The Clinical Educator’s Manual is distributed to each clinical site designated to provide a clinical experience for our students before the students are placed in that facility. Also, the rights and privileges of clinical faculty are referenced in the cover letter for the student’s clinical assignment. Furthermore, during each students’ midterm clinical site visit the rights and privileges of clinical faculty are reviewed with the CCCE and/or CIs.
1.3.3. Policies and procedures exist which support the practice of ongoing planned program faculty development activities directed toward improving program faculty effectiveness. Program faculty development activities are based on program faculty and program needs identified in evaluative processes and are described for:
1.3.3.1. academic faculty
Academic faculty are evaluated for the purpose of assessing instructor’s fulfillment of their responsibilities and duties as well as to determine areas of need for professional development.
Non-tenured faculty are evaluated every semester and tenured faculty are evaluated every other year. The faculty member’s supervisor and evaluation committee is responsible for completing the evaluation. The evaluators will gather and analyze data which includes Student Evaluation of instruction (Appendix 11), Syllabus/Course Outline, and the Faculty Profile. These sources of data are required and must be used in the evaluation. At least two additional sources of
information must be used which could include but are not limited to a classroom evaluation.
Based on the above data, the supervisor will complete a forty-two item check list related to the instructor’s duties and responsibilities (Appendix 12). The evaluation committee meets with the faculty member to discuss the evaluation and set goals based on the need for professional
development. The faculty evaluation procedure is outlined in the Employee Handbook, Section 5, pp. 17-18 and the newly developed Tenure Procedure Process.
Victoria College provides professional development for all faculty of the Allied Health Division and is expected by the PTA Program ( Appendix 4, pp. 20). The Division Dean has a
professional development budget each academic year provided by College funding, Carl Perkins grants, and occasionally from the Victoria College Foundation. The faculty member can apply each year for any conference based on professional development needs. Based on the needs of a new developing PTA Program, in fall 2009 the Program Director and Division Dean attended the Workshop for Developing Physical Therapy Education Programs offered by CAPTE. In fall 2009 the Program Director was able to attend the On Course Workshop which emphasizes
Victoria College Self Study, Victoria TX Page 25 student empowerment strategies to enable students to become successful learners. This workshop was sponsored by Victoria College and held on campus. Also based on the needs of a new developing PTA Program, the Program Director attended the APTA Combined Section Meeting in February 2010. At this meeting a Self Study Workshop was offered as well as many sessions dealing with aspects of physical therapy education. The Program Director and the ACCE
attended the Texas Faculty Summit in March 2010. The ACCE was hired in February 2010 and was sent to the New Faculty Workshop presented by the Education Section of the APTA in June 2010. Overall, the College has supported its value of excellence stated in its mission by
providing ongoing professional development for its faculty members.
The plan for academic faculty professional development for the PTA Program faculty will have three aspects. It will be expected of faculty to maintain currency in the field by working per diem in their area of expertise. The method of how the faculty member fulfills this will be flexible. In order to maintain a Texas state license in physical therapy all physical therapists must complete 30 hours of continuing education and physical therapist assistants must complete 20 hours of continuing education within the two year licensing period. In addition to the
professional conferences mentioned above the Program Director attended the Texas TPTA state conference and the APTA Educational Leadership Conference in 2010 and the ACCE attended the APTA CSM in 2011
The PTA core faculty began the formal assessment process in spring of 2011 after one semester of teaching (the Program’s first cohort of students was entered in fall 2010). Based on the outcome of the first evaluation of the ACCE, resources were provided to improve teaching strategies (articles and instructional DVDs). The ACCE was also mentored by the Program Director during her first year of full time teaching. She also attended the New Faculty Workshop presented by the APTA. Currently she is in the midst of her second formal evaluation process which will conclude 12/11. Thus far Student Evaluations have reflected a significant
improvement in areas targeted for professional development. All targets in the Program
Assessment Plan regarding faculty effectiveness have been met with no stipulation of corrective action needed. The Program has hired adjunct faculty for the first time for the fall 2011 semester and will be evaluated by the Program Director before the semester ends.
The Program Assessment Team made up of the Program Faculty, Division Dean and an Advisory Committee member meets yearly to analyze all assessment data compiled concerning the Program. The determination for faculty professional development is based on Program assessment, Program needs and goals, and the outcomes of faculty evaluation.
1.3.3.2. clinical education faculty
The ACCE has met or conferenced with the CCCEs and/or CIs that will participate in the clinical education program before the clinical experiences begin. The ACCE used the tool provided by the APTA, Guidelines and Self-Assessments for Clinical Education (Appendix 14) to assess the needs of the clinic facility, CCCEs, and CIs. Based on the self assessments the ACCE has developed a plan for activities to improve the effectiveness of the clinical education faculty and program. The ACCE has and will attempt to meet the needs for clinical faculty and education development through workshops, individual training and/or providing clinical education resources for self education. After initial contact of the clinical sites in the region by the Program Director it was determined that most of the clinical instructors available, although
Victoria College Self Study, Victoria TX Page 26 having experience in clinical education, are not credentialed clinical instructors. The Victoria College PTA Program offered an APTA Clinical Instructor Credentialing Course on June 19-20, 2010. This course was offered a second time in April of 2010 as well as a third time in
September of 2011. The ACCE has also been reviewing the Clinical Educator’s Manual and the PTA MACS with each CCCE before students are placed in their facility.
The students of the PTA Program will complete the PTA MACs Student Evaluation of Clinical Education Experiences (Appendix 13, pp. 1) after each part-time and full-time clinical
experience. All clinical instructors will complete a Clinical Instructor Survey (Appendix 13 pp.
9) after each student rotation. At this point the first cohort of the Program has competed two part-time rotations. The cohort’s terminal and full-time rotations will be in spring 2012. The PTA graduates will complete a survey after practicing for one year (Appendix 13, pp. 21). Part of this survey will address the clinical education portion of the Program. Also, the ACCE has visited the clinical sites during student rotations and assessed those clinic sites and clinical faculty based on those visits. These pieces of assessment data are reviewed annually to determine if the goals and objectives of the Program are being met. Deficiencies, if present, are identified and activities to develop the clinical faculty and the clinical education program are developed to address and improve those deficiencies. Clinical faculty are expected to pursue professional development (PTA P & P, Appendix 4, pp. 27, Clin. Ed. Man., Appendix 5, pp. 10).
Victoria College Self Study, Victoria TX Page 27 1.4. Student Policies and Procedures
1.4.1. Student recruitment and admission procedures and practices are