14.3 Comprehensive Institutional Reviews

√  Compliance   ____Non-Compliance

Narrative

St. Petersburg College (SPC) applies all appropriate standards and policies to its distance learning programs and off-campus instructional sites.  SPC does not have any branch campuses.

SPC’s 5th Year Interim report incorporates its assessment of compliance with standards that apply to both its distance education programs according to the Commission Policy on Distance and Correspondence Education, as well as all appropriate standards that address off-campus instructional sites. Off-campus instructional sites at SPC pertain specifically to high schools that offer Dual Enrollment, of which there are 21 in SPC’s Dual Enrollment system. Regarding both distance learning and off-campus instructional sites, all institutional policies, procedures, services offered, safety, and accreditation status are available on the College website for ease of access for all students, employees, and other stakeholders.

A description of the assessment of compliance for each of the standards within the 5th Year Report is illustrated below:

5.4       Qualified Administrative / Academic Officers

Details SPC’s centralized leadership model that supports the college functions across all campuses, including off-campus sites and distance education portrayed by the College Organizational Chart. The narrative provides job descriptions and resumes/CVs for all leadership positions, as well as evaluation examples.

6.1       Full-Time Faculty

Describes the full-time and part-time distribution of faculty loads across all degrees, campuses, and modalities of courses taught, as well as the planning processes for determining these distributions. Full-time faculty taught 61% of the online semester hours offered during the 2021-22 academic year.  For off-campus Dual Enrollment, all semester hours are taught by High School teachers (considered part-time adjuncts at SPC), credentialed through the College process in the field of study pertaining to the courses taught.

6.2b   Program Faculty

Describes the full and part-time distribution of faculty loads across programs at SPC, including those teaching all modalities and Dual Enrollment at off-campus sites.  Program faculty loads are not disaggregated by modality or campus. This standard codifies full-time faculty expectations on curriculum practices used for course and program development and program assessment, processes that are standardized regardless of modality and location.

6.2c    Program Coordination

Describes SPC’s academic program leadership, each of whom reports to the Dean overseeing their program, and their responsibilities. Program coordinators serve as centralized program administrators, overseeing their programs across all campuses where their program is taught, including off-campus locations, and all courses within their program regardless of modality.

8.1     Student Achievement

Describes the key high-level metrics used by the College to monitor student achievement.  Data is disaggregated by race/ethnicity, gender, and Pell eligibility in most cases, but not by course modality or Dual Enrollment (OCIS), to assist with data-informed decision-making at the college leadership level.  Key metrics are tied to the College mission, the strategic plan, and the state of Florida performance funding model.

8.2a    Student Outcomes:  Educational Programs

Describes how all educational programs are assessed using a consistent process regardless of modality or the campus on which the program is offered, including off-campus Dual Enrollment sites.  In addition, this standard shows disaggregates program assessment data by modality, but not by campus location.

9.1       Program Content

Describes how program content at SPC is developed to meet program learning outcomes and does not vary based upon course modality or for Dual Enrolled students.

9.2       Program Length

Discusses how a program’s length is determined by faculty and Deans as part of the Curriculum Services department processes and ensures that all program lengths meet regulatory standards and do not change, regardless of the modality in which a program is offered or where the program is offered.

10.2     Public Information

Describes how the College makes available to the public and to students—regardless of modality (i.e., face-to-face, online) or location (Dual Enrollment at High Schools) —current academic calendars, grading policies, cost of attendance, and refund policies. These are provided in a print College Catalog and Student Handbook, as well as via online versions of both and within the MyCourses learning management system and the College website.

10.3     Archived Information

Details that archived versions of the College Catalog are available on the College website for the benefit of all students at any campus or instructional location, including distance education students and Dual Enrolled students.

10.5     Admissions Policies and Practices

Demonstrates that no differentiation in admission criteria policies and practices exists for students enrolling in online programs/courses, all admissions procedures are the same regardless of campus or modality (whether the application itself is paper-based or online), and all applications are processed at the centralized Admissions and Records office via the Application Center.

10.6     Distance and Correspondence Education

Details evidence of the College’s compliance with all standards and policies regarding distance education, including Dual Enrolled students taking distance education courses.

10.7     Policies for Awarding Credit

Describes how St. Petersburg College (SPC) publishes and implements policies for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for its courses, regardless of format or mode of delivery or location at which the course is taught.

10.9     Cooperative Academic Arrangements

Not applicable, as SPC does not have any cooperative academic arrangements.

12.1     Student Support Services

Describes the academic and student support services available at the College, the modalities in which these supports are offered, and how all services can be accessed by students regardless of the modality or location of their courses.

12.4     Student Complaints

Describes the processes students use to submit academic and non-academic complaints and associated appeals to decisions made, as well as discrimination, sexual misconduct or sexual harassment grievances and their associated appeals.  The processes are the same for all students regardless of course modality or campus location, including Dual Enrollment off-campus locations.

13.6     Federal and State Responsibilities

Describes financial aid processes and audits, aid distributions for AY 2021-22, dissemination of consumer information, and Title IV responsibilities. No differences exist in financial aid disbursement for online students, and students are able to access financial aid information in all modalities. Dual Enrollment students are considered non-degree-seeking high school students and are not eligible for financial aid.

13.7     Physical Resources

Discusses maintenance and planning for physical resources at all campuses and off-campus instructional sites (Dual Enrollment at high schools), including the technology infrastructure that supports education in all modalities

13.8     Institutional Environment

Describes the comprehensive safety plan, emergency operational plans for all campuses, policies and procedures, safety guides and training, and communication at all campuses and instructional locations for the benefit of all employees and students, regardless of instructional modality.

14.1     Publication of Accreditation Status

Provides evidence that the College clarifies its accreditation status to the public in various online and print materials in accordance with SACSCOC requirements.  The College has no branch campuses, and its accreditation statement applies to the College as a whole and is not specific to programs or campuses.

14.4     Representation to Other Agencies

Provides evidence that accredited programs describe the College in identical terms to accrediting agencies regardless of the campus on which the program is based or the modalities in which the program is offered.