Wayne Community College - SACS Website

Core Requirement 2.7.4: Contractual Arrangements for Instruction

The institution makes arrangements for some instruction to be provided by other accredited institutions or entities through contracts or consortia, where appropriate. The institution itself, however, provides instruction for all course work required for at least one degree program at each level at which it awards degrees, or provides an alternative approach to meeting this requirement. The Commission on Colleges approves the alternative approach. In all cases, the institution demonstrates that it controls all aspects of its educational program.

Judgment of Compliance: The College certifies COMPLIANCE.

Narrative:

Wayne Community College (WCC) provides instruction for all course work required in all degree programs for which it awards associate degrees. The college participates in four (4) collaborative agreements with other colleges in the North Carolina Community College System to provide instruction in course work required for associate degrees by those institutions; however, these degrees are not awarded by WCC. Currently, agreements are in place for Surgical Technology and Global Logistics Technology with Lenoir Community College, Healthcare Management with Pitt Community College, and Community Spanish Interpreter with Wilson Community College. The College also participates in the Eastern Carolina Plastics Technology Center (ENCPTC) Consortium with Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash, Wake, and Wilson Technical Community colleges. Classes for the first year in this consortium are taken at the six participating community colleges. Classes for the second year are taken at the ENCPTC, located in Zebulon, NC. An AAS degree in Plastics Technology can be awarded by each of the consortium colleges including WCC.

Wayne Community College maintains the quality of all courses and programs offered through consortium arrangements. Courses and programs are approved by the North Carolina Community College System and are reviewed annually by participating colleges. Courses offered by WCC are monitored by department heads who are responsible for ensuring quality and curriculum integrity based upon the standards held by the college. Qualified and experienced faculty members teach all courses. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredits each of the colleges engaged in these collaborative agreements.

Wayne Community College 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, Wayne Community College 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 Mitchell's cosmetology 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. 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. The contractual agreement between WCC and Mitchell’s Hairstyling is reviewed annually to make certain it adheres to the standards and mission of the College.

The Wayne Community College Division 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 allow students to participate in clinical education as part of their training. Oversight of the clinics is provided through on-site visits by academic faculty to 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).

The Director of Cooperative Education has also established a formal contract with the Naval Air Depot (NADEP) in Havelock, North Carolina, and informal contracts with various organizations and agencies in the local area/region to serve as sites for WCC student cooperative education experiences. Cooperative Education (co-op) is an educational plan that integrates classroom learning with supervised work experience in an employment situation directly related to the education program of a student. WCC has twenty-two curriculum programs that include cooperative education as part of the program of study. The quality and compliance of the educational experiences in cooperative education are monitored very closely. North Carolina state auditors examine Cooperative Education records once a year, reviewing all three semesters of the previous year. The Director of Cooperative Education monitors the program activities each semester following the guidelines provided by the North Carolina Community College System.

A curriculum program faculty member and an on-site supervisor oversee each student’s cooperative education experience. The work experience is also documented in the Cooperative Education workbook completed by each student. The workbook is submitted for review by the on-site supervisor, faculty coordinator, and the Director of Cooperative Education before the student receives credit for the work experience. In addition, the Office of Planning and Research and the Director of Cooperative Education survey students to assess the quality of their work experience as well as the quality of services provided by the co-op office.

In sum, Wayne Community College is required by the North Carolina Administrative Code and specific procedures of the North Carolina Community College System to ensure the quality of educational programs and/or courses offered through consortia relationships or contractual agreements. Specifically, the requirements related to collaborative agreements between institutions in the community college system are outlined in the NC Administrative Code, Title 23, Chapter 2 – E.0604: Collaborative Agreements and the NCCC System Offices Curriculum Procedures Reference Manual, Collaborative Agreement Plan Procedures. As previously stated, 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.

Additional rationale for judgment and documentation for this requirement can be found in the compliance report for Comprehensive Standard 3.4.7.