POLICIES AND STANDARDS
Course Oversite
Proper monitoring and oversight of transcripted credit is provided by academic departments , NWTC Recruitment and Academic Advising teams and K-12 Relations team . This oversight ensures that coursework meets higher education standards and that students understand the potential use of their earned credits .
Quality Assurance Program
In transcripted credit agreements , high school instructors are trained by NWTC instructors to ensure that course outcomes and competencies are comparable when taught by the high school instructors . This training includes required attendance at curriculum sharing events ( Spring Summit ) and train-the-trainer courses for certain identified coursework . In addition , high school teachers are provided with course curriculum and common assessment , projects and learning plans through a learning management system . These tools along with use of duplicative or approved textbooks and resources help ensure course rigor .
The purpose of this quality assurance program is to validate that course outcomes and competencies taught by the high school instructors are directly aligned with those for the same courses taught by NWTC instructors . Quality assurance will be achieved through reviews with high school instructors who are teaching transcripted credit courses . An NWTC representative will utilize a course checklist to validate the attainment of course outcomes and competencies with the associated evidence provided by the high school instructor . These quality check-ups will provide opportunities for additional collaboration and continuous improvement in which the high school instructors share what is working and what is not working with the designated NWTC representative . The NWTC representative will work with the necessary NWTC and high school personnel to answer questions , provide information and clarifications necessary to assist the high school instructor in closing any gaps identified . The completed checklist along with any necessary Corrective Action Plans will be retained by both NWTC and the high school instructor .
The above process has been piloted with a desire to scale the implementation throughout all courses and divisions , however ; this has been challenging due to capacity , region size and the amount of dual credit courses offered . We will continue to blend the above model while incorporating some transcripted credit courses into our assessment plan efforts . Essentially , our faculty teams will work with high school teachers to assess the outcomes of learners through assessments . The team will assess data to identify student performance and determine if issues arise in the findings that warrant conversations around alignment . NWTC views assessment as an ongoing , interactive process used to modify courses and programs as necessary , and to promote the continuous quality improvement of teaching and services the college offers to students .
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