Advisory Committee Program Evaluation
Progress Report 2005 - 2006
RECOMMENDATION
The Curriculum Content Sub-Committee of the EGT Advisory Committee has been charged with the task of researching similar programs across South Carolina and the nation in order to build a data base for benchmarking. One specific topic to research is to gage the need for descriptive geometry in the course EGT 127.
RESPONSE:
The Sub-Committee has already begun to gather data and is set to present results at the next EGT Advisory Committee meeting, scheduled for September, 2006.
RECOMMENDATION
Growth in the national and regional economy has led to an increased need for CAD Designers to fill new job openings. The recent number of graduates from the EGT program needs to increase in order to support companies in the local market. Take actions that will promote growth in the number of students in the EGT pipeline at GTC.
RESPONSE:
This is a constant challenge for all academic programs at GTC, including the EGT department. The core population of potential EGT head count is high school students who are currently taking drafting & CAD at their local career center. The EGT program has been running a Dual Credit program with the GT Charter HS, Golden Strip Career Center , and Bonds Career Center for the past 4 years. Recruiting activities have been focused on this group of high school students, which can number up to 70 per academic year. The program has also sponsored a Drafting & CAD contest for students from career centers across the Upstate region for the past 2 years. The program has just released a new web site at www.egt-gtc.com for the purpose of visibility on the internet. The ET Division has also recently released a 6-minute marketing video, targeted to high school students, that features information about all of the 6 associate degree programs in the division. This video has been distributed to high schools all across the Upstate region.
RECOMMENDATION
The EGT program must continue to work on the recent effort to leverage computers, software and technology in order to put EGT curriculum on-line using Web-CT, and offer courses in a hybrid format to students who traditionally attend classes on the Barton campus.
RESPONSE:
By the end of the Spring semester in 2006, the following courses have already been put into Web-CT and have been used to teach classes during the 2005-2006 academic year:
• EGT 210
• EGR 275
• EGT 220
• EGT 119
• EGT 245
• EGR 175
The EGT faculty is working to put EGT 110 and EGT 215 on-line for the 2006 fall semester. The new EGT web site is also designed to be an interactive part of the students experience taking EGT classes on-line. We are expanding the content of the web site in order to make it into a “virtual” EGT department on the web. We have also begun to collaborate with other similar ET programs across the country that are doing similar things with technology and the internet in order to promote a more convenient and flexible educational experience.
RECOMMENDATION
The EGT program attained national accreditation from TAC of ABET back in 2004. The continuous improvement process that is in place must continue.
RESPONSE:
The next scheduled visitation by TAC of ABET is set for the fall of 2007. This visit will include all 6 associate degree programs in the ET Division at GTC. The college also conducts several quality control audits on the program on a pre-scheduled basis thru the Office of Planning & Grants. For example, in the fall of 2006, the EGT program will undergo what is called a DACUM. In the DACUM, recent graduates of the EGT program help identify each of the curriculum “elements” which must be included for an entry-level graduate to be successful on the job. Also, the EGT Advisory Committee has recently set up 4 sub-committees in order to better divide the work load of supporting the program and making it more beneficial to local employers. These new sub-committees are as follows:
• Accreditation & Quality
• Curriculum Content
• Equipment, Software & Technology
• Public Outreach & Enrollemt
We have also added a section to the new EGT web site for ACCREDITATION. It can be seen at www.egt-gtc.com/ .
RECOMMENDATION
The computers in room ET-423 are quickly nearing the end of their useful life for the EGT program. The Advisory Committee recommends that the EGT department purchase 12 new computers for room ET-423 ( Xeon processor, CD writer, 1.0+ gig RAM, 80+ gig hard drive, or at least what we have in room ET-432 ). Other technology needs include the following items:
• A new or used server that can be a storage and retrieval location for electronic files that support on-line and computer based educational materials. This files could include class lectures and videos that support courses in the Web-CT format.
• A new digital camera with a minimum of 5 mega pixels for the purpose of documenting student activities and to support additions to the new EGT web site.
RESPONSE:
We have already put our computer request on the ET Division list for new computers. This is a matter of waiting to see what the new budget for equipment is for the college and where the ET Division stands in the college wide order of priority. Other than that traditional source of funding, we are open to all ideas on how to obtain “non-traditional” sources of funding. Sometimes, these can take the form of grants or donations from industry. We have requested a new server on the most recent Perkins Grant funding request. If that source of funding does not pan out, there are ways thru the department budget to get a server at the appropriate time. Thanks to the generosity of the folks at WABCO in Duncan , SC , the EGT department will be obtaining a digital camera during the summer of 2006.
RECOMMENDATION
Explore opportunities with the Buck Mickel Center on how to leverage on-line tools in order to provide more Manufacturing & Industrial training offerings to the pubic in the Upstate region. This could lead to more visibility for the EGT program and more support from local industry.
RESPONSE:
The Buck Mickel Center is already using Web-CT in order to offer a wide variety of CE courses to the public in the Upstate region. The new EGT web site ( www.egt-gtc.com/ ) has a button on the left side of the page called “Professional Development Courses”. A click on this button takes you to a page in which a listing of courses that EGT could support is shown. We just need to establish a main contact person at the Buck Mickel Center and a working strategy to market our services to local industry.
RECOMMENDATION
Establish strategic partnerships with local industry, so that employers come to the program with new opportunities for education, training and student job placement.
RESPONSE:
The composition of the EGT Advisory Committee has been changing in the last year. New participants have been added and old ones have rotated off the committee. Just that activity helps to update our relationship with local industry. The new EGT web site is also another method for industry people to keep in touch with what is going on in the EGT program. Incorporating plant trips for students in the EGT curriculum is another way to build partnership with local employers. We view this aspect of the program to be vital to maintaining relevance and growth.
RECOMMENDATION
Take the foundation established in the Dual Credit program and expand it to other locations wherever possible. Also, continue to improve the program so that local career centers become a dependable pipeline of new students to the EGT program at GTC.
RESPONSE:
After sponsoring a Drafting & CAD contest for the past 2 years, the EGT program has been approached by local high school teacher with the opportunity to host the regional and state VICCA events in 2007. This has the potential to put the EGT faculty in contact with many more high school teachers across the Upstate region and state than is currently the case. Also, the new EGT web site promises to be a convenient tool for us to maintain contact with career centers and high schools across the state.