Judgment of Compliance: The College certifies COMPLIANCE.

Narrative:

Wayne Community College (WCC) offers the following courses and/or programs through agreements with other institutions:

1. Collaborative Agreements or "shared" enrollment in specific programs of study with other North Carolina Community Colleges,
2. Contractual arrangements with a private educational institution to offer an approved diploma/certificate program (Cosmetology with Mitchell's Hairstyling Academy),
3. Clinical experiences related to Allied Health programs of study,
4. Cooperative Education experiences offering academic credit for specifically supervised work experience related to the program of study, and
5. College transfer course offerings at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Education Center

Wayne Community College is required by the North Carolina Administrative Code and specific procedures of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS Offices Curriculum Procedures Reference Manual, Collaborative Agreement Plan Procedures) to ensure the quality of educational programs and/or courses offered through consortia relationships or contractual agreements. The use of contractual agreements for curriculum programs/courses is also governed by NC Administrative Code, Title 23, Chapter 2 – E.0602: Curriculum Instructional Contract Provisions and the System Office's Curriculum Procedures Reference Manual, Curriculum Contracts.

Collaborative Agreements

Wayne Community College is engaged in five Collaborative Agreements with other colleges in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) in order to provide students with courses and programs of study (degrees) that might not otherwise be available to them. These agreements provide the opportunity for colleges to "share" programs of study. As stated previously, these agreements are established using guidelines from the NC Administrative Code and the NCCCS. Guidelines specify that resources, facilities, equipment, and faculty are available and that the curriculum program meets the standards of the appropriate accrediting agency. WCC guarantees the quality of all Collaborative Agreements because such agreements are with regionally accredited (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) institutions offering degrees, diplomas, or certificates at the same level. The mandates from the NCCCS and the NC Administrative Code also govern quality.

The five Collaborative Agreements active in the 2004 – 2005 academic year cover a broad range of subjects.

Table 1 2004-2005 Collaborative Agreements

The appropriate division and department heads annually review collaborative agreements with assistance from the Vice President of Academic Affairs to assure their usefulness to students and to assure that the terms of the agreement are being met. A review of WCC Collaborative Agreements in 2004 - 2005 indicated that WCC should terminate the collaborative agreement with Wilson Technical Community College due to lack of student enrollment. The termination process was mutually agreed upon by both colleges and was completed using the state-mandated procedure.

Clinical and Field Experience Placements for Credit Courses

Cosmetology. Wayne Community College currently has a contractual agreement with Mitchell's Hairstyling Academy to provide courses required for the completion of the Cosmetology certificate program. In accordance with 23 NCAC 2E.0602, WCC submits the cosmetology contract (which states the terms and conditions under which the academy will provide the courses) to the NCCCS President for approval on an annual basis. Within the framework of the contract, the college reserves the right to supervise the program to ensure quality of instruction and to protect the interests of the students, the college, and the state. The Wayne Community College and Mitchell's Hairstyling contractual agreement is reviewed annually to make certain it adheres to the standards and mission of the college.

A WCC faculty member is assigned responsibility for overseeing all activities associated with the Cosmetology program. This faculty member advises students, plans the course schedule, manages the budget, serves as a liaison with personnel at Mitchell's Academy, and evaluates program effectiveness. Program effectiveness is monitored in several ways, including student and employer satisfaction/feedback and the performance of students on the North Carolina Board of Cosmetology licensure exam. Although the state standard for passing the cosmetology exam is 70%, the passing rates for first time test takers from WCC decreased since 1998 – 99.

As a result of the students' decreasing performance and in response to the Cosmetology Program Review for 2003-2004, a Cosmetology action plan was developed in an effort to improve student performance. Although all 2004-2005 licensure results will not be completed until June 30, 2005, the January through December 2004 passing rates have shown marked improvement. Ten first-time students have taken the exam, and 80% have passed.

Clinicals Related to Allied Health Programs. The Wayne Community College Department of Allied Health has established contractual relationships for clinical placement of students in its Associate Degree Nursing and Practical Nursing (diploma level), Medical Assisting, Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting (diploma level), and Phlebotomy (certificate) programs of study. Contractual agreements with health care facilities and dentist or doctor offices allow students to gain practical experience under the supervision of academic faculty. The quality of these clinical experiences is ensured using multiple measures of assessment including formal student evaluations, faculty evaluations, facility health care professional evaluations, and advisory committee members' verbal input. On-site visits by academic faculty to the facilities and offices assess the quality of clinical experiences, adequacy of the number and variety of patient/client census, and availability of opportunities to achieve course and program learning outcomes. In addition, each of these programs (with the exception of Phlebotomy) must meet external board approval or accreditation through agencies such as the North Carolina Board of Nursing, the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, and the Commission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). For example, in October 2001, the North Carolina Board of Nursing conducted a routine survey visit of the Associate Degree and Practical Nursing Programs. During this survey, the Board of Nursing Education consultants found evidence from review of the Program Descriptive Report, departmental files, and discussion with faculty and students that the programs met the educational standards related to clinical agencies. A copy of the report giving WCC's nursing programs Full Approval Status was given to WCC's nursing programs.

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Education Center. Wayne Community College offers a variety of courses at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (SJAFB) Education Center located approximately 4.5 miles from WCC's main campus. Active duty, dependent, and civilian students attend these courses with priority given to the military active duty and their dependents. The majority of course offerings at SJAFB are college transfer courses that apply towards WCC's AA or AS degrees. In addition, the college offers seven courses that the Community College of the Air Force accepts as part of its degree (Acceptable Courses for CCAF). WCC can also offer special interest continuing education courses should the need arise. WCC and the United States Air Force, SJAFB, 4th Fighter Wing have a formal Memorandum of Understanding that details roles and responsibilities of both parties.

The Air Force provides the physical facility, the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Education Center, for all courses offered by the college. The SJAFB Education Center has a full service library, including a computer lab, which is open to WCC students. WCC students also have the support of the main campus library and the college's online library services. WCC students are provided academic support services from a branch Academic Skills Center (ASC) that provides supplemental and tutorial activities for students Monday through Thursday. WCC has been allotted seven classrooms, including a computer lab with 18 state-of-the-practice computers. Faculty and students have access to the Internet and the Blackboard software platform. Additional classrooms can be secured if the need arises. Courses are offered on an 8-week basis so that military members can complete an associate degree (AA) one semester earlier should they elect to do so. Therefore, two eight-week sessions are offered per sixteen-week semester (Fall I and II and Spring I and II) (WCC 2005 Spring Schedule of Courses). Only one session is offered during the summer. The college offers approximately 30 course sections per eight –week term. Several items of note include the fact that eight-week courses are offered in a variety of curriculums on the main campus as well as SJAFB and the required science courses leading to an associate in arts degree must be taken on the main campus.

WCC provides a director and secretary to oversee the day-to-day operations at the SJAFB site. The director has two master's degrees (one in adult education and one in counseling) and is a retired USAF Chief Master Sergeant. The director serves as a liaison with a number of military committees, registers active duty and dependent personnel, coordinates placement assessments, and works with college personnel to make certain that appropriate resources are available. One of the most important functions of the director is to coordinate with WCC's division and department heads in planning schedules appropriate to meet the needs at SJAFB. The division head of the main campus programs approves course schedules and faculty assignments. The director also meets bi-monthly with WCC's four division heads and the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Full-time WCC faculty members teach courses at SJAFB as part of their course load. Part-time instructors also teach courses at SJAFB. All faculty members meet the same credentialing requirements as on-campus instructors. In addition, the faculty evaluation process is the same at SJAFB as it is on the main campus. Comprehensive Standard 3.7.2 provides more information on faculty evaluation.

In point of fact, the only difference between SJAFB and the main campus operations is that the courses taught are located in a different venue.