Reviewer's Comments

The College does have established competencies outlined in its 2006-2007 general catalog; those competencies are separated for the associate of arts and certificate programs. Although these competencies have been identified, the College has provided only limited evidence of actual assessment of the competencies (student attainment of competencies). General education competencies reflect not the learning in one course but rather an integration and synthesis of knowledge and skill acquisition, and sometimes effective development, which is obtained via an entire program of study. The Off-Site Committee encourages the On-Site Committee to secure additional documentation evidencing that BPCC graduates have attained the general education core competencies.

Response

In its original Compliance Audit narrative for Comprehensive Standard 3.5.1 (college-level competencies), Bossier Parish Community College stated its compliance with the standard because the College had identified college-level competencies within the general education core of the College's associate degrees and certificates. The Off-Site Review Committee directed the On-Site Review Committee to secure additional documentation evidencing that BPCC graduates have attained the general education core competencies.

At the time of the submission of the Compliance Audit report, Bossier Parish Community College had just completed a two-year redesign of course and learning outcomes to reflect a learning-centered approach, which previously had been a goals and objectives approach. The first academic year in which the College collected data to document attainment of general education core requirements based on learning outcomes was 2006-07, which included fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters. At the time of submission of Compliance Audit in March 2007, the spring 2007 semester was still in progress. At that time, learning outcome results and the use of them from fall 2006 were still being collected, and this information from spring 2007 was not complete. The Bossier Parish Community College general education core competency assessment document has now been completed to show that students have attained core competencies. The General Education Core Competency Assessment is attached as documentation. This document illustrates student attainment of college-level competencies and the use of the results for improvement of student success. This approach is now an annual process.

Bossier Parish Community College documents that graduates have attained the competencies at the time students apply for graduation. The Application for Graduation contains certification by the Academic Division Chair and the Executive Dean of Instruction that graduates have attained core competencies. The certification of core competencies is based on mastery noted by the assessment of the learning outcome.

Source

Location

Application for Graduation

ApplicationforGraduation.pdf

General Education Core Competency Assessment

GenEdCoreCompetencyAssessmentC.pdf