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STANDARD 2: PLANNING AND EVALUATION

The College maintains the planning structure and processes that were in place when last evaluated by NEASC. Moreover, improvements have been made.

Planning

Planning processes are visible, involve all staff members, and flow logically from CTC system goals to College goals, the various division goals, and ultimately individual goals. At the midpoint and end of each academic year, QVCC reports on how its goals help achieve the goals of the CTC system. College performance measures are reported annually to the Connecticut Department of Higher Education (DHE) through the CTC system.

Planning at QVCC is coordinated by a Lead Planning Team that meets monthly and includes members of management, faculty, and other staff and reports at the monthly all-staff meetings. The Team drives the planning process with CTC system data, local area information, and information derived from all faculty and staff members. Progress on goals is reported at the middle and end of each academic year; end-of-year reporting provides a foundation for the development of new goals. Goals are part of staff performance evaluations. As an example of the planning process, much internal planning has informed the expansion of facilities in Danielson and Willimantic, and planning efforts will continue to manage building adjustments and modifications. Also, in January 2006 the College appointed a Director of Curriculum and Faculty Orientation to provide curriculum review as a means of informing the planning process and of streamlining academic policies and procedures.

Every five years, the College files a Strategic Plan to Promote the College Access and Success of Underrepresented Minority Students with the Office of Educational Opportunity of the DHE. The Director of the Willimantic Center is in charge of the plan’s implementation and annual updates. This plan sets goals for enrollment, retention, and graduation of students of underrepresented groups, develops strategies to meet these goals, and annually evaluates institutional progress towards the goals.

Evaluation

The College’s use of assessment techniques has expanded, and assessment has become more fully integrated into processes and procedures across the institution, as evidenced by the Lead Planning Team’s Assessment Inventory. In particular, learning outcomes are becoming more integrated into curricular and program planning. Internal and external scans of various constituencies are conducted every five years, and collected data are analyzed, shared internally and externally, and used for planning and program development. In 2004, the College hired a full-time Institutional Researcher as recommended in the 2001 NEASC review; the IR position shared with another college in the CTC system became a full-time position at QVCC. In addition, QVCC participated in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) assessment project in spring 2004 and spring 2006, and the College piloted the faculty version.

Since fall 2004, the College has piloted the use of an information management system from eLumen Achievements for the systematic and regular gathering of data about intended and achieved learning outcomes. Long-term gathering of data should provide practical information for improving curricula, courses, and programs. This system should also provide a way to make learning outcome transcripts available to students, for advisement throughout their college experience and for reference in job placement and transfer to other learning institutions. The pilot will continue through the 2006-07 academic year as faculty members become more proficient in their definition and assessment of student achievement.

A self-study of each degree program and related certificates occurs every five years. In addition, some programs, such as Medical Assisting and Computer Networking, are reviewed externally. Ad-hoc teams are formed to research areas that come into special focus, such as student retention (see Standard 6) and long-term technology needs. The Total Quality Steering Council manages short-term Process Improvement Teams (PITs) to identify and respond to specific procedural problems within the institution. Recent examples include the bookstore PIT, which resulted in the implementation of early website posting of all required textbooks for credit courses, and an inter-campus cashiering PIT, which developed a more efficient cash transmittal process. In addition, many areas, such as the library and the Willimantic Center, do periodic surveys to inform the planning process. Also, the Institutional Researcher uses the National Student Clearinghouse for a variety of Federal, state, and internal reports, particularly in compiling information regarding retention and student success.

Institutional Effectiveness

The College continues to adhere to a culture of assessment and data-based decision making for continuing process improvement at all levels. For example, the Economic Impact of Connecticut's Community Colleges was used to determine impact on the local community and to compare outcomes with those of peer institutions. The Lead Planning Team effectively appraises goal attainment. Reassessment of external environment, CTC system parameters, and division reports constitute the feedback loop for each planning cycle. The College frequently analyzes and reports internally and externally on data such as enrollment, retention, graduation rates, cost-benefit ratio of initiatives, generated revenues, and other indicators of institutional effectiveness.

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