Annual Program Assessment Policy Talking Points

he annual program assessment is a free-form program review occurring every year, rather than
the formal program review happening on a three-year cycle. A free-form program review is
developed specific to each unit with the possibility for unique quantitative and qualitative data
specific only to the program area (Bers 2011). The annual program assessment is a formative assessment,
gathering more qualitative data and being conducted while students are in a program. The data and the
timing allow for corrections as students progress rather than after they have completed the program.

What is the Annual Program Assessment Why is the Policy Needed?

Policy?
Fall to spring retention numbers from the academic
year A certain amount of attrition in a program is to be
expected, however there may be factors in the curriculum or
with instruction that may impact these numbers. If something
is out of the ordinary there could be some additional
discussion on factors.
Program outcomes and student attainment Evaluate if
students are meeting the program outcomes that have been
designated for the programs. A discussion should be had
about the currency of the program outcomes as they relate to
the current industry needs.
Course competencies and student attainment Evaluate
if students are meeting the course competencies that have
been designated for the courses. A discussion should be had
about the currency of the course competencies as they relate
to the current industry needs.
Core values and student attainment Each course should
be working on the development of the colleges core values.
An evaluation should be done on where core values are being
taught and how they are being reinforced.
Course sequence A review of the course sequence may be
necessary if trends are noticed within the review of retention,
program outcomes, course competencies and core values.
Mid-States program review process is a positive step
towards continuous improvement. However in order to
consistently be bettering the colleges programs there
should not be a break. Every time that a course is taught,
and every cohort that starts a program provides
opportunities to look back at how the instruction took
place and explore the things that worked and the things
that did not. This exploration will lead to curriculum
improvements that lead to better student success and
persistence.
The mission of the technical college systems has always
been rooted in development of skilled workers. In the
21st Century skills that are required in the workforce
revolve around technology. These technologies are in
many cases are consistently changing as new innovations
bring about new more efficient ways to do things. Cornel
(2015) states, education institutions worldwide are
forced to keep up with the industrial and technological
innovations, in order that education can produce well-
trained employees in any economic or industrial field
(p.24). Continuous improvement in technical colleges is a
direct reflection of the need to consistently be evaluating
how we are meeting the intended course and program
outcomes, and if those outcomes are meeting the needs
of the skilled workforce demands.

Faculty at technical and community colleges have few

opportunities to evaluate the effectiveness of their
programs (Bailey 2005). Regular reviewing of the quality
of education allows for academics to build on their
strengths and address their weaknesses (St. Amant &
Nahrwold 2007).
Annual Program Assessment Policy Talking Points
Effectiveness of delivery modalities If the program is
utilizing different modalities a discussion should occur about
student attainment across the different modalities. Proposals
for changes in modality should be made on an ongoing basis
to find ways to help improve student success.
Evaluation of course assessments The program
assessment offers an opportunity to evaluate some of the
assessments in the coursework. Recommendations could be
made for effectiveness of the assessments and the progress of
student learning in courses.
Review of capstone/ clinical performance A discussion
of the student capstone projects or clinical performance is
necessary to give insight back on the effectiveness of the
program in its entirety.
Program assessments would allow for continuous
evaluation and improvement of all the Mid-States
programs each year. At the end of each year faculty have
just completed instruction of the entirety of coursework
in their respective programs. During this instruction,
opportunities for improvements in curriculum, modality,
and assessments typically come up and will have been
noted. At the end of the academic year time should be
taken as a program to review any of these observations
and identify potential opportunities for improvement in
curriculum, modality, course sequence, etc.

Mid-State Technical College instituted a program review process based off a Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) Action Project. The program review has been initiated to meet the
accreditation standards of the HLC and to develop a quality improvement process for Mid-States programs. Program
review will be leveraged to evaluate program performance, to provide data for decision making, and to establish a
framework for improvement and assessment of programs as they relate to the colleges mission. (Kiddo & Hagen-
Foley 2016).

With 51 programs available as of the 2017-2018 academic year at Mid-State it would be challenging for the college to
participate in a full program review each program every year. The college has created a multi-year cycle to conduct
the program reviews. With the current designated program review cycle, it would be approximately three years
before the next program review. In order to maintain effectiveness and currency with programs and to keep up with
the changing needs of the industries and employers this policy recommended adopting an annual program
assessment plan.

The current program review focuses on indicators of retention, course completion, graduation rates, and enrollment
numbers. These quantitative indicators can allow for trends to be identified, however many factors play into the
success of students in courses and programs. These factors often interact with each other and if you simply tally
them it may not give an accurate picture of program quality. The annual program assessment would take a more
qualitative approach, looking at additional factors that may not easily have a number applied to them.

References
Bailey, T. R. (2005). Paths to persistence: An analysis of research on program effectiveness at
community colleges.
Bers, T. (2011). Program Review and Institutional Effectiveness. New Directions for Community
Colleges, (153), 63-73.
Cornel, E. (2015). The Role of Internet of Things for a Continuous Improvement in Education.
Hyperion Economic Journal, 3(2), 24-31.
St. Amant, K. & Nahrwold, C. (2007). Acknowledging complexity: Rethinking program review
and assessment in technical communication. Technical Communication, 54(4), 409-
411.