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OVERVIEW OF DSP&S TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE VISITS
Through the Galvin Group, one-day technical assistance visits are available to colleges in their self-study year of the accreditation cycle. These voluntary visits are supported by the
Chancellor’s Office and provide an opportunity for DSP&S Coordinators and their staff to receive expertise, information and resources in an informal setting.
Technical assistance visits differ from Program Review visits (offered in the past) in a number of key ways. In preparation for these technical assistance visits, DSP&S programs are
not required to furnish any documents, nor schedule interviews with students and administrators, unless they are part of the content to be discussed. Compliance issues will not be verified unless requested as
part of the visit. The focus of the visit is technical assistance in the areas identified by the Coordinator and program staff. A member of the Galvin Group staff, accompanied by a content expert from a
California Community College, attends the one-day visit. Once a date is scheduled, the Galvin Group staff member works with the Coordinator to refine the content elements and select an appropriate team
member. Materials and resources are collected for presentation and discussion at the college.
Over the past three years, approximately 50 colleges have received such a visit. Content areas explored during these visits include: ADA/504; Program Management; Forms and Record Keeping;
Budget/MIS; Adapted Physical Education; Student Learning Outcomes; Learning Disabilities, Alternate Media, High Tech Center operations; Interpreter Issues; Transition; Faculty Awareness, and Staff Development.
In each case, the two person team arrived at the college well prepared with information and resources. With materials in hand, discussions on the given subject(s) progressed throughout the
day.
Technical Assistance visits serve a number of purposes; they provide expertise and information in a collegial, non-threatening atmosphere, provide an opportunity to brainstorm ideas for
program improvement; provide a mentoring and networking experience for DSP&S staff and provide visiting DSP&S staff an opportunity to view other DSP&S programs.
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