Environmental Control Technology Graphic Arts Labor Studies Machine Technology Media Communications Photography Welding Technology Wood Technology The fact that students completing vocational and occupational certificates and degrees demonstrate technical and professional competencies that meet employment and other applicable standards and are prepared for external licensure and certification is evident in successful transfer to four-year institutions, job placements, articulation agreements between UC and CSU, pass rates on industry and certification exams, and career advancement (IIA1a8, IIA5-1). In addition to these external indicators of success, student preparation for employment and career advancement is also evaluated using internal measures. These include performance in required courses, performance on capstone projects and assignments, and performance in instructional labs and practical applications. Finally, in order to ensure that courses, curricula, and learning outcomes are appropriate and necessary, departments keep contact with employers and former students. Through these contacts, by tracking student placement when they leave the program, and by researching area trends, job placement can be evaluated and used to inform the appropriateness of courses, curricula, and learning outcomes (IIA1a-8). Evaluation The college meets this standard. Students completing vocational and occupational certificates and degrees at Laney College meet employment needs and industry standards and are prepared for external licensure and certification.
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The satisfaction of these needs and standards is demonstrated through analyses of advisory board discussions, job placement reports, articulation agreements, and pass rates on certification exams. Furthermore, the process of SLO development and assessment and curriculum development and review interface with external drivers and indicators, such as employer contacts, alumni reports, and job-placement data. While the college has the means to assess vocational student preparation for job readiness, these means vary from one program to the next. Processes are needed to build a more pervasive culture of evidence so that placement data, certification and licensure pass data, and records of industry advisory board interactions are routinely housed and reviewed. Employer satisfaction surveys would also be helpful. Planning Agenda The dean of vocational technology will work with the research and planning officer and vocational department chairs to collect and analyze placement data, certification and licensure pass data, and records of industry advisory board interactions. II.A.6 The institution assures that students and prospective students receive clear and accurate information about educational courses and programs and transfer policies. The institution describes its degrees and certificates in terms of their purpose, content, course requirements, and expected student learning outcomes. In every class section students receive a course syllabus that specifies learning objectives consistent with those in the institution’s officially approved course outline. II.A.6.a The institution makes available to its students clearly stated transfer-of-credit policies in order to facilitate the mobility of students without penalty. In accepting transfer credits to fulfill degree requirements, the institution certifies that the expected learning outcomes for transferred courses are comparable to the learning outcomes of its own courses. Where patterns of student enrollment between institutions are