Allied Health Assessment:
Some of the concerns with the pilot assessment were clarity in the questions along with the settings and delivery method for the assessment in Blackboard. The 2014 assessment (spring and fall) was designed to coordinate with specific course level objectives and the questions followed a “themed” topic. Some of the concerns we have regarding the Allied Health/Kinesiology track courses include the overall preparedness of incoming students. One of our primary goals with assessing the program level objectives is to determine progress in each objective as students continue through each course. Another concern is in the sequence with which the students take the courses. Currently students can take Microbiology without having taken Anatomy or Physiology. The design of the assessment will allow us to compare these individuals to those who take the courses in the suggested order and perhaps determine whether there is a need for a required sequence.
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College |
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Program |
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Indicator |
Source |
2013-2014 Performance |
Standard |
Five Year Goal |
Fall 2014 Performance |
Standard |
Five Year Goal |
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Course Success |
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- Overall |
PDR |
71.1% |
70% |
73% |
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- Transfer/GE |
PDR |
71.5% |
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73% |
65.9% |
64% |
70% |
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- CTE |
PDR |
75% |
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77% |
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- Basic Skills |
PDR |
51.7% |
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55% |
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- Distance Ed (all) |
PDR |
62.5% |
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64% |
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Persistence (Focused). Note: The Persistence (Focused) that is included in the PDR is a different indicator than the three-primary term persistence indicator, from the state Student Success Scorecard, that is used to measure institutional persistence. The Focused Persistence indicator measures the percentage of students that took a second course in a discipline within one year. There is no relationship between the college and program standards in this area. |
PDR |
72.6% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
67% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
75% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
37.9% |
35% |
40% |
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Degrees |
PDR |
1,455 |
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1,600 |
11 |
8 |
20 |
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Certificates |
PDR |
366 |
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475 |
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Developmental Strand Completion |
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- English |
State |
42% |
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45% |
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- Math |
State |
30.7% |
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33% |
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- ESL |
State |
25% |
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28% |
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Licensure Pass Rates |
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- Registered Nursing |
SC |
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- Licensed Vocational Nursing |
SC |
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- Respiratory Therapy |
SC |
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- Paramedic |
SC |
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- Cosmetology |
SC |
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- Welding |
SC |
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Job Placement Rates |
PIV |
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The following are examples of how the Biology Department supports Strategic Direction and Priorities of Butte College.
1. Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Academic Achievment:
The Biology department faculty make it a priority to advise our students in both transfer pathways and potential careers. We advise students on prerequistes, help plan the order of classes to take, along with providing advice on developmental coursework. As a connection to the K-12 community, we have local and regional high schools visit our department for Human Anatomy tours, as well as providing judges for the Chico Science Fair. We support college connection students, routinely having these students in our classes. We monitor student progress through course and program level SLO's. Prerequisites for courses are periodically reviewed to align them with similiar courses in the state; this was last completed in Fall 2015. To maximize student contact with the Biology Department, we added more online courses to our schedule (BIOL 2, BIOL 9, BIOL 9H), as well as increased the number of sections offered at the Glenn Center and during the summer on main campus. As support for Facilities, Department members are currently providing feedback on a potential new Science Building.
2. Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success:
The Biology Department consistanly engages students through student clubs (eg. Friends of the Refuge, Symbiotic Solutions), faculty/student projects (eg. BWELL), as well as department activities (eg. hikes and picnics). We encourage students to participate in tutoring, supplemental instruction, and working in our Biology Stockroom. Supporting Faculty success comes in the form of sharing professional development opportunities (eg. ISW, On Course, Associate Faculty Conference), discussion of course and progam level SLO's, and development of Department specific workshops. Supporting collaboration comes in the form of college committee participation (eg. Land Use, Curriculum, Diveristy, ATC, Faclities Master Planning), participation and facilitation of professional development workshops (Great Teachers, ISW, On Course), along with a focus on complience with accreditation standards through department- and course-specific meetings.
3. Using Data Informed Processes for Continuous Improvement:
The Biology Department uses information from Course and Program Level SLO assessements to inform a culture of continuous improvement in our courses.
4. Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning:
Through the addition of online courses, as well as the additon of course sections at our satellite campuses the Biology Department is increasing access to our courses, therefore increasing support for student learning. Tutoring, Supplement Instruction, student clubs, and department activities further support student learning. We have added additional Full-time faculty which will increase the contact students have with instructors.
5. Modeling Sustainability:
Educationally the Biology Department supports sustainability through our course offering of BIOL 7, which is part of the Sustainability Certificate. Outside of the classroom the participation in the BWELL project exemplifies our committement to sustainability. In the Life Science buiding we now have water bottle filling stations to model sustainablity. Multiple faculty members bike to work periodically to reduce our carbon footprint, demonstrating the culture of sustainability in the Biology department. Majority of the faculty members have a substantial online component on Blackboard to encourge student-to-student interactions, facilitate learning outside the classroom all while minimizing the use of paper.
6. Enhancing a Culture of Inclusiveness:
The Biology Department has a diverse group of faculty and staff. We rountinely have department gatherings to foster a collaborative department environment. We also hold department meetings where both full-time and part-time faculty are encouraged to attend.
1. When resources permit, the department must expand the number of sections for courses with high demand. This is particularly the case with Introduction to Microbiology as well as the other two courses in the Allied Health prerequisite program, Human Physiology and Human Anatomy. Similarly, student demand for Botany, Zoology, and Cell/Molecular Biology courses has outstripped what the department offers it majors.
*We have hired 2 additional Full-time Faculty, which has allowed an increase in Microbiology offerings.
**A new building is needed to accommodate an increase in sections of our Majors courses due to lack of stockroom space.
2. If the department is to expand the number of sections to meet the urgent student need described above, the college must first allocate additional critical resources:
-Faculty, laboratory/classroom/stockroom space, equipment and supplies.
-Regarding faculty, given the limited part-time pool, additional full-time hires will probably be necessary, particularly in the area of Microbiology. This will become especially crucial during the next three or four years when the three longest-serving members of the department may opt for retirement.
*We have hired two additional Full-time Faculty, and replaced three Full-time Faculty who have retired since 2010.
** A new building is required to address laboratory, classroom and stockroom space deficiencies.
3. Over the past decade, ongoing costs for basic maintenance of equipment and supply purchases have escalated sharply. Yet the budget for these needs has not been increased on an ongoing basis.
**Funding has been unstable.
4. The department should continue its work in identifying additional sources of revenue. The validation team suggests a few possibilities: Investigation of grant opportunities/Student fee charges for materials/Increased charges for lab manuals.
*Grant opportunities are continually investigated. Due to district decisions, revenue from student/lab manual fees are not allowed.
5. The college should exercise caution and consider the repercussions for science students if a four-day week schedule were to be mandated throughout campus.
*The Biology Department currently operates on a 5-day schedule, while the majority of the campus has transitioned to a 4-day schedule.
6. The Health Occupations Department currently offers “All About Nursing” workshops two to three times each semester. The department should consider contributing directly to these workshops regarding biology prerequisites and the waitlist process.
*Our Microbiology Coordinator, Mike Matiasek, has spearheaded an information campaign regarding the waitlist process for microbiology. He has performed CAS workshops and has also produced and posted an informational video and FAQ page that is accessible through the College's website.
The Biology Department strives to provide our students with tools for success. A quality learning environment, with approriate resources, is integral for student success. The following goals will help us maintain our high quality programs/courses offered in the Biological Sciences:
1. Obtain resources which support student learning.
2. Use data-informed processes for continuous improvement.
3. Maintain faculty and staff morale.
Strategy 1 - Obtain Resources to Support Student Learning
To support student learning the Biology Department needs to obtain new equipment as well as upgrade older equipment.
Obtaining and/or upgrading new or older resources will help instructors provide a safer and better learning environment, which will help students succeed in our classrooms. Hands-on learning is particularly integral to our labs, and having enough equipment/tools for students to access during lab makes for a richer learning experience. Our students should also have access to modern equipment so that they are familiar with what is being used in other Biology courses and research laboratories at major institutions as well as relevant equipment used in the field of Biology. This will undoubtedly help improve the academic success of our students.
Strategy 2 - Use Data-Informed Processes for Continuous Improvement
The Biology Department will continue assessing and analyzing learning success rates using Program Level and Course Level Student Learning Objectives. A more sophisticated test scoring machine will provide a deeper analysis of assessments in efforts to measure and better address SLOs and PLOs within each course.
A computer-based exam analysis tool will provide instructors more detailed information on student success related to learning objectives.
Strategy 3 - Maintain Student and Faculty Morale
The Biology Department will continue to focus on maintaining faculty and student morale. Updated computers and associated software, appropriate number of lab computers, structurally sound and safe classrooms and labs, and teaching aides are required.
The Biology Department strives to maintain the feeling of inclusiveness that permeates our department. Morale of faculty, staff, and students is important in maintaining a rich learning enviroment. To achieve optimal faculty and staff morale adequate facilities that allow us to maximize classroom and stockroom space is absolutely critical. Our classrooms are the "face" of the Biology Department that students see and utilize. Therefore, having adequate equipment as well as a comfortable learning environment is imperative to cultivate the student morale needed to best achieve student success. Most importantly, a new science building complete with sufficient classroom and laboratory space as well as space for student research projects is absolutely critical for the future health of this department, and ultimately, the success of our students.
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1. General Apportionment: $40,025 (includes supplies, travel, repairs)
Revenue from lab manuals ($8,000 per year) has been lost to the department and district, as well as a decrease in Student Assistant funding ($6000) due to Federal Work Study funding decreases. A discussion of alternatives is requested.
2. We hope to obtain some of the recent Student Equity Grant Funding the college has obtained through the implementation of a summer "Science Pre Boot Camp".
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Biological Sciences | Facilities | $649,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Life Science 120 Remodel | The chairs, tables, carpet, and lack of efficient use of space negatively affect the learning environment. The current design is out-of-date, limits the ability to use multiple strategies to engage students during lecture. Indeed, the design of the chairs does not encourage active learning by students. Lastly, students with disabilities sometimes exhibit difficulties with the current design of this room. |
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| 2 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Test Scoring Machine and Software | A test scoring machine and accompanying computer with advanced test scoring software (compared to our current Scantron machine) will allow for more detailed data collection on student assessments; instructors will then have more specific information on how students are progressing on SLOs. |
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| 3 | Biological Sciences | Personnel | 11.000.620.1040100 | $0.00 | $18,500.00 | |
| Lab Tech I - 50% | Necessary to support previously added lab sections and to continue to support an additional microbiology lab. |
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| 4 | Biological Sciences | Personnel | 11.000.620.1.40100 | 52468 | $0.00 | $4,000.00 |
| Student Assistant funds increase | In order to maintain the ability to prepare materials/media for labs, funding for student assistants to help stockroom staff is needed. |
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| 5 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $6,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| 2nd Projector for LS 118 | Having the ability to project images on two screens simultaneously will cultivate a more interactive lecture delivery in this room. The upgrade to 2 projectors last year in LS 120 has been very well received by faculty and students, and we would like to incorporate this lecture delivery option to LS118. |
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| 6 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $35,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Microscopes for Introductory Biology | The current microscopes are extremely old and in poor working order. We are in the process of upgrading our BIOL 1 lab manual, and we would like to continue to expose students to modern microscopy. |
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| 7 | Biological Sciences | Facilities | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $2,300.00 | $0.00 | |
| Whiteboards (2) for LS 106 | The current chalkboard in LS 106 is not ideal for a lab which relies on using microscopes and requires better air quality to minimize contamination of laboratory cultures. A whiteboard will reduce the amount of chalk dust in the room. Additionally, all instructors who utilize this room would rather use a whiteboard compared to a chalkboard to diagram and write notes on during lecture. |
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| 8 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | 56405 | $2,800.00 | $0.00 |
| Seats for LS 107 (28) | Seats are aging and falling in disrepair. Adjustable seats needed to utilize newly acquired microscopes are needed. |
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| 9 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $1,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Cardiovascular Physiology Equipment | Current equipment limits the quality of the cardiovascular lab in Physiology. Additional equipment is needed to enhance the learning experience. |
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| 10 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | 56410 | $4,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Human Anatomy models | Needed to provide adequate materials for our lab and study room. |
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| 11 | Biological Sciences | Facilities | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Remodel of Life Science Stockroom | Remodeling a portion of the stockroom will provide an efficient workspace for Microbiology / Cell lab preparation. Cabinets and shelving will provide much needed space for multiple labs. |
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| 12 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | 56411 | $18,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Lab laptops (12) | Necessary so simultaneous labs can utilize data collection software/hardware. |
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| 13 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $400.00 | $0.00 | |
| Loop Incinerator | This piece of equipment is routinely used in industry. Training our students on equipment they will encounter professionally is important for their future success. |
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| 14 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $800.00 | $0.00 | |
| 6 Jepson's Manuals | These manuals will be utilized for student and faculty reference in our Botany course. |
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| 15 | Biological Sciences | Personnel | 11.000.620.1.04100 | $0.00 | $4,000.00 | |
| Student Graders | Through the use of graders, assignments will be able to returned more expeditiously, allowing an instructor freedom to explore new teaching/assessment strategies without the concern of ungraded assignments building up. |
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| 16 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | 56410 | $4,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Acoustic detectors | Needed for student use in Zoology and Ecology labs when teaching mammal units. |
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| 17 | Biological Sciences | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $0.00 | $8,000.00 | ||
| Travel Money for Conferences | Travel funds for faculty to attend conferences and workshops are needed to promote faculty professional development |
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| 18 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | $3,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Yeast Cell Counter | This piece of equipment is routinely used in industry. Training our students on equipment they will encounter professionally is important for their future success. |
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| 19 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | 56410 | $8,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Cabinets for anatomy model storage in study room (LS126) | These will be utilized to store a complete set of anatomy models for use by students and tutors in our study room (LS126) |
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| 20 | Biological Sciences | Facilities | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Electrical upgrade for microbiology lab (LS106) | Electrical lab equipment is constantly affected by circuit malfunctions related to the age of the building. |
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| 21 | Biological Sciences | Equipment | 11.000.620.1.040100 | 56411 | $2,400.00 | $0.00 |
| New computer for Full-time Faculty hire | Full time teaching faculty hired in Fall 2015 received a 4-year old computer. Thus, a new computer with new software is required. |
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