To meet the requirements of section 59-101-350 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, 1976, as amended, every public four- and two-year institution of higher learning submits an annual report on the assessment of its institutional effectiveness. In 2007 all two-year public institutions of higher education in South Carolina are reporting on Majors and Concentrations, Student Development, and the results of the Alumni Survey of 2003-2004 graduates.
Institutional Effectiveness Cycle
The college’s institutional effectiveness process includes an ongoing planning-assessment-improvement cycle that is applied to all divisions, departments, and programs. The planning process is based on the college’s mission and is aligned with the strategic plan and goals of the college. Each unit of the college completes an on-line Service Review and Planning Report which helps to focus individual unit’s efforts on the accomplishment of college-wide goals and objectives. The unit objectives serve as the basis for action strategies for continuous improvement.
Majors and Concentrations
Our academic programs support the economic development needs in the State by providing a technologically-skilled workforce, either by preparing students for immediate employment after graduation or by preparing them for transfer to a four-year college.
At Spartanburg Community College (SCC), the “major” is defined as the technical courses that a student completes while enrolled in a program of study. Effectiveness of the major is measured in terms of student success and program quality. The college reviews each program of study on an annual basis through the Service Review and Planning Report.
SCC reports on the technical associate degrees offered at the college according to the following rotation:
Civil Engineering Technology
Trends
Licensure in Surveying will require a 4-year degree and four years of experience beginning in 2010. New two-year students will not be licensed with only an Associates degree.
Engineering offices are beginning to use specific application graphic software instead of just AutoCAD. SCC will need to provide training for the ET faculty on this type of software as program requirements change in the coming years.
Advisory committee members and other industry contacts indicate the demand for CET graduates far exceeds the supply.
Advisory committee and graduates indicate that 4-year degrees are becoming more important in the industry.
Strengths
Faculty hold Master’s degrees; all are either licensed engineers or in the process of applying for a license; one faculty member serves on the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.
Advisory committee is very active and committed to supporting the CET program with money, materials, and time as needed. Committee members frequently hire program graduates.
Program has formal articulation agreement with Clemson University’s Construction Science and Management Department. CET students may also transfer to USC-Upstate’s B.S. in Engineering Technology-Management degree.
Employers and graduates report that the CET program does a good job preparing students for civil engineering and construction workplaces.
Challenges
Students’ ability to learn effective communication is hindered by the fact that students enter the CET program with little technical writing experience.
Program requires more lab space for testing and storage for additional lab projects
Curriculum courses need to be offered more than once-year to allow students some scheduling flexibility. This is particularly important for students who enter in the spring semester. Flexibility in the program will require that more instructors be hired and enrollment increased.
Recruitment is a challenge. Teaching loads keep faculty busy with little time to address recruitment needs or activities.
Success in Meeting Goals (Outcomes)
Significant curriculum changes occurred in 2005-2006. Required credit and contact hours were reduced. Program focus changed to construction management instead of surveying. Requirements for summer coursework were removed. One CET instructor was replaced.
The new AET 105 Construction Documents course was successful. 32 students completed the course and 94% passed with a C or higher.
CET 205 Surveying II and CET 251Highway Design are being offered as night/weekend courses by Continuing Education (CE). CET 105 Surveying I and EGT 105 Basic Civil Drafting are also being offered by CE so 4-year students can get a “surveying certificate” and be eligible for licensing exam.
The EGR 102 Intro to Industrial/Engineering Careers format was changed to match Clemson’s CSM 150 class for more transfer opportunity. This course is a research and report writing course. All papers and assignments are construction related. Engineering ethics are discussed at length. Job site visits and guest speakers were incorporated into curriculum. Twelve of 13 students passed the course with a C or higher.
Labs were removed from four courses.
77% passed EGR 190-01 (Statics), the application of both math and physics skills. Students decide to continue in CET if they succeed in this course. 77% is an acceptable pass rate.
Computer Technology
Trends
Entry level positions for our graduates appear to be in IT support. Job opportunities in software development, networking, database management and web development are less. More students are planning to continue their education at 4-year colleges.
Job openings in the future in IT will be for employees who can explain technology to users. Good verbal and written communications are imperative.
EEO legislation for career clusters
Course offerings will continue to expand at the Tyger River Campus
Strengths
Labs – hands on training
Small class size
Partnerships with USC Upstate and Limestone College have been developed for 2007-2008 academic year.
Faculty are returning to graduate school to complete 18 graduate hours in information technology
Partnerships with Denny’s Corporation and QS/1 have been developed for help desk/call support center staff.
Students are prepared to take Cisco Systems CCNA test after completing networking associate degree. Students are prepared to take A+ certification tests after completing first year courses.
Capstone classes are included in each elective track of the associate degree
SCC Technology Club sponsors Free PC Clinic at least 3 times per semester
Challenges
Keeping current in technology
Providing training for faculty
Working closer with high schools and career centers
Job placement rates for computer technology graduates are dropping.
Students’ need to acquire better oral and written communication skills
Success in Meeting Goals (Outcomes)
Students are more prepared each year to pass the CCNA test.
Students are more prepared each year to pass the A+ tests.
Several new goals have been established for the program.
Computer Technology graduates will be encouraged to complete ENG260 Advanced Technical Communications.
Written communication skills are being incorporated into capstone projects.
Faculty members will participate in local Chamber of Commerce activities to promote our programs to local business and industry.
Computer Technology will enhance and maintain partnerships with 4-year colleges by having at least bi-annual meetings with program chairs in information technology/computer science departments.
Computer Technology faculty will investigate a new certificate program for evening students at one of our campuses which will include basic computer skills, customer service and office skills.
Horticulture
Trends
New plants and cultivars will continue to be important
Equipment and technology continues to evolve
Increased demand for landscaping, turf care, and arboriculture
More demand for garden amenities such as water features and lighting
Changes in the labor force
Plants on campus need to have permanent labels for our students and the public
Strengths
Instructional staff all have industry-related experience
Relationships to high-profile individuals in our field
Demand for our graduates is very strong; excellent reputation with HORT industry employers in providing them with quality employees
Relationship with upstate high school Hort programs and with Clemson’s Hort program
A broad-based curriculum
Campus arboretum for hands-on instruction
Travel to Botanical Gardens and other field trips
Challenges
Increasing evening enrollment
Maintaining an out-of-county population of students in our program
Teaching without the most current industry technology, facilities, and equipment
Faculty staying current with industry trends
Budget support for increased campus gardens upkeep
Success in Meeting Goals (Outcomes)
Additional funds for program promotion to out-of-county schools were obtained
Small equipment used in maintaining the Horticulture gardens were added
Respiratory Care
Trends
Clinical expectations for graduates of the program have increased
Accrediting agency (Committee on the Accreditation of Respiratory Care-CoARC) has added polysomnography to program requirements
Program graduates attempting the advanced level registry exam is at or below state standard
Advisory Board recognizes need for additional clinical instructors and has made appropriate recommendations
Strengths
Enrollment goals have been achieved
Retention rates have improved
Credentialing rates exceed the national averages
Updated credentialing self-assessment exam software was acquired and implemented spring 2007
Challenges
Training and integrating new faculty
Addressing the clinical needs associated with a higher retention rate
Improving the percentage of students taking and successfully completing the advanced level national board credentialing exams
Acquiring equipment needed for students that meet the industry standard
Teaching loads consistently exceed state standard (20 preferred for classroom/lab)
Success in Meeting Goals(Outcomes)
All enrollment goals were met
Exceeded retention goals for first time
Program job placement goals were all met
Students taking and successfully completing their entry level (Certified Respiratory Therapist) exams exceeded the national averages
Students taking and successfully completing the written and clinical simulation exams for their registry (Registered Respiratory Therapist) exceeded the national average but was short of our expectations.
Nursing
Trends
The ADN Nursing Program is a new program at SCC and would like to establish a reputation that graduates of the program are competent and skilled practitioners.
Strengths
Cohesive and competent faculty with an average of 20-25 years experience in direct clinical care areas
Sound nursing curriculum based on current nursing practice issues and trends
Cross-training of nursing faculty to teach and provide clinicals in various settings
NCLEX-RN based course competency testing format, utilizing analytical/critical thinking skill development
HESI exit exam testing
Challenges
Hiring 4 additional masters in nursing prepared faculty
Balancing the FTE to PT faculty with a shortage of available BSN or higher prepared nurses to manage the clinical components of the curriculum
Completing the candidacy for NLNAC review and meeting the standards due to a shortage of available masters prepared nursing faculty
Securing appropriate size classrooms to meet the numbers of students per course section based on current on-campus space availability
Continuing to seek clinical areas that meet the parallel classroom instruction due to the competitive nursing programs seeking the same clinical sites and times.
Success in Meeting Goals (Outcomes)
The SCC ADN program graduated a total of 59 students between May and July 2006. Of the 59 who graduated, 8 failed to meet the passing score for the NCLEX-RN and are waiting to be retested.
The first HESI exit exams were included in the NUR 270 class offered in spring 2006. In the May 2006 graduating class, all of the students met or exceeded the HESI threshold score of 900. In July 2006, one student failed to meet the HESI threshold.
Overall student satisfaction: Students expressed dissatisfaction with some of the nursing faculty and expressed this on their post-course evaluations. There are continued nursing faculty vacancies which create issues with tutoring and advisement for students. The NUR faculty has increased their reactive time to student concerns, met with students to discuss grades and progress and to clarify expectations and behaviors while in the ADN program.
Student Development
ACADEMICS
Spartanburg Community College within Academic Affairs has a cluster of academic support service centers that are known as the Academic Advising Center, the Tutorial Learning Center (TLC), the Open Computer Lab (OCL), and the Testing Center (TC). All four of these academic support areas contribute to student success. All four are located within a 10,000 square foot addition to the East building classrooms. The students receive advisement, tutoring, assistance while using college computers, and test-taking oversight and supervision. The Academic Advising Center functions as an academic support services unit with a director, administrative assistant, and full-time and part-time advisors while the TLC, OCL, and TC function as one academic support service unit with a full-time director, tutors, and various other staff positions.
The Tutorial Learning Center (TLC) provides free tutoring services to any registered student on campus in mathematics, English, writing assignments for specific courses, sciences, and accounting. The Open Computer Lab (OCL) provides computer equipment for student use. TLC tutors are full or part-time college employees (rather than students), generally with bachelor’s or master’s level credentials. The College opened the TLC in the Fall Semester 1999 in two medium-sized classrooms in the West Building. During the first two years of operation, the staff implemented a computerized check-in system to record the number of students using the services. Generally, staff felt that students will “vote with their feet.” If they are receiving the services they need and expect, they will use the facility.
In the last three years of operation, the student visits to the TLC, OCL and TC has increased significantly. The diversity of tutorial disciplines has also increased and has become a joint effort between the TLC and the Academic Departments. Often, a part-time instructor may also function as a paid tutor in the TLC. Other new services have been developed such as online tutoring and the center newsletter for interested parties.
The following data reflects the number of student visits to our TLC and OCL during the respective academic semesters:
|
|
Spring 2006 |
Fall 2006 |
Spring 2007 |
|
TLC & OCL |
18,700 |
22,148 |
18,733 |
STUDENT AFFAIRS
The Student Affairs Division at Spartanburg Community College evaluates support services for students on an on-going basis. Each department assesses and evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of services annually. The Division is comprised of Admissions, Counseling, Success Network, Financial Aid, The AIM Center, Recruiting, Student Records, and the Career Planning and Placement offices.
Each department within the Division administers in-house customer satisfaction surveys. These surveys primarily focus on satisfaction with services provided, the dissemination of concise and clear information, courteousness and professionalism, and referrals to services to on-campus and off-campus resources as appropriate. The result of these surveys consistently indicates a high satisfaction rating with the services provided.
Strategies for Improvement
To improve services and communication, the Student Affairs Division has been reorganized to cluster like or complementary services together in a single department. The offices of Recruitment, Admissions, and Counseling services are now clustered together to provide intake services to clients. The office of Financial Aid has returned to single department status to concentrate on new processes and more effective ways of marketing and informing the campus community and general public about its services and the opportunities provided through the college. The reorganization will serve to enhance the seamless service concept that is employed by the college.
To improve the overall management of student enrollment, a comprehensive enrollment management plan has been developed that places a new focus on student enrollment activities and retention activities.
To improve college-sponsored social activities, surveys were revised and place in a new format. The new surveys are posted to the Student Activities website. The campus community is informed about the surveys through a weekly electronic newsletter. Students continue to have opportunities to suggest and recommend new activities.
The registration process is being revised to include best practice strategies. These strategies include arena registration for open enrollment, extending the registration period for all students by eliminating priority registration. Student will now have the opportunity to register for multiple academic periods at the same time.
Measures to increase security of student information and decrease the possibility of identity thief have been implemented. Students no longer have to announce their names and provide their institutional ID number or their social security number when requesting services at the offices of Financial Aid, Student Records, the book store, or the Business Office. They now swipe their ID cards and their information is automatically displayed on the screen of the person serving them.
To improve Financial Aid, a new marketing plan has been implemented to better inform members of the campus community and the general public about the available financial assistance options for individuals wanting to continue their education. The Financial Aid Office will also draw student reports from the Department of Education more frequently during the periods of open registration.
In summary, the Student Affairs Division is transitioning its service delivery to provide more effective and responsive services to student and community needs.