INSTRUCTION AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT
This chapter reviews Austin Community College's (ACC) instruction and academic support functions in the following sections:
- A. Organizational Structure
- B. Programs
- C. Institutional Effectiveness
- D. Course Scheduling
- E. Academic Support
- F. K-12 Initiatives
For a community college to satisfy the needs of its students, its functions must be organized to ensure that teaching and learning are maximized. Faculty must be provided with the resources they need to do their job, and everyone must work to create an environment that not only attracts students, but also supports them in their studies. Instruction must be organized to benefit students first; and, in the case of community college students, this means that it must be accessible, affordable, convenient, relevant and customer-oriented. Community colleges have a legislative mandate to keep their curricula current and their offerings meaningful to a student body that is diverse in age, need, interest, ability and level of commitment.
BACKGROUND
Austin Community College is guided by board policy that emphasizes the "one-college concept," meaning that it is organized as one college with multiple campuses, reflecting its accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as a single institution. This means that instructional responsibilities are generally assigned collegewide. For example, curriculum development, program review, staffing and institutional effectiveness are activities with broad-based implications across all campuses. Similarly, faculty development and evaluation guidelines affect instructors collegewide. Furthermore, measures to improve the efficiency of course scheduling and academic support programs have an impact on small campuses as well as large. Finally, special programs, such as those for students at-risk or high school students, affect facilities and resources across campuses. In all cases, decisions affect the college's ability to deliver on its statutory mission within resource limitations.
Texas Education Code (TEC) § 130.0011 specifies that "Texas public junior colleges shall be two-year institutions primarily serving their local taxing districts and service areas in Texas and offering vocational, technical and academic courses for certification or associate degrees. Continuing education, remedial and compensatory education consistent with open-admission policies, and programs of counseling and guidance shall be provided." The TEC further specifies that the purpose of each public community college shall be to provide:
- technical programs up to two years in length leading to associate degrees or certificates;
- vocational programs leading directly to employment in semi-skilled and skilled occupations;
- freshman and sophomore courses in arts and sciences;
- continuing adult education programs for occupational or cultural upgrading;
- compensatory education programs designed to fulfill the commitment of an admissions policy allowing the enrollment of disadvantaged students;
- a continuing program of counseling and guidance designed to assist students in achieving their individual educational goals;
- workforce development programs designed to meet local and statewide needs;
- adult literacy and other basic skills programs for adults; and
- such other purposes the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or local governing boards may prescribe in the best interest of post-secondary education in Texas.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and SACS are the primary regulating and accrediting agencies that oversee community college education in the state of Texas. These agencies are concerned with the improvement of educational quality and with assuring the public that institutions meet expected standards and are accountable for how well they carry out their mission. Both perform scheduled visits and/or desk audits to review institutional strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations for corrective action that will lead to continuous improvement. SACS reviews are conducted every 10 years, and ACC was undergoing its self-study at the time of this review in preparation for the SACS site visit in March 2003. The THECB conducts its formal reviews every four years, and the next ACC visit will also occur in 2003.
ACC has selected three community colleges to serve as "peers" for comparative purposes: Collin County, North Harris Montgomery and San Jacinto. These colleges are all multi-campus institutions, which have generally allocated certain programs to specific campuses, while offering transfer programs across the entire district. In this way, these institutions attempt to broaden access while maintaining instructional uniformity.