Table of Contents
- Introduction
- TAACCCT and Technology
- Data and Methods
- Four Examples of How Colleges Can Collaborate to Improve Online and Simulated Learning
- Sharing Online Courses: New Mexico SUN PATH
- Offering Hybrid Health Programs: MoHealthWINs
- Building on Statewide Online, Competency-based Education: Learn on Demand
- Collaborating to Provide Simulation: KanTRAIN
- Key Takeaways
- Recommendations
Data and Methods
This brief is part of a larger project that attempts to understand the implementation and impact of the TAACCCT investment through a systematic review of third-party grant evaluation reports. The project involves a team of six researchers from Bragg & Associates and New America who have collected and reviewed 220 final evaluation reports available from 256 TAACCCT projects.1 It has three phases: scanning and scoring, systematic review, and semi-structured interviews with evaluators and grantee institutions.
In the first phase, our team collected 220 evaluation reports available from the four rounds of TAACCCT. Our team reviewed each report at least twice, and two different team members graded each report on three elements: theory of change, implementation analysis, and impact analysis. We identified 55 high-quality final evaluation reports based on a rubric. From this list of high-quality final grant reports, we selected five TAACCCT grants (see Figure 1 below).
The grants covered a variety of occupational sectors, geographic areas, rounds of grants, and types of online and simulated learning supported by the grant. Two of the grants, Online2Workforce and Enhancing Programs for IT Certification, built out the system-wide, online Learn on Demand platform in Kentucky and they contribute to one case study. Together, these five grants provide lessons around collaboration in online and simulated learning.
Figure 1: TAACCCT Grants Covered in Case Studies
| Grant | Institution(s) | Sector | Round | Type | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [New Mexico SUN PATH](http://www.skillscommons.org/handle/taaccct/18108) | 11 community colleges and branch campuses | IT, health care | 4 | State consortia | NM |
| [MoHealthWINs](https://support.skillscommons.org/showcases/outcomes/healthcare/mohealthwins/) | All 13 community and technical colleges led by the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) | Health care | 1 | State consortia | MO |
| [Online2Workforce](https://www.skillscommons.org/bitstream/handle/taaccct/15586/Elizabethtown%20CTC%20-%20Final%20Evaluation%20-%202016.12.07.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y) | Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | Health care | 2 | Single | KY |
| [Enhancing Programs for IT Certification](https://www.skillscommons.org/bitstream/handle/taaccct/18205/EPIC%20Grant%20Third%20Party%20Evaluation.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y) | Six Kentucky Community & Technical College System institutions | IT | 4 | State consortia | KY |
| [KanTRAIN](https://www.skillscommons.org/bitstream/handle/taaccct/18334/KanTRAIN_TAACCCT_IV_FinalReport_9.27.18_508.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y) | Flint Hills Technical College, Garden City Community College, Washburn Institute of Technology, Washburn University, Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology | Manufacturing, health care | 4 | State consortia | KS |
Citations
- In Round 1 of TAACCCT, third-party evaluation was not mandatory, as it was in Rounds 2-4. Therefore, final evaluation reports only exist for some Round 1 grants, leaving us with only 220 final reports out of 256 total TAACCCT grants made.