2.7.4 Contractual Agreements for Instruction

The institution provides instruction for all course work required for at least one degree program at each level at which it awards degrees.  If the institution does not provide instruction for all such course work and (1) makes arrangements for some instruction to be provided by other accredited institutions or entities through contracts or consortia, or (2) uses some other alternative approach to meeting this requirement, the alternative approach must be approved by the Commission on Colleges.  In both cases, the institution demonstrates that it controls all aspects of its educational program.

  Compliance           ___  Partial Compliance          ___  Non-Compliance

Narrative:

South Louisiana Community College (SLCC) has one program that is taught through a contractual basis with a local private industry, Acadian Ambulance.  SLCC and Acadian Ambulance through the National EMS Academy partner in providing the Associate of Applied Science in Emergency Medical Technology.  The initial Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Acadian Ambulance (1) began on May 1, 2004. 

The terms of the current cooperative endeavor provides appropriate authority for SLCC to ensure control of faculty credentials and the curriculum content.  The contract clearly states "that EMT-Basic and Paramedic National Standard curriculum will follow the curriculum for the Associate of Applied Science in Emergency Medical Technology-Paramedic as published in the SLCC Catalog and ensure that the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation standards are met."  Similarly, the terms of the contract provide SLCC the authority and responsibility to review and staff the EMT curriculum courses with faculty that meet SACS credentialing standards and to bar any individual that does not meet these standards from serving as faculty. The contract states that SLCC will "[e]nsure collegiate instructional integrity and provide academic oversight for the program including, but not limited to, faculty credentialing, curriculum development, and program review.” All faculty members in the program must submit original transcripts for credentialing evaluations and meet the minimum standards.  Additionally, the contract states that SLCC agrees to “[a]ssum[e] sole and direct control of the credit courses offered and assuring that the conduct of the courses meets the standards of regular programs.” SLCC's master syllabus governs the EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic Program and any requested curriculum changes go to the SLCC Curriculum Committee (2) for approval.

Since this arrangement began in 2004, program graduates account for nearly 2% of all EMT completers in the nation. The program is professionally accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP) (3).

SLCC offers Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of General Studies degrees as well as the Associate of Applied Science in Emergency Medical Technology—Paramedic degree.  SLCC approves all the courses in all the programs.   Furthermore, SLCC assures all programs assess student learning outcomes and utilize the assessment results to improve the curricula.  Finally, SLCC credentials all faculty in all programs. 

Documentation: