II.A.1.  All instructional programs, regardless of location or means of delivery, including distance education and correspondence education, are offered in fields of study consistent with the institution’s mission, are appropriate to higher education, and culminate in student attainment of identified student learning outcomes, and achievement of degrees, certificates, employment or transfer to other higher education programs.

The American Samoa Community College’s (ASCC) Mission ensures the community and its students the offering of high quality educational programs and services.¹ Program offerings provide opportunities for students to achieve their educational goals through transfer to institutions of higher learning, successful entry into the workforce, research and extension in human and natural resources, and awareness of Samoa and the Pacific.  

All ASCC educational programs are aligned to the mission of the College through its offering of certificates, Associate of Arts degrees, Associate of Science degrees, and a Bachelor in Elementary Education degree. Associate of Arts degrees are designed to prepare students to transfer to institutions of higher learning.  Associate of Science degrees and Certificates of Completion and Certificates of Proficiency prepare students to enter into the workforce. ASCC offers eight Associate of Arts Degrees, 18 Associate of Science degrees, one Bachelor in Elementary Education Degree, 22 certificates of proficiency, and six certificates of completion. ²

ASCC’s focus on student learning and achievement allows the college to determine the quality of its instructional programs through the setting of student learning outcome measures and institution-set standards as indicators for continual improvements in program review, assessment, and planning.³ Monitoring of student progression through the completion of certificates and degrees is categorized by pathways to student success. ASCC has defined five standards for student success:

• Developmental Courses: The successful completion of highest developmental English and Mathematics Courses (Eng 90, Eng 91, Math 90) which transition students into college readiness;
• Gateway Courses: The successful completion of college level English and Math Courses (Eng 150, Eng 151, Math 151) as required by all degrees to transition into Gen-Ed and Program Requirements;
• Degree Program Requirements: The successful completion of General Ed, Core Foundational and Co-Foundational courses required by a Degree program;
• Persistence: The retention of students in their first and second year, and within 150% time to graduation;
• Degree/Certificate Completion and Transfer: The successful completion of a degree program or Certificate, and transfer to institutions of higher learning or transition into the workforce. ⁴

Each standard provides direction on the process of setting institutional set-standards, courses assessed to set standards, and data set used for analysis to determine the achievement of ASCC’s Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO). ASCC ILOs are as follows:

• Effective Communicators: ASCC graduates communicate respectfully, listen attentively, seek clarification, and value the opinions of others. Graduates effectively present information using a variety of modes and media. They adapt their method of presentation to suit specific audiences and convey their intended message using a variety of oral, written, and visual strategies;
• Critical Thinkers: ASCC graduates engage in the examination of ideas, issues, and problems, drawing on established bodies of knowledge and means of analysis. Graduates organize information logically and consider alternative strategies. They recognize the need for multiple voices and seek opportunities for those voices to be heard;
• Global Citizens: ASCC graduates are prepared to participate in regional and global communities. They demonstrate knowledge of their region and the world.
• Quantitative Competent Individuals: ASCC graduates organize, and critically examine written, oral, visual, and numerical information. Graduates efficiently use technology as a tool to gather and evaluate information from a variety of perspectives. Graduates use the information ethically, respecting the legal restrictions that exist when using published, confidential, and proprietary information;
• Responsible Leaders: ASCC graduates act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions, ethically and equitably. Graduates engage in professional dialogue and participate in learning communities.⁵     

1 - ASCC Catalog:  Mission Statement, p. iii
2 - ASCC Catalog:  Degree and Certificate Programs of study, p. ix-x
3 - Participatory Governance Structural Manual: Assessment of Student Learning and Achievement & Institution Set Achievement Standards, p. 16-28
4 - Participatory Governance Structural Manual: Institution Set Achievement Standards, p. 25-27
5 - Participatory Governance Structural Manual: Institutional Learning Outcomes, p. 9-10