SACS Compliance Certification Report (PDF) - South Florida State ...

The course-level assessment of student learning is determined by faculty and discipline or departmentcriteria established in the course syllabi. Data sources used to assess student learning may includeresults from embedded assessments, projects, rubrics, course projects, exit exam pass rates, retentionrates, productive grade rates, success in subsequent courses (developmental courses), focus groups, andstudent evaluation of instruction. For those courses offered via distance learning there will also be anadditional course-level comparison with student performance in the same subject, but a traditionalclassroom setting. Dual-enrolled courses receive a yearly analysis to assure the quality of educationaldelivery.Educational Program Outcome AchievementThe EPA Handbook provides direction for each component of the EPA assessment. Educational programsannually report their outcomes achievement using the EPA electronic documentation format. Facultymembers review program outcomes using established performance standards to compare with collecteddata results, analyze the findings, and then identify improvement activities. Improvement activities maybe minor and readily carried out, or may be more complex requiring new funding or sustainedimplementation efforts. These initiatives may result in modification to the annual Unit Action Plan (UAP)and/or budget or capital outlay requests. In all cases, assessment results are used to improve theeducational program and enhance student learning.The Academic Quality Committee (AQC) annually audits all EPAs for completion and constructivecritique. Members of the AQC subcommittee have been instrumental in the writing and assessment ofprogram outcomes. The subcommittee uses an audit tracking sheet to document successfulcompletion of the EPA and makes recommendations to the AQC for overall improvements to the existingEPA process.Program Review of educational programs occurs regularly according to procedure. SFCC reviewseducational programs every three years and provides requested accountability data to the state.Beginning in 2010, the college provided additional program information to each department in the formof a program profile. The program profile provides information about program viability and qualityindicators that may or may not be included in the EPA but will assist administration and program facultyto monitor program performance against set standards. Quality indicators, such as full-time to part-timefaculty ratios, course retention rates, and graduate/employer satisfaction data, are measures of aprogram that can be influenced by the academic department and college. Viability indicators suchas persistence/retention data, enrollment trends, or future employment projections are in large measureout of the control of the college and department.Evidence of ImprovementIn review of the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 EPA assessments, the AQC EPA Review Subcommitteeidentified extensive redundancy in technical program assessment, which was repetitive and difficult tomanage. The EPA Review Subcommittee recommended to AQC that technical programs beconsolidated under larger program classifications, yielding 22 technical program EPAs rather than 64.Since many certificate programs are a part of the Associate in Applied Sciences degree in the same fieldand the course work required in many certificates are also in the Associate in Applied Science degree,the change in the EPA process was felt to be justified; the change became effective for the 2009-2010reporting cycle.A sample set of EPAs for the past three years are in the table below to demonstrate evidence of theassessment cycle resulting in improvement efforts of educational programs.Arts and Sciences:South Florida Community College Page 80 / 202EducationalProgramEPA 2007-08 EPA 2008-09 EPA 2009-10