The local plan was developed through a collaboration involving the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs, Director of Off Campus Services, Executive Assistant to the President, Academic Dean for the Business Division/Designated Technology Dean and the Perkins Project Director/Liaison. The committee drew from historical data, Advisory Committee recommendations, input from secondary faculty and administration and P-16 Council members

Allied Health Programs have a combined major field passage rate of 85% on the licensure tests used as the assessment instrument. This compares to a statewide rate of 92%. Activities of grant will assist the College in moving towards the projected passage rates for the College and statewide by assisting with the alignment of curriculum in the allied health programs to technical skill areas defined within Perkins. This will be accomplished through continuation of substantial clinical instruction delivered in a workplace setting where students are exposed to hands-on experiences. Licensure exams, being the assessment used to measure performance, are industry based and represent minimum levels of technical proficiency established by licensure boards at the state level. They include individual professional associations’ involvement at national levels.
The College will continue to require review sessions for preparation of sitting for the exams, will examine curriculum to insure that content aligns with licensure requirements and will work closely with other professionals in the specific fields of study to stay abreast of new skills within each area of expertise. In addition, the rigorous requirements of maintaining accreditation by the national accrediting agencies will further assist with insuring that technical skills are achieved by graduates in the allied health area. These accreditations and Program approvals include:
• Commission on Dental Accreditation, American Dental Association
• Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, American Physical Therapy Association
• Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiology Technology
• Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education(CAHIM)
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in cooperation with the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for Emergency Medical Services profession
• (CoAEMSP) and Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)
• Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS)
• Committee on Accreditation for Ophthalmic Medical Programs) CoA-OMP)
• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Upon review of graduation rates of CTE concentrators, VSCC’s greatest need was identified as expansion of education links with four-year institutions for AAS graduates. The Division has, in recent months, put in place articulation/transfer agreements with Middle Tennessee State University and Western Kentucky University which allow our AAS graduates to enroll in Bachelors degree programs at each university with no credit loss; graduation from VSCC is a stipulation and the smooth transition is an incentive. The Institution also continues its focus on studying the provision of Technical Certificate-level education and training that leads lock-step into the AAS degree as well as designing and implementing those courses and programs to make the path clearer and more easily attainable to potential students. The most recent of these is a certificate in Early Childhood Education that leads to the AAS in Early Childhood. The completion of six tests and the implementation of a test-out procedure through the 2007-2008 Perkins grant, along with the planned completion of 4-5 additional tests, will also ultimately contribute to an improved graduation rate of CTE concentrators; studies indicate that more rapid progress toward a degree or certificate pays such dividends. 2008-09 Perkins funds will be utilized in the continued expansion of education links to four-year institutions and development of additional tests. These improvements will create a more “user-friendly” education path, leading to increased retention, transfer and graduation rates.

As a strong component of increasing the retention and transfer rates of CTE concentrators, the institution has implemented advising efforts that include contact by faculty advisors with those students who appear to be dropping or stopping out to offer them assistance and encouragement where needed. All of the efforts to improve graduation rates outlined above also contribute to the improvement in retention of CTE students and their persistence toward the completion of programs that lead directly to employment in their CTE field. Improvement of transfer rates, in the cases in which it is relevant, is also addressed above. The results of these efforts will be tracked for CTE students, as well as others. In addition, the Radiologic Technology program has instituted additional aptitude testing specifically aimed at improving selection (including the aspect of self-selection) into the program and consequently improving retention. This process was begun to address declining retention rates. As above, the development and addition of the tests and test-out procedures, involving a significant number of high school CTE courses whose curricula align with the college CTE courses, is expected to improve the retention rates of CTE concentrators. The development of tests and test out procedures will include the development of a mechanism for ongoing collection of the testing data. These improvements will create a more “user-friendly” education path, leading to increased retention, transfer and graduation rates. Perkins funding will be applied to the creation of the tests and test out procedure, as well as the development of the data collection mechanism; VSCC will implement and maintain all other efforts listed.

For a number of the CTE fields, particularly in Allied Health, licensure is a critical placement issue. In the Physical Therapist Assistant program the first time pass rates had dropped to below 70% (although the final pass rate was still more than 20 points higher). The College employed an outside firm to deliver the National Board Review in a two day session on campus in 2006-2007. The first time pass rate improved to 91%. The process was continued in 2007-2008 due to the success of the initial program; the results will soon be available. It is expected that continued use of the outside firm will continue to improve the pass rate %, which is very near State goal at his point. The Office of Career Placement works closely with graduates in resume preparation, interview skills, and in identifying potential places of employment. This office will continue to work with graduates. Placement Surveys to track placement rates are conducted each year and the results are used by academic program directors to identify areas of improvement. In addition, the Allied Health Programs obtain results of a Graduate Satisfaction Survey designed to measure levels of student satisfaction with their preparation. Employer Surveys are conducted annually to obtain feedback from employers and to strengthen relationships with potential employers of Volunteer State graduates. No Perkins funding will be applied to this effort.

In relation to the area job market, there is little evidence to indicate that gender non-traditional participation needs to be addressed in the CTE programs of VSCC at this time. The College offers few programs that lead to careers that are traditionally male-or female-dominated. Through our career-awareness efforts in the schools in the past and into the future, we have and will continue to emphasize that the doors are open to both genders in selection, training, and employment in the CTE fields in which we deliver training. Males do need to know, for example, that there are not as many men in the Paralegal field as women, and that the field is open to anyone. Perkins funding will be applied to this area as a piece of the marketing of the CTE Dual Enrollment programs, specifically as it relates to depiction of males/females in other gendered specific fields.

As above, in relation to the area job market, there is no measurable evidence that indicates that gender non-traditional graduation rates warrant significant change in any of the CTE programs of the College at this time. VSCC will continue to work, through marketing and encouragement of counselors, to raise the awareness of students in the existing opportunities and to provide assistance in overcoming any perceived barriers to a gender non-traditional field. As stated in 5P1, Perkins funding will be applied to the marketing of gender non-traditional fields in a manner welcoming to other genders.

Volunteer State Community College (VSCC) is working with the P-16 Council to incorporate Career and Technical education into the public schools, primarily through dual enrollment. At the last P-16 Council meeting, 3 counties were targeted including Sumner, Robertson, and Wilson counties. VSCC continues to strengthen relationships with board of education members, secondary schools personnel, and local building level administrators in order to insure a smooth transition of career and technical education opportunities into the high schools within these three counties. The goal of career and technical education is to afford the students an opportunity to enter the workforce with a skill that is in high demand, usable and marketable. Career and technical education provides the dual enrolled students with the foundations that are related to a particular career, familiarizes them with terminology used in their particular areas of interest, and assists them in identifying and making informed decisions about career and technical work opportunities. The P-16 Council brings together administrators from all walks of life, such as mayors, chamber of commerce members, college presidents and administrators, local school board representatives, principals and other stakeholders. VSCC is developing seminars and summer educational programs which will incorporate CTE into the secondary schools. In essence, there will be expanded dual enrollment courses and dual enrollment CTE courses by 2009; funding for the expansion will be Perkins IV.

All AAS degree programs require 16-17 hours of General Education core academic courses for degree completion. In addition, many courses in CTE (AAS degree programs) require problem solving demonstration, critical thinking in assessment of cases and problems, and writing across the curriculum competency. VSCC’s NewSkills office will continue to work with CTE students as needed to raise ACT scores in reading, writing, and math to acceptable levels for CTE dual enrollment participation. The NewSkills office also offers special summer workshops for students. All program supports are funded by VSCC.

Volunteer State Community College has a long history of articulation agreements between the college and secondary institutions within the 12 county service area. Assessments were written for six newly articulated courses during the transition year. Plans are to expand those options, with the use of Perkins funding, by devising four new assessments during the 08-09 year and three new assessments during the 09-10 year.

AAS faculty will continue to forge strong bonds with high school teachers and students. The dual enrollment liaisons for both the main and Livingston campuses will meet with high school teachers and administrators to determine new articulation course options. Commonly used and referenced United States Department of Labor and United States Office of Employment position statements and reports continue to stress that higher education and formal preparation beyond high school that prepare individuals for jobs and careers result in a higher probability for long term employment, greater lifelong earnings, and a stronger national, regional and statewide economy.

VSCC has offered CTE dual enrollment courses, such as CIS100 at Greenbrier High School, for as many as 5 years. The entire VSCC dual enrollment office has in the past and will continue to work to increase high schools’ awareness of CTE dual enrollment possibilities and help them to recruit and register CTE students. VSCC will continue to expand the articulation efforts present throughout the service area in the next two years by expanding opportunities for additional dual enrollment courses, training opportunities for secondary school faculty and staff, and career exploration events for students on the VSCC main campus. VSCC will initiate test out procedures for at least 8 CTE courses in the next two years. The career day exploration events will be outlined in question # 3. VSCC will also assist any interested teacher and/or high school to set up a dual credit course or courses and will continue working with the teacher and students throughout the course(s) to assure success. Currently the College has a number of articulation processes in place including test outs of skill based courses in word processing and computer literacy, and dual enrollment courses in the CIS area. The College will expand dual enrollment classes in CTE types of offerings including Logistics and Supply Chain Management. The Business Division will create an opportunity for LGM 130 –Introduction to Logistics Management - to be available as a dual enrollment course for the Spring 2009 Semester. Perkins funding will enable the Business Division to inform counselors, parents, and students of the dual enrollment option “Introduction to Logistics”. The liaisons contact with the schools will facilitate this. Second-year (2009-10) goals in this area include expanding dual enrollment CTE opportunities for students by three (3) additional courses from the divisions of business and/or social science and education and increasing student participation to meet the FAUPL benchmarks.

An additional linkage will be an expanded web page for each of the AAS programs, partially funded with Perkins transition funds. High School counselors, teachers and students will be able to direct others to the VSCC web site for extensive information about careers, classes, demand, potential salary, etc for every AAS program. The site will provide direct contact with teachers and program coordinators as well. The dual enrollment application will also be available online. Students in grades K-12 are generally not as aware as they should be of the health care industry and allied health professions in order to begin to plan and make even tentative career decisions while they are still in secondary school. Knowledge and awareness of emerging opportunities and significant changes in the business fields is also lacking. Students often have no, or unrealistic, expectations, and little direct contact with training entities or actual practice. One or more experienced part-time, web-designers will be employed to work with the faculty in selected programs in Allied Health and Business to put the web model in place for all AAS programs. In the 2008-2009 cycle an attractive, interactive web-presence, beyond the existing point-and-click pages, will be developed and opened up for three of the highest-interest, highest-demand health programs (e.g. Radiology Technology, Physical Therapist Assistant, and Respiratory Therapy) and one Business program (Logistics and Supply Chain Management). Information from our transition year marketing survey will be analyzed to determine the highest areas of interest among the parents and students in the area and will direct the phase-in of the various pages. The web-pages will be intended for career and training information for parents and will provide direct contact with a person who will deliver live or on-line information and advising, and will be an important recruiting tool. Additionally, a part-time data-collection consultant will develop the mechanisms to collect, on an ongoing-basis, demographic and other data from the use of this aspect of the web-site to apply to improvement of contact with CTE students. This process will be put in place during 2008-2009 and will be funded with Perkins IV.

VSCC Administration and Career Placement strives to keep students aware of new industry trends. VSCC makes every possible effort to attract and keep the best qualified faculty, in spite of economic instability. The College’s textbooks are current and are updated regularly. AAS advisory committees were revitalized and expanded during the transition year with the aid of Perkins funds. Transition funds were used to employ an Advisory Committee consultant who worked to strengthen and enhance all existing advisory committees and to work toward the development of several others that needed to be created in new or sub-program areas. With the input of committee members, the Advisory Committee Handbook (the essential guide for advisory committee members and staff) is under review for all programs and will be extensively revised to make it more user-friendly, specific to each program, and, in some cases, more comprehensive. This interactive process is much needed and has received good reviews from the members and program staff alike. Funding in the 2008-09 Perkins budget will allow the continued employment of the consultant for completion of the process.

AAS degrees include work based learning and all VSCC students have the opportunity to participate in Cooperative programs. All Allied Health programs require clinical components which serve as experience in the related industry. VSCC offers scholarship help for students working within the VSCC campus. There have been many businesses and industry professionals come to speak with students regarding employment. They assist students, graduates, and alumni with their employment needs. As a free service, The Placement, Cooperative Education and Service Learning office matches the needs of employers with those of the student or graduate. The office assists with seasonal part-time and full-time employment opportunities. In addition, the office provides employment guidance and direct employment assistance to students, graduates and alumni of the college. It is a partnership between the college and the employment community.

The College will plan and deliver at least one on-campus Career Exploration Day Event for secondary school students linking them with working practicing professionals and employers. The goal of the event is to allow students to discuss, investigate career preparation requirements, and be advised about jobs and careers by practicing professionals and employers. A second event providing an in-service education opportunity for Secondary CTE teachers and counselors will include presentations by employers, practicing alumni professionals, and industry leaders. The event will include on-campus presentations, visitations to employment sites and realistic presentations related to job, career and employment preparation. An emphasis will be placed on including careers that are relatively unfamiliar and/or show promise. Careers presented will include but not be limited to, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Financial Services (banking), Health Information Technology, Sleep Diagnostics, Medical Practice Management, and Physical Therapy Assistance. The College will schedule these events at a time that will allow maximum participation. Transportation will be provided to off campus visitations, and allowance made for supporting secondary school offices and classrooms as necessary to allow participation. All of these activities will be funded through Perkins IV.

VSCC has upgraded computer labs in 5 high schools for use by high school faculty, students, and VSCC dual enrollment courses. The IT department of VSCC keeps computers operational and updated in software and hardware for on-campus and high school sites. The College has purchased state-of-the-art equipment for Allied Health programs, including new D2L, Banner, and Office 2007 for VSCC faculty. Extensive training sessions are provided by VSCC through Technology Access Funds (TAF). Updated computer labs support instruction in CIS, OMT and HIT programs. The faculty maintains constant updates in software application with the Technology Training office on campus. Additionally the college has a Distance Education office that maintains a training schedule for the D2L on-line instruction platform. Allied Health offerings in the Ophthalmic, Physical Therapy Assistant, and Dental Assistant programs maintain state-of-the-art training equipment. VSCC provides professional development opportunities for administrators and faculty, who are challenged to seek industry-specific professional opportunities which will enhance their effectiveness. Through the joint effort of Vol State and the CTE faculty and administrators in service area schools, the College is also forming and improving relationships by attending professional development opportunities together. Examples are the Tennessee Alliance for Continuing Higher Education Conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the 6th Annual Career Clusters Institute Atlanta, GA. and the Model Schools Conference in Orlando, FL.
During the grant period a number of individuals will attend key professional development conferences, funded by Perkins IV.

The College will provide a training event for secondary CTE teachers in the form of a workshop that provides instruction and participation in computer based applications related to instructional delivery, design, and evaluation of learning. The event will be held on campus at a time that will allow the greatest participation. Content of the workshop will be determined by an assessment of emerging software tools available to support instruction in CTE programs. Vendor participation will be sought and an emphasis on useful “take-away” applications for teaching will be included. This activity, as well as the professional development conferences, will be high quality, sustained, intensive and classroom-focused in order to have a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction and the teacher’s performance in the classroom. This activity is included in the Perkins IV budget.

Each year, two Professional Development days are held on campus, along with various additional workshops and numerous VSCC sponsored trips to conferences, etc. for high school, county, and College personnel. Ex: Sumner team to Cookeville, Robertson CTE Dir to CTE conf.) There is new emphasis on International studies in all disciplines, which is funded through the International Education fee. Internationalization of the curriculum in all College programs, including CTE programs, is a planning priority of the TBR and in the College. Increasing globalization is reflected in jobs in many employment settings related to Business and Allied Health. All workers serve an increasingly multicultural population in a shrinking global community. As a result, there is a continuing need for professional development in the International Education area for all CTE faculty.

Faculty is provided the opportunity to take part in International speakers programs on campus. The sessions are scheduled during the day and evening hours and sessions are also recorded for review. Additionally, faculty is encouraged to take part in Internationalization of their curriculum with a request process for funding through the college International Education committee. Opportunities are also available for faculty participation in designing and delivering courses in other countries through the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS). The speakers program, internationalization of the curriculum requests, and teaching and designing courses for International Education through TnCIS are all funded by the College. In addition to the faculty development in the technology development center, faculty are further afforded the opportunity to take one graduate course per year under TBR guidelines, attend conferences, and take part in RODP training programs. All of these activities are funded by VSCC.

VSCC conducts evaluations of CTE programs through periodic self-studies required by specialized accreditations listed in question #10 and through major field tests. (The schedules of these self-studies and on campus peer visits that are part of the accreditation process are maintained in the Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning and Assessment Office.) Additionally, evaluation of each program includes tracking graduate placement, maintaining employer follow-up, conducting student evaluation of instruction, and conducting faculty evaluation through self, peer and supervisory components. Components of evaluation are included in Institutional Effectiveness Measures that support TBR Performance Funding and, as such, are funded by the Institution.

In the Allied health area, major field test results are reported annually in Performance Funding and are used by program directors to identify potential areas of improvement in CTE programs. These licensure exams are industry based and represent minimum levels of technical proficiency established by licensure boards at the state level and include individual professional associations’ involvement at national levels. Passage rates on Licensure Exams are an additional indicator of program and student success.

In the GBA program, a College based exam that is comprehensive and covers the common core curriculum components in all concentrations is given to each graduating student in their final semester. The test is faculty designed. Scores reflect knowledge and application abilities from the core curriculum. Analysis of overall scores and component area scores are provided to faculty for curriculum revision and review. The TBR requirement for this exam also allows a portion of the exam to be modified on a continuing basis to reflect changes in curriculum and technological advancement in areas including computer software.

Using TAF funds, the College takes part in a plan and a process to constantly update teaching and learning technology. Distance Education, computers, modernizing classrooms for multimedia and computer linkages are part of the annual plan and practice. The College continuously updates computer technology used in teaching. In the past year the testing program “Exam View” has been added, along with “Case Grader” for skills assessment in Power Point applications, Word and Excel. Office 2007 has been added to all instructional lab computers. Replacing instructional computers on a three year cycle has continued. Off campus labs, McGavock High School, and the Livingston campus have received new computers. In Distance Education delivery, a newer version of D2L has been installed College wide and is used on CTE distance education course delivery.

In 2007-08, the Ophthalmic Medical Technology program upgraded its technology to include the Humphrey Field Analyzer, which has been the gold standard for visual field testing in ophthalmic practices for over 10 years, added a “lane, and purchased many hand-held instruments such as lens, testers, and an array of sample surgical instruments for the students to identify and use in lab. A “lane” consists of the basic equipment used in an ophthalmic exam, linked together, in order to perform several tests without moving the patient. It typically includes an electronic chair, a base that supports a slit lamp, keratometer, phoropter, applanation tonometer, and several smaller instruments. Certification exams, including the skill-based exams, are computerized and use interactive simulation. The program purchased 18 CD ROMS for the students’ educational success as well as their ability to pass the certifying exam. All of these improvements were funded by VSCC.

During the transition year, Perkins funds were used to purchase Economic Modeling software. This software will allow for more efficient tracking of CTE program related data and market information and will also be used for new program development. Included in the 2008-09 Perkins budget is the annual renewal fee for the software.

In the transition year six tests were developed by faculty to be used with qualified high school CTE students based on an analysis of the correspondence between the curricula in Volunteer State’s college-level courses and the specific high school course. These tests will be offered to students who have successfully completed specific high school courses. They will be taken on computer and the security and the records will be maintained by the College’s Testing Center, both on main campus and at the Volunteer State Livingston campus. Arrangements may be made, at times, to deliver the testing in remote locations, including the schools; the details of this possibility are being studied. With Perkins funding, a consultant is working with the Testing Center to develop the electronic data storage and tracking mechanisms so that the information on students who benefit will be maintained and the other vital information (CTE fields, grade level, schools from which they come, pass rates, etc.) can be used for research purposes and to feed back into recruitment efforts.

The College is moving toward additional testing of high school students as the assessment instrument for granting of college credit; Perkins funding will be used to develop, in the Business CTE area, a “test day” scenario similar to that currently used by Northeast State Technical Community College in the Tri Cities area. Other viable options for engaging groups of high school CTE students in developing awareness and familiarity with the test-out process in our other fields will be considered and the offerings developed and implemented, with Perkins funding, over the two year period.

Recruiting, orientation, academic advising, extracurricular clubs and activities are provided through Student Support Services. NewSkills developmental resources, Cooperative Education, Service Learning, Diversity, TRIO, Placement Testing, library services, international education and disability services are all available. VSCC attempts to effectively target any and all areas that may impede a student’s academic progress, social interaction, and accessibility to services that others may have. The goal is to formulate the least educationally restrictive environment possible. These services are funded by VSCC.

The College has an office of Special Adult Services and Disability Services to work with displaced workers, students with disabilities, and returning adults involved in career transition. The Office of Disability Services provides accommodations to approximately 174 students who are registered with the Office of Disability Services. In addition to their approved accommodations, these 174 students are eligible for free tutoring, mentoring, and academic coaching. Accommodations are approved on an individual basis with some common accommodations provided to students with disabilities including: extended time on tests, testing in a non-distractible environment, and the use of digital voice recorders and note-takers in the classroom. Assistive technology is also available to students with disabilities and includes voice recognition software, textbook to MP3 creation software, and screen magnification software. Accommodations are also made for students who require alternative seating in the classroom. All accommodations available for the student body are available to CTE dual enrollment students and are funded by VSCC.

The estimate of students served in spring 2008 includes 4 economically disadvantaged (need based & age must be 18-21), 24 dislocated worker/non-traditional older returning adults (laid off from job that has gone out of the country, are older adults coming to school for the first time, and are needing to retrain for another job/career), and 12 non-traditional older returning adults (they meet the guidelines of need based, may/may not be working and generally in a healthcare degree program),

Students have a wealth of support services and advisory/counseling components. Various under-represented students are being incorporated into the marketing strategy in order to ensure gender diversity in predominantly male or female occupied careers. Showing under-represented students in marketing campaigns will subliminally encourage students to think of career options that they may not have otherwise considered. Also, the college has a Small Business Development Center for counseling and assistance with entrepreneurship education. All support services are funded through VSCC; the marketing updates are funded through Perkins IV transition year funding.

The college provides services in Placement assistance, Career Services and advice for students involved in Career search and choice, job interview preparation and two annual career fairs. These services are provided through the Office of Career Placement, Cooperative Education and Service Learning.

With Perkins transition funding, VSCC has expanded the web-based career information and made it easily accessible by every student, counselor, parent and/or teacher for each AAS program and resulting career. Every AAS faculty and dean offers career guidance for students. The Career Placement, Cooperative Education and Service Learning office provides personal counseling and job search materials to students including assistance via web site. On occasion, Advisory Committee members provide advice and job placement assistance to AAS students. These services are funded by VSCC.

VSCC’s philosophy is that each student should have a support system to assist them in pursuit of a degree or certificate and help them secure employment within their chosen field. The College supports a continuous process of assistance for the students. VSCC will utilize 2008-10 Perkins IV funding to create summer camps for CTE students to explore healthcare careers and to expand the services of the Advisory Committees. The camps will be conducted at both the main campus in Gallatin and the Livingston site. They will focus on career guidance and career building in Allied Health fields. The camp will consist of up to 40 students and will last approximately 1 week. Advice and counsel is available from Advisory Committee members and community and industry leaders.

New articulation agreements will be created and signed by the VSCC president and the LEA superintendents. VSCC will expand articulation opportunities/agreements by five more courses (Communications 120, Marketing 110 and three courses in Business and Computer Information Systems not yet determined) in the next year and three in 09-10. CTE dual enrollment course options will expand by three in year one (Medical Terminology, Criminal Justice, Introduction to Logistics) with two more to be identified for year two. Four VSCC liaisons will visit high schools and meet with personnel and students in each LEA to explain the College’s total offerings in articulations, CTE dual enrollment courses, and dual credit courses to provide students examples of how a combination of these opportunities can jump-start the students’ college credits in pursuing a degree or certificate. Expanding on the information provided in question #10, VSCC will develop a single summary document for AAS degree graduates that will outline the programs, institutions and key contact offices at each institution where full articulation to the Bachelors degree exists.

All AAS degree programs require 16-17 hours of General Education core academic courses for degree completion. In addition, many courses in CTE (AAS degree programs) require problem solving demonstration, critical thinking in assessment of cases and problems, and writing across the curriculum competency. VSCC’s NewSkills office works with CTE students as needed to raise ACT scores in reading, writing, and math to acceptable levels for CTE dual enrollment participation. The NewSkills office also offers special summer workshops for students.

All Allied Health programs require substantial clinical instruction delivered in a workplace setting. Cooperative education experiences are available to GBA students in the form of elective classes in all concentrations. The CIS concentration requires specific group projects and guest lectures from industry practitioners in a capstone course. Additionally, multiple courses in the GBA program require students conduct field interviews with employers and employees. The Paralegal Program requires multiple student court visits and many of the adjunct faculty are practicing attorneys. Legal software (Westlaw and Lexis) is used in preparation of course assignments is used throughout the legal field.

Two Professional Development days are held on campus each year, along with additional workshops and VSCC sponsored trips to conferences, etc. for high school, county, and College personnel. Ex: Sumner team to Cookeville, Robertson CTE Dir to CTE conf.) There is new emphasis on International studies in all disciplines, which is funded through the International Education fee. Increasing globalization is reflected in jobs in a number of employment settings related to Business and Allied Health. All workers serve an increasingly multicultural population in a shrinking global community. As a result, there is a continuing need for professional development in the International Education area for all CTE faculty. Faculty are provided the opportunity to take part in International speakers programs on campus. Additionally, faculty are encouraged to take part in Internationalization of their curriculum with a request process for funding through the College International Education committee. Opportunities are also available for faculty participation in designing and delivering courses in other countries through the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies (TnCIS). The speakers program, internationalization of the curriculum requests, and teaching and designing courses for International Education through TnCIS are all funded by VSCC.

In addition to the faculty development in the Technology Development Center, faculty are further afforded the opportunity to take one graduate course per year under TBR guidelines, attend conferences, and take part in RODP training programs.

AAS Degree and Certificate programs in Business and Allied Health Divisions have advisory committees. Each committee is made up of potential employers, graduates, business owners, and civic partners. Advisory committees are formed and meet at least annually. Members are advised of programs of study, clusters involved in secondary to post-secondary articulation, and member recommendations are sought on a continuing basis for course content, program suggestions and industry trends. During the transition year, Perkins funds were used to strengthen and enhance all existing advisory committees and to work toward the development of several others that needed to be created in new or sub-program areas. With the input of committee members, the Advisory Committee Handbook (the essential guide for advisory committee members and staff) has been reviewed for all programs and extensively revised to make it more user-friendly, specific to each program, and, in some cases, more comprehensive. This interactive process was much needed and has received good reviews from the members and program staff alike.

To ensure quality, the institution maintains national standards of various accrediting agencies which in many cases limit program scope and size. Specific programs in Allied Health, Paralegal Studies, and Business are nationally accredited, or have national program approval. Twelve national accreditations and program approvals are listed in the current college catalog for these programs. One aspect of maintaining the quality and size of programs is selective/restricted admission, a process maintained in our Allied Health programs.

These accreditations and Program approvals include:
• American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Legal Assistants
• Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs
• Commission on Dental Accreditation, American Dental Association
• Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, American Physical Therapy Association
• Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiology Technology
• Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education(CAHIM)
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in cooperation with the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for Emergency Medical Services profession
• (CoAEMSP) and Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)
• Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS)
• Committee on Accreditation for Ophthalmic Medical Programs) CoA-OMP)
• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Each accreditation agency requires advisory committee involvement, employer review and detailed student placement and student and employer program evaluation processes.

Maintaining program accreditation and taking part in the college Institutional Effectiveness Process insures and demonstrates continuous improvement in program planning, delivery and placement. In the GBA program, a College based exit exam that is comprehensive and covers the common core curriculum components in all concentrations is given to each graduating student in their final semester. The test is faculty designed for scores to reflect knowledge and application abilities from the core curriculum. Analysis of overall scores and component area scores are provided to faculty for curriculum revision and review. The TBR requirement for this exam also allows a portion of the exam to be modified on a continuing basis to reflect changes in curriculum and technological advancement in areas including computer software.

In the Allied Health area, licensure exams are industry based and represent minimum levels of technical proficiency established by licensure boards at the state level. They include individual professional associations’ involvement at national levels. Passage rates on Licensure Exams are an additional indicator of program and student success.

Additionally, evaluation of each program includes surveys of placement of graduates, employer follow-up, student evaluation of instruction, and faculty evaluation through self, peer and supervisory components. Components of evaluation are included in Institutional Effectiveness measures that support TBR Performance Funding.

The College has an office of Special Adult Services and Disability Services to work with displaced workers, students with disabilities, and returning adults involved in career transition. The Office of Disability Services provides accommodations to approximately 174 students who are registered with the Office of Disability Services. In addition to their approved accommodations, these 174 students are eligible for free tutoring, mentoring, and academic coaching. Accommodations are approved on an individual basis, but common accommodations provided to students with disabilities at Volunteer State are: extended time on tests, testing in a non-distractible environment, and the use of digital voice recorders and note-takers in the classroom. Assistive technology is also available to students with disabilities and includes voice recognition software, textbook to MP3 creation software, and screen magnification software. Accommodations are also made for students who require alternative seating in the classroom. All accommodations available for the student body are available to CTE DE students. Also, the college has a Small Business Development Center for counseling and assistance with entrepreneurship education.

Update of all materials used in recruiting and program presentation will include adequate reference and inclusion of under represented genders in nontraditional occupations across the college.

The Office of Career Placement, Cooperative Education and Service Learning works with students enrolled in programs on job search and interview techniques. Additionally, that office visits and works with students in general and specific program courses about career development, choice and opportunities. As students enter the variety of programs at the college, they are provided the opportunity to attend general information sessions that are faculty/coordinator/program director led related to the field of study, employment and program entry. Each enrolled student also has a faculty advisor assigned at the time of entry into the college.

The college recruits faculty, counselors and administrators involved in the various CTE programs with a comprehensive advertising in local, regional and, as necessary, national general and industry-specific publications.

Work experience and current professional licensure are often required for applicant consideration, especially for Allied Health programs. In the Business area, program specific and occupational parallel professional preparation coupled with appropriate graduate credentials is required.

Volunteer State will utilize web focus and SPSS as reporting tools to respond to all needs of Perkins data collection and reporting. Extracts will be completed during fall term and Perkins students identified. The database will be used to track students completing 30 semester hours and to determine retention and graduation rates. In addition, special populations will be identified by the Office of Disability Services which currently has the responsibility of providing services for self-reported disabilities, displaced homemakers, and other special populations. Student gender will be captured through the data extractions. Limited English speaking participants will be identified by students enrolling in English as a Second Language courses and through identification from the Department of ESL which is responsible for the ESL program. Major field-test results, licensure scores of first-time test takers, will be gathered from the licensing agencies and compiled for Performance Funding which will serve as the data source for Perkins reporting. Each Allied Health Department will work with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning and Assessment in reporting licensure score information. Each department will use the results of their program licensure scores and identify areas requiring attention. Through the existing institutional effectiveness process of the College, strategies will be developed and implemented to insure success on licensure exams.