Links to each TBR Criteria : 1a   1b   1c   1d

1a        The program is consistent with and furthers the approved mission of the institution. 

Pellissippi State Technical  Community College Catalog & Handbook 2004-2006  p. 6

The University Parallel program supports the college’s mission through offering courses leading to the General Associates degrees, A.A. and A.S, at four locations as well as online.  A student may complete an A.A. or A.S. degree in its entirety at any of the four locations: the main campus called the Parkway or Pellissippi Campus, Blount County campus, Division Street campus, and Magnolia campus.  Freshman English courses are offered at selected area high schools as dual enrollment credit.  Both the A.A. and A.S. degrees require a minimum of 60 credit hours. The A.A. degree requires proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to completion of one year of college-level work.  A broad selection of courses is offered that will transfer to four-year institutions for students planning to earn a baccalaureate degree.  University Parallel program requirements are specified by

Ø     Articulation agreements Prescribed curricula developed cooperatively by Pellissippi State and area four-year colleges and universities.

Ø     General associate’s degree requirements Programs designed with the flexibility to allow the student to select courses that parallel the requirements of the four-year institution to which the student intends to transfer.

University Parallel core curriculum requirements are applicable to associate’s degrees earned by completing the requirements of an articulation agreement or a general associate’s degree.

Articulation Agreements

Pellissippi State has program-specific articulation agreements with East Tennessee State University, Johnson Bible College, Lincoln Memorial University, Maryville College, Tennessee Technological University, Tusculum College and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Program-specific agreements include the following:

General Associate’s Degrees

Students not following an articulation agreement plan the program of study in consultation with a Pellissippi State academic advisor and an advisor at the receiving institution. Transfer equivalencies have been developed for courses offered at Austin Peay State University, Carson-Newman College, East Tennessee State University, Maryville College, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University, Tennessee Wesleyan College, Tusculum College, University of Memphis, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, University of Tennessee at Martin, and University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

1b        The program is appropriate to the level of the institution.

Pellissippi State was founded in 1974 as State Technical Institute at Knoxville enrolling only 45 students in the first year of operation.  In 1988, the institution’s mission was expanded as it became the only community college approved to offer college transfer/university parallel programming in Knox and Blount counties.  Pellissippi State Technical Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; telephone number 404-679-4501) to award the associate degree. 

1c        The program meets a clearly defined need. 

Since the inception of the university parallel program in 1988, enrollment has grown dramatically and currently accounts for approximately 64% of the college’s enrollment of 7,500 students.  The following tables show the number of declared majors and the number of graduates in the University Parallel program for the five-year period of the current review cycle.

1d        The program has clearly formulated strategic goals.

The academic programs themselves do not have individual strategic goals but are responsible for meeting the strategic goals of the college and the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR).   The current planning cycle has spanned 2000-2005. As acknowledged by TBR, the basic purpose of strategic planning is to

• provide principal means by which TBR carries out statutory responsibility
• ensure compliance with SACS "Institutional Effectiveness" standards
• provide a basis for studied advancement and improvement
• provide a basis for public accountability: How well do we do what we say we do?

Listed below are the primary college/TBR goals that the University Parallel program supports with narrative addressing related accomplishments for the 2003-04 academic year. 

Goal 1: Access

Enhance access to students and residents of its service delivery area through financial scholarship support, alternative methods of course delivery, and support services to all students as well as through geographically diverse sites.

 Objective 1a. Increase the number of distance education courses, web offerings and the number of courses offered at off-campus sites by 1% per year.

 Objective 1b. Increase student enrollment in the distance education, web, and off-campus courses by 1% per year.

 During the 2003-04 academic year, accomplishments included providing increased accessibility through the formats of web, video, and TWAV.  Sixty-eight web sections were offered in the Fall of 2003, demonstrating a 25% overall increase in our distance-learning program’s overall sections.  Approximately 40% of the sixty-eight sections were University Parallel offerings.  Student enrollment in web courses increased to 1796 in the Spring of 2004 from 1447 in Spring 2003, reflecting a 24% overall enrollment increase.  Approximately 41% of the Spring 2004 sections were University Parallel offerings.

Goal 2: Academic Excellence and Institutional Quality  

Continually strive to improve the currency, design, delivery, support, and evaluation of instructional processes and outcomes that include knowledge, skills, and attitudes acquired by students in credit and non-credit programs.

 Objective 2b. Increase the number of course sections offered in an alternative format by 2% per year.

 Objective 2c. Complete a comprehensive study of two college programs with emphasis on the currency, design, delivery support, and evaluation of institutional processes and objectives.

 During the 2003-04 academic year, the college’s effort to improve Academic Excellence in an alternate format was accomplished with a 25 per cent increase in sections over the previous years’ Web courses.  In addition, there was an approximately 26% increase in Web enrollments.

Detailed program reviews of University Parallel disciplines were conducted in the two years prior to 2004-05 for which information concerning productivity, quality, and effectiveness was gathered.  Program reviews were completed in the Mathematics and Natural and Behavioral Sciences departments in 2002-03 with the post review process a focus of the 2003-2004 academic year. The external reviewer for the Mathematics review indicated that the department greatly exceeded the minimum standards for good practice.   The Department of Natural and Behavioral Sciences consisted of study of the disciplines of biology, botany, chemistry, geology, physics, psychology, and physical education.     

Program reviews for English and Liberal Arts disciplines were completed in the 2003-04 academic year. The Liberal Arts department disciplines reviewed were Art; Foreign Languages—Spanish, German, ASL, and French; History; Social Sciences—Sociology, Political Science, Child & Family Studies; Humanities; Music; Philosophy; Speech; and Theatre. Post review improvement efforts occurred in 2004-05 for these departments and continued for some of the Mathematics department’s program improvement objectives. 

The post review processes represented the collective efforts of all full-time employees within each of the four departments as well as of staff in academic and student support areas.  (Note: Program improvement objectives generated by each of the program reviews are available onsite for review.)

 Goal 5: Articulation

Continue to expand opportunities for students to participate in articulated programs with other colleges and universities. 

 Objective 5a. Establish an articulation agreement with one new college each year.

 Objective 5b. Increase the number of program articulation agreements by five per year.

Nine new agreements for 2004 were developed with East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in computer science.  Forty-four articulation agreements were approved by Maryville College for 2004. Eighty-three articulation agreements were finalized with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; nine agreements were cut based on low enrollment (10 students or fewer). Seventeen articulation agreements were updated with Tennessee Technological University (TTU) for 2004; seven new agreements in engineering were developed for approval.