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AQIP NEWSLETTER TEAMWORK AT MCC
Issue #13
April 2007

 

Newsletters

MCC's AQIP Home Page

 Quote of the month:

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.                                                                                        - King Whitney Jr.

Action Projects Update
Communication  |  Assessment  |  Rural Needs

In an effort to keep you informed about our AQIP progress, here are more details about our three Action Projects. DISCLAIMER:  THE TITLES OF THE PROJECTS MAY CHANGE. 

Communication
“Optimizing Institutional Effectiveness through Communicating MCC’s Success Stories and Opportunities Externally.” Co-Chairs for this project are Kent Bauer and Paula Salmon.

The goal of this project is to share the hidden treasure of MCC with people in our service area, the state, and beyond. Due to the fact that MCC is the “Best Kept Secret in the Service Area”, we need to figure out how to share that secret with others. The team will define the best ways to communicate the story to the majority of the people.

This project ties into several parts of the 2006-2010 Strategic Directions:  Student Access; Student Success; Operational Excellence; and Community Leadership and Partnership

During 2007-2008, the committee will gather the key methods of reaching the college’s  target market. In Year Two, the committee will work with Marketing and Instruction to utilize the information gathered; Year Three will include follow-up contacts with the community to see if the visibility and awareness of MCC has increased.

Success will be gauged by reviewing follow-up data from new students and local businesses regarding how they heard about MCC and our offerings. Success will be measured by increased new student enrollment and follow-up surveys with the community to assess visibility.

Assessment
“Assessment Across the Institution:  How Good Are We?”  Co-Chairs are Phyllis Gertge and Kathy Frisbie. 

The goal of this action project is to enhance awareness and understanding of MCC assessment. By developing a plan for disseminating data necessary for improving institutional effectiveness, the team hopes to link the academic plan with the institution’s master plan.  

MCC has a history of approaching assessment from a fragmented perspective. As an institution we recognize the importance of assessment for accreditation and for improving institutional effectiveness. A need exists to establish a comprehensive assessment plan for the institution as a whole.

This project will improve the process of reporting and using data. The project will aid all areas in clearly stating what our outcomes are and how we meet those established outcomes.

Monitoring how successful the efforts on this project include:

  • Annual program assessment to determine if progress is being made in aligning instruction and curriculum to meet the changing needs of the workforce.
     

  • Assess the facilities plan to see if progress in being made in alignment with strategic and academic plans.
     

  • Evaluate the yearly professional development program to see if all employees are benefiting as we create an empowered workforce.
     

  • Communications and reports provided on the committee’s work.

The team will use these outcome indicators to determine success:

1.  Complete a survey to see if all staff has a better understanding of what assessment is and the importance of each individual’s involvement. 

2. Establish baseline data on current assessment measures.

3. Meet established performance indictors or benchmarks for measures.

4. Identify gaps in current measures and develop links to fill gaps. 

5. Disseminate college assessment news to entire institution and community that reports how well we are meeting outcomes (minimum of six reports). 

(continued in next column)

Chicago Forum Update

MCC's participation in the upcoming AQIP Strategic Forum (originally slated for this May) has been posponed until next spring. We decided we would get the most benefit from it if we wait until after we receive feedback from the Higher Learning Commission on our systems portfolio (approximately October of 2007). Strategic forums are springboard events that can be used to formulate action projects or revitalize existing action projects. We look forward to attending next year.

Systems Portfolio Update

 

The Deadline approaches! 


Questions posed to Greg Thomas, Chair of the AQIP Writing Team

Okay, remind us again what a Systems Portfolio is.
It’s a vital part of the re-accreditation process, a public statement of who we are and what we do as a college. The systems portfolio includes descriptions of our detailed operations and processes. The first draft was completed, 88 single-spaced pages worth, early in March. 

Where does it fit into the AQIP process?
The systems portfolio is completed in the third year of the 7 year AQIP cycle.  

How did you come up with all of the information contained in the Portfolio? 
Actually, it involved a collaborative process. There is no one person here who knows everything about the college, so we had to tap into the minds of dozens of people who were represented all areas of the college.  Strategic Planning Team members along with the AQIP Writing Team gathered the necessary information for inclusion in the Systems Portfolio. The first draft has been completed, and we are now receiving feedback and comments from various readers.

So, what’s next?   
We will submit the document to the Higher Learning Commission on May 1st, after which a team of reviewers will read and respond to our Systems Portfolio. We can expect a formal, written response from the Higher Learning Commission in October. Based on that feedback, we will have directions for improvement.

(continued from previous column)

Rural Needs
“Creative Solutions to Rural Needs” is the title of the third action project. Co-chairs are Ruth Tryon and Betty McKie.

The goal of the project is to define and establish a process for determining academic, occupational, and other training needs with the rural areas served by MCC. Included in the process will be the establishment of a means for collecting, analyzing, and utilizing data to generate solutions to rural needs.

The goal of this project has become a priority for us based on the fact that 42% of the FTE at the college comes from communities outside of Fort Morgan. Statistics also show a decline of high school graduates in most of our Colorado northeastern communities, so it is important to identify community needs that may be met by MCC through innovative methods.

It is projected that recruitment, course delivery, course offerings and scheduling, and financial incentives may be changed or improved by this action project. During the three years of the project, the team will: 1) observe and gather data; 2) analyze data to determine needs; 3) develop and implement possible solutions.

The determination of the success of the project will be measured by increased connectivity with rural areas, expansion in partnerships (high schools and businesses, and increased enrollment from outlying rural areas.