Orange Coast College

What Shall We Teach?

by JAMES W. THORNTON, PhD,
Vice-President, Orange Coast College, 1947-1957

IN THE BEGINNING there was President Peterson. He arrived at the Newport Harbor High School Board Room in September, 1947. The newly established Orange Coast Junior College District at that time was only a legal entity. It had boundaries, a Board of Trustees, and a superintendent. Beyond that, nothing! No taxes had been collected, no campus had been secured, not a book or a typewriter or even a paper clip had been purchased. As a matter of fact, even the superintendent's salary couldn't be paid until the legal formalities had been completed so that tax anticipation warrants could be sold, early in October. There was nowhere to go but forward.

Quickly he set about assembling a staff to lay sound foundations. All of us were determined that Orange Coast should be an outstanding junior college, and we all knew that a year would be barely enough time to do all that had to be done. In October I reported for duty as Vice President. Still there was only the Board Room, still there was no real assurance of the campus. In November, William F. Kimes was added as Assistant Superintendent in Charge of Business, and the first year team was complete.

The allocation of functions was reasonably clearcut, although there was some overlapping and constant consultation. For the first several weeks, in fact, we were in perpetual conference. The three of us had one large table to work at, and one telephone. If anyone came to interview the President, he interviewed all three. If one of us was on the phone, the other two were immediately aware of the problems raised or the decisions reached. In spite of the crowded conditions, the work went on at an amazing pace.

Basically, the curriculum problem was the one that is stated in the chapter title-"What Shall We Teach?" The question offered an opportunity and a challenge that comes to comparatively few educators. The legal and financial stability of the college were guaranteed. There was no gamble on the attractiveness of the college to students; unless the planning staff failed miserably, students would enroll in predictable numbers. With all of this security, there was maximum freedom. No courses had been started; no traditions circumscribed our vision; if a curriculum seemed needed, wecould search for teachers to develop it. On the other hand, we were not required to offer any course simply because some faculty member had been teaching it. If only we could visualize the ideal, all the conditions favored its achievement.

But we were not sailing an entirely trackless sea. We knew what the purposes of a junior college program ought to be, and we stated them in the first Catalog and Announcement of Courses:

PURPOSES
Orange Coast College is dedicated to meeting the post-high school
educational needs of the people of the district. In achieving this end, the
following six objectives are pursued:
Occupational Competency-To qualify young men and women in a period of two
years or less to enter a vocational field and successfully pursue an
occupation.
Civic Competency-To qualify students to function effectively as members of
a family, a community, a state, a nation, and a world. Personal
Efficiency-Through a program of guidance and instruction, to assist
students to "find themselves"-to discover aptitudes, to choose a life work,
to secure training in line with their aptitudes. University Transfer-To
qualify those students desiring four years of college training to transfer
to the university or senior college of their choice in a period of two
years, prepared to continue an advanced education without loss of time.
Removal of Matriculation Deficiencies-To enable students whofailed in high school to meet entrance requirements to some university to remove deficiencies and thus gain entrance to upper division work. Such a student will often need more than four semesters in junior college to complete the Lower Division requirements.
Life-Long Training—To provide educational opportunities to meet the needs of adults of the region. A program of instruction for vocational upgrading and cultural activities will be provided.

In determining the scope of each of these aspects of the purposes of the college, there were several sources of information. All of them were explored thoroughly and intensively: the opinions of thoughtful citizens of the community, the expressed intentions of the prospective students, the requirements of colleges and universities, and the achievements and procedures of other junior colleges. In effect, what was needed was a oneman educational and occupational survey of the county.

The opinions of thoughtful citizens were freely given. A stranger in the district, the vice president needed first to determine who were representative leaders and molders of opinion. The Board of Trustees provided a basic list of names. both Ray Elliott, of Huntington Beach High School, and Sidney Davidson, Of Newport Harbor High School added a few. Linton Simmons, County Superintendent of Schools, suggested persons in the county area outside of the district. Chamber of Commerce managers and service club presidents gave other leads. In addition, at almost every interview, one or two names would be mentioned of other people who had sound or emphatic views on the role and function of the junior college and who should be interviewed.

As the list developed, as many as six or seven appointments were set up each day, in all parts of Orange County. A typical day might begin with an interview in Newport Beach, followed by one in Laguna Beach, and then on to Tustin, Placentia, Anaheim, Westminster, and Huntington Beach. On several days I covered more than 200 miles, without ever leaving the county. The practical and immediate outcomes of these interviews were supplemented by a good many intangible values.

Their purpose, of course, was to evaluate the employment future of the district, in an effort to decide what kinds of occupational courses ought to be offered. It was possible to derive a reasonably clear estimate of the need, at that time, for two-year curriculum in such fields as agriculture, resort and restaurant management, building construction, veterinary aides, electronics, ceramics, fisheries and fish processing, auto mechanics, petroleum technology, and metal trades. Summaries of the interviews were compared and carefully considered in preparing the first proposals to the Citizens' Advisory Committee and then to the Board of Trustees for the establishment of courses of study.

Collateral values of the interviews were equally important. Each person interviewed seemed pleased to be asked for his opinions on problems of junior college education. He was reminded that a local junior college had been cstablislled, and convinced that its officials were seeking good advice in their planning. This original group came to halve a feeling of personal interest in the college; several of them were still members of the Citizens' Advisory Committee at its Tenth Anniversary meeting, and had not missed a meeting during that period.

One vivid memory concerns the interview with a petroleum operator, at first hostile to the idea of any institution that would increase his taxes. As he began to understand the idea of two year occupational education he thawed somewhat, because he could see the value of such training in his own business. It was more difficult to sell him on the idea of a combination of occupational and general education, but that too appealed to him as 11C saw the relation between broad understanding and the civic and leisure-time activities of his employees. He called in his partner, and had me repeat the entire presentation. In the end, both of them were among the staunchest supporters of the college program in petroleum technology.

The aid of the high schools was indispensable in deciding what to teach. In cooperation with the Office of the County Superintendent of Schools, a questionnaire for high school juniors and seniors was developed. Its first purpose was to determine how many students, both from the two high schools of the district and from the eight non-district high schools, would probably plan to attend Orange Coast College. Second, the questionnaire included a list of bachelor's degree objectives, and another of two-year occupational courses. Students were asked to check any in which they had any substantial interest.

The results of the questionnaire afforded many leads, confirming or negating the tentative conclusions from other surveys. The added outcomes of this activity were important also. High school teachers, counselors, and principals were reminded of the existence of the now junior college, and came to know the members of the first-year staff. The students were required to think, even before Christmas, about their collcgc plans and objectives. They too began to develop a positive attitude toward the College, because they had contributed something to its planning. The fundamental value of the questionnaire, nevertheless, was the evidence of student interest in courses that it afforded.

On the basis of the questionnaires, plus the evidence of prospective high school graduates in the district, an estimate of an opening enrollment of 500 students was adopted as the basis for curricular planning, faculty employment, library purchasing, and all of the other decisions involved in preparing for the September opening of the College. It was most gratifying to count up the enrollment at the close of registration in the fall of 1948, and to find a total of 515 daytime students. The average enrollment for the year, based on end-of-month enrollment reports, came to 500.2 students. This error of four hundredths of one percent was smaller than any of the first planners would dare to hope for in later forecasts.

A third survey was concerned with requirements for transfer to the four-year colleges and universities. Since each institution establishes its own requirements, it would be very difficult for a small junior college to offer special courses to prepare its students for every possible transfer. Instead, an effort was madc to determine what courses would meet the greatest number of transfer and preprofessional requirements. The first task here was to analyze the catalogs of California universities and colleges, public and private, in an effort to find common elements and necessarily different elements in their requirements. Catalogs of other junior colleges and their class schedules were of assistance in this effort. In fact, a good many pages of the first Catalog and Announcement of Courses were clipped bodily from the catalogs of other colleges.

Finally, several junior colleges in both the north and south of California were visited, for study of their organization especially of vocational education, and of the problems and successes they experienced in finding instructors, assembling equipment, planning the course of study, scheduling classes, and placing their graduates. One threeday trip, for example, included visits at Taft, Coalinga, San Mateo, San Francisco, Modesto, Reedley, and Bakersfield colleges.

As all of these studies were reported and discussed, the pattern for Orange Coast College began to fall into shape. Toward the end of January, 1948, more than 100 citizens met at Huntington Beach High School, at the first meeting of the Citizens' Advisory Committee. The findings of the curriculum surveys were presented, and a plan of education was described that would combine both required courses in general education and carefully worked out sequences of courses for occupational or transfer objectives of students. In occupational fields, fourteen specializations were considered by the committee, and twelve of these were approved for offering in the first year. After a lively meeting that lasted for several hours, the Advisory Committee gave its approval to the overall curriculum plan; the next step was to present the plan to the Board of Trustees.

There were four main aspects of the recommendation to the Board. The first involved the divisional rather than a departmental organization of the College. In the words of the Catalog:

The instructional staff of Orange Coast College is organized in seven broad divisions. Within each division are grouped those departments with common objectives and similar subject matter; main purposes of the divisional organization are to avoid excessive specialization and to encourage cooperation of staff in developing sound approaches to general education.
The divisions and the departments included are as follows:

Division

Languages and Literature

Social Science

Natural Science and Mathematics

Technology

Health and Physical Education

Business Education

Fine and Applied Arts

Departments Included

English, French, Spanish,
German, Speech, Journalism

History, Political Science,
Sociology, Psychology,
Geography, Economics,
Philosophy

Chemistry, Physics, Biology,
Anatomy, Bacteriology, Zoology,
Mathematics, Physiology, Botany

Engine Mechanics, Petroleum
Technology, Agriculture, Construction
Trades, Industrial Arts,
Engineering

Physical Education, Hygiene

Business, Law, Secretarial
Training

Home Economics, Art, Music, Cosmetology, Photography, Architecture

(As finally approved, the list of departments omitted both Industrial Arts and Cosmetology. )

The second major feature of the educational program was the list of requirements for graduation. lt was planned that every full-time student, whether in an occupational field or a transfer course, would be considered a candidate for graduation and would, except in exoptional circumstances, be expected to enroll in a full program of courses including both general education and his more specialized courses.

The graduation requirements as originally stated in the Catalog have undergone only minor revisions and additions since 1948:

Orange Coast College grants the Degree of Associate in Arts. This degree may be conferred on students qualified to transfer to a four-year college or university as well as on those completing their formal education in the local college. In accordance with law and with the rules and regulations of the State Board of Education and the Board of Trustees of the Orange Coast Junior College District, the requirements for the degree of Associate in Arts include the following:
1. The satisfactory completion of 60 units of collegiate work of which at least
12 units are earned in Orange Coast College.
2. A major of at least 20 units in a specified field of study (the completion of
the Lower Division requirements of the State University in a given field
satisfies this requirement). 3. A program of health and physical education as follows:
(a) Two units in hygiene—Hygiene I
(b) Passing grades in four semesters of physical education. 4. A program of general education as follows:
(a) Six units in oral and/or written English.
Courses which may be completed in Orange Coast Junior College to satisfy this requirement include: English IA, IB, 50A, 50B, 51; Speech 1A, 1B.
(b) Two units in the Constitution of the United States, including the study of American Institutions and Ideals. Courses satisfying this requirement are: Political Science I or 5.
(c) Two units in American History. Courses which satisfy this requirement include: History 5 or 7A or 7B.
(d) Three units in Introductory Psychology: Psychology 21.

The third section of the curriculum recommendations adopted by the Board of Trustees included the "Semi-Professional Curricula" proposed for development during the first year, and approved by the Citizens' Advisory Committee. To quote once more from the Catalog:

Orange Coast College offers the following two-year semi-professional curricula to students planning to enter occupational or home life directly upon finishing junior college. Although the completion of the various courses with acceptable grades will permit one to transfer to four-year colleges and receive some credit, they are not specifically designed for this purpose.
Vocational training is a major purpose of Orange Coast College. Its vocational curricula are designed to provide training which will enable the graduate to obtain employment and to advance on the job, as well as to give that breadth of understanding which is essential to personal and civic effectiveness.
The semi-professional curricula offered have been decided upon after extensive investigation of the needs and interests of high school students and graduates in the coastal section of Orange County, and in collaboration with business men and employers in the area. These courses will be supplemented by additional specialization of training, and by the addition of other fields of training in which there are employment opportunities, as the college grows and as facilities are made ready.

The semi-professional curricula offered in 1948-49 are: General Agriculture, with emphasis (1) on field and truck crops or (2) on poultry husbandry; Architectural Drafting; Bookkeeping and Accounting; Building Trades; Ceramics; Commercial Art; Engine Mechanics; Homemaking; Metal Trades; Petroleum Technology; Secretarial Training; and Small Business Operation.

Students majoring in one of the two-year curricula and planning to graduate with the Associate in Arts degree must comply with the graduation requirements on page 25 of this catalog (see earlier paragraph of this chapter).

With the approval of the basic lower division courses needed for transfer purposes, already listed in the earlier paragraph on divisional organization, the planning stage of curriculum development was complete, and it was possible to move on toward its implementation.

With the help of the Citizens' Advisory Committee, Vocational Advisory Committees were established for each of the semi-professional fields, and set to work to consider the desirable qualifications for instructors, equipment needed for shops, aspects of the occupation to be emphasized in the courses, and problems of cooperation between the College and the industry.

Recruitment of instructors increased in intensity also. Of course, a few key positions in standard fields had been filled earlier, but during February position descriptions were mailed to the University placcment offices, and interviews were scheduled both at the newly occupied College offices and at the universities in the San Francisco Bay Area. On one occasion some 30 candidates were interviewed in one morning at Stanford, and an additional 15 that same afternoon at Berkeley. Over all, the staff estimated that year that almost 2000 applications had been received, over 400 prospective teachers were interviewed, and 30 instructors (in addition to the original three) had been employed.

As soon as an instructor was recommended for employment, hewas asked to rush lists of books and equipment needed for his teaching field. These were checked to eliminate duplication, and ordered just as rapidly as possible. One result of this procedure was that at the opening of classes in September every class scheduled met on the first day, with most of its basic equipment, with textbooks available in the bookstore, and with adequate library collections on the library shelves and ready for use.

Since the first year, the development of the curriculum has been guided by an experimental attitude toward both existing courses and new proposals. New materials and techniques are constantly being developed and evaluated. Those which prove valueless are discontinued. The key factor in this continuous reevaluation is the Curriculum Committee, that carries on continuous study of emerging community needs, considers all proposals from any source for the establishment of new courses, and in general serves as a guardian of the quality and effectiveness of the educational offering.

Faculty surveys of the community have contributed to the constant revision and expansion of the curriculum. The Coordinator of Trade and Industrial Education is constantly in touch with the industrial community, and sensitive to new developments in occupational fields. More extensive studies, utilizing teams of faculty investigators, have been carried on at five year intervals. The entire area has been surveyed by questionnaire and interview, both to assay the activities of the past five years and to find directions for the years ahead.

The Citizens' Advisory Committee of over l00 persons, meeting annually, has continued to focus its main interest on the educational work of the College, rather than primarily on athletics, finances, or construction. Its work has been supplemented by that of smaller advisory committees in each of the specialized areas of instruction, both occupational and academic.
Faculty workshops lasting a week or two weeks have made significant contributions to the development of the curriculum in occupational fields, in English, in psychology, and in experimentation with large-group instruction. The results of these workshops have been so far-reaching, and their promise in solving present problems so great, that their use should be continued and expanded.

As seen from a distance—in time and in miles—some of the problems in curriculum development seem to be associated with rapid growth. As the number of instructors grows from 30 to 200, a majority of the new ones have been asked to accept arrangements on which they have had no influence. They have not been through the discussions and the studies and the compromises that led to the establishment of course content or graduation requirements that may possibly be superior to, but are certainly different from, those in effect elsewhere.

The lack of communication between divisions in a large faculty leads often to misunderstanding and so interferes with the education of students. An associated problem is that of developing a balanced program of inservice training that will help every department to understand the entire task of the College, without spending so much effort on curriculum study and committee work that instruction supers. Two quotations from the early days are relevant here. One is from Giles Brown, Chairman of the Social Science Division, to the effect that "if human beings can create these problems, human beings ought to be able to find solutions." The other was an observation by Robert E. Alexander, architect, in response to an objection by a faculty member: "Any problem can be solved unsuccessfully, but it doesn't have to be."

A final note deals with the evaluation of results. Since the outcomes of the curriculum are intangible changes in the abilities and attitudes of human beings, many of which are determined by multiple causes and manifested in behavior only years later, how can a faculty be sure that its efforts are effective? It can't be sure, but it can find reassurance in its awareness of its own determined and unrelenting pressure toward excellence, and in the reputation it achieves with its students, its community, and its professional peers.

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