3.5  Educational Programs:  Undergraduate Programs

3.5.1 The institution identifies college-level competencies within the general education core and provides evidence that graduates have attained those competencies.

R Compliance          
€  Partial Compliance         
€  Non-Compliance

NARRATIVE:

General education is an important aspect of the learning experience at Trinity Valley Community College. General education core competencies are clearly identified in the TVCC Catalog (p. 64; Core Curriculum Philosophy and Rationale). The competencies deal with students achieving proficiency in oral and written communication, reading comprehension and analysis, computer usage, critical thinking, and mathematics. The general education core at TVCC (including core competencies, core perspectives, and exemplary educational objectives) follow the mandates from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board which are outlined in Core Curriculum: Assumptions and Defining Characteristics (April, 1999). The specific requirements of the general education core at TVCC are described in further detail in Core Requirement 2.7.3.

The inclusion of core competencies is a major consideration in the development of core course syllabi (examples of course syllabi). Faculty members consider how and to what extent core competencies can be incorporated in their courses and decide upon instructional strategies that will most effectively enhance the development of core competencies. Consideration of appropriate and effective methods for evaluating the attainment of these competencies is also part of the course development and evaluation process. Classroom assessment is a major indicator of core competency attainment. TVCC utilizes a learner-centered, teacher-directed approach to provide consistent and continuous feedback about student performance and the achievement of course learning outcomes and competencies. Classroom assessment provides instructors with valuable data on the effectiveness of instructional strategies and student content mastery.  Successful course completion is one indicator that core competencies have been attained. The awarding of a degree is another indicator that core competencies have been achieved.

Beginning in the summer of 2003 and continuing through the spring semester of 2004, the core curriculum at TVCC was extensively evaluated, and the results of this evaluation were presented to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in October 2004. The Trinity Valley Community College Core Curriculum Evaluation Report (2004) describes the results of surveys of both faculty teaching core courses and students taking core courses. The purpose of the evaluation was to compare faculty and student perceptions concerning the amount of emphasis given to core competencies and the amount of coverage given to core objectives. The study provided valuable data for a significant student population, indicating their evaluation of the level of emphasis placed on core competencies in a variety of core courses and the amount of coverage given to core objectives. In general, the data indicated that core competencies are adequately emphasized in core courses, and core objectives are adequately covered. Faculty evaluated the competencies and objectives more highly than students, but, overall, the comparison between faculty and student responses was remarkably close.

Data from the Spring 2005 Graduating Student Survey indicate that the majority of students are satisfied with their educational experience at TVCC. Eighty-two percent of students said they were "very satisfied" with the program content of the courses they took, and 81.2% were "very satisfied" that the content of the courses was up-to-date. In addition, 81.3% were "very satisfied" that their educational experiences at TVCC had better equipped them to be independent and life-long learners (Graduating Student Survey - Learning Environment).

The Curriculum and Instruction Committee is a standing committee of the College that is responsible for “the continuous evaluation and improvement of instruction.” The Committee meets as needed to discuss, evaluate, and approve curriculum changes [TVCC Board Policy EE (Local)]. In the fall of 2005, a new General Education Committee was formed as a sub-committee of the Curriculum and Instruction Committee. The charge of this committee is to review and evaluate the general education component of the curriculum. The first General Education Committee meeting was held in October of 2005. The initial goals of the Committee are to review and revise the general education goals which support the institutional goals of the College; to research, evaluate, and recommend additional assessment methods to demonstrate achievement of the general education goals and core competencies; and to revise the current syllabus format into a common template used for all core courses to more fully reflect the coverage of core competencies as well as the methods used to evaluate attainment of those competencies. In this initial meeting, the Committee reviewed information about the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) test which measures the academic achievement levels of students in the core areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and critical thinking. The CAAP test was administered in 1995. TVCC compared well with its peers in the areas of mathematics and critical thinking and needed improvement in writing and reading (CAAP Results, 1995). TVCC attempted to administer the CAAP reading and writing tests in fall 2006; however, the College closed on the testing date due to inclement weather. The CAAP reading and CAAP writing tests are scheduled to be administered at the end of spring 2006. These two areas were chosen because enhancing reading and writing skills is the focus of the new learning initiative program being implemented by the College. The committee also established a goal of having a standardized assessment of all core competencies within a five-year evaluation cycle.

5-Year General Education Evaluation Cycle

Beginning with the 2005-2006 academic year, TVCC implemented a new process for developing, assessing, and reporting student learning outcomes.  All academic programs have developed Learning Enhancement Annual Plans (LEAPs).  Each plan specifies the desired student learning outcome, the implementation strategy, the assessment method, and the assessment criteria.  Each LEAP also relates specifically to one of the general education competencies of oral communication, written communication, reading comprehension, computer literacy, critical thinking, and mathematics.  Items 5 and 6 of each LEAPs form requests that the learning outcome be tied to a general education outcome (Sample LEAP, Physics). LEAPs will provide measurable data which will be used for program improvement, and they tie to an overall planning and evaluation process designed by the College (Planning and Evaluation Graphic).  The LEAP process is discussed more fully in Core Requirement 2.5 and Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1. 

General education core competencies are the foundation of the learning experience at TVCC.  Instructional processes which enhance the achievement of core competencies are utilized by the faculty, and processes for effectively documenting the achievement of core competencies will continue to be regularly evaluated by the College. 

DOCUMENTATION:

3.5.2 The institution awards degrees only to those students who have earned a least 25 percent of the credit hours required for the degree through instruction offered by that institution. 

R Compliance          
€  Partial Compliance         
€  Non-Compliance

NARRATIVE:

Trinity Valley Community College states in the TVCC Catalog (pp. 64-74); Requirements for Degrees) that a student must complete 18 hours in residence prior to graduation.  Since no degree has more than 71 required semester hours, requiring 18 hours in residence meets the 25% minimum.

Courses taken through TVCC distance education offerings apply to the residency requirement in the same manner as TVCC non-distance education courses. This includes Virtual College of Texas (VCT)-hosted courses approved by TVCC. See Comprehensive Standard 3.4.7 (paragraph 3) for a description of VCT.

DOCUMENTATION:

3.6 Educational Programs:  Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Professional Programs (NOT APPLICABLE)