Summary Report on Institutional Effectiveness
Northeastern Technical College
August 2007
Introduction:
This summary report for Northeastern Technical College includes the following components: General Education, Majors or Concentrations, and Procedures for Student Development.
The following components will be reported on in the year indicated: Academic Advising (2008), Achievement of Students Transferring from Two-Year to Four-Year Institutions (2010), and Library Resources and Services (2008).
General Education:
NETC faculty continue to make dedicated progress in assuring quality of general education through a variety of assessments. The College-Wide Competencies, established in 1997, have been reviewed once again in 2006 and revised to clarify measurable outcomes. In 2006, the College adopted the Nichols 5-column model for institutional effectiveness procedures, which was a further step in establishing general education learning outcomes. In 2007, a DACUM has been conducted for each curriculum program to define general education skills. Faculty have then reviewed the general education courses, the outcomes for those courses in relation to DACUM results and, when merited, have revised course outcomes. Additionally, the faculty have cooperatively identified the general education embedded and external assessments by creating course maps.
NETC has made significant progress in general education assessment and outcomes measurement, by defining general education in terms of competencies or outcomes. Numerous faculty development sessions have provided faculty information, examples and processes for identifying outcomes as measurable standards and guidelines for outcomes assessment.
Assessment activities have been coordinated with Institutional Advancement in order to provide external input from Employer and Alumni Surveys and student perception surveys. Results indicate that the college has met or surpassed established benchmarks. External assessments have included comparison of student performance at senior institutions, with favorable results, indicating that the students are adequately prepared.
Majors or Concentrations:
Associate in Arts/Associate in Science
The Arts and Sciences associate degree programs at Northeastern Technical College continue to be an integral part of the educational opportunities for Chesterfield, Marlboro and Dillon counties. Enrollment continues to grow, particularly in the Associate in Sciences major, due to the interest in nursing and other allied health programs. Dual enrollment continues to be of interest to students from high schools located near one of the NETC campuses.
The course offerings continue to be based on the Statewide Articulation Agreement, with little variation, due to student demand for transferability. Many public senior institutions have implemented barriers to the State Articulation agreement; advisors must work closely with students in preparation for transfer and depend on the institutional websites for information. Examples include CHM 110/111 to Winthrop, ENG 101/102 to Clemson, and many others.
Office Systems Technology
Enrollment has been relatively stable over the past five years. A review of full-time versus part-time enrollment during this period revealed an increasing percentage of students who attend full-time. The medical office assistant certificate, added in Fall 1999, has served the community well. Legal Office Assistant certificate program has been added in 2006. A system-wide peer group of program faculty proposed that the program name be changed to Administrative Office Technology and course prefixes be changed as well; the changes were approved for implementation in Fall 2007. NETC faculty participated in the statewide review panel, and, using local advisory committee input, have made changes in the program requirements.
The 2007 DACUM offered faculty the opportunity to relate the program name change to modifications of the curriculum. As a complement to the DACUM, program faculty have completed Program Outcomes, Learning Outcomes and Course Maps, which track learning outcomes and assessments for all courses in the program and demonstrates inclusion of the learning outcomes throughout the program, either in general education courses or in major courses. Visits by faculty members to local employers, as well as advisory committee input, have verified that the necessary skills are included in this program.
One benchmark, placement of graduates, consistently exceeds the SBTCE benchmark of 50 percent of graduates placed in related employment. This accomplishment affirms one aspect of program quality.
The new Administrative Office Technology program at Northeastern Technical College will concentrate future efforts on recruitment in order to expand enrollment throughout our service area. Continued input from employers, public school faculty, and advisory committee members provide sources of information concerning skills needed in the workplace as well as the equipment needed to teach these skills.
Procedures for Student Development:
Minority student enrollment numbers have dropped slightly since fall 2004, but the percentage of minority students has held at 46%. Overall enrollment has dropped, and efforts are underway to try to determine the cause of this decrease. The college was on an upward spiral for several years, and this is a cause for great concern.
In 2005 the College offered its first SOAR (Student Orientation and Accelerated Registration). New students who had completed the admissions process were invited to attend one of four scheduled early orientation sessions offered prior to fall registration. They were allowed to meet with their advisor, schedule classes, register and pay prior to fall registration day. All of the sessions were surveyed, and each Orientation Survey Analysis was so positive that SOAR was held again in 2006. Once again, each Orientation Survey Analysis was very positive, and the decision was made to continue this event annually.
The mission to enhance student development outcomes continues to be hampered by being a two-year commuter institution with the average age being 29 years. This means that the College has to compete with work and family obligations. The College does offer a Martin Luther King, Jr. Program each January and a Constitution Day program each September.
Periodically, throughout the year, Student Support Services staff holds workshops dealing with a variety of topics. These workshops are open to the entire campus. Topics have included: MLA Workshop, Parts of Speech, Conquering the Comma: Where to Put It and Why, Parts of Speech, Test Taking Skills and Overcoming Test Anxiety. Participants who attend the workshops are asked to complete an evaluation. The evaluations are positive, and attendance varies.
Student Support Services participants are honored at a Success Luncheon each spring. Participants achieving Dean’s and President’s List honors are recognized. Twice a year students are treated to some type of lunch, either a cookout or a sub sandwich lunch. An Honors Night recognition is held each April to recognize achievements by the student body.
Distance Learning courses are available on the main campus in Cheraw and on all of the off-campus sites. The Distance Learning surveys reveal that the majority of students who take courses via this delivery system are satisfied.
2007 Statement re: providing a “technologically skilled workforce”:
Policies and Procedures to Provide A Technologically Skilled Workforce Northeastern Technical College:
Providing a technologically skilled workforce for its service area is one of the core values of Northeastern Technical College. This emphasis is documented in the college’s mission statement and institutional policies, as detailed below. (Italics added.)
Northeastern Technical College’s mission statement (NETC Policy 1.3.1) reads in part: “…the College contributes to economic growth by enhancing the employability of service area residents in technology, business, health, arts, and sciences.
NETC’s philosophy statement (NETC Policy 1.3.2) states that “…education must serve the needs of students in light of the occupational requirements of our community.” Advisory committees representing all employment sectors, including technology, meet regularly and provide input into program design and evaluation.
Finally, the college regularly evaluates each of its instructional programs “in terms of its contribution to the current and predicted needs of business and industry and the general economic welfare of the State of South Carolina.” (NETC Policy 4.1.4)
