The institution ensures the quality of educational programs/courses offered through consortia relationships or contractual agreements, ensures ongoing compliance with the comprehensive requirements, and evaluates the consortial relationship and/or agreement against the purpose of the institution. (Consortial and Contractual Education Programs)

     X    Compliance         Partial Compliance         Non-Compliance

Narrative: Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College (OCtech) is one of sixteen technical colleges in the South Carolina Technical College System. The colleges work in collaboration with each other and with the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education (SBTCE) to develop, implement, and improve educational programs. Individuals who have similar positions in South Carolina technical colleges (peer groups) meet periodically to share best practices, recommend/approve policies and procedures, and discuss issues relative to technical education. Peer groups exist for several positions including presidents, chief academic officers, chief student service officers, and chief business officers. OCtech faculty and staff also participate in statewide committees whose purpose is to guide and evaluate initiatives in the system. In 2003, a statewide committee to review and standardize curriculum competencies for developmental mathematics was convened. Statewide developmental studies committees for both reading and English were convened for the same purpose in 2004. Until the Fall 2004 term, the SCTech-Online Leadership Team had been a standing committee to implement and assist in the management of the System's online course database. These collaborative efforts assist the sixteen colleges to ensure quality and consistency across the system.

OCtech maintains a consortial relationship with two universities, both of which maintain Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation. This relationship is formally constituted and consists of OCtech and its four-year public and private higher education partners here in Orangeburg: Clafin University and South Carolina State University. This Community Higher Education Council (CHEC) has as its primary purpose to expand options available to students when a particular course is not offered on a student’s home campus or is not offered on a schedule that fits the student’s academic program. As part of this consortium, articulation agreements exist between several academic programs that allow a seamless transition from the two-year to the four-year institution. Additionally, this partnership is governed by Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Policy 4.045 Cross Registration and by Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Procedure 4.045.01: Cross Registration. The relationship is also explained in publicly available documents, such as the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Catalog, 2004: Cross Registration Policy with OCtech, South Carolina State University and Claflin University (CHEC - Community Higher Education Council). The Presidents of the three institutions meet regularly to evaluate and monitor effectiveness of the relationship. OCtech evaluates the partnership against the College’s mission to “provide a quality and affordable comprehensive education program that will have a positive and economic impact on the citizens of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties.” This relationship is consistent with the College’s stated purpose “to promote educational opportunity by providing the means to overcome economic, academic, and other barriers.”

OCtech also maintains consortial relationships or contractual articulation agreements with both Midlands Technical College and Trident Technical College for programs in the Health Sciences. Both colleges are accredited by the Southern Association of colleges and Schools.

ONGOING EDUCATIONAL/COURSE EXPERIENCES IN CLINICAL SITES

Each of the Nursing and Health Science programs on campus maintains annual agreements with health care facilities. As part of training, students are required to participate in clinical activities. Relationships with properly qualified health service providers (HSP) are sought by appropriate academic programs and divisions. The Health Science and Nursing divisions make arrangements with HSPs to allow students to participate in clinical activities on their premises. Academic deans and faculty evaluate the capacity of the provider to support the academic program. Written agreements are used to formalize the working relationships. Deans, program coordinators, and faculty visit clinical sites and conduct evaluations of the sites and experiences to ensure each HSP's capacity to support the purpose of the academic program. Each relationship is governed by standards of the department’s outside accrediting agency

COOPERATIVE WORK EXPERIENCES

Cooperative work experiences are available to students for specifically supervised work related to their major. Students in the Electronics Engineering Technology program have an agreement with South Carolina Electric & Gas and BP Amoco. Students participating in this activity have the opportunity for applying classroom knowledge to the actual work environment. This arrangement furthers the College's Mission by promoting employment opportunities for OCtech students.

DISTANCE LEARNING

Through innovative technology, students at OCtech are able to enroll in courses on the Internet originating from other colleges in the South Carolina Technical College System. Credit is transcripted by the offering college and is received by OCtech as transfer credit. All of the state’s sixteen technical colleges maintain Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation.

TECH PREP

Tech Prep links high schools and two-year curricula by providing the background and skills required for rewarding careers in mid-level technologies in industrial technology, business, computer technology, health, and public service fields. Such technical training enables students to enter the job market or to qualify for advancement in their current jobs. Beginning in the 2004-2005 school year, OCtech serves as the coordinating and fiscal agent for its four school districts. As part of this relationship, articulations agreements are formalized in a Technical Advanced Placement (TAP) Manual. All of the area high schools maintain Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation. Tech prep relationships are governed by State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Policy 3-6-101: Articulation Requirements of South Carolina School-to-Work Act; the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education Procedure 3-6-101.1: Procedures for Developing Course and Program Articulation Between Secondary Schools and Technical Colleges; and by Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Policy 4.009: Tech Prep Articulation.

Evidence of Support: