RVCC 2019 NECHE Self-Study

shortened schedule (less than 15 weeks) must meet the semester equivalents for a credit
load outlined in Table 4.2
Additional courses described in this policy that are offered by River Valley include Clinicals,
Fieldwork, Affiliations, Practicums, and Internships. Contact hours for these classifications
are 60 minutes of direct instruction. All courses in these categories follow the policies
outlined by the CCSNH BoT with regard to credit load (outlined in table 4.2) and level of
oversight by RVCC faculty. Each of these courses has a course outline with measurable
objectives and, depending on the classification, is overseen by RVCC faculty in different
ways. Clinicals are taught in a patient/client care setting exclusively by RVCC faculty and
are found in the Nursing, Massage Therapy, and Occupational Therapy Assistant programs.
Fieldwork, Affiliations, and Practicums are found in the Occupational Therapy Assistant,
Physical Therapist Assistant, Medical Laboratory Technician, Respiratory Therapy,
Radiologic Technology, Medical Assistant and Early Childhood Education programs.
Students in these courses are working in direct patient/client/child care facilities, and with
approved preceptors while receiving regular oversight via electronic and in person visits by
RVCC faculty. Internships are offered in the Phlebotomy program and have oversight
similar to Fieldwork and Practicums. While many of RVCC’s programs have required
competencies, we have no programs that are completely competency based.
Guided Pathways & Program Mapping
In Fall of 2016, RVCC began rigorously working on program mapping with a goal of
introducing Guided Pathways and Academic Focus Areas. Many programs, particularly
those related to the Allied Health and Health Science fields already had program maps that
were provided to students during their first meeting with their academic advisors. Since
Fall of 2016, every program has worked to streamline their program maps to ensure
students are aware of which semester courses should be taken and the order which they
should follow. All current program maps are housed in Canvas for access by any advisor
to follow.
Early College
Our most prominent dual-enrollment program, Running Start, allows our courses to be
taught at the high school facility by high school teachers who meet our credential
requirements. Every high school instructor is overseen by a RVCC faculty member whose
job it is to visit the classroom and assess that the content being taught meets the course
competencies and is being delivered at the same rigor as it would be if offered directly at
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