1I2 Program Learning Outcome Improvements

Improvement at the Institutional level:

• Increased understanding across campus regarding the importance of program assessment and its role in continuous quality improvement;
• A knowledgeable Celebrating Learning Team that can assist program faculty with assessments and monitor assessment activity;
• The expansion of the Celebrating Learning Team to include staff members and department assessments.

Examples of Improvements at the program level include:

The Mechanical Engineering Technology program added eight Afinia 3D printers and switched to SolidWorks as its main modeling software to better align program training with local employers, based on industry standards, Advisory Committee input, and technical assessment results.

The Automotive program’s new lab (Fall 2016) increased the program’s ability to meet student needs by providing more lab space and better lab environment. Students can now work in groups of two instead of three, increasing learning opportunities. In addition, the program added new equipment, based on the prompting of industry.  Industry and the Advisory Committee have also been requesting more program graduates, and the program has had a long history of student wait lists for the program.  The new facility has allowed the Institute to increase student program enrollments to better meet industry needs. More hands-on opportunities for students has provided students more opportunities to improve their technical skills as well.

The System Administrator program now has a $110,000 NetLab virtual lab pod, which creates an online lab environment that can be accessed anywhere in the world.  It is used for the program’s VMware vSphere training.  The Advisory Committee recommended that the program teach vSphere. VMware is the industry standard for virtualization platforms for both medium and large businesses.  Southeast Tech’s faculty recognized the need to include this skill in its curriculum and administration assured that the instructor received the necessary training.  In addition to improving curriculum, the change has helped many students obtain jobs specifically because of their training in VMware.

Beginning in Fall 2014, the Surgical Technology program changed from a one year diploma program to a two year AAS program based on its national accreditation review and student feedback. The program’s national accrediting body, CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) determined that surgical technology programs should award a minimum of an Associate’s Degree by August 1, 2021. However, Southeast Tech escalated the timeline based on satisfaction surveys of graduates nine months after program completion.   Over the past three years of graduate satisfaction survey results, a common suggestion among graduates (18 out of 30 or 60% of graduates) voiced their agreement that in order to meet training needs of the profession, the additional year of coursework was appropriate due to the large content-driven curriculum.  

Based on results of its program learning assessments, the Biomedical Equipment Technology program implemented weekly assessment testing, similar to the national testing process.  The change improved student performance on the program’s learning assessments. 

The Early Childhood program, based on data collected from student requests and industry needs, introduced a hybrid program in Fall 2011. The hybrid option was later changed from weekend offerings to week day offerings at the request of students to accommodate student family needs.  Class sizes were increased as well to meet industry needs, and to increase student lab experiences and improve assessment results, the on-campus childcare center was added as a ”lab” environment site, giving students more hands-on experiences with children in order to improve program learning outcomes. Students work at the center for one-hour per week or 14 weeks in the first and second semesters. The center’s staff serve as mentors to the Early Childhood students, strengthening the skills for both the staff and the students. In Fall 2013, a remodeled location was dedicated to the program, providing a lab experience designed specifically for the program.  To meet increased student numbers and retain program quality, an additional faculty member was added in Fall 2014.  To provide a better opportunity for students to continue in the program even after a failed semester, the Institute moved the hybrid program into a spring start (Spring 2015), allowing new students the opportunity to start in January and current students to retake failed courses without having to wait until August of the following year.  The change also created the opportunity for non-traditional students to attend courses part time and continue to work during their enrollment.

While most programs are laptop based, Southeast Tech’s Invasive Cardiovascular Technology and Surgical Technology programs opted for an IPAD based classroom due to the opportunities the IPADs provide for graphic displays of human anatomy and learning apps that apply to their program areas.

Over the next three years, Southeast Tech’s priorities for improving Program Learning Outcome results include:

• Assuring that a CLT member is immediately assigned to all new programs and new faculty to provide direct assessment mentoring.
• Providing basic assessment concept training as part of the new employee onboarding course (3P1) to assure all employees understand CLO and PLO assessments.  
• Providing a more in-depth training to new faculty as part of the faculty training program (3P1).