03:04:03
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:
l. 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
A. 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.
B. Placement
rate of program graduates
VIII. General
Education
Performance
of graduating students on College Basic Academic Subjects Examination (CBASE)
test of general education.
IX. Alumni
Satisfaction
Level
of satisfaction of program graduates.
X. 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 department head, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, and
the president will be effected. 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