Date of Award
12-31-1986
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Keywords
adults, benefits, college, curriculum, degrees, development, dietary departments, dietetic technology nutrition program, economic concern, employees, enrollment decline, facilities, full-time, graduates, health care, high school graduates, hospitals, implementation, instruction, management, malcom x college, marketing, needs survey, opportunities, pilot program, program, role model, saturdays, semesters, students, sundays, support, survey, weekend classes, weekend program, working adults
Abstract
The implications of enrollment decline at Malcom X College has created a dilemma and major economic concern to the college that it launched a college-wide marketing approach to attract new types of students in addition to high school graduates. Responding to this campaign, the Dietetic Technology-Nutrition program targeted the employees working full-time in hospitals and health care facilities’ dietary departments through a needs survey. The survey confirmed an overwhelming interest of employees in the program for weekend classes because of their working hours. Hence, the development of the weekend program to provide them with classes on Saturdays and Sundays of the semester only.
The weekend semester, set up to be a full-time curriculum, was based on the same program offered during the weekdays at Malcom X College. Each course was formulated to equate the hours of instruction required to finish he courses taken all semester long. All set-up, the program will expect to graduate a student after 4 semesters and 2 summers (4 semesters in the regular 5-day per week program).
The program is ready for implementation. Being a pilot program for Malcom X College, its success remains to be seen but which should be provided with intensive support and management to insure this.
The weekend program stands to benefit both Malcom X College in its efforts to strengthen its economic needs for students and as a role model for other programs, and for the working adults to give them the opportunity to finish their degrees at a structure more convenient, conducive and more attainable to them.