New Program Development Process Duties/Responsibilities of New Program Development Requirement Initiator Responsibilities Curriculum Office Responsibilities Dean Involvement Program Viability Secures Dean support Notifies Curriculum Office Requests dean contact if proposed program is not assigned Provides Viability Criteria data Go/No Go Decision Secures Dean s Go/No Go decision Provides signature page Documentation of Workforce Demand Assurance of Basic Workforce Skills Enrollment Management Plan Program Linkages and Demonstration of Non Duplication External Agency Approval Assurance of Adequate Funding Advisory Committee Minutes Develops curriculum map matching courses to identified knowledge and skills based on O Net Sequences courses for knowledge and skills development, stackability and employment Develops program outcomes and assessment profile Develops plan, including recruiting, marketing, retention and projected enrollment and completers Develops articulation plan with contacts, timeline, type Prepares external accreditation plan, if any, and/or Creates plan for student preparation for licensure or certification exams, as required Provides Year 1 costs for personnel, facilities, equipment, and supplies Establishes an advisory committee with industry representatives Conducts meeting #1: Verify the occupational knowledge and skills; make additions or deletions for region Conducts meeting #2: Approval of curriculum degree plan and program outcomes for each award Provides workforce demand information: jobs, growth status, wages, educational completers, educational competition Provides O Net occupational basic knowledge and skills Provides course enrollment history of any courses to be incorporated into degree plan Provides additional information and participates as requested Provides format and assists with program profile development Shares sample plans from other programs/institutions as requested Advises University Partners, Dual Credit and MHERC representative Determines SACSCOC requirements and timelines Works with Business Office to prepare five year costs and revenue, including personnel, operating expenses, and capital outlay Curriculum Coordinator attends as resource Academic Services: New Program Development Process (Updated: 5.10.17) Page 1 of 5
Both Collin College and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) have criteria for identifying and approving new programs. The Academic Services Office can provide much of the required supporting information and documentation for both internal decisions and THECB submission. I. Collin College Criteria a. Dean Involvement: The Dean should be involved every step of the way. The Discipline Lead (DL) should secure the Dean s support to explore development of the new program. If there is no assigned Dean, Academic Services staff will contact the provosts for assignment of a Dean. b. Program Viability: After consulting with the Dean, the initiator of the new program proposal should contact Academic Services staff who will provide the Dean and DL/program initiator with data showing the program specific, viability information listed below. 1) There is a Postsecondary Educational requirement for program related employment. 2) The entry level wage is a minimum of 150% above poverty rate for an individual for the Dallas Fort Worth Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). 3) There are fewer annual regional educational completers than there are annual job openings in program related occupation(s) by at least 50 in the MSA and/or 20 in Collin County. 4) Projected O*NET, EMSI or Jobs EQ Occupational Growth Outlook for program related occupation(s) is steady or increasing. c. Go/No Go Decision: Academic services will provide the DL, program initiator (if not the Dean or DL) and Dean the completed Program Viability information and a Go/No Go signature page to support further dedication of resources to the program s development. The signature page will include space to identify other criteria being used if the initial viability information does not support a program but there is rationale for the college to move forward with the program. II. THECB Criteria (Found on pages 35 38 of the 2015 Guide for Instructional Programs in Workforce Education (GIPWE), Chapter 5. Approved July 13, 2015/Revised July 28, 2016) a. Documentation of at least two of the following in support of workforce demand for the program. May use the program viability information provided above. 1) prepare students for an occupation that has been documented as needed from a strategic planning website such as Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc.; 2) prepare students for an occupation that is on the list of targeted, high demand, or priority occupations on the institution s Local Workforce Development Board website; 3) prepare students for an occupation that has been identified as an emerging and/or evolving occupation for the region or state in the Texas Workforce Commission s Labor Market and Career Information; Academic Services: New Program Development Process (Updated: 5.10.17) Page 2 of 5
4) offer a program for which the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicates high occupational demand for the next five to 10 years; 5) offer a program for which a survey of local or regional employers documents sufficient employment opportunities for the projected enrollment in the program. If a survey is used, documentation should include the type of survey (phone, mail, etc.); description and size of the population; description of sampling techniques; number and location (in district, service area, and/or statewide) of employers surveyed, including the total number of surveys sent and the number returned; number of usable responses; salary ranges and employment opportunities by job title; and demonstration that the program education or training results in added value or an entry level wage higher than minimum wage and/or a standard of living above poverty; 6) offer a program that meets advisory committee recommendations; 7) offer a program for an occupation listed in the Occupational Information Network(O*NET); or 8) offer a program that meets new regulatory/accrediting requirements. b. Assurance of Basic Workforce Skills: The college must maintain documentation that the appropriate level of academic and workplace skills will be achieved upon completion of the described curriculum. See Chapter Three for more information on identifying program competencies during program development. c. Enrollment Management Plan: The Program must design a program specific enrollment management plan that provides evidence the proposed new program will have sufficient enrollment to support the program, including the following information: 1) identification of articulated feeder institutions and programs (e.g., high schools offering programs of study or dual credit courses); 2) a strategy for enrollment management that includes student recruitment and program marketing; 3) a plan that specifies activities for access, recruitment, retention, and placement of students from special populations; 4) a history of enrollment in related continuing education/workforce education courses; and 5) projected enrollment, including the anticipated number of program majors for the first year of program operation, the anticipated average annual enrollment thereafter, and the anticipated annual number of graduates once the program is fully implemented. d. Program Linkages and Demonstration of Non Duplication: Each Program (or group of similar programs) should document linkage(s) with public secondary schools and/or other institutions of higher education, as well as non duplication with similar programs within the higher education region and/or service area. Documentation should include the following (as applicable): Academic Services: New Program Development Process (Updated: 5.10.17) Page 3 of 5
Curriculum Office Responsibilities 1) Identify similar workforce education programs and related training programs in the region/service area. (Assistive data are available at the THECB Texas Higher Education Data website) Program Initiator Responsibilities 1) Document that contact has been made with appropriate institutional administrators to initiate program specific articulation; 2) Develop a timeline for the formal initiation of these linkages; 3) Provide a statement specifying the form(s) of program linkage(s) that will be initiated [e.g., articulation agreements, programs of study, dual credit; Advanced Technical Credit); and/or 4) Provide documentation that clearly justifies the need for any proposed program that duplicates an existing program in the region or service area. e. External Agency Approval: Institutions wishing to enter contractual agreements with nonregionally accredited organizations should consult THECB Rules Chapter 9, Subchapter G. The Program DL must document the process and timeline for any required or voluntary external agency approval or accreditation required to ensure the eligibility of graduates to take the examinations required for certification, licensure, or registration. f. Assurance of Adequate Funding: The institution should detail the initial resources needed for the program, including existing and additional faculty, facilities, equipment, and an estimate of annual operating costs. 1) Faculty: For applied associate degree programs, at least one full time faculty member with appropriate credentials must have his or her primary teaching assignment in the major, curriculum area, or concentration. 2) All certificate programs must have at least an assigned program coordinator who is a fulltime employee of the college and at least one part time faculty member with appropriate credentials. See Chapter Two for more information about personnel requirements. 3) Facilities: These must be adequate for the delivery of the program. All out of district or off campus resources must be adequate to support a program of quality equal to that of the main campus. 4) Equipment: A general list of required equipment, estimated costs, and potential donations must be provided. 5) Supplies: A general list of consumables; software licenses, etc. required to support the program. 6) Five year Costs and Revenue: Details of how the institution will meet projected new program costs for the first five years, including personnel, operating expenses, and capital outlay, must be provided. Academic Services: New Program Development Process (Updated: 5.10.17) Page 4 of 5
g. Advisory Committee Minutes: Program must have an Advisory Committee and keep minutes. 1) Committee should be 7 10 members, from a diverse background reflecting the employer demographics of the region. 2) Members should not be Collin College employees or all members of the non profit sector unless non profits represent the bulk of the employers for program occupations. 3) Schedule a minimum of two Advisory Committee meetings. Must have at least two sets of Advisory Committee minutes before submitting new program application 4) Elect a Chair and a Recorder to take minutes. 5) Use the state mandated template for Advisory Committee Minutes; make sure the template is completed at each meeting. 6) At the first meeting, have the employers verify the O*Net list of skills and knowledge required for the target occupations for which the program will prepare students and make any additions to the list to reflect regional employers needs. 7) At the second meeting, have the committee approve a curriculum map that shows which courses will teach and develop the identified list of skills and knowledge for each program award. Academic Services: New Program Development Process (Updated: 5.10.17) Page 5 of 5