Describe the program’s primary purpose and expected outcomes.
Purpose
The main goal of the Keystone Credit Recovery online program is to provide students in grades 6 through 12 who have previously failed courses and need to catch up on their studies with a flexible and accessible credit recovery alternative. The program’s goal is to provide students the chance to repeat failing classes and obtain the credits they need to graduate on time (1). By doing this, Keystone hopes to assist children in improving their academic performance and provide them with the tools they need to succeed in school.
Expected Outcomes
Improved Academic Progress: By offering students a specialized curriculum that enables them to concentrate on the areas they need to improve, the program hopes to assist students in recovering from prior academic failures (1). Students can advance toward graduation and prevent falling behind in their studies by completing credit recovery modules.
Greater Flexibility: Students may complete coursework online and in correspondence formats from any location, allowing them to arrange their studies around other obligations (Alqurashi, 1). Students with hectic schedules, those dealing with personal difficulties, or those who must balance employment and study may particularly benefit from this flexibility.
Collaboration between the school and parents: Collaboration between schools, parents, and kids is promoted through the initiative, which asks for recommendations from school administrators and requires their signature on registration forms (2). By doing this, the school may participate actively in the credit recovery process and ensure that it aligns with the student’s overall academic plan.
Diverse Course Offerings: The program accommodates a variety of student requirements, interests, and academic aspirations by offering more than 40 disciplines in online and correspondence forms. This gives students several ways to complete credit recovery.
The Department or Entity Responsible For Administering the Program
Role
The Keystone Credit Recovery Program is housed inside the Keystone school system, which is a component of a bigger academic institution specializing in online learning solutions. The program acts as a specialist unit within Keystone, helping students who require more academic support and working on credit recovery strategies.
Staffing
Program Director: Oversees the overall credit recovery program, establishes objectives, and ensures the department runs smoothly.
Enrolment Coordinator: The enrolment coordinator receives and processes enrollment applications, communicates with administrators, and oversees student enrolment.
Academic advisors: Offer direction to enrolled students, suggest suitable courses, and answer any academic queries or concerns (2).
Course Instructors: Subject matter specialists who create and deliver online courses, assess students’ work, and offer feedback and grading.
Administrative Support: Supports administrative functions, such as communication, logistics, and record-keeping.
Qualifications: The department’s staff members have a range of educational backgrounds, teaching experience, and subject-matter knowledge. Academic advisers have extensive training in educational counseling and student support, whereas instructors frequently possess appropriate degrees and certificates.
Scope of Work
Enrolment Management: The department oversees the enrolment of new students, ensuring that only those who are qualified are suggested by the institution’s administration and that all required paperwork is gathered.
Course Delivery: The Department is responsible for designing and delivering the credit recovery courses (2).
Student Support: They help enrolled students select appropriate courses and provide assistance throughout their educational experience.
Grading and Credit Transfer: Course instructors grade student work and promptly offer comments. The department then informs the school of record of the final grades, and the school of record makes the final decision about whether to grant credit for the course.
Funding
The Keystone Credit Recovery Program budget is a portion of the broader budget given to the Keystone school system, which also covers a number of online learning initiatives. The financing comes from various sources, such as tuition fees paid by enrolled students, grants or subsidies from the government, gifts, and assistance from educational partners. The program’s financial resources are allocated to maintaining top-notch course materials, paying skilled instructors, and offering crucial student support services.
Two Primary the Program Would Benefit From an Evaluation
Program Effectiveness Assessment: Assessment of the program’s overall efficacy in aiding students in enhancing their academic performance and graduating on schedule might be the main subject of an evaluation (5). The tool can identify areas of success and those needing development by examining data such as course completion rates, student performance, and graduation rates.
Program Accessibility and Equity: Determining whether all qualified students have an equal opportunity to enroll in the credit recovery program is necessary to evaluate the program’s accessibility and equity. This assessment would look at regional coverage, cost, and any potential obstacles students would encounter while trying to attend the program.
The challenge to Conducting Your Evaluation and an Effective Way to address it
Obtaining thorough and trustworthy data is one of the biggest obstacles in completing an evaluation of the Keystone Credit Recovery Program. All parties involved must collaborate to collect data from various sources, including parents, teachers, administrators, and enrolled kids. Some ways to address this challenge include:
- Implementing data management systems: A centralized system would collect relevant data from every program part (3). Data about student enrolment, academic achievement, stakeholder comments, and overall program success measures might all be included in this system.
- Incentivizing Participation: By rewarding stakeholders for contributing insightful feedback and data, it is possible to encourage involvement in the evaluation. For instance, in exchange for completing surveys, students can be given course discounts or other incentives, while teachers and school administrators might be given chances for professional growth.
- Communication: It is crucial to have effective lines of communication between program managers and stakeholders. Regular updates and reiterations of the evaluation’s significance and goal might help keep participants interested and engaged.
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is: “Justify the selection of a program to undergo a program evaluation.”
Justify The Selection of a Program to Undergo a Program Evaluation
The program to undergo evaluation is the Keystone Credit Recovery online program. The evaluation includes determining the primary purpose, expected outcomes, the department responsible for administering the program, and ways students could benefit from an evaluation.
Source List
- Alqurashi, Emtinan. 2019. Predicting student satisfaction and perceived learning within online learning environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2018.1553562
- Ali, Wahab. 2020. Online and remote learning in higher education institutes: A necessity in light of COVID-19 pandemic. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v10n3p16
- Dhawan, Shivangi.2020. Online learning: A panacea in the time of COVID-19 crisis. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018
- Susan P. Giancola. 2020. Program Evaluation: Embedding Evaluation into Program Design and Development. University of Delaware, USA.