Program Review for Business Technology: Accounting
Program Review Framework & Criteria
I. Connection: From interest to application (Qualitative, program head and dean)
1) Please provide a description of any changes to the program since the last cycle and the appropriate updates to the catalog (general education changes, program requirement changes, ancillary program costs for students, hours/credits of credentials, etc.).
Business Technology Accounting Degree requirements were reviewed and work done to develop a metamajor (stackable credentials) with other Certificate programs (Culinary & Hospitality and Bookkeeping). The focus was on 1) reducing the number of credit requirements from 66-67 down to 62 credits so the two year degree could be earned in 4 semesters; 2) making the two (Supervision and Management) Continuing Studies Certificates (CSC) (21 cr each), and the General Business certificate (31 cr) stackable within the metamajor program requirement: Business Technology Credential Framework 3) reduce the number of adjuncts required to cover class sections, and 4) devise an advising sheet for students and advisors to coordinate class offers per semester (FA first year, SP first year, FA second year, SP second year). To cover summer sessions, any of the core general education class offerings can be taken (example, Natural Sci EEE, HUM EEE, MTH 130, ENG 111, ACC 211, ECO 201, etc.)
2) How do students find out about the program? Please provide examples of advising activities, marketing materials, or other outreach and engagement events designed to recruit students to the program.
The program has not traditionally been marketed. Many students come wanting to attain an accounting degree. Once meeting with their advisor it is determined if they are interested in a 2 year accounting degree or a 4 year accounting degree. Their is a plan to update the brochure for the Business Technology Accounting degree to help students know more about the degree, and the differences in a 2 year versus 4 year degree.
II. Entry: From application to pathway entry (Qualitative, program head and dean)
1) Please provide a description of your program credentials and how they stack into one another.
The Business Technology Accounting Degree has a Bookkeeping Certificate as well as a General Business Certificate. The General Business Certificate is attained in the first year, and the Bookkeeping Certificate can be attained in year 2 along with the Accounting Degree. Due to prerequisite requirements it is not possible to attain the Bookkeeping certificate in the first year.
Questions for consideration:
1.a. What is the employability (or transferability) of each credential?
Business Technology Accounting degree is designed for students wishing to obtain an entry level accounting job or bookkeeping job. The 2 year program will lead to a mid-level accounting career; however, due to changes in the field of accounting this program will not lead to senior level accounting jobs. In 2008 Virginia moved to requiring a 4 year accounting degree along with 150 credit hours for a person to be eligible to sit for the Uniform CPA Exam. I have students that have completed this degree that are working as financial analyst and banking. The majority of students that enter this degree are currently employed and need the credential for advancement.
While this program is not designed as a transfer program, Liberty University will accept all of the credits from this program. It is possible for a student to complete this degree and move forward with a 4 year degree in Accounting from Liberty.
1.b. Do all credits from a sub-credential transfer into the parent credential?
Yes, as a result of Fall 2018 all program credentials were realigned with the Business Tech Accounting and Business Tech Culinary & Hospitality programs. The curriculum committee approved the changes late December 2018 and went into practice Fall 2019.
1.c. What is the timeframe of completion for all credentials within the program (i.e. is the program setup to award sub-credentials prior to the parent credential)?
Yes, the core requirements (if taken in order) will result in a General Business Certificate by the end of the second semester. The bookkeeping certificate can be obtained over the last two semesters of the two-year degree program. During the realignment process, the number of credits required were reduced to 62 credits to increase the opportunity for students to complete the degree within two-years.
2) Program enrollment, if applicable, disaggregated by specialization (Quantitative, IE)
| Type | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 |
| Headcount | 32 | 20 | 24 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
| FTE | 19.33 | 10.70 | 10.83 | 8.87 | 7.37 | 7.43 | 10.77 |
The program has seen lower enrollment, comparable to the school wide enrollment drop over the past six to seven years. From the 2018-2019 to the 2019-2020 year, there was a leveling off of enrollment similar to what was experienced college-wide. I would anticipate the numbers to decline just slightly to reflect the majority of students interested in accounting moving into a transfer program to complete a 4 year accounting degree.
a. Annual program FTE and HC over the last review cycle (To include SCHEV program ratios and SCHEV class ratios)
III. Progress: Pathway advancement (Quantitative, IE)
1) Student learning outcomes data
| Outcome | Assessment | Benchmark | Prior Changes | Outcome Trend |
| Conduct a payroll report | Payroll project (ACC 124) | 75% will earn a C or better on report | Revised assessment (14/15), New administration tool (16/17), Changed textbook (17/18) | Increased from 70% to 100% meeting benchmark |
| Prepare complex tax returns | Tax return (ACC 261) | 70% will score a C or better on the Tax return | New faculty redesign (13/14), Assessment change to Tax Return (14/15), Assessment modification (16/17), Changed book (18/19) | Increased from 58% to 83% meeting benchmark |
| Apply concepts of financial accounting principles | Post-closing trail balance assessment (ACC 211) | 75% will score a 75% or higher on assessment | VCCS course changes (14/15), Assessment change (15/16) | Increased from 23% to 67% meeting benchmark |
| Apply fundamental accounting concepts using accounting software | Quickbooks certification practice exam (ACC 215) | 85% will score a "B" or higher | Assessment change (14/15), Book change (17/18), Assessment modification (18/19) | Increased from 65% to 100% meeting benchmark |
| Apply effective workplace skills and behaviors | Internship Evaluation (ACC 290) | 90% will score an overall average of 4 or higher | Revised internship practices and policies (14/15), Benchmark change (17/18), | Increased from 79% to 100% meeting benchmark |
| Gather, interpret, and disseminate financial information | Financial Information Case Study (ACC 215) | 80% will score a "C" or higher | Cooperative learning implementation (13/14), Conversion to project-based assessments (15/16), Real-world scenarios added to project-based assessments (16/17), Case study added (17/18), | Increased from 80% to 100% meeting benchmark |
2) Program credit attainment (15/12 in one semester, 30/24 for those who enrolled in two consecutive semesters)
| Year | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 |
% of cohort enrolled full-time in at least one semester* | 47% (32) | 45% (20) | 29% (24) | 40% (15) | 57% (14) | 25% (16) |
*Cohort size listed in ( )
The majority of students entering this program are currently working. Most are seeking the degree for advancement at their current place of employment.
3) Program retention and persistence relative to the start date of the program (subsequent term calculation)
| Type | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 |
| Persistence* | 25% (4) | -- | 20% (5) | 67% (3) | 67% (3) | 100% (4) | 100% (1) |
| Retention* | 50% (4) | -- | 0% (5) | 67% (3) | 67% (3) | 50% (4) | 100% (1) |
*First-time in college students only, cohort size is in ( )
The percentage of persistence has steadily risen after the initial decline seen college wide.
IV. Completion: Credential attainment (Quantitative, IE)
1) Sub-credential attainment and timeframe (are students completing sub-credential prior to or at the same time as parent credential?)
Not applicable
2) Parent credential attainment and timeframe, if applicable, disaggregated by specialization
| Type | 14/15 | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 |
| Number in Cohort | 32 | 20 | 24 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
| % who graduated in cohort | 38% | 20% | 25% | 13% | 7% | 19% | 17% |
| Number who graduated | 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Out of those who graduated, % who completed within 150% of program time | 42% (5) | 25% (1) | 67% (4) | 100% (2) | 100% (1) | 0% (0) | 100% (1) |
Since the majority of students are part-time, it is taking them longer to graduate.
a. Are students completing within 6 semesters (150% of graduation time)?
V. Transition: Employment or transfer post-credential (Quantitative, IE)
1) Transfer outcomes (students who transfer with associate degree, students who transfer without)
| Academic Year | Cohort Size | Total Transferred | Transferred with Assoc. (%) | Transferred without Assoc. (%) |
| 2014-15 | 32 | 6 | 50% | 50% |
| 2015-16 | 20 | 4 | 0% | 100% |
| 2016-17 | 24 | 5 | 20% | 80% |
| 2017-18 | 15 | 2 | 0% | 100% |
| 2018-19 | 14 | 0 | -- | -- |
This is a non-transfer degree, so a high rate of transfer should not be expected.
2) Student perspective/satisfaction
| Question | 2018-19 Rating (n=1) | 2019-20 Rating (n=1) |
| The courses I took at PHCC prepared me for my educational goals. | 98 | 100 |
| The faculty at PHCC are fair and supportive of students. | 95 | 100 |
| The faculty at PHCC demonstrate thorough knowledge of the subject matter. | 100 | 100 |
| In the courses I took at PHCC, classroom activities and outside assignments were appropriate and meaningful. | 100 | 100 |
| I would recommend the faculty at PHCC. | 99 | 100 |
VI. Sustainability: Future Program Outlook (Mixed methods, IE, program head and dean)
1) Program forecast (major expenditures, changes, personnel needs, etc.); any future costs should be explained in this section)
No future anticipated costs. I anticipate class-fill rates for the current semester to maintain steady although as new employers move to the area there may be a slight increase in demand for these students.
a. Any other pertinent information relevant to the review process should be provided here (e.g. community need, state/federal requirements, external accreditation, SCHEV low enrollment warning, etc.)
None
b. Employment forecast for program (Analyst data)
| Job Link | Mean Salary | Are there more or less jobs in our service region relative to national mean? | Past 5 year job growth | Next 5 year projected growth |
| Accounting, Tax Prep, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | $32,973 | Less: For every 10 positions nationally, there are 5.1 positions locally. | -7.1% | -1.0% |
| Service Region Means | $32,551 | -- | -0.2% | -0.6% |