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SOA Quick Links |
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SOA Reports, Briefs and Other Projects |
As part of Tidewater Community College's on-going assessment of its academic programs and services, the Office of Student Outcomes Assessment (SOA) collects and analyzes data across a variety of areas, and communicates these results to appropriate stakeholders. Most standard reports and briefs were typically generated by SOA and published biennially (with special reports and briefs generated on an as-needed basis). Responsibility for drafting such reports began to be shifted from SOA to other OIE personnel beginning in 2004. Therefore, this webpage serves as an archive of standard reports and briefs up to 2004. All current reports are now provided on the OIE Reports and OIE Briefs webpages.
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Archived SOA Standard Reports and Briefs |
| ACT Student Opinion Survey Reports |
The ACT Student Opinion Survey Report is produced biennially to measure student satisfaction with instruction and services at TCC. This report provides a descriptive summary of the survey results, which asks questions concerning the following areas: college impressions, college services, college environment, and academic expectations. The survey instrument has remained unchanged since 1994, thus allowing for longitudinal and national comparisons. |
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| Graduate Survey Reports |
Every two years the Graduate Survey Report is developed to support the assessment of the college's academic programs and services and to gain demographic, enrollment, attendance, employment, educational, and attitudinal data about TCC graduates. The Graduate Survey Report addresses graduates' satisfaction with their educational experience at TCC, and is used to identify both areas of strength and those needing improvement. Previous reports were generated annually from 1987 to 1994, and then biennially in 1996, 1998 (including Brief No. 99-4), and 2000. |
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| Employer Survey Reports |
The Employer Survey Report is conducted biennially as a follow-up to the Graduate Survey Report and represents the foundation upon which academic programs, particularly those in the occupational/technical area, are gauged for currency and overall effectiveness. The report investigates graduates’ skills and professional behaviors as viewed by their employers, with rating scales for how well TCC provides occupational/technical training and general education programs, overall job performance of each graduate, and intentions of hiring other TCC graduates from the same program. Previous reports were generated annually from 1988 to 1994, and then biennially in 1996, 1998, and 2000. |
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| Transfer Student Reports |
The biennial Transfer Student Report provides an analysis of TCC students who transferred to a four-year institution in Virginia and has two components. The first and largest component is based on performance data provided by the four-year institutions. The second component is based on a survey of transfer students which aims to capture the students’ perspectives on the transfer process. Together, the two components provide a broader perspective from which to examine the transfer process. Previous reports were generated annually for the academic years 1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, and then biennially for 1994-95 & 1995-96 (including Brief No. 99-2), and 1996-97 & 1997-98 (including Brief No. 00-4).
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| Student Outcomes Assessment Reports |
The Student Outcomes Assessment Report evolved over the years and provided an account of the activities that the Office of Student Outcomes Assessment. Results of research activities were included as they relate to the standards and objectives within each of the college’s key assessment areas. As set forth by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), these key areas included the following: general education, developmental studies, transfer, dual-credit, majors, and distance education. The 2003 Student Outcomes Assessment Report was the most recent report (published January 2004). Previous reports were required by the VCCS and generated annually from 1988 to 1997, and then in 1999, 2000, and 2001.
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* 1987 * 1993 * 2000
* 1988 * 1994 * 2001
* 1989 * 1995 * 2003
* 1990 * 1996
* 1991 * 1997
* 1992 * 1999 |
| Program Review Reports and Databooks |
Beginning in 1987 and continuing through 2001, the Program Review Reports were written by the SOA Coordinator, in collaboration with program faculty and administrators, and were embedded in the aforementioned Student Outcomes Assessment Reports. But since 2002, the responsibility for ensuring the completion of these Program Review Reports shifted to the Lead Academic Deans, with the SOA Coordinator serving as a consultant to the Lead Deans. As a result, Student Outcomes Assessment Reports now include a summary of program review activities and findings, with comprehensive Program Review Reports being generated and published by Lead Deans. Comprehensive Program Review Reports are embedded in the following Student Outcomes Assessment Reports:
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* 1987 * 1992 * 1997
* 1988 * 1993 * 1999
* 1989 * 1994 * 2000
* 1990 * 1995 * 2001
* 1991 * 1996
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In 2002, Tidewater Community College initiated a curriculum planning process involving extensive study and deliberation within the institution and broad-based consultation with community stakeholders (TCC Comprehensive Five-Year Curriculum Plan: 2003-2008, August 2003). Five major principles and corresponding strategies were identified to guide curriculum planning at the college in the coming years. Based on these principles and strategies, the college began developing a systematic process for assessing programmatic and student learning outcomes, the results from which are to be used for continuous improvement of all disciplines and degree-granting programs. Lead Deans, in consultation with their faculty, are charged with producing annual reports to account for what has been accomplished in enhancing current programs and implementing new ones, and to identify emerging developments that call for updates to the curriculum planning process. In other words, TCC engaged in the process of redefining the traditional "program review" into a collaborative and holistic quality assurance process that's befitting a strategic planning community college for the 21st century.
In an effort to make optimum use of limited resources and streamline data distribution for program review, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness has created databooks that provide pertinent data elements to assist with program review and evaluation. While most data elements found in these databooks have been available for many years, the data was scattered throughout numerous studies, reports, and webpages. The 2002 version of the databook marks the first time that these data elements have been compiled into one comprehensive document, creating a much more efficient and consistent method for program evaluation. Data includes a review of all college disciplines such as an analysis of faculty productivity data, enrollment growth, and grade distribution; and a review of each curriculum such as longitudinal data analysis of graduates, new students, and retention rates. The current editions of the Program Review Databooks are now available on the OIE Reports webpage.
* 1990 * 1995
* 1991 * 2002
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
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Special Projects |
| Distance Learning |
With the growing popularity of distance education, assessment of these forms of instruction was crucial to ensure a positive and beneficial learning experience for students. Therefore, a study of distance learning was conducted to determine enrollment patterns, retention, success in distance learning courses and the corresponding sequence courses, and student perceptions. Distance learning was defined as students enrolled in one of three modes of course delivery: telecourse, on-line, and compressed video. The time frame for the study spans summer 1998 to spring 2000. The resulting report "Distance Learning Report" was published April 2001.
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| Online Learning |
Online learning at TCC grew from 45 online courses during the 1998-99 academic year to 246 online courses during the 2001-02 academic year, representing a 447% increase over the three-year period. With the increasing popularity of online learning, it is especially important to assess the effectiveness of these courses. This brief summarizes data that address the extent to which students are successful in these courses, the rate at which students who enroll in online courses reenroll at TCC, and how well the online courses prepare students for success in future courses. A summary of results from a spring 2002 survey of online students is also contained in this brief "Online Learning at Tidewater Community College" (Brief No. 02-4, published August 2002).
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| Online Course Withdrawal |
In an examination of online learning at TCC during spring 2002, statistics indicated that withdrawal rates were nearly twice as high for college credit and developmental online courses when compared to withdrawal rates in traditional courses. This phenomenon has been noted as other institutions of higher education across the country. While course completion rates vary by institution, the consensus is that they are 10 to 20 percent higher in traditional courses compared to distance learning courses. While the opinions about the reasons for higher withdrawal rates in online courses are numerous, data addressing the issue at TCC was not available. As a result, a survey of students who withdrew from online courses during fall 2002 was conducted in an effort to ascertain some possible reasons for the higher withdrawal rates in online courses. The resulting document was the brief "Fall 2002 Online Course Withdrawal Survey" (Brief No. 03-5, published February 2003).
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| Other Special Projects |
Occasionally, SOA accommodates special requests by TCC administrators and faculty for assistance in data collection and/or analysis. Some of the special data projects have been:
* Program review and assessment consultation for accreditation purposes (Physical Therapy Assistant Program)
* Placement test data analysis for cut score decision making (English as a Second Language Program)
* Retention data analysis for program evaluation (Bridges Learning Center)
* Survey design and analysis for program evaluation (Women's Center)
* Tracking cohort performance data for grant report's program evaluation (FIPSE Project)
* High school graduate and service area population data (Office of Institutional Effectiveness)
* Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)
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