Itawamba Community College Program Review Career-Technical and Health Science Programs I. Program Information 1. Name of Program Computer Networking Technology 2. Submission Date of Program Review 6/21/2012 (ex. 01/23/2012) 3. Name of Director or Coordinator Cindy G. Layman 4. Purpose Statement for the Program (This can be found on CHIEF) The IST - Computer Networking Technology program prepares graduates for entry-level positions in computer networking technology. 5. How does the purpose of the program support the overall mission/purpose of the College as adopted by the Board of Trustees? (Mention College goals that show a linkage to your program. Mission and Institutional Goals can be found on CHIEF.) As part of our mission, IST - Computer Networking instructors prepare students in the field of computer networking for immediate employment as Network Administrators, Network Technicians, and PC Techs. ICC Institutional Goals are all supported by our departmental goal to obtain feedback concerning resources, equipment, certifications and courses. Other goals support acquiring and retaining students and encouraging students to achieve certification in the IST field. This mission is in direct support of the College's mission to provide technical and vocational programs that prepare students for immediate employment and training services that cater to the needs of local business and industry. ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 1 of 12
6. List the current Faculty and Staff with their titles for this program. Name Title Cindy Layman Instructor, Program Director II. Syllabi, Curriculum, and Instruction 6. Are all syllabi current? If NO, explain below. 7. Are students provided with written and clearly stated goals and requirements of each course, the general nature of the course content, and the methods of evaluation to be used in each course? 8. Are grading policies made available to students in this educational program? 9. Is the curriculum sequenced in a manner that is acceptable? 10. Does the curriculum fully satisfy the respective general education core? 11. Does the curriculum contain sufficient and appropriate numbers and types of elective courses? 12. Does the curriculum fully satisfy the educational needs of the students in this major? 13. If any of the curriculum questions were answered with a NO response, state your recommendations for changes in the current curriculum. 14. In the clinical experiences, cooperative agreements, or affiliations with other agencies or institutions utilized in instruction, does the college faculty ultimately control and supervise the student learning? N/A If NO, why not? ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 2 of 12
15. Does the academic preparation of instructional faculty in this program meet accreditation and approving agency standards? If NO, why not? 16. Are the program s faculty routinely involved in professional development and other in-service training? Explain: 17. Do instructors in this program devote adequate time to preparation for the courses they teach? 18. Do instructors provide effective academic advising? 19. Is there evidence that program advisory committees meet at least twice annually to provide advice and consultation? Describe the nature of interaction between program faculty and the advisory committee (Give example(s) of advisory input or changes that resulted from the advisory relationship in the last five years.): Added an Advanced Network Administration using Windows class and took away the Network Administration using Novell based on advisory committee input. 20. Is there evidence that competencies being taught in this program are the competencies needed to perform in the workforce or at a higher level of education? If yes, how are the competencies determined? Using the state approved curriculum and input from area IT industry 21. Are students who complete this curriculum ready for transfer and/or immediate employment in the field? Students and Course Content 22. Are instructors and administrators in this program careful in protecting the security, confidentiality, and integrity of student records? ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 3 of 12
23. Are appropriate and adequate laboratory experiences provided to supplement and reinforce the subject matter? N/A 24. Do courses in the program use a variety of means to evaluate student performance? Describe examples of student learning assessment (not related to end-ofsemester course grades): In addition to written examinations, students are required to complete hands-on labs, complete networking projects, and some courses require a lab final in addition to a written final exam. 25. Is the length of this program appropriate for the degree offered? III. SWOT Analysis (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) 26. What are the program/unit s strengths or strong points? (Strengths are documented with data such as information on number of customers served, program/unit s performance, staff credentials or other factors that contribute to the success of the unit.) Instructors are well educated and have good work backgrounds. Instructors are using innovative instructional techniques. Instructors are focused on building confidence and instilling a good work ethic in students. The CNT curriculum is strong and the classes are on target for what is needed in the field after graduation. The technology and facilities available to students in the program are excellent. Industry certifications are central to the curriculum 27. What are the weaknesses of the program? (Any problems that the program/unit may have encountered in the past are appropriate for this section.) No advertising is being done to specifically promote the program. No outbound high school or business recruiting is being done. There is no program representation at industry-specific area events. Overall, low awareness among adults and industry professionals. Some scheduling conflicts for students seeking dual degree. ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 4 of 12
28. What opportunities are available for the program/unit? (Any opportunities for improving the program should be included in this section.) Instructors could begin recruiting at the high schools to educate students on the types of jobs available for program graduates. Instructors could begin building relationships with businesses to recruit and to open up opportunities for students to intern or be placed after graduation. Industry-specific area evens should have program representation in order to build relationships and network opportunities. Instructors could become members of computer related associations in order to build relationships and network opportunities. There is growth in the IT related jobs in MS as well as in the US. Change the perception of businesses in terms of the level of education required for information-type jobs. Build partnerships with other technical programs. Offer more certifications 29. What are the threats or difficulties that the program/unit must overcome in the next five years? What is your plan for addressing these threats or difficulties? (If there are changes in the near future that are foreseen as negatively affecting this unit/program, these should be mentioned.) We compete with other community colleges and universities that offer the same type of education. Most of the information-type jobs available require a bachelor degree. There is a low number of information-type jobs available within the immediate area. The information-type jobs that are available in the area are considered low-paying. There is an increase in the number of people getting jobs which decreases the number of non-traditional students that would be interested in going back to school. Other difficulties involve keeping current with constantly changing technology creating the need for changing instruction and equipment. Faculty must stay current by attending professional development and training classes. ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 5 of 12
IV. Program Data 30. Data from your program for the previous three years (provided by Office of Institutional Research) Fall Student Enrollment Fall # of Majors Annual Completers Annual Graduates Board Pass CPAS Pass Positive Placement Duplicated Unduplicated # # # # % # % # % 2009 169 89 76 10 9 32% 10 100% 2010 232 105 113 19 6 19% 18 95% 2011 128 86 76 31 17 57% 29 94% (Enter percentages as decimals and round up. i.e. 75% would be.75 or 74.5% would be.75) 31. Provide an overview of significant results, honors, awards, and milestones achieved, as well as enhancements made to this program in the past five years. Cindy Layman obtained the Network+ certification in 2010. Instituted a "work order" system in Client Installation and Config class. 11 students obtained the PC Pro certification in Spring 2012. Just completed the first cycle of the new Computer Networking Technology curriculum after it was placed under the IST heading and now shares 5 core classes with the Computer Programming Technology curriculum. More emphasis being placed on students achieving national certifications. V. Vision 32. State the vision for your program for the next five years or beyond? What goals do you hope to accomplish? 1. Work to improve retention rates. 2. Continue to fully train students for employment and encourage more students to obtain nationally recognized IT certifications. 3. Make training available for industry personnel already working in IT field. ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 6 of 12
VI. Utilization of Supportive Resources 33. Does the department of Campus Police adequately support your program? 34. Does the Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, & Accountability adequately support your program? 35. Does the Business Office adequately support your program? 36. Does the department of Technology and Information Systems adequately support your program? 37. Does the department of Physical Plant adequately support your program? ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 7 of 12
38. Does the Learning Resource Center adequately support your program? 39. Does the department of Distance Learning adequately support your program? 40. Do ICC sessions for Professional Development adequately support your program? 41. Does the department of Financial Aid adequately support your program? If no, explain why. 42. Does the Student Success Center area of Advising adequately support your program? If no, explain why. The office of Advising attempts to support our students but in some instances students have not been properly advised about the courses they should be taking. Sometimes this causes a student to be out of sequence extending their graduation date past two years. We are attempting to educate advisors on our programs so they can have the latest curriculum changes and be able to advise students properly. 43. Does the office of Registrar and Admissions adequately support your program? If no, explain why. ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 8 of 12
44. Does the Student Services area of Career Planning adequately support your program? 45. Does the Student Success Center area of Tutoring adequately support your program? 46. Does the department of Supportive & Disability Services adequately support your program? 47. Does the Bookstore adequately support your program? 48. Does the Student Services area of Housing adequately support your program? 49. Does the department of Student Affairs adequately support your program? ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 9 of 12
50. Does the department of Public Relations and Publications adequately support your program? VII. SACS Principles Compliance Survey Institutional Effectiveness 51. Is there evidence that the effectiveness of instruction is periodically evaluated? 52. Are research-based evaluation processes (e.g., surveys, interviews, analysis of data) used for assessing this program? If yes, list the instruments and other processes used by the program for evaluating effectiveness. 1. Student retention rates and graduation rates are used. 2. Students are surveyed to determine interests and improve classes. 3. Each graduating student is required to take the CPAS test. 4. _ 5. _ 53. Does the use of evaluation processes result in continuous improvement in the program/unit? If yes, describe some of the recent improvements that have come about in response to needs identified through these evaluation processes: 1. Curriculum is continually being updated to reflect current IT needs. 2. Students have taken PC Pro national certification test in one class and plan to add others. 3. More labs have been added in freshmen level classes as a result of student surveys. 4. _ 5. _ ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 10 of 12
54. Does the program/unit identify expected annual outcomes for its services; assess whether it achieves these outcomes; and provide evidence of improvement based analysis of those results? Financial Support Facilities 55. If an outcome is not achieved, are documented modifications or improvements made in the unit? 56. Is the number of full-time faculty members employed to teach in this program adequate to support the program effectively? 57. Are there adequate faculty resources provided to the faculty of this program to ensure the quality and integrity of the program? 58. Is adequate financial support available to meet the needs of this program? 59. Is the budget information available on-line to department/division heads? 60. Does the institution operate and maintain physical facilities that are adequate to serve the needs of this educational program? 61. Does the institution take reasonable steps to provide a healthy, safe, and secure environment for this educational program? 62. Are the physical facilities (classrooms, laboratories, etc.) accessible to disabled students? N/A 63. Is the instructional equipment used in this program similar to that used in the workplace or at a higher level of instruction? N/A 64. Does the institution provide and support student and faculty access to adequate library collections as well as to other learning and information resources consistent with the degree offered in this program? ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 11 of 12
SACS PRINCIPLES COMPLIANCE SURVEY (Action Plan) ANY ITEMS ANSWERED WITH A NEGATIVE RESPONSE IN THE SACS COMPLIANCE SURVEY SECTION INDICATE THAT THE INSTITUTION IS OUT OF COMPLIANCE AND MUST BE ACCOMPANIED WITH A WRITTEN PLAN FOR COMPLIANCE ON EACH ISSUE. Provide discussion below for any questions that was assigned a NO answer on the Principles Compliance Survey, and then provide a plan of improvement for each of those questions in the space below. Indicate the question number, your discussion, and the plan of action. Currently there is only one full-time instructor teaching Computer Networking Technology classes since the other instructor accepted a new position elsewhere in the college. The number of students and classes taught required two instructors. The college is currently in process of hiring another instructor for this area. ICC Program/Unit Five Year Review Page 12 of 12