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PROGRAM EVALUATION
In a world of
rapidly changing technology it is essential that associate degree
career/technical programs be monitored to ensure they continue to meet the
needs of the community and students.
Critical to this process is a well-informed faculty that maintains
contact with business/industry to anticipate program modifications required to
keep the program current. In addition to
faculty review the following provisions will be made for program evaluation at
I.
Annual program evaluation by the program advisory committee.
An evaluation of
each associate degree career/technical program will be made annually by the
program advisory committee. Program
evaluation by the program advisory committee may include the following:
A. Curriculum
The curriculum
will be reviewed with regard to appropriateness of content. Strengths should be indicated as well as
areas where improvements should be made.
The curriculum should be reviewed to determine if the following elements
are included:
1. Basic academic competencies
are prerequisites for college-level courses and are not being taught as part of
the college-level courses.
2. Core Curriculum that provides
basic science/mathematics; computing and writing skills; and includes exposure
to the humanities/fine arts and social/behavioral sciences.
3. Adequacy of the major to
prepare students for entry-level positions in the field.
4. Opportunities for students
to integrate knowledge and skills learned through cooperative education, senior
projects, capstone courses, etc.
II.
Faculty
The following
criteria will be used in assessing the adequacy of faculty to teach in the
program:
A. Degrees, work experience
B. Participation in
professional organizations
C. Flexibility
D. Professional Development
opportunities
III.
Students
The following
criteria will be used in evaluating adequacy of students enrolled in the
program:
A. Enrollment - Extent to which the
program is attracting well prepared and motivated students.
B. Student Satisfaction - Attitudes of the students
toward the program.
C. Academic Advising - Extent to which records
are kept on student progress toward completion of their
program and students are made aware of their progress.
D. Placement of Graduates - Successful placement of
graduates in related fields.
E. Starting Salaries of
Graduates -
Extent to which starting salaries of graduates are commensurate with the
training and the field.
IV.
Instructional Equipment/Supplies
The following
criteria will be used in assessing the state of instructional equipment and
supplies
A. Availability of equipment
B. Condition of the equipment
C. Usage of the equipment
D. Availability of
instructional supplies
E. Plans for replacement of
obsolete equipment
V.
Facilities
A. Adequate size and type of
laboratories
B. Procedures in place for
using laboratory equipment. Safety procedures are established and taught.
C. Content of laboratory
experiences is integrated with classroom learning experiences
D. Laboratory experiences are
adequate to prepare students for work in industrial/business setting
E. Adequacy of library
materials and online resources for the program
F. Usage of library and online
resources by faculty and students in the program
VI.
Program Accreditation
All programs
eligible for accreditation by a national program accreditation agency will
apply for accreditation as soon as the program is eligible under the agencies'
guidelines.
VII.
Major Field Assessment
Performance of graduates
on major field tests - Tennessee
Higher Education Commission (THEC) standards are used in determining the
eligibility of each career/technical program for major field assessment. Graduates of eligible programs will be
tested, using appropriate assessment instruments, at least once during
five-year cycles. As needed, additional testing of graduates may be required to
provide adequate information to assess the overall effectiveness of individual
career/technical programs.
VIII. Placement rate of program graduates
IX.
General Education
Performance
of graduating students on College Basic Academic Subjects Examination (CBASE)
test of general education.
X.
Alumni Satisfaction
Level
of satisfaction of program graduates.
XI.
Academic Action
Program
evaluation may result in the following academic actions being taken:
A.
Continuation of the program with or without modification
Evaluation
results from the foregoing will be incorporated into the program where feasible
resulting in a more effective program.
B.
Suspend operation of the program
If evaluation
results show persisting problems with the program then an administrative review
involving Academic Department Dean, Vice President of Learning, and the
President will be affected. A decision may
be made to suspend the program which means the program offering will be
interrupted but there is reason to believe it might be resumed in the
foreseeable future. Follow-up action includes halting the acceptance of
students into the program, discontinuing offering courses unique to the
program, continuing in-depth analysis of the problem(s) and exploration of
solutions, and notifying all necessary individuals and organizational units of
the decision. The program remains on the
inventory of the College, TBR, and THEC.
C.
Terminate the program
The
administrative review may result in the decision to terminate the program. This means the program will be discontinued
with no reason to believe it will be offered again. Follow-up action includes halting acceptance
of students into the program, discontinuing offering courses unique to the
program, and notifying all involved parties of the decision. The program is removed form the inventory of
the College, TBR, and THEC after an appropriate phase out period.
Approved:
Executive Council, March 4, 1991
Editorial
Changes, April 15, 1993, July 11, 1994
Approved:
President Allen G. Edwards, September 11, 2001
Reviewed/Recommended:
President’s Staff, November 20, 2006
Approved:
President Allen G. Edwards, November 20, 2006
Editorial
Changes, July 2008