COLLEGE OF THE ALBEMARLE. Annual Program Review Summary (Associate in General Education) (A )

Transcription

1 COLLEGE OF THE ALBEMARLE Annual Program Review Summary (Associate in General Education) (A ) December 2004

2 ABSTRACT ASSOCIATE IN GENERAL EDUCATION: PROGRAM REVIEW PURPOSE Program/unit review supports the continuous improvement of programs and administrative & educational support units by assessing the following: Curriculum Programs Administrative Units & Educational Basic Skills & Continuing Education Support Services Achievement of stated purpose Achievement of stated purpose Achievement of stated purpose Quality of instruction Quality of services Quality of instruction Curriculum design Functions and staffing Curriculum design Curriculum currency Outcomes Currency Student outcomes Contribution to overall mission of the Student outcomes College Contribution to overall mission of the College Contribution to overall mission of the College The process is designed to occur on a three-year cycle for: Collecting and presenting data to support annual planning and budgeting, Documenting program/unit strengths and weaknesses and recommendations for improvement, and Meeting NCCCS and Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement requirements. Methods of Review a. Survey Results Surveys conducted and utilized as a basis for the review process include: graduate/certificate completer survey, employer survey, non-completer survey, fail-to-register survey, non-returning student survey, annual services review, institutional climate & opinion survey, and the annual function-area services review. b. Review of Unit Action Plans Unit Action Plans provide review data relative to goal accomplishments, performance measures, budgeting, resources, evaluation activities and use of evaluation results. c. Program/Unit Review Templates & Checklists Data collected on enrollment, FTE, operating costs & expenditures, qualifications of faculty & staff, appropriateness of facilities, program currency, integration of technology, and overall strengths & weaknesses of the program or unit can be found within review templates and checklists. PROCEDURE Program/unit review is a primary function of the offices of instruction and institutional effectiveness. The Vice President of Instruction (who is the resource administrator for the program review committee) works closely with the Director of Institutional Effectiveness, division heads, and other college staff to coordinate the reviews. More specifically: 1

3 VPI, President s Staff, and Division Heads: confer with the Director of I.E. to develop a process that meets college, state, and accreditation needs, assist with development of surveys, evaluation instruments, and data collection tools, and edit program review data collection (templates) and approve final copies. Program Review Committee: use the review notebook contents (template & supporting documents) as a basis for the study and evaluation of the program or unit, a committee member is assigned responsibility for reviewing the program or unit and upon completion, will report his/or findings to the Director of Institutional Effectiveness via comments and recommendations and completion of the required checklist of review components. As a result of the evaluation/review of the curriculum program or unit, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness issues an informational report (summary) to the President, president s staff, division heads & department chairs, and unit heads containing the following: 1. strengths and weaknesses of the program/unit 2. recommendations and suggestions for improvement of the operation of the program/unit 3. a follow-up time line to report the actions taken in response to the recommendations 4. future issues 5. applicable completed checklist The recommendations, strengths and weaknesses will be used to make improvements in the curriculum programs or administrative units. Improvements made as a result of program review will be documented utilizing the prescribed Assessment Action Report {copy attached}. 2

4 IDENTIFIED PROGRAM STRENGTHS Evidence is present that the General Education program is meeting its purpose of providing academic enrichment for students who wish to broaden their education, with emphasis on personal interest, growth, and development. Supporting evidence and other program strengths are summarized as follows: 1. Long-standing program with consistently high enrollments and graduation rates. Program far exceeds the mandated state enrollment requirements with enrollments ranging between each year % of students general education students enrolled over the last five years were satisfied with the overall quality of the academic program % of general education students enrolled over the last five years were satisfied with the overall quality of the college % of general education students enrolled over the last five years stated they had accomplished their goals for attending the college. 5. Program has employed 39 full-time and 23 part-time highly qualified faculty members all meeting minimum SACS requirements and most with extensive documented professional development hours. 6. Several full-time faculty members were voted teacher of the year during the period covered by this review. 7. The General Education program has successfully incorporated technology throughout the framework of the curriculum by offering various Internet and telecourses, dedicated computer labs for reading and mathematics, and science labs integrating computer interfaces throughout the period covered by this review. 8. A comparison of distance education offerings with those same offerings in a traditional classroom format revealed no significant differences in student retention and grades over the five year period covered by this review. 9. The General Education Program of study is a very cost effective. Comparisons between operating costs and state funds generated by the program reveal that while maintaining lower operating costs, a significant of state dollars were generated during a three-year period. 10. General Education students receiving an associate s degree before transferring to other UNC colleges & universities met the state mandated performance measure of achieving a 2.0 or better GPA after two semesters two of three years for which data is available. However, data collected combines Gen. Ed/Voc. Tech transfer students and therefore may not be an accurate depiction of general education student performance. 11. General Education program has incorporated several innovations into curriculum. Five disciplines and five instructors have incorporated service learning into their courses; a new math lab with academic systems is now running courses that use face to face instruction in conjunction with an online learning system; reading lab using My Skills software which provides students lessons on study skills, reading comprehension, vocabulary building, plagiarism issues, and integrates reading and writing skills. IDENTIFIED PROGRAM NEEDS/WEAKNESSES WITH RECOMMENDATIONS Instruction provided by the General Education curriculum is vital to the academic enrichment and personal growth and development of the community served by the College. To insure the continued quality and success of the General Education program, some programmatic needs have been identified and are listed with recommendations below: 1. Space needs and updating of science labs. Recommendation: Address space and currency needs via planning unit activities/unit action plans by requesting additional funding for supplies, equipment, physical facilities, and personnel. 2. Enhance assessment of SACS required core competencies especially in the area of oral communications. Recommendation: Explore methods to incorporate oral communication skills into general education curriculum. 3. Advisory committee appears to be inactive. Recommendation: Convene advisory committee, record and file minutes. 3

5 TIMELINE TO RESPOND TO RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations should be responded to utilizing the Assessment Action Report within the year following this review or during the academic year. Assessment Action Reports showing what actions were taken as a result of program review or other evaluation tools are filed with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and become part of the General Education planning process. Assessment Action Reports serve as official documentation on how evaluation was used to improve programs and services. In other words, it is the College s approved method of closing the loop. FUTURE ISSUES The market trends for COA s service area anticipate a growing population of older citizens. The General Education Program will be monitored to ensure it continues to meet the needs of this population of students. CHECKLIST COMPLETED BY REVIEWER Attached. 4

6 COLLEGE OF THE ALBEMARLE CURRICULUM PROGRAM REVIEW CHECKLIST Associate in General Education Bobby Adams N/A Name of Program Division Chair Department Chair Associate in General Education 2004 December 2004 Type of Degree Awarded Academic Year of Review COMPONENTS MEETS CRITERIA YES NO RECOMMENDATIONS/COMMENTS Clearly defined Statement of Purpose Data on operating costs Equipment & supplies are adequate for most course offerings; however, other crucial areas such as Fine Arts and Sciences would benefit from added equipment/supplies dollars since funds in these areas have not kept pace with enrollment increases. Cost effectiveness Documented comparison between operating costs and state funds generated. Appropriate admission requirements Adequate enrollment to justify operating Faculty credentials meet SACS requirements Number of faculty meet program needs Faculty participate in professional organizations & professional development activities Numerous hours of professional development activities documented by faculty. 5

7 COMPONENTS Faculty integrate technology in instruction MEETS CRITERIA YES NO RECOMMENDATIONS/COMMENTS Technology is woven throughout instruction in the Gen. Ed. Program of study. Eighteen courses currently taught as hybrid or Internet courses. Performance measure: Goal completion of completers The college has met this measure 4 of 4 years for which data was required. Completers of the General Education Program reported meeting this measure 3 of 4 years. Performance measure: Employment of Graduates N/A Performance measure: Employer Satisfaction With Graduates N/A Performance measure: Student Satisfaction of Program Completers and Non-Completers College has met this measure four of four years reported. Clearly defined student educational outcomes See Unit Action Plans Required Core Competencies (Degree Programs Only) a. Reading b. Writing Students are required to demonstrate fundamental reading skills by placement testing or the completion of developmental courses. Students are required to take 6 SH of English Composition classes. c. Oral Communications d. Fundamental Math Skills Currently students are not required to demonstrate oral communication skills for the General Education Program. This deficiency is addressed in Part 7 of the review weaknesses and recommendations by staff. Students are required to demonstrate fundamental math skills by placement testing or the completion of developmental courses. Students are also required to take 3 SH of mathematics or natural science. e. Basic Use of Computers Students are required to take Introduction to Computers. 6

8 COMPONENTS Student educational outcomes reflect job market/transfer to higher education needs Procedures for evaluating outcomes/performance measures are in place MEETS CRITERIA YES NO RECOMMENDATIONS/COMMENTS N/A While some General Education students eventually transfer or enter the job market, the General Education program of study is intended for students who wish to enrich their lives by expanding their knowledge of the liberal arts. Survey results and performance measure results are in place Documentation and evidence exists of using results to make improvements See Assessment Action Reports Accreditation by agencies other than SACS Not Applicable Articulation agreements in place Not Applicable Advisory committee exists Advisory committee minutes on file Equipment and supplies are adequate to support program Equipment & supplies are adequate for most course offerings; however, other crucial areas such as Fine Arts and Sciences would benefit from added equipment/supplies dollars since funds in these areas have not kept pace with enrollment increases. Facilities (classrooms, labs, shops, clinical sites) are adequate for student enrollment 7

9 COMPONENTS Other Performance Measure: Program Enrollment MEETS CRITERIA YES NO RECOMMENDATIONS/COMMENTS Other Performance Measure: Curriculum Student Retention and Graduation Other Performance Measure: Performance of College Transfer Students 82.9% of transfer students identified in two cohorts will have a GPA greater than or equal to 2.0 after two semesters at a UNC institution. [Cohort 1 College Transfer Associate Degree Recipients] Other Performance Measure: Performance of College Transfer Students 82.9% of transfer students identified in two cohorts will have a GPA greater than or equal to 2.0 after two semesters at a UNC institution. [Cohort 2 College Transfer Students Completing At Least 24 Hours or More of College Transfer Courses But Not Completing Degree] This benchmark was met 3 out of the last 4 years. Three years of data that was available combines Gen. Ed./Voc. Tech. transfer students. Data solely on the Gen. Ed. Program does not exist. Combined data reflects this benchmark being met for two of three years for which data is available. College-wide data shows the institution met this measure each year. Three years of data that was available combines Gen. Ed./Voc. Tech. transfer students. Data solely on the Gen. Ed. Program does not exist. Combined data reflects this benchmark being met for one of three years for which data is available. College-wide data shows the institution met this measure each year. 8

10 College of The Albemarle Assessment Action Report Planning Unit: Year: Assessment Description: In this section, the form s initiator describes what happened or took place that alerted you to a problem or concern. Action(s) Taken: This section describes what occurred as a result of the assessment. It explains the possible solution to the problem or concern. Improvement(s) Resulting from Action Taken: This section should describe how the actions taken have improved or enhanced the program or service. Submitted By: : 9

11 PROGRAM REVIEW APPROVALS: Approved by: Resource Adm./Program Review Comm. Department Chair/Program Coordinator Division Head Chair, Program Review Committee/ Director, Institutional Effectiveness Issued to: Division Head Department Chair/Program Coordinator 10