YORK TECHNICAL
COLLEGE
THE 2006 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT
SUMMARY ON INSITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
AS SUBMITTED TO THE COMMISSION HIGHER EDUCATION
AUGUST 2006
Introduction
York Technical College is committed to preparing students to enter
the workforce of South Carolina. Program offerings are largely determined by
the needs of businesses and industry in the upstate area, and these businesses
and industries are active in the planning of programs and the employment of
graduates. In the 2005-2006 academic
year, York Technical College
offered approximately 80 programs which prepared students to directly enter the
workforce and three programs which prepared students to transfer to senior
institutions or to programs at other technical colleges. These academic
programs and support activities are evaluated on a regular basis. Through the various programs offered, the
College is training new workers, re-training workers, and preparing students to
pursue additional education. The
educated, technologically skilled workforce is of major importance to the
economic welfare of the State and is supported by the academic progress and
support activities of York
Technical College.
The
following components evaluated in the 2005-2006 academic year are included in
this report:
Majors or Concentrations
Success
of Transfer Students
Assessment of the Major
A. Definition of Outcomes of
Component
The purpose of the major at York
Technical College
is to carry out the intent of the college mission to provide accessible,
relevant, high-quality education with emphasis on marketable job skills and
economic development. The goals are to maintain program relevance, to meet
student needs, and to meet employer needs for marketable job skills or for
further education. (York
Technical College)
A major is an orderly, identifiable sequence of courses leading to a
degree with a minimum of 16 semester hours of instruction in one or more
related fields of study which provide students with specialized knowledge and
skills. (State Board for Technical and
Comprehensive Education) There are
currently 20 active associate degree majors offered at York Technical
College - seven in the
Business, Computer, Arts and Sciences division, seven in the Industrial and
Engineering Technologies division, and six in the Health and Human Services
division.
B. Measures Used to Assess the
Major
To assess the major, local findings for all degree majors are compared to
state standards for the Annual Program Review, with an in-depth review
scheduled once every five years. A team
approach includes evaluation and feedback from students, business/industry,
faculty, department managers, deans, and the Executive Vice President for
Academic and Student Affairs. Procedures
and standards follow:
1) Program Outcomes: Data is gathered and analyzed to determine the
extent to which standards established by the South Carolina Technical College
System are met for enrollment, graduation, and job placement.
2) Instructional Development: Program and course competencies are
identified based on DACUM analysis, faculty input, Advisory Committee input,
student feedback, graduate feedback, and accrediting agencies.
3) Program Planning/Other
Factors: A college-wide Institutional Effectiveness process is
conducted annually to include mission, intended outcomes, assessment
methodologies, and statement of impact.
Results are used to evaluate and plan for improvements in program
accessibility, relevancy, quality, and/or other areas identified through the
study.
C. Findings
Follow-up studies from the 2004-2005 report were
conducted for Early Childhood Education, Management, and Automotive Technology.
1.
Early Childhood Development
The Early Care and Education program is in the
process of seeking accreditation with the National Association for the
Education of Young Children. The department will submit the self study report
to NAEYC in October 2006 and expect the site visit in spring 2007. The accreditation decision is expected by
Fall 2007. South Carolina is one of six states selected
to field test the accreditation. In
preparation for accreditation, ECD faculty engaged in reviewing courses and
enhancing assignments, classroom activities, and lab experiences, to ensure
inclusion of the NAEYC core standards.
The department identified and completed the following three goals: (1) ECD faculty and CDC staff collaboratively
identified training topics. (2) ECD faculty planned and presented DSS approved
training sessions addressing identified topics.
(3) ECD faculty plan to
incorporate feedback/suggestions from evaluations of training sessions to
“tweak” future trainings in order to continuously improve and better address
CDC staff’s needs.
2. Management
The Business Administration Department, which includes Management,
focused on improving student success in courses by adding critical thinking
exercises to courses. Four MGT courses
were revised to include critical thinking.
Success rates increased for three of the four courses and dropped by
only one percent for the fourth course.
3.
Automotive Technology
The focus
of the Automotive Technology department was preparation for the onsite
inspection of automotive classrooms, shop areas, office space, and storage
areas, which was the last requirement for NATEF accreditation. The facilities must meet all requirements
including safety and availability of equipment.
Facilities were inspected by NATEF in May 2006, and the NATEF inspector
suggested a few improvements involving safety.
The College is working to make the improvements.
Assessment Studies for 2005-2006
All York Technical College
active program degree majors subject to evaluation met the standards
established by the South Carolina Technical College System for enrollment,
graduation, and job placement and received a "good" status on the
2004-2005 Program Evaluation College Exhibit, Associate Degree Programs. In addition, an in-depth study was conducted
locally for Medical Laboratory Technology, Associate Degree Nursing,
Accounting, and Engineering Graphics Technology based on program evaluation
data for the last three academic years.
- Program
Outcomes:
Enrollment, job placement, and
graduation met or exceeded state standards for all three years for the Medical Laboratory Technology, Associate Degree
Nursing, Accounting, and Engineering Graphics Technology programs.
- Instructional
Development
Instructional development activities
were followed for all four programs to update courses and maintain program
relevancy. Activities included DACUM
occupational analyses for Engineering Graphics Technology (2006), Accounting
(2004), Medical Laboratory Technology (2002), and Accounting (1998). An updated DACUM is planned during the
2006-2007 academic year for Nursing. In
addition to DACUMs, departments incorporate input from advisory committees and
professional associations.
New and revised courses reflect a
response to industry needs for program relevancy. Course syllabi for all courses offered at York Technical
College are available in
an electronic shared file accessible at the “Course Syllabi” link on the
College webpage www.yorktech.com . The following chart reflects instructional
development updates and includes the number of new courses, revised courses,
and courses developed in alternate delivery formats during the three-year
evaluation period:
Program/Department New courses Revised courses Alternate Delivery
Accounting 1 24 10
Medical Laboratory Technology 0 9 4
Nursing ADN 1 21 11
Engineering Graphics Technology 0 0 0
Note:
The Engineering Graphics Technology DACUM was conducted during May 2006,
and the final occupational profile has not been completed. A curriculum review will follow, and updates
to courses will be made as needed based on final results of the DACUM.
- Program
Planning and other factors
r Institutional Effectiveness and Annual
Departmental Planning
Department Managers and faculty plan
annually with deans and associate vice presidents to identify goals,
implementation strategies, and assessment methodologies. Results are reported each spring for the
Annual Program Review and IE Outline process.
r Advisory
Committees
Advisory committees for Medical
Laboratory Technology, Associate Degree Nursing, Accounting, and Engineering
Graphics Technology programs met throughout the evaluation period. The departments utilize Advisory Committees
to identify workplace expectations for graduates and make recommendations for
improvements in programs, equipment needs, and related curriculum
revisions. Advisory committee minutes
are available from department managers.
In addition, faculty in general education departments serve on technical
program advisory committees and provide feedback to general education
departments regarding program needs.
r
Instructional
Technology Applications
The College maintains 70 Smart Classrooms and 6 SmartCarts on the main
campus to improve teaching and learning.
Alternate instructional delivery methods included distance learning via
the Internet (170 online courses serving 2000+ students), web-enhanced courses
serving 4000+ students, four two-way audio/video classrooms on the main campus,
telecourses (videotapes), and hybrid courses (combinations of
technology/traditional). Faculty utilize Smart Classroom
technology to deliver classes in all instructional divisions
r
Professional Accreditation
·
The
Medical Laboratory Technology program was accredited by The National
Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences in 2005 for the maximum
period of seven years.
·
The
Nursing ADN program was accredited by the National League for Nursing
Accrediting Commission, Inc., in 2004 and will be reevaluated for accreditation
in 2012.
·
The
Accounting program was accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business
Schools and Programs in 1999 for 10 years.
·
The
Engineering Graphics Technology program is accredited by the Technology
Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology
and is scheduled to receive an interim status report in July 2006.
D. Use of Findings
College Institutional Effectiveness Outlines and Advisory Committee
minutes served as sources of information for goals and outcomes of the four
degree programs included in the current report:
1. Medical Laboratory Technology
The Medical Laboratory Technology Department utilized input from the
Advisory Committee, participating clinical sites, the accrediting agency (The National Accrediting Agency for
Clinical Laboratory Sciences), DACUM results, and student evaluations to identify areas needing improvement. The Department focused on improving senior
clinical rotation experiences and curriculum; i.e., updating course syllabi and
increasing retention and success in the online version of AHS 125 Allied Health
Sciences.
- Senior
clinical rotation experiences
Senior students participated in a
newly created rotation schedule during 2005-2006, and preliminary results
indicate satisfaction among students and clinical site participants.
All course syllabi were revised and
approved prior to the accreditation visit in 2005. The department also established a target goal
of 50% retention with a grade of C or better for the online version of AHS 125. The target goal was met, and retention rates
and passage rates for the online version of AHS 125 have steadily increased
since the first online offering in the spring of 2005.
Follow-up:
·
Based on evaluations, the program will continue to
rotate students to the different facilities to enhance the clinical experience. Student suggestions for improvements at the
clinical sites will be shared with the clinical facilities at the next advisory
committee meeting.
·
Course syllabi will be maintained as needed for
relevancy. Although the target goal of
50% retention with a grade of C or better was met for AHS 125, there seems to
be a significant gap in the success rate of the online version to that of the
classroom version. The department will
continue to look for options to increase retention and passage rates of the
online version of AHS 125.
2. Accounting
The accounting associate degree is awarded through the Business
Administration Department of the College. The department focused on improving
student success through curriculum improvements/changes. A DACUM was conducted in 2004, and
instructors revised 25 course syllabi.
The most recent focus was improvement of student success in accounting
courses through addition of critical thinking exercises in accounting courses. Critical thinking learning activities were added
to and implemented in four accounting courses:
ACC 102 Accounting II, ACC 124 Individual Income Tax Procedures, ACC 240
Computerized Accounting, and ACC 245 Accounting Applications. Results were mixed, and it appears that
several variables in addition to critical thinking exercises influenced student
success. Overall, it appears that
adding the critical thinking learning activities did improve student
success. Details are available in the
departmental IE Outline.
Follow
Up: Based
on limited implementation (two semesters) and success, the department will
continue to emphasize critical thinking
learning activities in the courses and continue to track student success. Determining whether critical thinking
activities or some other variable led to the success is difficult to
confirm. However, instructors will be
encouraged to continue adding critical thinking learning activities to courses
and plan their lectures and learning activities more thoroughly. This multifaceted approach should increase
the rigor of courses and promote increased student success.
3. Nursing ADN
The Nursing Department consistently focuses on retention and success of
students. During the evaluation period,
goals and results included the following:
·
Goal: Seventy percent of students
accepted into the nursing program will
successfully complete the nursing program.
Result: The
goal of 70% retention for ADN students was exceeded based on fall to fall
enrollment; i.e., 76%.
·
Goal: Enhance reliability and
validity of test questions by implementing a computerized test analysis process
to assess validity and reliability of test questions.
Result:
Faculty utilized the test analysis to delete invalid questions, improve
test question distracters, and enhance the overall reliability of each
test.
·
Goal: Students will demonstrate a
progression towards higher level critical thinking in the nursing program.
Results: The students’ ability to critically think is
demonstrated in the ERI standardized test required after each semester. These tests demonstrate progression of
critical thinking skills in nursing across the curriculum. Associate Degree Nursing graduate scores on
critical thinking in nursing indicated improvements were needed in inferential
reasoning and evaluating predicted outcomes.
Graduates group score after remediation in these areas were above the
national average.
During the 2005-2006
academic year faculty changed their teaching strategy from lecture to
application classes with lecture content taught on a CD that students take
home. Students then come to class for
application of theory i.e. case study; games; etc. This effort was a retention effort and to
enhance students critical thinking abilities.
Retention for NUR 104 = 81%; NUR 206 = 94%; NUR 106 = 86%; NUR 229 =
84%; NUR 159 = 78%; NUR 211 = 97%; NUR
214 = 100%; NUR 219 = 100%; NUR 209 Pending.
·
Goal: Develop initiatives to
expand student enrollment to meet the needs of the community.
Result: The Associate Degree Nursing program was able
to expand enrollment through a grant offered by Tenet System (Piedmont Medical
Center). This monetary grant provided for expansion of
the program by 16 students.
Follow Up:
·
Retention: Retention
efforts implemented by the faculty include individual tutoring (case
management), ERI mandatory remediation, referral to a faculty member for test
taking strategies and study skills, CD access with lecture material with
critical thinking application scenario’s in the classroom. These approaches will continue.
Faculty are
offering NUR 106 during the 2006 summer session for those students entering a
nursing program in the fall. This
initiative will decrease student load in nursing and overall courses for the
fall semester. This is an effort to
improve retention in the first semester.
·
Reliability and validity of test questions: A computerized test analysis process called Quickscore is currently
being utilized in nursing courses offering multiple-choice testing. The computerized test analysis process is
fully operational since fall, 2005 and allows faculty to assess validity and
reliability of test questions. This
program will continue to be used to improve testing. The benefit of this program will be more
visible when test questions are improved for 2006 based on the test analysis
from 2005.
·
Higher
level critical thinking skills: Faculty
are planning to initiate changes in testing and instruction that assist
students to apply critical thinking utilizing inferential reasoning and
evaluation. Several of the nursing
faculty participated in a critical thinking workshop sponsored by ERI that
discussed methods to improve student’s inferential reasoning and evaluation
processes and will incorporate these methods into their instruction.
·
Expansion of student enrollment:
Eight students were admitted into the second year of the program through
direct articulation of LPN students, transfer of students, or readmission of
students previously in the program.
These students who satisfactory met the course requirements are
currently graduates of the program.
Another eight students were
admitted into the first year of the program increasing enrollment for the first
year to a total of 84 students. These
students who satisfactory met the course requirements are currently progressing
in the program.
- Engineering Graphics Technology
The Engineering Graphics Technology department focused on
two primary goals during the evaluation period:
curriculum improvements and ABET accreditation.
·
Curriculum
improvements: A DACUM occupational
analysis was conducted in May 2006. The
final occupational profile will serve as a basis to evaluate and improve the
curriculum. In addition, the advisory
committee recommended addition of hybrid courses and incorporation of soft
skills such as critical thinking, ethics, and global awareness into
courses. A focus during the 2005-2006
academic year was development and implementation of a critical thinking
inventory and critical thinking project for the EGT capstone course EGT
252. Test grades and project reports and
lab reports demonstrate improvement in many areas that are crucial in ability
to think and solve problems related to areas of design and drafting.
·
ABET accreditation: The ABET visit in 2003 resulted in a need to
focus on Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI).
In an effort to close the loop for CQI, the department implemented,
evaluated, and revised assessments and benchmarks. ABET approved assessment criteria such as
student exit surveys and employer surveys were utilized. Student surveys were completed in Spring
2006, and the employer survey is in progress.
Survey results of Engineering Graphics Technology graduates indicated
that exit students were satisfied overall with their education from the
College. They were satisfied with their
educational goals and objectives and the technical skills they gained from the
program. The survey also indicated that
graduates felt confident in their ability to utilize math, science, and CAD
design knowledge needed for an entry-level technology positions
Follow Up:
·
Curriculum: Upon completion of the DACUM occupational
profile, the department will conduct a curriculum review to identify needed
revisions and will subsequently review and update course syllabi and
competencies. In addition, the
department will begin to develop courses in hybrid format.
·
Accreditation: CQI assessment data from employers and
students will be evaluated and compared against the benchmarks, and change will
be made as needed. The EGT Program will
continue with exit student surveys and employer surveys of entry-level
technicians and use the results for improvements in the areas of concerns or
weakness. The interim ABET report was
submitted in June 2005, and results are expected in July 2006. Recommendations, if any, will be addressed.
Achievement
of Students Transferring from Two-year to Four-year Institutions
A.
Definition of Outcomes of Component
The purpose
of this report is to determine specific patterns and trends in the acceptance
and achievement rates of students who transferred from York Technical
College to senior
institutions within the State. York Technical
College expects to
maintain a transfer success rate that is at least equal to past transfer
rates. The College also expects that
transfer students will demonstrate academic success at the senior institution
at a rate at least equal to that of students native to the senior
institution.
B. Measures Used to Assess this Component
This report
was prepared using Fall 2005 Transfer Data collected from senior institutions
by the Commission on Higher Education for Institutional Effectiveness
Reporting. The report provided the
following data: 1) changes in
percentages of transfer students, 2) academic success of transfer students at
senior institutions, and 3) transfer patterns of students.
C. Findings
Traditionally,
York Technical College
has experienced success with the transfer of students to senior
institutions. According to the Fall 2005
CHEMIS Data, a total of 241 students from the College applied for admission to
senior institutions within the State. Of
the 241 students who applied, 179 (74%) were accepted. According to Fall 2003 CHEMIS Data, 203
students applied and 147 (72%) were accepted.
The 2005 data indicates an increase in the number of students applying
to senior intuitions, as well as a slight increase in the overall acceptance
rate (+2%)
Because of
York Technical College’s close proximity to Winthrop University, approximately
136 of the College’s transfer population applied for admission to Winthrop; 116
(85%) of those who applied were accepted.
The current data seems to indicate a developing diverse transfer pattern
among students transferring from York
Technical College
to State senior institutions. For
example, 46 students applied to USC-Columbia with 48% accepted, 23 applied to
USC-Upstate with 78% accepted, 16 applied to Clemson
University with 76% accepted, 10
applied to the College
of Charleston with 30%
accepted, and 6 applied to Coastal Carolina with 67% accepted. The data also indicates an increase in the
number of York Technical
College students seeking to transfer
to Lander University
and South Carolina
State University. According to current data, 3 students applied
to Lander University
with 100% being accepted and 1 student applied to and was accepted at South Carolina State University.
The 2005
data indicates that students who transfer from York Technical
College to senior
institutions have GPA’s that are slightly lower than those of students who are
native to the given institutions. On average, the Fall 2005 GPA for York Technical
College transfer students
was 2.47, compared to 2.82 for the native student populations. Although in past years, the transfer
student’s GPA has always been equal to or higher than that of the native
student’s, caution must be used in interpreting this data. The number of York Technical
College transfer students
analyzed at individual institutions ranged from one to 93, with seven of the
eight institutions reporting less than 20 students, and four of the eight
institutions reporting less than ten students.
In comparison, the native populations used for comparison ranged from
1,668 to 16,421 students.
D. Use of Findings
While the
percentage of students who apply and are accepted by senior institutions
appears to have increased, further study to determine why students are not
accepted should be conducted by the College. In addition, research should
be performed to identify the factors influencing the difference between the
GPA’s of transfer students and those of the native populations. Using the
results of these investigations, the College can identify and implement
strategies to improve transfer acceptance and academic success rates at
State-supported, four-year institutions.
Institution: