Back See this section in context: Criterion 4 Core Component 4C

4C.2: External Confirmation of Efficacy

In addition to the program review process, Sauk routinely seeks input from alumni, employers, and other external constituents in a variety of contexts to ensure that coursework meets the needs of the workforce.

• Work Force Council: The Work Force Councils, consisting of representatives from local employers who meet regularly with career program faculty and administrators, provide input relevant to current practice in the workplace. All career programs are included in the Councils, but break out as necessary to address discipline-specific issues ( 5B.2).
  • A new course for Safety and Troubleshooting in the Technology area is directly due to workplace concerns expressed by the community members of the Business and Technology Work Force Council, which were directed to a subcommittee and ultimately resulted in a Curriculum proposal.
  • The Nursing Work Force Council includes employers from acute and long term care facilities, clinics, and county health departments as well as graduates. The agenda for each meeting includes program developments, program improvements, and employer needs. These meetings allow the members to make needs known, but also provide feedback to them regarding modifications to the curriculum based on previous suggestions. Recent graduates who are members of the council share their experiences of transition from student to employee.
• Internship programs in the areas of business, accounting, computer information systems, and office and administrative services provide students learning experiences which prepare them for employment. The allied health programs each have a strong clinical component that provides similar opportunities. At the end of the internship or clinical, both students and participating employers are given the opportunity to communicate about the experience in ways that inform faculty about the student’s preparedness for the workplace setting encountered. Information from this contact may be directed into the operational planning process or course outlines may then be updated with changes designed to improve students' abilities to be successful in the workplace.
• College representation on the IAI committees (currently four faculty and one administrator) provides a link from Sauk into the statewide system for assuring relevance of the general education core curriculum. All transferrable course outlines that are submitted for any revisions are evaluated against IAI standards in the approval process in order to make sure outcomes and expectations are in line with those current at other institutions.