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Narrative: Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCtech) engages in institution-wide planning and evaluation processes that are integrated, continuous, systematic, and inclusive of all programs and services. Instructional program evaluation is mandated by the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Policy: 3-1-301: Instructional Program Evaluation.  Both the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Procedure: 3-1-301.1: Instructional Program Evaluation and the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Procedure: 3-1-301.2: Instructional Program Evaluation Timetable and Procedures guide this process, along with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) requirements. However, the College goes beyond the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE) mandates and reviews programs and services annually as part of its process for strategic planning and continuous improvement. This process is described in the planning document that guides the OCtech process: Planning for Institutional Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement at OCtech.

Compliance Review Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1: Institutional Effectiveness discusses extensively the implementation of the College’s ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide planning and evaluation process. Compliance Review Comprehensive Standard 3.4.1: Educational Programs discusses the establishment and evaluation of program and learning outcomes. Additionally, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) evaluates each college on numerous indicators of effectiveness as part of the state’s Performance Funding process. The evaluation of each of the critical measures results in a numerical rating of the College’s performance on the total Performance Funding criteria. The following Performance Funding Reports are included in the documentation below:

OCtech embarked on its current five-year formal comprehensive planning process in 2000, resulting in the current five-year plan and evaluation process evidenced by the current Strategic Plan and Evaluation Document . Planning began with review of the College's mission, restructuring goals, and developing beliefs. A strategic planning team worked with these areas, bringing suggestions from other members of faculty, staff, students, and community. Teams worked together using the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) process to work with the various areas of the College. The College held its annual planning retreat with broad participation from every campus constituent group and from the community. Results from College surveys and the Faces of the Future survey made up the initial environmental scan and were shared at the retreat. Rotating teams provided input and review.

Upon return to campus, results from the planning retreat were shared throughout the College community, and the Plan was completed based upon this broad input. The President and the President’s Council approved the Plan. In 2003, as part of ongoing review and assessment, the teams developed belief statements and recommended changes to the College's mission. The Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical Area Commission approved changes to the mission statement on November 19, 2003, and the current five year Strategic Plan was implemented. A major revisiting of the Strategic Plan will begin in 2005.

Today, the planning process at OCtech is an integrated and mature institutional effectiveness system that furnishes a framework for participatory planning and assessment to position the College to continue to grow and effectively fulfill its mission. The mission that governs the Plan is as follows:

Under the guidelines of Planning for Institutional Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement at OCtech, the Plan is under continuous systematic review and is evaluated and revised annually to ensure continuous improvement of programs and services. The Plan includes a critical success factor for each of its goals, and the goals and objectives are evaluated yearly to monitor progress. The planning cycle includes an ongoing program of data collection and annual self-assessment of every unit and department in the College, along with evaluation of instruction and programs. Included in Planning for Institutional Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement at OCtech is an Institutional Effectiveness Data Collection Plan. This plan explains the data collection process at the College and schedule for reporting both internally and externally to the SBTCE, CHE, and for IPEDS. The 2000-2006 planning cycle integrates these processes into an institutional plan for continued success in accomplishing the OCtech mission. It also provides a Strategic Planning Process Diagram that illustrates the calendar for implementation of the multi-year planning process. In March of each year, the initiatives and priorities from all units and departments are reviewed as the foundation for the development of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. Program coordinators, division deans, and department heads submit their budgets (Sample Budget Package) for the year, establishing priorities to ensure that the goals of the strategic planning process are addressed and that the improvements of the educational programs and services are continuous. The Annual Strategic Planning Process Diagram illustrates this process.

The process of planning for continuous improvement and institutional effectiveness at OCtech is led by the Dean of Planning, Research, and Development, but the evaluation of the OCtech Strategic Plan is the primary responsibility of the President’s Executive Team. College resource teams exist to assist in that process as team members help identify institutional strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities to achieve the College’s mission. The teams also help identify threats that may impinge upon the mission. These analyses guide the institution in

In tandem with the evaluation of the Strategic Plan, students, faculty, and appropriate administrators assess OCtech’s educational programs at the course, program, and institutional level. Prior to this year, each program was formally reviewed every four years. That process now occurs annually. The Program Reviews for each degree program are included as evidence of practice at OCtech. As part of that review, students evaluate instruction each semester. Each instructor, in collaboration with the academic dean, reviews results from the Student Evaluation of Instruction and the Graduate/Alumni Exit Survey to determine student satisfaction of content and delivery of instruction. Additionally, program faculty members review the Employer Survey to determine employer satisfaction with OCtech graduates. Advisory Committee meetings occur for every program at least annually, and DACUM panels are required on a four-year schedule as an additional level of review.

All of these evaluations are used to improve programs. They also generate Institutional Effectiveness Reports, which ensure that student learning is taking place and that services are being efficiently and effectively provided. These reports assist with OCtech’s strategic planning and budget development and provide guidance for making program improvements in all areas of the College. Institutional Effectiveness reporting at the College includes both internal and external reports. The reports include the following formal reports included in the documentation below:

OCtech’s internal strategic planning is held accountable to educational program standards by external agencies and accrediting bodies. It is OCtech’s practice to ensure that all programs with accrediting agencies undergo self-study and receive accreditation. The Outside Accrediting Agency List below includes the last date of review or study for each program. The Accrediting Agency Letters of Approval document contains the formal approval notifications for each of the following accredited programs:

Indicators of performance are also established through the legislature, CHE, and the SBTCE. Some of these critical measures are access, retention, graduation, licensure pass rate, job placement, success rate of transfer students, mission focus, quality of faculty, and administrative efficiency. The annual Performance Funding Report compiled by the CHE has given the College an “Exceeds” rating for each of the last two years. For 2003-2004 the college narrowly missed an "Exceptionally Exceeds" by only .02 of a point. No college has, as yet, attained that rating. Every year for the last seven years, the College has attained an "Achieves" or an "Exceeds" rating.

These efforts listed above demonstrate that OCtech plans continuously to effectively accomplish its mission “to provide quality and affordable comprehensive education programs that will have a positive social and economic impact on the lives of the citizens of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties and the state of South Carolina.” The College ensures that its educational programs are under constant evaluation to meet educational program outcomes. OCtech’s program of continuous planning and evaluation affirms the College’s commitment to quality instruction and to maintaining excellence in its many programs. The participation of programs and departments in the internal evaluation and planning process demonstrates that commitment, as does the participation of faculty members on the strategic planning resource teams. The variety of internal and external reviews conducted demonstrates the College’s commitment to reviewing and updating its programs and policies to ensure the learning environments provided meet the needs of a diverse student body.

Evidence of Support: