Judgment of Compliance: The College certifies COMPLIANCE.

Narrative:

Wayne Community College faculty members take primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining the content, quality, and effectiveness of the college's curriculum.The job description for all instructors includes, among others, the following duties related to establishing and maintaining the content, quality, and effectiveness of the college's curriculum:

• providing effective instruction;
• developing courses and syllabi as needed;
• using innovative instructional strategies and new technology as appropriate;
• assisting in the evaluation and acquisition of instructional materials, technology, equipment, textbooks, and library holdings;
• participating in college planning processes;
• participating in marketing, recruitment, and retention activities;
• participating in professional development activities; and
• serving as academic and/or career advisors for students.

Faculty Participation in Curriculum Content

The Common Course Library: The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) maintains a Common Course Library (Link requires internet connection) (CCL)that includes all of the courses offered by the community college system. The CCL, developed in 1997 by instructional faculty from across the NCCCS, ensures that the introduction of new courses is standardized and facilitates the transfer of courses between colleges within the system. A system-wide curriculum review committee is responsible for maintaining the library and works with all 59 community colleges to respond to new program or course needs. At the system level, the course is established with a three-sentence description, a course number, and a class/lab/clinic credit hour designation. At the local level, departmental faculty determine the need for an optional fourth sentence to be added to the course description, and if it is used, faculty will write the sentence to summarize any additional content that the course may contain. For example, the Common Course Library description of ENG 231 American Literature I reads, "This course covers selected works in American literature from its beginnings to 1865. Emphasis is placed on historical background, cultural context, and literary analysis of selected prose, poetry, and drama. Upon completion, students should be able to interpret, analyze, and respond to literary works in their historical and cultural contexts. This course has been approved to satisfy the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement general education core requirement in humanities/fine arts. This course is also available through the Virtual Learning Community (VLC)". Wayne Community College 's English faculty members have added a fourth sentence to the description that reads, "This course has been designated as writing-intensive."

Curriculum Committee: WCC faculty members also participate in a formal process of course and program review and approval through the structure of a college-wide Curriculum Committee. The role of the Curriculum Committee includes the following:

• review and recommend current curriculum program and/or course changes;
• review and recommend requests for adding new curriculum programs of study or deleting others;
• review and recommend articulation agreements with secondary and post-secondary institutions;
• coordinate recommendations affecting curricula from advisory agencies, accrediting or certifying agencies, and state offices; and
• review, revise, and recommend internal procedures/processes associated with curriculum committee functions and/or curriculum program approval.

It should be noted that the Curriculum Committee follows procedures for adding new programs of study as outlined in WCC's College Procedures Manual 03-0201, Curriculum Programs Approval Process.

Advisory Committees: All curriculum programs have Advisory Committees whose membership consists of representatives from business and industry. A Wayne Community College Advisory Committee Handbook is given to each advisory committee member and describes the purpose and function of advisory committees. WCC Advisory Committees make curriculum suggestions and advise instructional faculty on trends in the workplace. These recommendations are frequently implemented, enabling the college to remain relevant in the job skills that are taught. Advisory Committees meet twice annually, and minutes are kept on file in the respective departments and the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. One recent example of an Advisory Committee affecting curriculum change is the addition of an Emergency Preparedness Technology (EPT) program of study to the Public Services division. In May 2004, the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee recommended very specific areas of study and training to be incorporated into the proposed EPT curriculum. The suggestions were incorporated through the various courses proposed in the EPT program. The State Board of Community Colleges has recently approved the proposal for an EPT curriculum, and WCC will offer EPT in Fall 2005. All documents, including minutes of the Advisory Committee meeting, can be accessed at Emergency Preparedness Technology documents.

Faculty: Faculty members also play an essential role in creating, maintaining, and revising the content of the general syllabus for each course taught at the college. Each instructor, in collaboration with other departmental faculty, generates a syllabus for each course offered. A complete review of all course syllabi occurred during Spring 2004. As a result, a new college-wide syllabus format was adopted. Special emphasis was placed on the inclusion of course level student learning outcomes and assessment measures for each course. Faculty members determine the appropriate texts, course-level learning outcomes, specific learning activities, and the methods of assessment to support course outcomes. Course syllabi are available for review at course descriptions, Academic Programs (Link requires internet connection).

Professional Development: Professional development activities are offered to all faculty members each semester. Wayne Community College 's long-range goal #3 to "enhance the performance of faculty and staff through learning opportunities and incentives" is documented by a comprehensive program of professional development activities designed to promote the personal and professional growth of all institutional employees. The activities include but are not limited to Return-to-Industry training, faculty upgrade activities, a basic Enhancing Instructional Skills Program (EISP) for new and inexperienced faculty, educational leave, and tuition assistance. The professional development program also funds in-house seminars and teleconferences.

Policies governing professional development opportunities are delineated in the CPM 07-0101, Professional Development Program. Faculty members apply to a professional development committee that evaluates requests and recommends funding. Upon completion of the activity, faculty members complete an evaluation form that assesses how participation in the activity has enhanced their effectiveness in their area and benefited their students. Direct outgrowths of faculty development activities have been the creation of new courses, improvements in current courses, and changes in curricula. More information on professional development opportunities can be found in Comprehensive Standard 3.7.3.

Instructional Support Services: Instructional support services for faculty are numerous and include support for faculty members and their students through the following:

• Academic Skills Center : tutorial services, supplemental instruction, and testing services;
• In-house and online library services;
• Writing Center : individualized help with writing assignments;
• Instructional Technology and Educational Technology Services: purchase and maintenance of all instructional hardware and software and distance education support;
• Counseling services, and
• Disability services: support for faculty working with special populations.

A more thorough description of all services supporting academic instruction is found in Comprehensive Standard 3.4.9.

Teaching Awards: Faculty members are recognized for outstanding teaching and student support through the annual George E. Wilson, Excellence in Teaching Award. Through a process of peer nomination and outside review, one faculty member is selected as the Excellence in Teaching winner. This person is recognized at the spring graduation ceremony where s/he is presented a medallion, a plaque, a $2500 cash award, and sponsorship to attend the annual NISOD teaching conference in Austin, Texas. In addition to the annual Excellence in Teaching Award, the College Foundation has been allocated funds to support several other Distinguished Teacher Chairs. In 2004, a faculty member from math, one from business, and one from science were selected to receive awards of $5000 each. Funds can be used for a variety of professional development or classroom enhancement activities.

Performance Bonuses: The NC General Assembly authorizes the State Board of Community Colleges to award performance bonuses to faculty and staff based on meeting the NCCCS performance measures and standards. Each college is awarded funding, when available, for each of the six measures it meets each year. The required performance measures are (1) progress of basic skills students, (2) passing rates for licensure and certification exams, (3) goal completion of program completers, (4) employment status of graduates, (5) performance of students who transfer to the university system and (6) satisfaction of program completers and non-completers. Since the implementation of the performance funding in 2000-01, WCC has met the eligibility criteria for award of the performance bonuses. Each faculty and support services person was awarded a monetary bonus for his or her contribution in achieving these goals, thereby attesting to the quality and professionalism of the WCC instructional and support staff.

Assessment of Program Effectiveness

Wayne Community College defines the effectiveness of its programs in terms of the success students experience in meeting their academic and career goals. Multiple evaluation tools are used to measure students' success in their respective programs of study, including college performance on system-wide Performance Measures and Standards, student and supervisor evaluations, and survey results like the graduate exit survey and advisory/employer surveys.

Instructor Evaluations/Appraisals: Each semester students evaluate instruction. Every full-time instructor is evaluated on two courses per year in an effort to assess the quality of instruction on the WCC campus. Part-time instructors are evaluated on each course taught. The results are compiled, and the instructor's supervisor shares feedback with the instructor. All evaluations are maintained in the department head's office. Division and department heads also perform annual performance appraisals on each full-time instructor. The evaluations are shared with the instructor as part of the formal evaluation process. More information on faculty evaluation can be found in Comprehensive Standard 3.7.2.

Graduate Surveys: The Office of Planning and Research annually surveys the previous year's graduates to measure the extent of satisfaction with WCC programs and services. The overall results of the 2001–2004 Graduate Satisfaction Survey indicate that responding graduates were very satisfied or satisfied with their individual program of study and the services provided to support their academic program.

Advisory Committee/Employer Satisfaction Surveys: The Office of Planning and Research annually surveys advisory committee members/employers to measure the extent to which these groups assess that WCC students are meeting college-wide student outcomes and to determine overall satisfaction with WCC graduates. The 2004 Advisory Committee and Employer Satisfaction Survey indicates that 98% of the employers responding are satisfied or very satisfied with WCC graduates and that graduates successfully meet college-wide learning outcomes. In addition, the NCCCS Office of Planning and Research annually evaluates NC employers on their satisfaction with community college program completers. The 2002-03 Employers Satisfaction with Graduates indicates that 93% of respondents were satisfied with the quality of program completers from Wayne Community College. WCC compared favorably with the state performance standard of 85% and with its five cohort colleges.

Table 1 Percent of Employers Satisfied with the Quality of Program Completers

Professional Agencies/Boards: External professional agencies/boards also evaluate program effectiveness of specific curricular areas including Aviation, Dental Hygiene, Dental Assisting, Cosmetology, and Nursing (Associate Degree Nursing and Practical Nursing). The results of WCC student success in meeting outside accrediting standards are available in Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1.Given the high pass rates of WCC students on certification/licensure exams, it is obvious that college faculty members have a significant impact on the successful preparation of students for their respective fields of employment.

Academic Program Review: Program faculty, under the supervision of the division and/or department heads and the Director of Planning and Research, periodically review all programs of study using the college's established program review process, the Academic Program Review. This process provides the on-going review of instructional programs. Academic Program Review addresses the college mission, student learning outcomes, demographics, performance standards, student and graduate survey data, FTE, part-time/full-time assigned personnel, strengths and weaknesses of the program and advisory committee recommendations. If the review process determines that program outcomes need revision, the appropriate department head and faculty, with input from the external advisory committee and other entities as appropriate, make the revisions. All academic divisions reviewed and revised, as needed, their programs' outcomes in the spring and summer terms of 2004 and updated the outcomes where appropriate. Faculty members follow the procedures and time-line for Academic Program Review outlined in the WCC 2005–2010 Strategic Planning Guide.