AQIP Project Status Update SJC Board of Trustees Retreat November 4, 2011 Academic Quality Improvement Program Higher Learning Commission

Accreditation Criteria

Definition of Accreditation “Accreditation is a process of external quality review created and used by higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities and programs for quality assurance and quality improvement. In the U.S., accreditation is carried out by private, nonprofit organizations designed for this specific purpose.” - Judith S. Eaton, President, CHEA Roles of Accreditation o Assuring quality Quality of faculty, curriculum, student services, etc. Fiscal stability – Institutional mission is central to quality judgments o Access to federal and state funds Financial Aid Grants o Engendering private sector confidence Individuals Employers Foundations o Easing transfer between institutions

Maintaining Accreditation All institutions accredited by the Higher Learning Commission must demonstrate how they meet the HLC’s Five Criteria for AccreditationFive Criteria for Accreditation o Criterion One: Mission and Integrity o Criterion Two: Preparing for the Future o Criterion Three: Student Learning and Effective Teaching o Criterion Four: Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge o Criterion Five: Engagement and Service Each Criterion has three elements: Criterion Statement, Core Components, and Examples of Evidence The Criteria are currently under revision (will not impact this portfolio submission)under revision

HLC Accreditation Programs/Models PEAQ - the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality o Pathways - a new model that will replace PEAQ in Pathways AQIP - the Academic Quality Improvement Program o San Juan College adopted AQIP as its model for reaffirming its accreditation in November 2000

The AQIP Model

About AQIP AQIP is a quality improvement model that focuses on the key systems and processes an institution uses to achieve its mission AQIP AQIP’s nine categories provide a framework for institutions to examine their key processesnine categories AQIP’s core processes are structured in a 7-year cycle o Strategy Forum o Action Projects with Annual UpdatesAnnual Updates o Systems Portfolio o Systems Appraisal o Quality Checkup Site Visit o Reaffirmation of Accreditation

About AQIP AQIP’s core processes are structured in a 7-year cycle o Strategy Forum o Action Projects with Annual Updates o Systems Portfolio o Systems Appraisal o Quality Checkup Site Visit o Reaffirmation of Accreditation

About AQIP Action - Annual Cycle Action Project Updates (Sept) Feedback Incorporation into Systems Portfolio Strategy - Four-Year Cycle Strategy Forum Systems Portfolio Appraisal Feedback Report Accreditation – Seven-Year Cycle Check-up Visit Reaffirmation

Systems Portfolio Systems Portfolio – consists of an Organizational Overview and examines each of the major systems employed to accomplish the organization’s mission and objectives Nine Categories: Nine Categories o Helping Students Learn o Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives o Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs o Valuing People o Leading and Communicating o Supporting Institutional Operations o Measuring Effectiveness o Planning Continuous Improvement o Building Collaborative Relationships

Relationships Between the AQIP Categories

The AQIP Category Framework Process Standards o 8P4. How do you coordinate and align your planning processes, organizational strategies, and action plans across your organization’s various levels? Results Standards o 8R2. What are your performance results for accomplishing your organizational strategies and action plans? Improvements Standards o 8I1. What recent improvements have you made in this category? How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Planning Continuous Improvement?

Category 1: Helping Students Learn Focuses on the design deployment, and effectiveness of teaching-learning processes that underlie your organization’s credit and non-credit programs and courses, and on the processes required to support them. Category 2: Other Distinctive Objectives Addresses the key processes (separate from your instructional programs and internal support services) through which you serve your external stakeholders — the processes that contribute to achieving your major objectives, fulfilling your mission, and distinguishing yours from other educational organizations. Category 3: Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs Examines how your organization works actively to understand student and other stakeholder needs. Category 4: Valuing People Explores your organization’s commitment to the development of your faculty, staff, and administrators.

Category 5: Leading and Communicating Addresses how your leadership and communication processes, structures, and networks guide your organization in setting directions, making decisions, seeking future opportunities, and communicating decisions and actions to your internal and external stakeholders. Category 6: Supporting Institutional Operations Addresses the organizational support processes that help to provide an environment in which learning can thrive. Category 7: Measuring Effectiveness Examines how your organization collects, analyzes, distributes, and uses data, information, and knowledge to manage itself and to drive performance improvement. Category 8: Planning Continuous Improvement Examines your organization’s planning processes and how your strategies and action plans help you achieve your mission and vision. Category 9: Building Collaborative Relationships Examines your organization’s relationships – current and potential – to analyze how they contribute to the organization’s accomplishing its mission.

Standards that are Common across AQIP Categories How do you determine objectives… Whom do you involve in setting these objectives ? How do you build and operate… (programs, services, relationships) How do you support… How do you define, document, and communicate across your organization your expectations… How do you align…

Standards that are Common across AQIP Categories How do you assess/analyze… What measures do you collect and analyze regularly? What recent improvements have you made… How systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results? How do your results compare to peer institutions? How do your culture and infrastructure help you to select specific processes to improve and to set targets for improved performance results?

AQIP Reaffirmation of Accreditation AQIP reaffirmation of accreditation decisions are made every 7 years based upon an organization’s overall pattern of improvement o System Portfolio Appraisals (demonstrate improvement) o Action Projects Number, scope, completed on time o Quality Check-up Visits o Annual Financial Reports

Stages in Organizational Quality Development Reacting Approaches The organization sees its operations as activities rather than processes. Operations primarily respond to immediate needs or problems and don ʼ t concentrate much on anticipating future requirements, capacities, or changes. Goals are implicit and poorly defined. There are lots of “informal” procedures and processes. “Putting out fires” seems more important than preventing them. Systematic Approaches The organization is at the beginning stages of conducting its operations by repeatable, consistent processes that it can evaluate and improve. It has begun to see the value of making explicit the goal of every activity, procedure, and process and of designing “proactive” processes that prevent rather than discover problems. There are early signs of closer coordination among organizational units, with effective processes being deployed across the organization. Strategy and quantitative goals are being defined. The walls between organizational “silos” are beginning to erode. Aligned Approaches The organization groups and manages operations as processes that are repeatable and regularly evaluated for improvement. It strives to make sure that what is learned is shared among organizational units. Its processes address the organization ʼ s key goals and strategies. Coordination among units, divisions, and departments is a major emphasis. People see “the big picture” and relate what they do to organizational goals and strategies. Integrated Approaches Operations are characterized by processes that are repeatable and regularly evaluated for change and improvement in collaboration with other affected units, divisions, and departments.

SJC

SJC Accreditation History Year of Last PEAQ Comprehensive Evaluation: Year of Admission to AQIP: 11/20/2000 Year of Last Reaffirmation of Accreditation: Year of Next Reaffirmation of Accreditation: Year of Last System Appraisal: Year of Next System Appraisal: Due Date of Next Systems Portfolio: 6/1/12 Source: HLC Statement of Affiliation

SJC AQIP Schedule – 3 rd Cycle Action Projects Systems Portfolio Systems Appraisal Strategy Forum Quality Check-up Visit Reaffirmation of Accreditation – Three Action Projects retire in 2012 – November 1, 2011 June 1, 2012 – Sept/Oct, 2012 – Spring 2013 – Fall 2013 or Spring 2014 – AY Visit the SJC website to view AQIP documentsSJC website

Expectations of the Systems Portfolio AQIP expects organizations that participate in the Program to demonstrate overall improvement from one Systems Appraisal to the next. (2006) The second, third, and subsequent versions of an institution’s Systems Portfolio should clearly document how the benefits of improving processes is paying off, and where the evidence shows it. Systems Portfolio Guide (2010)

Institutional Challenges Impacting 2012 Portfolio Development Changes in leadership Institutional commitment to AQIP and continuous improvement principles Lack of clearly defined structure for input to ELT and the Board Lack of strategic plan, ongoing planning process, alignment of plans Limited use of data in decision-making Lack of process documentation Limited faculty participation Continued changes in leadership…

SJC 2012 Portfolio Category Leaders and Liaisons Category 1Helping Students Learn Sher Hruska, Dave Eppich, Lisa Wilson, Stacey Bradley Category 2 Accomplishing Other Distinct Objectives Sher Hruska, Liesl Dees, Ken Kernagis Category 3 Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs Dave Eppich, Tim Warren, Susan Grimes, Heather James Category 4 Valuing People Dave Eppich, Stacey Allen, Skylar Matsen Category 5 Leading and Communicating Mike Tacha, Sam Bachert Category 6 Supporting Institutional Operations Russell Litke, Tim Warren, Karen King Category 7Measuring Effectiveness Russell Litke, Dianne Garcia, Tim Schroeder Category 8 Planning Continuous Improvement Russell Litke, Laurie Gruel, Shelley Pickett Category 9 Building Collaborative Relationships Sher Hruska, Nancy Shepherd, Bill Lewis, Machell Day Category Team Members

Gap Action Plan Standard Action Plan Draft Chapter Index to HLC Criteria Project Timeline – 2012 Portfolio Development Feb-April ’11 May-July ’11 Aug-Dec ‘11 Jan ’12 Stakeholder Review Submit Portfolio Feb-April ’12 May ’12

Gap Action Plan Standard Action Plan Draft Chapter Index to HLC Criteria Current Status – 2012 Portfolio Development Category 7 I Category 3 Category 5 I Category 6 Category 9 Category 1 Category 2 Category 4 Category 8 I I = Institutional issues need to be addressed to move forward

SJC 2012 Systems Portfolio Shared Drive My Computer, Tools, Map Network Drive Drive: <choose an available drive letter) Folder:\\link\aqip\\link\aqip Finish

Questions? Pamela Miller, Ph.D. Associate Vice President for Learning