SYSTEMS APPRAISAL FEEDBACK REPORT COWLEY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE SEPTEMBER 21, in response to the Systems Portfolio of

Transcription

1 SYSTEMS APPRAISAL FEEDBACK REPORT in response to the Systems Portfolio of COWLEY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE SEPTEMBER 21, North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400 Chicago, Illinois ncahlc.org/aqip-home/

2 SYSTEMS APPRAISAL FEEDBACK REPORT In response to the Systems Portfolio of COWLEY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Table of Contents Executive Summary... 1 Elements of the Feedback Report... 2 Strategic and Accreditation Issues... 4 Using the Feedback Report... 6 Critical Characteristics Analysis... 7 Category Feedback Helping Students Learn Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives Understanding Students' and Other Stakeholders Needs Valuing People Leading and Communicating Supporting Institutional Operations Measuring Effectiveness Planning Continuous Improvement Building Collaborative Relationships... 40

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR COWLEY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE The following are summary comments on each of the AQIP Categories crafted by the Appraisal Team to highlight Cowley County Community College s achievements and to identify challenges yet to be met. While providing a number of processes in support of Helping Students Learn, Cowley Community College has the opportunity to establish, monitor and report on direct measures of student learning. Large amounts of data gathering appears to be taking place, but how it is being used, via the AIM document or other processes is unclear. The portfolio, for the most part, did not provide measures, targets, the college s data for the measures and how that information was being used to drive improvement in Helping Students Learn. The College also has the opportunity to strengthen data gathering and measures of success at the programmatic level, which were lacking in the current portfolio. Cowley has an opportunity to provide data to support accomplishments or improvements in all of its explicitly defined institutional objectives, which are Leadership, Athletics, and Cultural/Community Involvement. Cowley has described a number of processes used in Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders Needs, some of them award-winning such as their admissions website. This, along with the development of the AIM document, indicates that Cowley understands the need to collect and analyze data, as well as implementing tools to do so. The College, as noted in earlier categories of the Systems Portfolio, still struggles with establishing and documenting systematic processes that can be used to guide the organization with setting measurable goals and targets and conducting analysis to monitor progress toward achieving its goals and targets. Cowley has implemented a number of processes and policies relative to hiring, new employee orientation, ethical standards, professional development, faculty and staff evaluation, employee satisfaction data gathering and online training. There are many opportunities for Cowley to analyze data gathered and align systematic and comprehensive processes with institutional goals and improvement targets. Opportunities also exist to compare salaries and benefits to other institutions and make 1

4 sure they are aligned with institutional goals in order to recruit and retain quality employees. Cowley has in place an infrastructure and culture that offers an opportunity to involve levels and units within the College, but it is unclear how the units are involved in selecting specific processes, collecting and analyzing data, and setting concrete targets for improvement in leading and communicating. Cowley has shown that it has processes in place and that it is collecting data, but it is still unclear how it is using the data to drive improvement. Cowley has an opportunity to develop a closed loop processes leading to continuous improvement Opportunity exists for Cowley to examine the overall effectiveness of its system for information and knowledge management and to address more specifically the processes, measures, results, and improvement targets related to category seven. Cowley Community College has listed a number of processes that are used in its planning cycle. The College did not, however, present evidence in the portfolio to represent the means by which measures and targets referenced by the AIM document were developed or chosen. Linkages between planning and data contained in the AIM document would strengthen the systems portfolio. Cowley has developed collaborative formal and informal relationships with organizations and stakeholders, including community members, business and industry, governmental and regulatory agencies, suppliers and internal and external stakeholders. The College would benefit from a comprehensive and systematic process that includes defining key measures, data analysis, alignment and prioritization of these relationships. Accreditation issues and Strategic challenges for Cowley County Community College are listed in detail within the Strategic and Accreditation Issues Analysis section of the Appraisal Feedback Report. ELEMENTS OF COWLEY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE s FEEDBACK REPORT The provides AQIP s official response to your Systems Portfolio by a team of readers trained in evaluation. After appraisers independently reviewed your document, the team reached consensus on essential elements of your institutional profile, 2

5 strengths and opportunities for improvement by Category, and significant issues for your institution. These are presented in three sections of the Feedback Report: Accreditation Issues Analysis, Critical Characteristics Analysis, and Category Feedback. These components are interrelated in defining context, evaluating performance, surfacing critical issues, and assessing institutional performance. It is important to remember that the Systems Appraisal Team had only your Systems Portfolio to guide their analysis of your institution s strengths and opportunities for improvement. Consequently, their report may omit important strengths if you were too modest to stress them in your Systems Portfolio, or if your discussion and documentation of them was unconvincing. Similarly, the team may have pointed out areas of potential improvement that are already receiving the institution s attention. Again, the team used its best judgment in identifying improvement opportunities. If some of these areas of potential improvement are now strengths rather than opportunities because of your own focused efforts, that is all to your credit. If the team was unsure about an area, we urged it to err on the side of giving your institution the best possible advice about where investing your efforts might pay off. If some of their advice comes after the fact, after you ve already tackled an area, no harm is done. Executive Summary: Summative statements agreed upon by the Systems Appraisal Team reflecting the reviewers assessment of the institution s current status in relation to critical quality characteristics: robustness of process design; utilization or deployment of processes; the existence of results, trends, and comparative data; the use of results data as feedback, and systematic processes for improvement of the activities that the Category covers. Since institutions are complex, maturity levels may vary from one Category to another. Strategic challenges for the institution are listed in detail within the Strategic and Accreditation Issues Analysis section of the Appraisal Feedback Report. Strategic and Accreditation Issues Analysis: Strategic issues are those most closely related to your institution s ability to succeed in reaching its mission, planning, and quality improvement goals. Accreditation issues are areas where you have not yet provided evidence that you meet the Commission s Criteria for Accreditation, or where the evidence you have presented suggests you may have difficulties, now or in the future, in meeting these expectations. If accreditation is essential for your institution then any accreditation issues identified are, by definition, also strategic. The Systems Appraisal Team identified both of these kinds of issues through analysis of your Organizational Overview and the feedback it provided for each 3

6 Category, as well as by reviewing the Index to the Criteria for Accreditation that you provided along with your Systems Portfolio. This list of strategic issues offers a framework for addressing ongoing improvement of processes and systems, serving as an executive summary of the Report s key findings and recommendations. Critical Characteristics: Your Systems Portfolio s Organizational Overview provides context for the team s knowledge of your institution s identity, mission objectives, strategic goals, and key factors related to improvement. Critical Characteristics are those features most important for understanding the institution s mission, environment, stakeholders, competitive position, goals, and processes. Characteristics having the greatest relevance to each Category are identified in the Report. Category Feedback: The Report s feedback on each of AQIP s nine Categories specifically identifies strengths and opportunities for improvement. An S or SS identifies strengths, with the double letter signifying important achievements or capabilities upon which to build. Opportunities are designated by O, with OO indicating areas where attention may result in more significant improvement. Comments, which are keyed to your Systems Portfolio, offer brief analysis of each strength and opportunity. Organized by Category, and presenting the team s findings in detail, this section is the heart of the Report. STRATEGIC AND ACCREDITATION ISSUES In conducting the Systems Appraisal, the team attempted to identify the broader issues that present the greatest challenges and opportunities for your institution in the coming years. These are all strategic issues, ones you need to grapple with as you identify your institution s strategies for confronting the future and becoming the institution you want to be. The team also examined whether any of these strategic issues put your institution into jeopardy of not meeting the Higher Learning Commission s accreditation expectations. Issues Affecting Compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation. An important goal for the Systems Appraisal was to review your institution s compliance with the Higher Learning Commission s Criteria for Accreditation. The peer quality experts who served on the team were all trained in evaluating colleges and universities using the Commission s Criteria, and the Systems Appraisal process they followed included careful steps to ensure the team used the 4

7 Criteria as a major factor in their review. As the team reviewed your presentation of your institution s systems and processes under each AQIP Category, it searched for accreditationrelated issues and concerns. In addition, the team used the Index to the Criteria for Accreditation that you provided with your Portfolio to perform a comprehensive review of the Criteria and each Core Component to ascertain whether you presented compelling evidence that your institution complies with each of these Commission expectations. The Systems Appraisal team concluded that Cowley County Community College has presented evidence that it complies with each of the Five Criteria for Accreditation and each of their Core Components. Although the Systems Appraisal does not in itself constitute a review for continued accreditation, the team s conclusion upon reviewing your Portfolio against the Criteria will serve as a telling piece of evidence during the Commission s next scheduled AQIP review of your institution for Reaffirmation of Accreditation. Issues Affecting Future Institutional Strategies. The Systems Appraisal Team identified the following strategic issues to assist Cowley County Community College in prioritizing and taking action on the important broad challenges and opportunities it faces. From these you may discover your vital immediate priorities, shaping strategies that can lead to a quantum leap in the performance of your institution. Implementing these strategies may call for specific actions, so AQIP s expectation that your institution be engaged in three or four vital Action Projects at all times will help encourage your administrators, faculty, and staff to turn these strategic goals into real accomplishments. Knowing that Cowley County Community College will discuss these strategic issues, give priority to those it concludes are most critical, and take action promptly, the Systems Appraisal Team identified: Cowley County Community College is gathering data and provided a number of processes in support of Helping Students Learn, such as program review. However, the data presented are largely indirect measures of student learning. Use of the data to drive improvement in student learning, via the AIM document or other processes, is unclear. The College also has opportunity to strengthen data gathering and measures of success at the programmatic level, which were lacking in the current portfolio. Although common student learning outcomes have been identified, there were no program specific learning outcomes identified nor direct measures of learning that identified the expectations for learning at that level. 5

8 Cowley has improved the college-wide strategic planning process, but still struggles with establishing and documenting systematic processes that can be used to guide the organization with setting measurable goals and targets and conducting analysis to monitor progress toward achieving its goals and targets. Throughout the portfolio, there are many opportunities to provide clear definition and design of processes. Cowley has the opportunity to examine the overall effectiveness of its systems for information and knowledge management and to address more specifically, the measures, results, and improvement targets across the nine categories. A comprehensive system should be considered for data gathering, data management, and data analysis to make decisions and improve performance. In many categories, specific data relative to the category was not presented, nor was comparison data for other institutions or organizations outside of higher education. Cowley would benefit from identifying peers from which to benchmark data. While Cowley County Community College is progressing in the development of its continuous improvement process, at this stage of its AQIP journey, the collection and use of data for decision making should be more evident and purposeful. USING THE FEEDBACK REPORT The AQIP is intended to initiate action for improvement. It is therefore important that the Report produced by the Systems Appraisal Team stimulate review of organizational processes and systems. Though decisions about specific actions are each institution s, AQIP expects every institution to use its feedback to stimulate cycles of continual improvement. At the next Strategy Forum an AQIP institution attends, its peers will examine in detail how it is using the feedback from its Systems Appraisal. An organization needs to examine its Report strategically to identify those areas that will yield greatest benefit if addressed. Some key questions that may arise in careful examination of the Report may be: How do the team s findings challenge our assumptions about ourselves? Given our mission and goals, which issues should we focus on? How will we employ results to innovate, grow, and encourage a positive culture of improvement? How will we incorporate 6

9 lessons learned from this review in our planning and operational processes? How will we revise the Systems Portfolio to reflect what we have learned? How an organization interprets, communicates, and uses its feedback for improvement ought to support AQIP s core values, encouraging involvement, learning, collaboration and integrity. Based solely upon an organization s Systems Portfolio, the Report reflects a disciplined, external review of what an organization says about itself. The report should help an organization identify ways to improve its Systems Portfolio so it functions better to communicate accurately to internal and external audiences. But the Report s chief purpose is to help you to identify areas for improvement, and to act so that these areas actually improve. These improvements can then be incorporated into an updated Systems Portfolio, guaranteeing that future Systems Appraisals will reflect the progress an institution has made. Within a year following the Systems Appraisal, an institution participates in another AQIP Strategy Forum, where the focus will be on what the institution has learned from its Appraisal (and from its other methods of identifying and prioritizing improvement opportunities, and what it has concluded are its major strategic priorities for the next few years. AQIP s goal is to help an institution to clarify the strategic issues most vital to its success, and then to support the institution as it addresses these priorities through Action Projects that will make a difference in institutional performance. CRITICAL CHARACTERISTICS ANALYSIS The purpose of this section is to identify what team members understood to be the critical and distinguishing characteristics of your institution. They are the shared understanding of the most important aspects of Cowley County Community College, its current dynamics and the forces surrounding it, and its internal momentum and aspirations, at least as team members understood them. This section also demonstrates that the Systems Appraisal Team recognized and knew what makes [Institution] distinctive. Should you find some characteristics that you think are critical and missing from this list, you may want to clarify and highlight these items when you revise your Systems Portfolio and other literature explaining your institution to the public. Item Critical Characteristic 7

10 OVa OVb Cowley County Community College and Area Vocational-Technical School is a publicly supported, not-for-profit, two-year college serving Arkansas City, a service area of approximately 2,955 square miles, and a population of nearly 68,000 people in south central Kansas. Cowley s commitment to quality improvement began in the 1990s. In 1999, Cowley received a Kansas Excellence Award Level III from the Kansas Award for Excellence Foundation, a state quality award program based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria. Cowley also participates in a number of national quality organizations. OV1a All degree seeking students meet common student learning outcomes based on a general education curriculum which promotes foundational knowledge, development of academic discipline and integrity, demonstrating competency in the areas of communication, computation, critical thinking and problem solving, technology, community and interpersonal skills. Learning objectives for technical and vocational certificate programs are developed in accordance with state and professional requirements established for these areas of study by their licensing agencies. OV1b The College offers four degree programs (Associate of Arts, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Science, Associate of General Studies) and a vocational certificate based upon a credit hour system; courses are delivered in a variety of formats, including traditional classroom, Interactive Distance Learning, video hybrid, electronic hybrid, computer-assisted learning, and online environments; the average class size is 15 students. Offering more than 70 majors, CCCC prepares students to transfer to four-year colleges or for the workforce. OV1c Cowley serves a diverse population whose academic preparation for college-level work is disparate. Underprepared students are provided resources for academic assistance. Areas of academic support available for students are electronic library services, face-toface and online tutoring services, and the online course management system. In noninstructional areas, programs and activities are offered in support of business and industry, as well as non-credit courses for community members over the age of 50. OV2 Cowley has identified three key organizational services, in addition to instructional programs, that are critical to the mission of the College: maintaining quality athletic 8

11 programs, supportive leadership and supporting the community through cultural programs and shared facilities. OV3a Cowley competes with traditional and for-profit institutions; competition has dramatically increased during the past decade. Directly or indirectly, 65 percent of revenue for Cowley is based on enrollment. Online delivery of courses is the second largest segment of CCCC s enrollment and is helping to expand the College s presence in the competitive market. OV3b The student population has grown from 58 students enrolled in 1922 to 5,654 enrolled during the academic year. The average student age at the College in Fall 2009 was 24 years, consisting of 40 percent male and 60 percent female, with 38 percent of the students enrolled full-time. 30 percent of the students enrolled during that period received some form of federal need-based financial aid. OV3c Cowley utilizes accelerated degree programs, distance delivery using multiple modes including IDL, telecourses, and hybrid and online courses using ANGEL learning management system. OV4 OV5 Cowley has 48 full-time faculty, with 29 tenured, 13 on tenure track, and 6 without faculty rank; it has 121 staff, of which 6 are administrators; it employees 151 part-time adjuncts and 54 part-time staff. Faculty are employed under a negotiated Master Agreement; all other employees work under a letter of employment except for the administrators, who are employed by the Board of Trustees on two-year contracts. Four core values help guide the College and the employees in decision making and process development: people, accountability, integrity, and leadership. OV6a Key administrative support service processes related to five major areas within the college are Fiscal and Facilities Support, Student Support, Administrative Support, Human Resources, and Computer Support. Each key process area has key measures that are included in the Accountability and Institutional Measures (AIM) document for review on a regular basis. OV6b Cowley s main campus is in downtown Arkansas City; there are a number of key offcampus sites, enrollment/advising centers and several smaller sites. 9

12 OV7 OV8 A new strategic planning process has been developed that identifies instruments as tools for measuring institutional processes and integrates the presidential vision/goals, organizational data, AQIP action projects, Kansas Board of Regents Performance Agreements and Perkins/capital expenditures. Cowley relies on growth in FTE to help fund college operations. Constraints include funding issues, as well as providing services for outside the service area. Challenges have arisen due to major off-campus restructuring in school year that include the closure of a major off-campus center. OV9a Cowley relies on healthy partnerships with regional and state universities, other community colleges, technical colleges and private schools in the area. Other strong relationships are important with school districts that supply students to Cowley, other regional colleges that cooperate in the delivery of services and with universities where Cowley students transfer. OV9b Cowley has identified important business partnerships and is a leader in providing customized training directly to business and industry for upgrade of skills and retraining of workers who have been laid off or desire to change occupations. CATEGORY FEEDBACK In the following sections, each of which deals with strengths and opportunities for improvement for one of the nine AQIP Categories, selected Critical Characteristics are again highlighted, those the Systems Appraisal Team believed were critical keys to reviewing that particular AQIP Category. The symbols used in these strengths and opportunities sections for each Category stand for outstanding strength (SS), strength (S), opportunity for improvement (O) and pressing or outstanding opportunity for improvement (OO). The choice of symbol for each item represents the consensus evaluation of the Systems Appraisal Team members, and deserves your thoughtful consideration. Comments marked SS or OO may need immediate attention, either to ensure the institution preserves and maximizes the value of its greatest strengths, or to devote immediate attention to its greatest opportunities for improvement. 10

13 AQIP CATEGORY 1: HELPING STUDENTS LEARN Helping Students Learn identifies the shared purpose of all higher education organizations, and is accordingly the pivot of any institutional analysis. This Category focuses on the teachinglearning process within a formal instructional context, yet also addresses how your entire institution contributes to helping students learn and overall student development. It examines your institution's processes and systems related to learning objectives, mission-driven student learning and development, intellectual climate, academic programs and courses, student preparation, key issues such as technology and diversity, program and course delivery, faculty and staff roles, teaching and learning effectiveness, course sequencing and scheduling, learning and co-curricular support, student assessment, measures, analysis of results, and efforts to continuously improve these areas. Here are the Key Critical Characteristics of Cowley County Community College that were identified by the Systems Appraisal Team as most relevant for its interpretation of its Systems Portfolio section covering Category 1, Helping Students Learn: Item Critical Characteristic OV1a All degree seeking students meet common student learning outcomes based on a general education curriculum which promotes foundational knowledge, development of academic discipline and integrity, demonstrating competency in the areas of communication, computation, critical thinking and problem solving, technology, community and interpersonal skills. Learning objectives for technical and vocational certificate programs are developed in accordance with state and professional requirements established for these areas of study by their licensing agencies. OV1b The College offers four degree programs (Associate of Arts, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Science, Associate of General Studies) and a vocational certificate based upon a credit hour system; courses are delivered in a variety of formats, including traditional classroom, Interactive Distance Learning, video hybrid, electronic hybrid, computer-assisted learning, and online environments; the average class size is 15 students. Offering more than 70 majors, CCCC prepares students to transfer to four-year colleges or for the workforce. 11

14 OV1c Cowley serves a diverse population whose academic preparation for college-level work is disparate. Underprepared students are provided resources for academic assistance. Areas of academic support available for students are electronic library services, face-toface and online tutoring services, and the online course management system. In noninstructional areas, programs and activities are offered in support of business and industry, as well as non-credit courses for community members over the age of 50. OV3c Cowley utilizes accelerated degree programs, distance delivery using multiple modes including IDL, telecourses, and hybrid and online courses using ANGEL learning management system. Here are what the Systems Appraisal Team identified as Cowley County Community College s most important strengths and opportunities for improvement relating to processes encompassed by Category 1, Helping Students Learn. Item S/O Comment 1P1 S Using feedback from a study by the Pew Charitable Trust as well as other published sources and faculty input, The Outcomes Assessment Team (OAT) has identified Common Student Learning Outcomes that are reinforced throughout the curriculum. The skills include communication, computation, critical thinking and problem solving, technology, community and interpersonal skills. 1P2a S Cowley uses Focus 22/20 to review and revise program curriculum, course outlines and objectives annually. Input is sought from advisory council members, students, and other institutions. 1P2b OO Cowley discusses program review and program course objectives, but does not identify specific program learning objectives or the process to do so. Appendix C details the program review process and the data points listed are indirect measures of student learning. There are no program specific learning outcomes identified nor direct measures of learning. 1P3 S Cowley uses a course and program review process that moves from the faculty to the chair to the academic affairs council; each department has 12

15 an advisory board that reviews existing programs, processes, and objectives, and provides feedback on proposed changes and additions. 1P4a S Cowley uses a process to design academic programming that utilizes an advisory board, results of the program review process, and stakeholder survey that addresses responsiveness and the employment market. 1P4b O Without established student learning outcomes specific to a program, it is difficult to identify what learning is expected and therefore to integrate learning goals with the changes that need to be made to courses or programming in order to meet student s career needs. 1P5 S Cowley uses a combination of ACT scores and/or COMPASS assessment, course prerequisites, and requirements specific to a program of study to determine preparation of students for advancing in a program. 1P6 S Cowley uses a comprehensive approach to communicate to prospective and current students the required preparation and learning and development objectives using high school visits, college planning conferences, career fairs, Upward Bound, College catalog, advising, course syllabi, and new student orientation. 1P7 SS Cowley helps students select programs of study through many and varied channels depending upon the student s needs: assistance in the Office of Admissions, advisors for undecided students, content-specific advisors, the IMPACT program for academically disadvantaged students, Career Services, Discover program and new student orientation. 1P8 S Cowley uses mandatory assessment and placement policy, WorkKeys, and other methods to place students in appropriate courses; developmental courses are available for students needing remediation. 1P8b O Students in math and writing courses are required to pass each course with a grade of C or higher before advancing to the next level. It is not clear if Cowley collects and analyzes this data to determine trend lines and/or areas of focus for improvement of student success. 13

16 1P9a S All students enrolled in New Student Orientation complete a learning styles inventory, which classifies them as auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learners and provides them with detailed information on ways to maximize their learning; instructors receive training in ways to appeal to diverse learning styles. 1P9b O There is opportunity to make the New Student Orientation a comprehensive process that affects all students at entry including transfer students. Data could be collected to evaluate the effectiveness of faculty professional development in ways to appeal to diverse learning styles. 1P10a S Accommodations for students with disabilities are provided through the Disability Services Program; the Cowley College Golden Tigers program provides educational opportunities to community members 50 and older, and the needs of commuters are addressed through online and hybrid courses as well as block scheduling. 1P10b O It is unclear whether or not Cowley assures accommodations for students with mental, emotional, and psychological problems. 1P11a S Instructors complete an annual job target that to establish goals and specify methods for assessing goal attainment; students have opportunities to evaluate instructors and courses, and answer surveys; the college tracks DFW rates, course grades and success in subsequent courses, success on certification tests and national exams, as well as feedback from four-year institutions and advisory committees. 1P11b O The three-year (full-time) and two-year evaluations (part-time) for continuing faculty who have been evaluated every semester for three years (full-time) and at the end of each semester as well as in-class evaluations in the first semester (part-time) creates the possibility for a quality lapse in instruction. 1P12 S Cowley uses a number of delivery methods determined by the CAO in conjunction with the academic department and/or instructional director and the course instructor. Alternative delivery methods include IDL (Interactive Distance Learning), video hybrid, electronic hybrid and online. 14

17 In , 144 different classes were offered from 17 IDL locations; online courses accounted for 1565 FTE and electronic hybrids accounted for 440 FTE. 1P13 S Cowley uses a bottom up process of program review, Focus 20/20, to identify areas of strength and weakness in the disciplines. Each department has an advisory council that meets once each academic year (twice each year for the Career and Technical Education Department) and provides advice and suggestions for improvement in the discipline areas. Vocational programs make use of an employer survey to assess the training level of their graduates and their performance in the workplace. 1P14 S In conjunction with faculty, department chairs and the CAO, yearly recommendations are made about continuation or discontinuation of programs and courses. The President and Board have final authority regarding discontinuance of any program. 1P15 S Cowley uses feedback from various student and stakeholder surveys to help assess student and faculty support needs, using established processes such as SARS), IMPACT, tutoring and disability services. Cowley provides support to faculty through technology training, professional development and encouragement of innovation within the classroom. 1P16 O It is unclear how or what co-curricular development goals are integrated with the Common Student Learning Outcomes. 1P17a S Cowley uses indirect comparative data from the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) to gauge the success of transfer students, work-study experiences and employer surveys to gauge the success of career students. 1P17b O Cowley would benefit from using more direct means of student learning measurement that include licensure and certification rates in specific programs of study or other nationally normed tests in specific technical and career fields. 15

18 1P18a S Every student graduating from Cowley with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of General Studies degree is required to take the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) in the areas of English, computational skills, and reading. The results are recorded on the student s permanent record. WorkKeys is required for the applied science degrees. 1P18b OO Assessment processes of learning outcomes specific to programs of study were not provided. 1R1 OO Although 1R2 provides a list of measures, course completion rates, graduation rates and persistence are not direct measures of student learning. Opportunity exists to describe the direct measures of student learning success, their targets, and how the data are used. 1R2 OO While Cowley notes common student learning assessment measures using WorkKeys and CAAP (in 1R3), they do not present an analysis of the data or the usefulness of the results. 1R3 OO WorkKeys assessment for AAS degrees provides measurement of attainment of common student learning outcomes, not specific program outcomes. CAAP data for AA and AS degrees were not provided. Course completion rates, graduation rates, and persistence rates are not measures of specific program learning objectives. 1R4a S KBOR Transfer Feedback Report that compares community college transfer students is carefully monitored. 1R4b O Cowley would benefit from strengthening evidence that the knowledge and skills required by career and technical stakeholders is acquired by students completing programs of study in those areas. Surveys of students and employers provide indirect measures of evidence. 1R5 S Results of the Student Satisfaction Inventory data indicate that learning support processes are meeting or exceeding expectations. 1R6a S Cowley is beginning to look at state-wide and national indirect comparative data. 16

19 1R6b OO Cowley would benefit from using more direct measures of learning and providing comparative data. 1I1a S Cowley has directed improvements toward a growing distance education area in both student and instructor support 1I1b O Opportunity exists to identify concrete targets for improving student persistence and success, and developing comprehensive and systemic processes.. 1I2 O Even though results and improvement priorities are communicated through a variety of ways; it is not clear how the AIM document is used to measure and monitor improvements and student learning success. The targets listed are not directly related to student learning. AQIP CATEGORY 2: ACCOMPLISHING OTHER DISTINCTIVE OBJECTIVES Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives addresses the processes that contribute to the achievement of your institution s major objectives that complement student learning and fulfill other portions of your mission. Depending on your institution s character, it examines your institution's processes and systems related to identification of other distinctive objectives, alignment of other distinctive objectives, faculty and staff roles, assessment and review of objectives, measures, analysis of results, and efforts to continuously improve these areas. Here are the Key Critical Characteristics of Cowley County Community College that were identified by the Systems Appraisal Team as most relevant for its interpretation of its Systems Portfolio section covering Category 2, Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives: Item OVa Critical Characteristic Cowley County Community College and Area Vocational-Technical School is a publicly supported, not-for-profit, two-year college serving Arkansas City, a service area of approximately 2,955 square miles, and a population of nearly 68,000 people in south central Kansas. 17

20 OV2 Cowley has identified three key organizational services, in addition to instructional programs, that are critical to the mission of the College: maintaining quality athletic programs, supportive leadership and supporting the community through cultural programs and shared facilities. OV9a Cowley relies on healthy partnerships with regional and state universities, other community colleges, technical colleges and private schools in the area. Other strong relationships are important with school districts that supply students to Cowley, other regional colleges that cooperate in the delivery of services and with universities where Cowley students transfer. OV9b Cowley has identified important business partnerships and is a leader in providing customized training directly to business and industry for upgrade of skills and retraining of workers who have been laid off or desire to change occupations Here are what the Systems Appraisal Team identified as Cowley County Community College s most important strengths and opportunities for improvement relating to processes encompassed by Category 2, Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives. Item S/O Comment 2P1 OO Opportunity exists within this item for Cowley to explain how it designs and operates key non-instructional processes. 2P2a S Determination of other distinctive objectives is done through college-wide in-service activities, where employees are divided into cross-functional teams that include about 20 people from each College division and one of the teams is assigned AQIP Category 2. 2P2b O It is unclear how Cowley gathers and uses information provided by stakeholders external to the institution to inform and determine other distinctive objectives for the College to pursue. 2P3a S Mechanisms exist with which to communicate the expectations of noninstructional operations within the campus community. 2P3b O The process for incorporating channels of broader communication is not clearly defined, nor is it mentioned how the community at large is fully made cognizant of these expectations. 18

21 2P4 O Each distinctive objective has an administrative member who oversees the implementation, assessment and accountability of the objective, but the degree to which others are afforded the opportunity to participate directly with the review and assessment process remains unclear. 2P5 S Faculty and staff needs are determined during strategic planning along with the respective cost analysis, and when the need arises Cowley hires new employees for successful execution of a new distinctive objective. 2P6 S All employees of the College are involved with annual job targets and workgroup action projects. If an employee has an idea on how to improve an existing process, or for a new action project, he/she will submit it to his/her immediate supervisor, who will then compile job targets and establish a workgroup action project for submission to the annual strategic plan (Category 8). 2R1 S Some measures, with goals, are collected and analyzed. For example, credit hour completion for all sports is recorded and analyzed annually (AIM document GM2). 2R2 O Not all of the measures identified in 2R1 have goals associated with them. Results are provided for only some goals. In Figure 2.4, the opportunity exists for Cowley to align the Rating Scale descriptors to the final two survey questions listed at the bottom of the chart. 2R3 O Comparative data are used where possible for athletic programs, but Cowley has not discovered comparative data for the two other distinctive objectives. 2R4 OO Cowley states that results from the advisory boards and community feedback are used in setting direction for new programs and to guide the direction of the College. This statement reflects process but provides no data so it is unclear how performance results are used to strengthen the organization and enhance its relationships with the communities and regions it serves. 19

22 2I1a O Opportunity exists for Cowley to establish clear objectives for improvement and to develop systematic and comprehensive processes to provide performance results and other data, which will enable Cowley to monitor its progress with accomplishing other distinctive objectives. 2I1b O Data presented in Figure 2.4 would better serve Cowley by providing greater insight if it were disaggregated by the respective groups, e.g., Student, College Employee, and so on. 2I2 O Culture and infrastructure were not addressed in the answer to this question. AQIP CATEGORY 3: UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS NEEDS Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders Needs examines how your institution works actively to understand student and other stakeholder needs. It examines your institution's processes and systems related to student and stakeholder identification, student and stakeholder requirements, analysis of student and stakeholder needs, relationship building with students and stakeholders, complaint collection, analysis, and resolution, determining satisfaction of students and stakeholders, measures, analysis of results, and efforts to continuously improve these areas. Here are the Key Critical Characteristics of Cowley County Community College that were identified by the Systems Appraisal Team as most relevant for its interpretation of its Systems Portfolio section covering Category 3, Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders Needs: Item Critical Characteristic OV1c Cowley serves a diverse population whose academic preparation for college-level work is disparate. Underprepared students are provided resources for academic assistance. Areas of academic support available for students are electronic library services, face-toface and online tutoring services, and the online course management system. In noninstructional areas, programs and activities are offered in support of business and industry, as well as non-credit courses for community members over the age of

23 OV3a Cowley competes with traditional and for-profit institutions; competition has dramatically increased during the past decade. Directly or indirectly, 65 percent of revenue for Cowley is based on enrollment. Online delivery of courses is the second largest segment of CCCC s enrollment and is helping to expand the College s presence in the competitive market. OV3b The student population has grown from 58 students enrolled in 1922 to 5,654 enrolled during the academic year. The average student age at the College in Fall 2009 was 24 years, consisting of 40 percent male and 60 percent female, with 38 percent of the students enrolled full-time. 30 percent of the students enrolled during that period received some form of federal need-based financial aid. OV3c Cowley utilizes accelerated degree programs, distance delivery using multiple modes including IDL, telecourses, and hybrid and online courses using ANGEL learning management system. OV6b Cowley s main campus is in downtown Arkansas City; there are a number of key offcampus sites, enrollment/advising centers and several smaller sites. OV9a Cowley relies on healthy partnerships with regional and state universities, other community colleges, technical colleges and private schools in the area. Other strong relationships are important with school districts that supply students to Cowley, other regional colleges that cooperate in the delivery of services and with universities where Cowley students transfer. OV9b Cowley has identified important business partnerships and is a leader in providing customized training directly to business and industry for upgrade of skills and retraining of workers who have been laid off or desire to change occupations. Here are what the Systems Appraisal Team identified as Cowley County Community College s most important strengths and opportunities for improvement relating to processes encompassed by Category 3, Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders Needs. Item S/O Comment 3P1 S Cowley has the processes in place to collect, analyze and gauge the changing needs of student groups and effect change as appropriate. 21

24 3P2a S Cowley has a number of data collection and communication processes, including a National Research Center for College & University Admissions award winning admissions website, to build and maintain student relationships. 3P2b O Cowley recognizes that opportunities exist to develop and improve relationships with online students. 3P3 O Cowley should take this opportunity to fully describe the process(es) used to complete the cycle of gathering information and implementing action where needed. 3P4 O Cowley highlights what it does by listing a number of activities and communication mechanisms used to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, but does not describe the actual process used to implement and maintain the community outreach activities mentioned. 3P5a S Cowley has used data from differing stakeholders to drive change in its programmatic offerings and partnerships. 3P5b O Over the past few years, Cowley has worked with students and the community to address emerging needs. There does not appear to be a formalized process for identifying and meeting those needs. 3P6 S Cowley uses processes tailored to different groups to allow for the submission and resolution of complaints from various stakeholder groups. 3R1 O Cowley lists a number of survey instruments used to track student and stakeholder satisfaction. It does not list the measures that are used within those surveys. 3R2a S Cowley uses national and internal surveys to gauge student satisfaction with various facets of the institution. 3R2b O Cowley would benefit from a trend analysis of SSI and PSOL data. 3R3 O No data, direct or indirect, is offered in the portfolio to support this question. 22

25 3R4 O Cowley has the opportunity to present a wider range of data and how it demonstrates stakeholder satisfaction. 3R5 O Cowley would benefit from a more complete data collection and analysis of all of its key stakeholders beyond advisory committees and employee input on strategic planning. 3R6 O Cowley would benefit from the development of comparable performance results for processes associated with category three, Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders Needs. 3I1a S Cowley has started making improvements with communication in the area of Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders Needs, focusing first on its employees. 3I1b O Other than an action plan to improve employee input, no other improvement was cited. Cowley would benefit from a more complete analysis of improvements in this category. 3I2 O Opportunity exists for Cowley to continue to work on its infrastructure to help identify and select specific processes to improve, and to establish measurable performance targets which can be used to track results of its efforts with Understanding Students and Other Stakeholders Needs. AQIP CATEGORY 4: VALUING PEOPLE Valuing People explores your institution s commitment to the development of your employees since the efforts of all of your faculty, staff, and administrators are required for institutional success. It examines your institution's processes and systems related to work and job environment; workforce needs; training initiatives; job competencies and characteristics; recruitment, hiring, and retention practices; work processes and activities; training and development; personnel evaluation; recognition, reward, compensation, and benefits; motivation factors; satisfaction, health and safety, and well-being; measures; analysis of results; and efforts to continuously improve these areas. 23