ACADEMIC INTEGRATION

Introduction

The purpose of essential skills and education enhancement is to provide integrated academic instruction based on documented goals for students in the context of skills needed for occupational competency, computer familiarity, and other cognitive skills.

Commendations or Strengths

The introduction of the KeyTrain and WorkKeys programs and the commitment of the administration should make a positive impact on the communities served by Canadian Valley Technology Center's El Reno campus. Students also receive a good orientation to the purpose of including academic instruction in their programs. The enlargement of the Academic Center (AC) with new computers is a step forward in giving creditability to the AC.

The El Reno campus is very actively utilizing the KeyTrain instructional system for both academic skill development and employability or workplace skill instruction. This should enhance services to students. The number of career readiness certificates issued on the basis of WorkKeys scores is increasing steadily.

Specific Recommendations for Improvement

This administrative review standard was met.

General Suggestions for Improvement

It is suggested that time and resources be given to the AC staff to allow the further development of the program to better serve the students, staff, and community. A suggestion to assist in this effort is to use the instructor's advisory committee to review the KeyTrain occupational profiles to meet local industry standards. This will serve two purposes: to develop a better understanding of local industry standards and to involve advisory committee members in the
development of the career readiness certificates and to see a need for the certificates.

It is recommended that occupational instructors be encouraged to utilize the Applied Technology, Writing, Business Writing, Listening, and Observation instructional components of KeyTrain to augment their programmatic instruction. These lessons incorporate career-specific skills, reinforce content presented in other formats, and incidentally improve written, oral, and auditory communication skills.

There is a concern on the scheduling of the use of the Academic Center. The majority of students will not be able to proceed to a level of competency that is acceptable to industry. This should be a priority with the administration if career readiness certifications are to reach their full potential.

After the KeyTrain and WorkKeys programs are established, it is suggested that supplemental materials and instructional aids other than technology be explored. This would include projectbased learning, experiential activities, and other approaches that do not require computers, software, or the traditional learning activity packets (LAPs).

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