All Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree and occupational certificate programs at Texas State Technical College Harlingen have been approved by the faculty and the administration. All programs have departmental assessment plans that establish and evaluate program and learning outcomes, in support of the mission of the College to serve the technological manpower needs of the State of Texas.
The TSTC Harlingen administrator primarily responsible for Comprehensive Standards-Educational Programs 3.4.1 is Pat Hobbs, Vice President for Student Learning [Ref 1]. The administrative staff reporting to the Vice President for Student Learning also associated with responsibilities for this Principle include Cathy Maples, Associate Vice President for Student Learning; Stephen Vassberg, Associate Vice President for Economic Development and Workforce Development; and all instructional division supervisors, division directors, department chairs and faculty. The Vice President for Student Learning supports and shares responsibility for this Principle with Blanca Bauer, Director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research.
Approval by Faculty and Administration
The process for the application and approval of all new technical and vocational programs in the State of Texas is outlined in Chapter 5 of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's (THECB) Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce Education (GIPWE) [Ref 2]. All TSTC Harlingen AAS and occupational certificate programs were approved by the faculty and the administration through the initial approval process, as outlined in COP 3.20, Application and Approval of Technical Programs [Ref 3], which conforms to GIPWE guidelines. Two flowcharts illustrating this process are found in [Ref 4] and [Ref 5].
Any subsequent curriculum revisions also require the approval of the faculty and administration, as outlined in COP 3.28, Curriculum Revision Review [Ref 6]. A flowchart illustrating the curriculum revision process at TSTC Harlingen is found in [Ref 7]. The full curriculum revision process on which TSTC Harlingen COP 3.28, Curriculum Revision Review, is based conforms to THECB Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce Education (GIPWE) found in Chapter 6 [Ref 8].
Establishment/Assessment of Program/Learning Outcomes
One of the most important mechanisms for assessing program learning outcomes is through the College's institutional effectiveness cycle. All Associate of Applied Science and certificate of completion programs have established a departmental assessment plan containing the essential program outcomes/measurable objectives and the assessment method and criteria [Ref 9]. The annual results of the assessment plan [Ref 10] are compiled and discussed among the faculty and/or staff in the program, as well as with the industrial advisory committee at its annual meeting. Recommendations for improvements based on results are identified and form the basis of the biennial Unit Action Plan (UAP) objectives [Ref 11]. This assessment cycle is repeated annually although UAPs are written biannually. The assessment plan system is an ongoing program, and the College is presently in its first cycle. Summaries of improvements brought about by assessment within the Instructional Division departments are found in [Ref 12].
Other indicators of achievement are measured by feedback from students on the end of course surveys and biannually on the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory, candidates for graduation on the Graduate Exit Survey, graduates on the Graduate Follow-up Survey, and employers of graduates on the Employer Follow-up Survey. Examples of results from these evaluations can be found on the Institutional Effectiveness Research page [Ref 13]. These sources of feedback provide valuable information about the level of satisfaction with technical program requirements and performance on program learning outcomes tied to the Indicators of Success standards for programs, as illustrated on the technical program departmental assessment plans [Ref 9] and on the reports of results [Ref 10].
Several programs at TSTC Harlingen are externally accredited or certified [Ref 14]. Accreditation reviews are included among TSTC's assessment tools, as most require a review of program and learning outcomes as part of the accreditation or certification process.
The curriculum of every technical program is based on a competency listing, referred to as the program task listing and derived from an occupationally-oriented source, such as a Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) study, accreditation agency competency list, certifying agency competency list, college-initiated task survey, or State Skills Standards. The occupational task listing is reviewed annually by the industrial advisory committee and the program's faculty to determine if any tasks should be deleted, modified, or added due to changes in technology. If any adjustments are made to the task listing, the program faculty must revise the course syllabus or syllabi in which the particular program task is taught. Learning outcomes, both theory and performance, associated with each individual task are detailed in the official course syllabus, along with prescribed evaluation methods. All of these curriculum documents are housed in the College Curriculum Office and in the office of the Department Chair [Ref 15].
As part of the annual faculty evaluation process, department chairs ensure that faculty members are using current course syllabi and evaluation methods tied to course learning outcomes [Ref 16]. Particular attention is paid to this in year one of the three-year faculty evaluation cycle, which requires a full document review of a selected course and its evaluation instruments by the department chair with the faculty member [Ref 17].
