Administrative Policies

Policy Statement on the Accounting and Measurement of Workforce and Continuing Education

KCTCS is committed to providing life-long learning opportunities to improve the quality of life and employability of the citizens of the Commonwealth. KCTCS serves as Kentucky’s primary provider of workforce training to meet the needs of existing and new businesses and industries; remedial and continuing education; and short-term, customized training for business and industry. In response to this mission, KCTCS colleges offer a wide variety of services to the community and individual citizens through Continuing Education programs. These programs contribute to the economic viability of the community as well as providing opportunities to the individual citizen to enhance skills both personally and professionally.

Each college must establish an identifiable unit for continuing education activities with designated professional staff to plan and administer continuing education programs. The responsibilities of the office must be clearly stated by a mission statement outlining the functions and philosophies of the continuing education unit, which guide the operation.

4.4.1 Continuing Education

4.4.1.1 Definition

Any structured educational activity sponsored by the college for the personal and professional development of individuals. In its broadest sense, continuing education encompasses all ages, educational levels, and topics. The college structures specific learning activities, which may be targeted to a particular age group, at a defined level and scope of instruction, and taught by a knowledgeable instructor(s). Participants enroll for a specific offering whether short course, workshop, special training program, or other structured learning activity. KCTCS colleges offer two types of continuing education activities:

1. Workforce Development (WD) – training and education designed to improve an individual’s professional or workplace skills. These courses may award individual CEUs or academic credit by meeting the criteria as established by the Commission on Colleges. These courses include customized training, regulatory training, apprenticeship, professional development, skills upgrade, and professional licensure/certification.
2. Community Education (CE) – personal and community development activities that are educational programs organized to provide enrichment to individuals in subjects of social awareness or personal interest. These courses include leisure, personal growth and age specific programs.

4.4.1.2 Measurement and Criteria

Continuing Education or workforce programs may award academic credit, Individual Continuing Education Units (CEUs), or Institutional CEUs. A course should not award both individual CEUs and academic credit unless the purpose, program criteria, and integrity of each unit are maintained. Academic credit and/or CEUs shall be assigned to programs in advance and awarded to individual participants who meet the standards which have been predetermined for satisfactory completion.

4.4.1.2.1 Academic Credit

1. Colleges must adhere to the KCTCS Guidelines for Workforce Credit when awarding academic credit for workforce courses. Courses may be offered for credit by using one of the following options:
   1. Existing Courses. If the workforce course is delivered using the same competencies and number of contact hours as an existing course listed in the KCTCS catalog, it is established as a section of an established course.
      
      
   2. Workforce Special Topics (XXX168 & XXX169)
      Workforce Special Topics courses will be used for customized business and industry training (individual company, consortium, or training network), individuals seeking skills upgrade/workforce training, review courses for professional/career certifications and licensure, and courses required for professional/career certifications and licensure renewal. These courses will be held to the same standards (such as faculty credentials, faculty approval of the course, etc.) required by SACSCOC and KCTCS.
      1. XXX168 - Special topics for each KCTCS program area will be offered in response to local workforce needs. Topics may vary and the course may be repeated with different topics, with a minimum of .4 and no more than 12 credit hours of XXX168 applicable toward degree completion. This course will be offered on a pass/fail basis. Students may elect to switch from pass/fail to audit at any time during the course. Laboratory: variable.
      2. XXX169 - Selected topics in business and industry will be offered in response to local workforce needs. This course awards individual letter grades. Topics may vary and the course may be repeated with different topics a minimum of .4 and no more than 12 credit hours of XXX169 applicable toward degree completion.
         
         
   3. Other Special Topics courses will be used for targeted audiences other than business and industry. The college will identify and/or establish the appropriate academic course, module, or Special Topics course that aligns to the appropriate KCTCS program for each specific audience. These courses will be held to the same standards (such as faculty credentials, faculty approval of the course, etc.) required by SACSCOC and KCTCS.
      
      
   4. BIT 197 & 199
      Special topics in business and industry will be offered in response to local workforce needs. This course awards individual letter grades. Topics may vary and the course may be repeated with different topics. BIT 197 & 199 will be used for courses that offer .2 and .3 credit hours. These courses will be held to the same standards (such as faculty credentials, faculty approval of the course, etc.) required by SACSCOC and KCTCS. Pre-requisites: consent of instructor.
      
      
   5. BIT 194 (formerly BIT198) & 196
      Special topics in business and industry will be offered in response to local workforce needs. Topics may vary and the course may be repeated with different topics, with no more than 12 credit hours of BIT194/196 applicable toward degree completion.
      
      BIT194 will be used for topics that have .1 to .3 credit hours and BIT196 will be used for topics that have .2 and .3 credit hours. This course will be offered on a pass/fail basis. Students may elect to switch from pass/fail to audit at any time during the course. These courses will be held to the same standards (such as faculty credentials, faculty approval of the course, etc.) required by SACSCOC and KCTCS. Laboratory: variable. Pre-requisite: consent of the instructor.
      
      
2. Courses awarding academic credit will adhere to the following measurement:
   1. For lecture courses, 15 contact hours equals 1 credit hour (Example: 7.5 contact hours = .5 credit hours)
   2. For converting lab hours to credit hours, consult with the Chief Academic Officer.
   3. For the Fast Track version, courses may be delivered in an accelerated version by documenting competencies through a pre-test to demonstrate prior achievement and by using a post-test to verify attainment of the skill level required for the course.
      
      
3. All individuals receiving academic credit will be enrolled as a nondegree seeking student and a permanent transcript will be generated and maintained by the Office of Student Affairs and be available upon request. As with all student records, the institution should have a written policy on the retention and release of permanent CEU transcripts.

4.4.1.2.2 Individual Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

1. Colleges must adhere to the Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) guidelines to award individual CEUs. Continuing Education courses awarding individual CEUs shall meet the following criteria:
   1. The noncredit activity is planned in response to an identified educational need for a specific target population.
   2. There is a clear, concise written statement of objectives or competencies shared with learners prior to and during the activity.
   3. There are qualified instructional personnel involved in a systematic and sequential process of fulfilling purposes as stated in learning objectives.
   4. The content and instructional methodologies are consistent with outcomes, are sequenced, and are structured to provide opportunity for the learner to participate and receive feedback.
   5. Satisfactory completion requirements, including awarding partial credit, are established by the course coordinator and others responsible for the program, and are communicated to participants prior to their participation. Completion standards may be based on a demonstration of learning, predetermined attendance, or a combination of performance and attendance. Only those who meet standards earn CEUs.
   6. Any assessment or measurement of an individual's performance is predetermined during planning and is measurable, observable, clearly stated, and focused on the learner's expected level of performance. Results of formal assessments should be entered on the participant's CEU transcript with a copy maintained in the program file.
   7. Evaluative procedures are utilized to measure the quality of the administration and operation of the continuing education activity. During the course of planning a process is established to evaluate major aspects of the continuing education experience, such as, organizational input; the design, content, content level, and operation; and the extent to which intended learning outcomes were achieved.
      
      
2. The continuing education unit (CEU) serves as the vehicle to measure and report continuing education activities. One CEU represents ten (10) contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction.
   
   
3. A permanent transcript of the activity will be generated and maintained by the Office of Student Affairs for each individual participating in the course and be available upon request. Permanent records must be maintained for all participants who qualify for the award of CEU, not just for those who request them.

4.4.1.2.3 Institutional Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

1. Colleges must adhere to the Commission on Colleges guidelines to award institutional CEUs. Institutional CEUs, although not a matter of a student's permanent record, serve as a means of measuring and reporting learner participation in continuing education. Institutional CEUs are awarded to educational programs, which are organized to provide enrichment to individuals in subjects of social awareness or personal interest. Personal and community development educational activities award institutional CEUs and shall meet the following criteria:
   1. The activity is a planned educational experience of a continuing education nature for a diversified population (general public).
   2. The activity is a planned educational event and is sponsored by the academic or administrative unit of the institution best qualified to affect the quality of the program content and to select and approve the resource personnel utilized.
   3. Registration or certification of attendance is required for institutional reporting use.
      
      
2. Individuals who participate in such activities shall register but no individual CEUs shall be awarded and no individual transcript of involvement shall be maintained by the college. The determination of institutional CEUs for these activities shall be made by means of a registration list.

4.4.1.3 Continuing Education Program Files

1. A program file for Continuing Education activities that award either academic credit or individual CEUs shall be maintained in the college’s designated continuing office for at least seven years from the date of the course. These records should contain:
   1. Description of the program, including target group, contact hours, subject matter, etc.;
   2. Objectives/competencies of activity;
   3. Documentation of faculty qualifications (or where this documentation is maintained);
   4. A list of the participants, including certification of completion of course requirements; and
   5. Results of activity evaluation process.
      
      
2. A program file for Continuing Education activities that award institutional CEUs shall be maintained in the college’s designated continuing office for at least seven years from the date of the activity. These records shall contain:
   1. Description of the program;
   2. Documentation of faculty qualification (or where this documentation is maintained);
   3. A list of participants; and
   4. Total contact hours involved.

4.4.1.4 Certificates for Continuing Education

Individuals participating in continuing education programs for which individual CEUs are awarded shall be presented a certificate upon satisfactory completion of the program. The title of the program, date(s), contact hours of instruction, and the number of individual CEUs awarded shall be recorded on the certificate. The college may choose to award certificates of participation for those persons enrolled in Community Education programs; however, the face of these certificates bears no awarding of CEUs.

4.4.1.5 Continuing Education Reporting

A report of continuing education programs will be entered into the respective PeopleSoft program. The KCTCS Chancellor’s Office of Workforce and Economic Development will produce an annual report of continuing education activity for KCTCS.