Keeping true to its reputation as one of the top transfer colleges in the nation, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges acknowledged the positive strides EC is making toward ensuring student academic success last week.
“Continuous improvement is so close, your quality of education is so outstanding that any one of us would send our children here to EC or to the Compton Center,” Donald Averill, member of the accreditation committee, said.
Among the list of improvements, some of which the campus is already implementing, are measures such as the implementation of Student Learning Outcomes in all classes, for all programs, all degrees and institutions by 2012.
“It’s not only creating the outcome, but also using an assessment to determine, (if) we need to tweak anything,” Arvid Spor, dean of enrollment, said. “They said we need to improve and enhance the online syllabi and also add SLOs onto the actual curriculum.”
The board also evaluated the Compton Community Educational Center, where student services were said to be efficient and beneficial, Spor said.
The board also found that the mergence of the two educational institutions went smoothly, and with continued improvement, will serve students more efficiently.
“They have just been pleased with it, and in fact it was actually better than they expected,” Spor said. “Then they talked about how pleased they’ve been at the fact that we worked so closely together and how we share forms and procedures (with the Compton facility).”
Commendations, or good things the campus is doing, were said to be numerous.
“I think the most important part was that they commended us on the activities we’ve undertaken,” Dr. Thomas Fallo, EC president said. “Not only with (the) Compton Community Educational Center, but also with our own academic programs and most importantly, with our student services programs.”
The board mentioned how online students who get at least 50 per cent or more of their degree online, do not have to physically live here to get at least 50 percent of a degree.
“I think that we have more work to do on our course outlines, our SLOs and our planning and review techniques, and those were aspects of accreditation that we had expected anyway,” Fallo said. “But, I’m confident that they will recognize not only what we’ve done for the Compton community but what we continue to do for our own community and EC.”
So, all is steady as she goes and students may embrace the fact that this campus’ goal is solely to provide the best possible educational avenue for its customers.
“I think that we got everything that we could hope for in this and that is a blue-print for improvement,” Fallo said. “If it points out some areas that we can improve, that’s all the better. Otherwise, complacency will lead to certainty.”
Once all of the improvements are met, surely others will be brought to attention, which is good for maintaining positive learning environments for all, Fallo said.
“We’re pleased with the progress that you make on behalf of the students,” Averril said. “We want to be a part of your success and we know that you will move in the right direction.”