Interior Design
2023-2024 Program Review

The American River College Interior Design Department offers certificates and an associate degree to help you turn your creative passion into a profitable career. The classes offered allow students to exercise their innovative abilities in design, like IDES 330 Beginning Interior Design Studio. Other classes, such as IDES 350 Codes and Universal Access for Interior Design, focus on practicality and functionality. In addition to residential and commercial interior design, the IDES program at American River College pioneered Design4Life. This program promotes health and longevity in people's homes to ensure they can safely live in their homes with different abilities and needs. IDES offers online classes with various class times ranging from a full semester to three, six, and eight-week schedules to accommodate the diverse student population.

Course Success DI (Course Level Data):

• Male students in IDES312 have a success rate of 55%, with a -30 percentage point gap compared to the comparison group.
• Hispanic/Latino students in IDES330 have a success rate of 69%, with a -12 percentage point gap compared to the comparison group.

Course A-B Rates DI (Course Level Data):

• Students below poverty level in IDES 108 have an A&B rate of 0%, with a -44 percentage point gap.
• Hispanic/Latino students in IDES 310 have an A&B rate of 57%, with a -19 percentage point gap.
• Below poverty students in IDES 310 have an A&B rate of 52%, with a -24 percentage point gap.
• White students in IDES 332 have A&B rate of 59% with a -17 percentage point gap.

Course Completion DI (Course Level Data):

• African American students in IDES300 have a course completion rate gap of -19 percentage points.
• Students with no disability have a course completion rate gap of -8 percentage points.

Intersectional Course Success DI:

• African American Students:

 - Enrollment at census: 118

- Number of successes: 75

- Success rate: 64%

 - Comparison success rate: 75%

- Percentage point gap: -11

• Hispanic/Latino Students:

 - Enrollment at census: 474

 - Number of successes: 334

 - Success rate: 70%

 - Comparison success rate: 76%

 - Percentage point gap: -6

• Students with Income Below Poverty Level:

 - Enrollment at census: 345

 - Number of successes: 232

 - Success rate: 67%

 - Comparison success rate: 76%

 - Percentage point gap: -9

• Students with Income Low but Above Poverty Level:

 - Enrollment at census: 380

 - Number of successes: 267

 - Success rate: 70%

 - Comparison success rate: 75%

 - Percentage point gap: -5

• Male Students with Income Unknown**:

 - Enrollment at census: 10

 - Number of successes: 3

 - Success rate: 30%

 - Comparison success rate: 74%

 - Percentage point gap: -44

• By integrating these strategic goals into the unit's planning and operations, the program can work towards eliminating disproportionate impact and advancing equity for all students.
• The IDES program offers learning modalities for different learning styles, including our most current online teaching, with student/instructor interaction offered and encouraged.
• Zero-cost textbooks are provided in several classes, lessening the financial burden of attending classes.
• UDL was created in the realm of interior design and architecture, and IDEs are inherently equitable. Canvas courses offer multiple means of representation, giving students the options of how and when they want to learn. From video demos to PDFs, or voice-over slide decks, IDES strives to meet the needs of learners with diverse learning styles.
• Students are encouraged to meet with instructors during Zoom office hours, and most instructors make themselves available as necessary to meet the needs of the students outside of office hours. Providing Zoom office hours assists students who live in other geographic areas. In addition, students are informed of and steered toward the various support services offered on the ARC campus.

• IDES currently offers students flexible class scheduling and most classes online. Although providing online classes is a wonderful way to meet the needs of students who may lack transportation or scheduling constraints, with a balanced offering of online and on-ground courses, instructors and HomeBase can intervene more quickly and efficiently to address student needs.
• Provision of Open Educational Resources (OER): Making learning materials available through Canvas at minimal costs.
• Equity-Minded Theoretical Framework: This framework was developed to determine the modality of CE courses (online, hybrid, or on-ground).
• Culturally Responsive Curriculum: This curriculum is implemented to reflect the diversity of students in classes. The department regularly reviews and revises it to be more culturally inclusive and responsive to ensure that the students see themselves reflected in the learning materials.
• Project-Based Learning Opportunities: Offered to engage students in practical, real-world applications.
• Understanding where DI students have been identified allows instructors to prescribe /implement specific support services as part of the initial student contact to lessen or prevent disproportionate impact. This strategy also allows instructors to consider other possible DI students in other groups that are not sampled.

The unit's strategies support American River College's Strategic Goals as follows:

1. Students First: By offering flexible class scheduling and online classes, the unit aligns with the goal of connecting students to supportive educational experiences.

2. Clear and Effective Paths: Open Educational Resources (OER) provide minimal-cost learning materials through Canvas, supporting clear pathways to success.

3. Exemplary Teaching, Learning & Working Environment: The Equity-Minded Theoretical Framework and Culturally Responsive Curriculum ensure an inclusive teaching environment.

4. Vibrancy and Resiliency: Project-Based Learning Opportunities allow students to apply their learning in real-world contexts, fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

These strategies and proactive support for students identified as experiencing DI contribute to creating a vibrant, resilient, and equity-focused educational environment that aligns with the college's strategic goals.

Full-Time Faculty Hire: The adjunct faculty and current LTT are all dedicated to student learning and success. However, the department does not have a full-time faculty member running the program. Without full-time faculty commitment, the department’s programs risk closure due to the absence of faculty who can commit to teaching the majority of classes, acting as department chair, working directly with students, and liaising with the advisory committee.

Sustainability of Program: Ensuring the program's ability to operate effectively without disruption includes sufficient teaching and administrative staff. The LTT contract has been extended for fall 2024. An adjunct hiring committee is underway to hire additional adjunct faculty for fall 2024/spring 2025. In case ARC does not approve a full-time hire request for the second time, adjuncts will be necessary to teach IDES courses.

Advisory Committee and HomeBase Engagement: Faculty members play a key role in maintaining the relationship with the Advisory Committee, which can be a valuable resource in addressing and eliminating DI through industry support and insights. Scheduling meetings with advisory committees where HomeBase representatives are present will provide more meaningful problem-solving tactics to eliminate DI.

Providing Students with Tools for Learning Online & On-Ground: There is a learning gap due to COVID-19. If orientation courses give students a better understanding of how and when they learn best, they will be better prepared for success in both environments. Students enroll in online classes without understanding the expectations for success in online learning, and these classes require more self-efficacy than on-ground courses. With more information about these classes, students will make better decisions on which classes to enroll in.

Zero Cost Textbooks and Learning Materials: Apply for Grant funding and receive assistance in developing and providing free learning materials or a check-out system where students do not have to pay to use the materials for the duration of the course. IDES also needs a robust technology infrastructure to support the creation, sharing, and maintenance of OER.

The outlined strategies above can close equity gaps in several impactful ways:

1. Full-Time Faculty Hire: A full-time faculty member provides consistent, dedicated leadership and teaching. This continuity enhances the quality and stability of the program, ensuring that initiatives to close equity gaps are consistently implemented and monitored.

2. Sustainability of Program: Adequate staffing ensures the program's resiliency and capacity to offer personalized support to students, particularly those from DI populations, which is essential for their success and retention.

3. Advisory Committee and HomeBase Engagement: Engagement with these bodies can provide actionable strategies to address equity gaps, leveraging industry insights and support.

4. Tools for Learning Online & On-Ground: Equipping students with the knowledge to navigate and choose between online and on-ground classes can improve their academic performance and reduce the learning gap exacerbated by the pandemic.

5. Zero Cost Textbooks and Learning Materials: Making learning materials freely available removes financial barriers and supports students from low-income backgrounds, addressing a significant aspect of the equity gap.

Interior Design is inherently inclusive, drawing on the universal experience of space across cultures. IDES views the disproportionate impact not as a deficit but as a springboard for growth. Recognizing and valuing cultural differences, we turn potential obstacles into enriching opportunities for all students. Language barriers or personal circumstances, such as parenting, pose challenges that can be addressed with the support of ARC Support Services. We emphasize to ESL students that their multilingual abilities and cultural insights are assets that will enhance their future professional prospects. Our role is to empower students to embrace their unique backgrounds and provide them with the tools to develop essential study and time management skills. Success is not out of reach for any student; it's a matter of progressing through different stages of learning. We educators are committed to guiding each student toward academic and personal excellence.