3.5.1 Narrative

The institution identifies college-level competencies within the general education core and provides evidence that graduates have attained those competencies. ( General Education and Program Requirements )

Narrative: Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCtech) is committed to providing students with fundamental skills and requires a general education core in all of its degree programs, regardless of field of study. Each associate degree and diploma curriculum includes a core of general education courses that either meet or exceed the criteria of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The general education core for associate degree curricula includes at least one course from each of the following areas: the humanities/fine arts, the social/behavioral sciences, communications, the natural sciences, and mathematics. The general education component of each program is designed to ensure competence in reading, writing, oral communication, and fundamental mathematical skills. The core for diploma curricula requires at least eight semester hours and is designed to develop communication, computational, behavioral, and social science skills appropriate to the occupational purpose of the academic discipline.

According to the OCtech Mission, the College is committed to “meeting the community's need for a literate and technically-competent work force by providing students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes in areas of oral and written communication, problem solving...and development of interpersonal skills." The core curriculum is designed to acquaint students with the ideas, information, problem-solving skills, and modes of inquiry for use in every area of their lives. Students should be able to apply knowledge obtained from general education competencies toward programmatic content. Competencies are integrated throughout the general education program. DACUM charts also detail general education competencies; and course outlines/syllabi establish objectives and minimum learning outcomes, associated learning activities, and assessment and evaluation methods. Upon graduation, general education is identified and shown on each student’s transcript.

The State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education System (SBTCE) mandates conformity to state-established curriculum standards. For any program to receive state approval, that program must clearly articulate general education requirements. These requirements specify that the general education component of associate degree programs must contain a minimum of fifteen semester hours, including at least one course from each of the following areas: humanities/fine arts, social/behavioral sciences, communications, and natural sciences/mathematics.

The SBTCE reviews programs annually to assure their compliance with state curriculum guidelines and ensure that each program specifies courses its students must take to meet the general education requirements. Therefore, to help students more clearly identify those courses that meet core general education requirements, the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Catalog, 2004: Programs of Study lists courses required using the categories of communications, humanities/fine arts, social/behavioral sciences, and natural sciences/math. Additionally, outside accrediting bodies mandate a general education core for program accreditation. All of OCtech programs with accrediting agencies require the identification and teaching of general education courses.

The College provides evidence of achievement of General Education competencies in the following ways:

PERFORMANCE-BASED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE OUTCOMES
OCtech has made a campus-wide commitment to implement performance-based learning. The College has revised all courses and syllabi so that performance-based outcomes and assessments are reflected across the College. The syllabi/course outlines for typical general education core courses provide documentation for this standard. At each semester's end, students enrolled in college-level math courses are administered end-of-course tests to determine the level of competency achievement. Faculty members meet periodically to discuss results of such assessments in an attempt to make necessary adjustments in curriculum, instruction, or support services. English faculty members have developed rubrics based on course competencies to assess student achievement in English courses. Using the peer review model, faculty score samples of student work collected from the College’s English courses.

Programs make efforts to reinforce these skills throughout a student’s program of study. Programs are encouraged to integrate speaking and writing skills across all courses. The Learning Resource Center supports faculty in this process.

The following programs have capstone courses which require work that integrates a variety of general education core skills, in particular integration and application of math, speaking, and writing skills: Accounting, Early Childhood Education, Computer Technology, Engineering Technology, Machine Tool Technology, and Office Systems Technology.

National and state certification exams require students to put into practice the communication skills learned in communication courses and reinforced in other curriculum courses. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education's (CHE) Performance Funding Report requires a specific percentage of students to pass state and national certification exams. According to the 2003-2004 CHE Performance Indicator 7D, which measures the percentage of total students taking and passing certification exams, 92% of OCtech students were successful as first-time test takers.

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION EXPERIENCES
The Electronics Engineering Technology program incorporates Cooperative Education experiences through a partnership with South Carolina Electric & Gas and BP Amoco. During this experience, students are rated on general education competencies necessary to the workplace.

WORKKEY ASSESSMENT
The ACT WorkKeys assessment was administered to students in Industrial Technology, Business, and Computer Technology programs as another measure of attainment of general education competencies. Students were assessed using the following tests: Applied Math, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. This particular assessment may also result in a portable Career Readiness Certificate. This assessment will be implemented across the campus to include all other programs beginning next year. For students in Associate of Arts/Sciences and Early Childhood programs, a simulated PRAXIS I was also administered to students as another measurement of student attainment of general education competencies.

INTEGRATION OF SKILLS ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
While OCtech does not specifically label courses as “speaking intensive” or “writing intensive,” there are ongoing efforts to stress the application of general education competencies across the curriculum. Faculty members understand that these core competencies are skills that must be practiced in order to ensure student attainment of general education competencies. The College has worked diligently to encourage faculty from technical and general education curricula to work together to reinforce the general education skills.