tac dcc standard operating procedure

Brooklyn Lott
Feb 26
7 min read

Section 1: Introduction

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is between Dawson Community College and The American Campus Corporate.

Dawson Community College

300 College Drive Glendive, MT 59330

Scott Mickelsen

President

The American Campus Corporate

2717 Willow Circle, Lehi, UT 84043

Spalding Jugganaikloo

President

Purpose

The purpose of this SOP will be to ensure a quality education by following all standards for accreditation, admissions, curriculum and courses, assessment and graduation. DCC and TAC will coordinate with each other on each organization’s accreditation standards.

Scope

These procedures are applicable to all personnel, employees and projects undertaken by or on behalf of DCC or TAC.

Changes

Recommended changes to the procedures in this SOP will be submitted to the President of DCC or TAC for review, coordination, and approval.

Section 2: Application and Admission Requirements

Dawson Community College maintains an “open-admission” policy for those who are 16 years or older. DCC does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, gender or sexual orientation in the education programs and activities which it operates. The college encourages students to seek admission if its programs and services will meet their educational needs. The admissions process is based on self-selection, and students may enroll at any time throughout the year.

The American Campus students have to meet all of the requirements set forth by DCC for admissions. Each student will submit an application for their selected program of study to TAC. TAC will provide DCC with a list of all student applications. TAC will review the applications and admit or deny students. DCC will also review the applications and have the right to admit or deny students based on DCC admission requirements.

Degree Seeking Student Admission Requirements

Complete and submit Application for Admission Form. Students will complete TAC application and TAC will import information into DCC application and submit as pdf attachment via on a weekly basis to allow DCC time for final review and enrollment.
Submit official and complete high school transcript from an accredited high school, or home school, with graduation date posted, or an official state issued equivalency transcript (GED, HiSET, TASC) (Home schooled graduates should contact the Admissions Office regarding specific requirements.) A copy can be a “Certified True Copy” from a TAC official and signed and dated.
Applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit official results on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. The minimum score accepted is 500 on the paper test, 173 on the computerized test, and 61 on the internet-based test. TOEFL exam can be waived if: students have taken at least one year of high school in an English speaking country; students have attended an English speaking high school; students show proof of successfully completing an ESL program.
Mauritius citizens will not be required to take TOEFL but must complete an entrance writing sample and interview in person at TAC. Acceptance will be based on the following three components: Score of 3 or higher at O Level or A Level; writing sample question and interview questions, provided by DCC and approved by TAC. The interview should consist of any choice of three (3) questions with follow-up questions to show conversational elements. The interview will be recorded by TAC and uploaded for review by DCC as well.
TAC students will not be required to complete placement testing for developmental writing and math courses. As such, tutoring services should be available to students for successful completion of courses. Course completion and grades will be monitored and co-requisite developmental courses will be developed in the future if needed.
TAC will notify DCC of students who have successfully completed the admission requirements outlined in Section 2 and who have been accepted into programs. DCC will provide TAC with a copy of an Acceptance Letter. Acceptance will come from TAC.
DCC will create a student profile and ID using the above provided information and email this back to TAC.

Section 3: Payment to DCC

Students will pay their tuition to TAC via TAC financial procedures. One week prior to the start of the semester at TAC, the number of students who will enter each program will be confirmed. Eight (8) days after the start of the semester at TAC is the last day to drop with a full refund. On the ninth day, TAC will wire US$75.00 per credit per student to DCC as payment for services rendered.

Section 4: Faculty Credentials and Evaluation

In compliance with the Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education (BOR) Policy 730, TAC faculty will meet the following minimum qualifications for two-year degree programs. TAC faculty will provide DCC with copies of their resume or vita, and will request official transcripts showing institutions attended and degrees earned. TAC faculty will also provide official documentation of any required certifications. DCC will review these documents and approve or not approve faculty to teach courses.

A. Faculty in transfer programs/disciplines. The minimum requirement for faculty teaching general education or career/technical coursework designed for transfer as part of the BOR general education transfer policy, the associate of science degree or the associate of arts degree shall be a master’s degree in the teaching field or a closely related academic discipline with at least nine (9) graduate-level semester credits in the academic discipline. General education faculty who teach related instruction or developmental course work need not have a master’s degree, but must have a bachelor’s degree in the teaching field or a closely related discipline. Faculty not holding a master’s degree from a regionally accredited American institution will have to provide a credentialing evaluation conducted by World Education Services (WES) to verify credential equivalency. http://www.wes.org/

B. Faculty in career/technical disciplines/programs. Minimum qualifications for career/technical faculty shall be three years’ experience in the occupation to be taught or an equivalent number of years of postsecondary education in the career/technical discipline, combined with work experience in the career/technical discipline.

C. Professional and continuing education faculty. Professional and continuing education courses should be taught by faculty with related college work or specialty training. In all cases, teaching faculty in these programs and courses must have special competence in the fields in which they teach, as determined by the chief executive officer of the institution.

D. Evaluation of TAC faculty will be completed by DCC officials in partnership with TAC officials. This evaluation process will mirror DCC faculty evaluations. DCC will provide TAC officials and TAC faculty current evaluation documents before the start of each academic year to ensure performance expectations are clearly communicated to TAC faculty mirroring the same process used for DCC faculty. In alignment with DCC faculty evaluation processes, DCC will conduct onsite faculty observations and evaluations no less than once per year and will conduct additional evaluations utilizing available technologies including but not limited to recorded video, live conferencing, and email.

E. If TAC would like a copy of a job description for faculty members with DCC’s requirements, they may contact DCC Human Resources and request a copy.

Section 5: Course and Program Assessment

TAC will document and complete individual course assessments every semester and program assessments annually, mirroring processes established by DCC. DCC will provide these assessment documents to TAC officials and TAC faculty before the start of classes to ensure expected outcomes are clearly communicated and met. These assessments will be shared with DCC upon completion each semester and each year. DCC will review these assessments and report back to TAC any areas of concern that may be identified and recommend corrective actions as part of DCC’s continuous improvement plans and assurance of program integrity and standards. Program Review must be completed every three years.

Section 6: Course Curriculum

DCC will provide TAC faculty with a copy of the syllabus for each course of the program they are teaching. The syllabus includes learning outcomes and textbook information. TAC faculty will take the information from the syllabus and create their own coursework. Curriculum must meet the DCC Learning Outcomes. When agreeable, TAC faculty can work with DCC faculty on teaching plans, exams, and other teaching materials that are available.

Section 7: Academic Calendar

DCC and TAC will work together on the Academic Calendar. Each semester must be fifteen (15) weeks in length. Each credit must meet for fifteen (15) hours.

Section 9: Graduation Requirements

DCC will provide TAC with a graduation application. Graduation and the Ceremony will be conducted at TAC. TAC will research the availability of gowns in Mauritius. Costs from DCC will be determined based on this availability, and will be updated in this SOP at the beginning of the graduation year.

Appendix A: Interview Questions and Essay

The following is a list of interview questions to be asked to students who are not required to take TOEFL. These interviews will be recorded. Please select three (3) questions to ask a prospective student. The intent of the interview is to demonstrate conversational skills. Please ask follow-up questions to each of the three (3) questions if needed to do so. The complete interview should take five (5) to ten (10) minutes.

1. Why are you interested in TAC?

2. Who in your life has most influenced you?

3. Why do you want to major in___________?

4. What will you contribute to our campus community?

5. Tell me about a challenge that you overcame?

6. What do you do for fun in your free time?

7. What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

8. Do your college/secondary school marks accurately reflect your effort and ability? 9. Recommend a good book to me?

10. If you could do one thing in college/secondary school differently, what would it be?

The following is a prompt to use for the essay. When the prospective student is completing the essay, they should be monitored.

Writing in Harvard Magazine (“Twilight of the Lecture,” 2012), sociologist Craig Lambert explains that American higher education has become valued for its interactive qualities: Interactive pedagogy … turns passive, note-taking students into active, de facto teachers who explain their ideas to each other and contend for their points of view … Thousands of research studies on learning indicate that “active learning is really at a premium. It’s the most effective thing,” says Terry Aladjem, executive director of [Harvard’s] Bok Center and lecturer on social studies. “That means focusing on what students actually do in the classroom, or in some other learning environment. From cognitive science, we hear that learning is a process of moving information from short-term to long-term memory; assessment research has proven that active learning does that best.”

What does American higher education mean to you? Write a sectioned essay in which you (1) give your understanding of interactive learning and (2) write about your personal understanding and appreciation of the American collegiate experience. Use formal English, citing directly from the source paragraph above where appropriate. Refer both to the source paragraph and to your own opinion, experience, or observation.

Appendix B: Contact Information

Dawson Community College

President

Dr. Scott Mickelsen

406-377-9406

smickelsen@dawson.edu

Cell: 308-367-6953

Assistant to President

Randi Johnson

406-377-9401

rjohnson@dawson.edu

Cell: 580-421-2320