Action Project

Institution: Moraine Valley Community College
Submitted: April 29, 2005
Timeline:
Planned project kickoff date:
Target completion date:
Actual completion date:
A. Give this Action Project a short title in 10 words or fewer:

Implementing a Comprehensive Collegewide Institutional Effectiveness Process

 
B. Describe this Action Project's goal in 100 words or fewer:

Moraine Valley has identified a need to improve our institutional effectiveness initiative.  The college would like this Project to result in a comprehensive, objective, fully-integrated, intentional institutional effectiveness process that 1) is coordinated with annual and strategic planning, budgeting and performance evaluation, 2) allows for measuring effectiveness of collegewide initiatives, and 3) provides measurement results that are used for decision-making.

C. Identify the single AQIP Category which the Action Project will most affect or impact:

Primary Category: Planning Continuous Improvement

D. Describe briefly your institution's reasons for taking on this Action Project now — why the project and its goals are high among your current priorities:

Institutional effectiveness (including assessment of student academic achievement), is currently conducted primarily at the departmental level.  We now want to clearly connect all IE/ASAA activities to annual and strategic planning, budgeting and each individual’s professional performance goals.  In addition, institutional effectiveness measurement needs to be conducted for collegewide initiatives that involve multiple departments.

E. List the organizational areas — institutional departments, programs, divisions, or units — most affected by or involved in this Action Project:

Institutional Planning and Research, Resource Development and Institutional Effectiveness, Academic Assessment, Finance

F. Name and describe briefly the key organizational process(es) that you expect this Action Project to change or improve:

Strategic planning, annual planning, institutional effectiveness/assessment of student academic achievement, budgeting, performance evaluation.

G. Explain the rationale for the length of time planned for this Action Project (from kickoff to target completion):

Reports on action team progress will be provided at least once each semester to the following campus groups:  Executive Leadership Team (president, vice presidents and CFO), Administrative Council, President’s Advisory Council.  In addition, college wide updates will be disseminated via Valley View staff newsletter and MV enews electronic newsletter.

H. Describe how you plan to monitor how successfully your efforts on this Action Project are progressing:

•  Report on analysis of current processes and research of successful approaches
•  Recommend improvements to current processes, with corresponding measurable goals to determine when improvements are accomplished
•  Develop, pilot, and evaluate training program – with departments and with a college wide process
•  Pilot and evaluate the improvements to current processes and analyze results
•  Plan for full collegewide training and implementation – including timelines, short- and long-term outcomes, and budget implications
I. Describe the overall outcome measures or indicators that will tell you whether this Action Project has been a success or failure in achieving its goals:

Outcome 1 – Improvements to current processes are identified and corresponding training program is developed. Outcome 2 – Training is provided for a pilot group of departments and for one college wide initiative.  Outcome 3 – Improved processes, including staff training, are initiated on a college wide basis.

J. Other information (e.g., publicity, sponsor or champion, etc.):

As of September 2006, improvements to current processes will be incorporated into a staff training program – which is piloted with at least 3 departments and one college wide process group. As of December 2006, a plan that identifies timelines, interim milestones (short-term), outcomes (long-term), and budgetary implications for college wide implementation, including staff training, will be finalized.

Last Action Project Update: Sept. 13, 2007
A. Describe the past year's accomplishments and the current status of this Action Project.
The team analyzed these college processes: strategic and annual planning, assessment of student academic achievement, budgeting, and performance evaluation.  Information was analyzed by the group to identify sustainable linkages and gaps.  The following recommendations are included in the team’s plan.

1) Create a new form of reporting used college wide that aligns departmental goals with the college’s strategic priorities.   Include performance reports and results from the previous year with how outcomes will be used to plan for the upcoming year.  Requests for additional funding must be justified by providing measurement results.

2) Establish a cross divisional committee to design the format/contents of the annual report that will replace current system.  The committee would be responsible for ensuring that the recommended improvements are implemented and communicated college-wide.    

3) Establish a planning committee to review annual report results and identify goals for planning cycle.  Collaboration across the college should be encouraged to establish and obtain measurement of goals relating to multiple programs/departments/divisions.

4)  Invest in the necessary technology to create a centralized repository that will store all assessment data, and internal and external reporting as part of our institutional effectiveness efforts.  

5) Improve the linkage between the Director of Academic Assessment and Director of Institutional Effectiveness.  The goal will be to move the college to a culture where data about student learning is utilized to make changes.    

6) Track results on faculty attending workshops in assessing student achievement. Provide incentives for faculty that use assessment results to improve student learning.  Create a budget for faculty who propose improvements.

7) Create a Budget Advisory Council to review new objective requests and make recommendations to the Executive Leadership Committee based on results.
B. Describe how the institution involved people in work on this Action Project.
This AQIP team included staff representation from various departments and divisions throughout the college.  When the team broke into work groups, they met with different staff members and departments that had direct responsibility for the processes that were being reviewed.
C. Describe your planned next steps for this Action Project.
The final team report has been submitted for review by the college’s Executive Leadership Team.  After review and approval is complete, implementation of the recommendations can begin. The team has recommended that findings be disseminated for review by the appropriate stakeholders having responsibility for each process (budgeting, performance evaluation, institutional effectiveness, assessment of student academic achievement and strategic and annual planning).  Input from these stakeholders will be used to finalize an implementation plan.
D. Describe any effective practice(s) that resulted from your work on this Action Project.
The annual College Learning Day, attended by all staff, focused on goal setting and assessment of student learning.  For the first time, support staff was included in setting goals and incorporating these into performance reviews.  In addition, the Center for Teaching and Learning is now offering various workshops for faculty on learning outcomes and assessment methods.
E. What challenges, if any, are you still facing in regards to this Action Project?
The scope of our team’s charge was very ambitious and cut across a large number of the institutional processes at the college.  Each college division has different approaches to institutional effectiveness which has made it difficult to make recommendations that could be implemented consistently across the college. Involvement is key to the success of this project.
F. If you would like to discuss the possibility of AQIP providing you help to stimulate progress on this action project, explain your need(s) here and tell us who to contact and when?