Fiscal Year 1996-1997
Introduction
This summary report for the University of South Carolina Lancaster includes General Education, Performance of Professional Program Graduates on Licensing and Certification Exams, Entry-Level Placement and Developmental Education, Undergraduate Retention and Attrition, Student Development and Student Services, and Library Resources and Services.
The following remaining components will be submitted to the Commission of Higher Education by the date annotated: Majors and Concentrations (July 1999), Academic Advising (July, 1997), Achievement of Students Transferring from Two to Four Year Institutions (1998), Academic Performance of Student Athletes (Not
Of the components being reported on this year, USC Lancaster invites the reader to note those achievements which are highlighted in bold. USC Lancaster remains committed to continuous improvement and strives to strengthen our institution and its ability to serve the needs of our constituents.
1. General Education
General Education provides students with a breadth of understanding of the humanities, sciences, and social sciences which form the underpinning and context for the specialized knowledge of the academic majors. At USC Lancaster, students should be assisted in developing communication skills including the ability to write, listen, speak and read effectively; they should be assisted in developing critical thinking skills; students should be assisted in developing an understanding of culture(s) and of science and technology; and should be assisted in developing intellectual, personal, physical, and social skills which support development of a spirit of curiosity, integrity, and confidence in planning and pursuing academic, career, and personal goals.
Student survey data, Counseling Center data, and students' successful completion of the General Education curriculum are used to measure levels of success in these areas.
Fall 1995 Continuing Student Survey data indicate that 79% of respondents felt their writing skills have been somewhat improved to very improved; 80% felt their ability to listen effectively has been somewhat to very improved; and 63% recorded somewhat to very improved speaking skills. Further, 81% of student respondents felt their analytical skills have been somewhat to very improved. (Improvements were also supported by student responses on the College Student Inventory which compares entering student responses to responses of those same students after completing at least three semesters.) For social sciences, the core curriculum in General Education continues to require successful completion of a minimum of six social science credits. In terms of student use of technology, basic technology skills are required in Math 100 as well as in the Freshman Seminar (over 50% of entering Freshmen) and in all Math 111 sections and Computer Science sections as well. In the sciences, students continue to be required to complete six hours of laboratory science. In terms of personal and career confidence, Student Survey data indicates 76% of respondents felt they have attained somewhat improved to very improved ability to plan and pursue personal goals, while 79% reported a somewhat or very improved level of general self-confidence. These improvements are echoed in student responses on the College Student Inventory.
Results indicate that
2. Majors or Concentrations
This component was last submitted to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1995. Based on USC Lancaster's schedule of reporting, a report for this component will be submitted next to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1999.
3. Performance of Professional Program Graduates on Licensing and Certification Exams
The overall purpose of the York Technical College/USC Lancaster A.D. Nursing Program is to "assist the student to develop the intellectual and technical competence necessary to function as a safe technical nurse practitioner in giving general nursing care to patients in hospitals and comparable health agencies." The A.D. Nursing Program meshes with the purposes of the two parent institutions. All three purposes address the preparation of a graduate with marketable competence to achieve a career goal. The purpose of York Tech the nursing program agrees with the technical nature of the program, while a shared commonality between the two institutions is the emphasis upon the intellectual component of the nursing program.
Assessment includes tracking graduates' employment rates; maintaining passage rates above the state and national rates; and employer surveys to measure professional performance.
Assessment indicates that ninety percent or more of graduates are currently employed in nursing. Passage rates continue to remain above both state and national averages; in 1995 students achieved a 100% rate of passage on the licensing exam. Employers also indicate that graduates of the program are functioning at or above a 90% competency level.
Results indicate that:
Note: As part of the re-accreditation process (not as a result of program inadequacies), formal changes are currently being made in the nursing program curriculum. These changes will be reported on in next year's report provided the curriculum changes have been fully implemented.
4. Reports of Program Changes that have Occurred as a result of External Program Evaluation
There have been no program changes in 1996 as a result of external program evaluations.
5. Academic Advising
This component was last submitted to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1995. Based on USC Lancaster's schedule of reporting, a report for this component will be submitted next to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1997.
6. Entry-Level Placement and Developmental Education
USC Lancaster strives to make higher education accessible to those in the Lancaster area. This is achieved through careful assessment and correct placement of entering students (freshmen and transfer). For under-prepared students who wish to pursue university study, special developmental courses (English 100 and Math 100) are offered; in addition, support services are provided including out of class tutoring in the USC Lancaster Academic Success Center.
Transcripts, standardized test scores, and results of USC Lancaster's placement tests combine to provide advisors, faculty, and students with specific data in order to assess the level at which students are prepared to enter the curriculum. In addition, an internal tracking system within individual departments provides assessment data on student success rates in moving from developmental courses to core curriculum courses.
Internal (departmental) data indicates that for those students who successfully completed Math 100 in the past year and went on to complete Math 111, 40% achieved a grade of 'C' or better. For those who completed English 100 and went on to complete English 101, 85% went on to achieve a grade of 'C' or better.
Results indicate that:
7. Success of Entering Students in Meeting College or University Admissions Requirements
This is not applicable to our institutional type.
8. Achievement of Students Transferring From Two-Year to Four-Year Institutions
This component was last submitted to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1995. Based on USC Lancaster's schedule of reporting, a report for this component will be submitted next to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1998.
9. Analyses of Undergraduate Retention and Attrition
The USC System Office of Institutional Analysis and Research assembles retention data for first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen students at the system campuses. Through this system, USC Lancaster is able to examine one year retention rates as well as long-term retention and graduation rates within the USC system only.
With a goal of achieving a 70% retention rate by the year 2001, USC Lancaster uses this data to monitor progress toward that achievement.
Assessment findings indicate that a retention rate of 67.1% at USCL for full time freshmen was attained last year.
The three-year graduation rate for the 1988 and 1989 cohorts (USCL last reported on the 1986-7 cohorts) was 62.2% (1988) and 58.6% (1989).
Results indicate that:
10. Minority Student and Faculty Access and Equity
| Fall Semester | Total F.T. Faculty | Black F.T. Faculty Number | Black F.T. Faculty Percent |
| 1992 | 32 | 1 | 3.1 |
| 1993 | 31 | 1 | 3.3 |
| 1994 | 30 | 1 | 3.3 |
| 1995 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
11. Academic Performance of Student Athletes
This component is not applicable to our institutional type.
12. Student Development and Student Services
The overall purpose of student development is to help students develop a spirit of curiosity, integrity and confidence in planning and pursuing academic, career and personal goals. USC Lancaster provides a variety of student development activities and services including orientation; academic, career and personal counseling; student activities; and health fitness and recreation activities and services. Students should be assisted in developing the ability to plan and pursue personal goals, in developing increased levels of self-confidence, and in developing social skills including the ability to work with and relate to others and to appreciate others of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Assessment methods include Continuing Student Survey data and Counseling Center data.
Assessment data from the Fall Continuing Student Survey indicates 76% of respondents felt they have acquired "somewhat to very improved" ability to pursue goals; 79% of student respondents felt they have "somewhat to very increased" levels of self-confidence; 67% of students felt they have "somewhat to very improved" ability to relate to and appreciate others of diverse backgrounds; 70% recorded "improved ability to work with others in a group to solve problems or complete a project." Counseling Center data supports these findings through comparative data from students who have completed at least three semesters: after three semesters, sociability increased from 53.1 to 58.2 percentile while openness to new ideas increased from 52.7 to 63.3 percentile.
Results indicate that:
13. Library Resources and Services
USC Lancaster's Medford Library is a vital focal point for the academic life of the institution providing support for all academic programs through its holdings, its federal depository collection, interlibrary loan services, and related information support functions. The Library should provide the quantity and types of library materials necessary to support USC Lancaster's instructional mission; should have materials made accessible by controlling them bibliographically, organizing them into collections, and maintaining means of access to them; should support independent, regular use of library collections, technology, and other library resources; should maintain an organizational structure and operation conducive to the effective pursuit of the Library's mission; and should maintain status as a Federal Depository.
Assessment methods include utilizing American College and Research Library standards; use of outside consultants (space utilization report, 1995); Continuing Student Survey data; annual internal assessment efforts directed by the Head Librarian; and Federal inspection of the Depository collection.
Assessment data indicates that Medford Library rates below ACRL standards in percent of institutional budget and staffing; overcrowding is now critical and collections should be expanded to the second floor of the building; 69% of students feel they have "improved or highly improved their ability to utilize library resources;" and library staff members have appropriate job descriptions for maintaining the current level and quality of service.
Results indicate that
14. Administrative and Financial Processes and Performances
This component was last submitted to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1994. Based on USC Lancaster's schedule of reporting, a report for this component will be submitted next to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1997.
15. Facilities
This component was last submitted to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1994. Based on USC Lancaster's schedule of reporting, a report for this component will be submitted next to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1998.
16. Public Service
This component was last submitted to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1995. Based on USC Lancaster's schedule of reporting, a report for this component will be submitted next to the Commission on Higher Education in July, 1999.
17. Research Institution-wide
This component is not applicable to our institutional type.