Danville Area Community College
Institutional Effectiveness Plan
FY 2005
Executive Summary INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE
The Danville Area Community College Plan for Institutional Effectiveness serves as a platform for the college’s assessment system, strategic planning and program review processes and indicators of achievement set forth by the college’s Mission and Goals. The primary purpose of the plan is accountability and continuous quality improvement. The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) strategic plan, The Illinois Commitment, The Illinois Community College Board’s (ICCB) Promise for Illinois, the Annual Results Report and the Core Indicators of Effectiveness system all played an important role in the creation of the Danville Area Community College (DACC) Plan for Institutional Effectiveness. Built on the premise that data-driven outcomes lead to increased academic achievement and more efficient and effective institutional practices, the Plan will serve as model for planning, decision-making and the overall growth of the college. The DACC Institutional Effectiveness Plan is designed around the ICCB core indicators of effectiveness as well as customized indicators that are designed to meet the unique aspects of DACC’s Mission, Goals and Core Values.
The DACC Institutional Effectiveness Plan accomplishes the following objectives:
Provides important information on how key institutional processes are linked at DACC – Strategic Planning, Core Indicators of Effectiveness, Assessment of Student Learning, Departmental Planning, Academic Program Review and Student Satisfaction Measures.
Documents the achievements of the DACC Assessment Initiative and helps to answer the important question: “Are students learning?”
Details how measures of Student Satisfaction are used in the planning processes of the College.
Demonstrates a plan for continuous improvement, using Core Indicators of Effectiveness.
Outlines a plan for communicating the Core Indictors of Effectiveness and Student Satisfaction Measures to internal and external stakeholders.
2 Presents a timeline for continued implementation of both the Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness Initiatives at DACC. BACKGROUND
Since the 1999 North Central Association (NCA) site visit, Danville Area Community College has been committed to establishing a culture of assessment and accountability within all departments and divisions of the institution. This focused effort not only has a primary goal of developing an infrastructure for student learning assessment, but it also provides a foundation for measuring the overall effectiveness of the college. The assessment initiative at DACC has been supported at all levels of college, from the participation of faculty and staff on the Assessment Committee to the monetary support of the board of trustees. In the six years since its origination, assessment has served as catalyst for not only increased student achievement but for the establishment of a comprehensive Institutional Effectiveness system at DACC. In this system, institutional effectiveness is comprised of six primary processes or initiatives that the college embarks on each year. These processes are as follows: Strategic Planning, Core Indicators of Effectiveness, Assessment of Student Learning, Departmental Planning, Academic Program Review and Student Satisfaction Measures.
The DACC Institutional Effectiveness Plan will demonstrate the accomplishments of each of these six processes of the college. Continued growth, improvement and accountability will be the primary outcomes of this plan. The Plan will be shared with all internal and external stakeholders of the college.
3 OUTCOMES ON SELECTED CORE INDICATORS FY 2005
Mission Category: Student Success
Goal Statement Danville Area Community College provides academic excellence through quality learning activities that enable all students the opportunity to achieve academic and personal goals.
Core Indicator 2 Student Persistence
Measure A: The percentage of first time, degree-seeking students retained from fall 10th day to spring 10th day.
2005 Outcome: 79% of first-time, degree-seeking students enrolled in the fall of 2004, returned in the spring of 2005. These students were enrolled in nine or more hours in both recorded semesters.
Measure B: The percentage of first time, degree-seeking students retained from fall 10th day to fall 10th day.
2005 Outcome: 53% of first-time, degree-seeking students enrolled in the fall of 2004, returned in the fall of 2005. These students were enrolled in nine or more hours.
Core Indicator 3 Successful Course Completion Rate
Measure: The percentage of all DACC students that complete credit courses with a “C” or better, measured at the end of the fall and spring semester. The percentage of student will be calculated using all students still enrolled at the mid term point for each respective courses. This calculation will allow for early ending, late starting and early ending classes to be identified along with all traditional 16-week courses. Grades of D, F, U, and withdrawals will be counted as non-completers.
4 2005 Outcome: The successful course completion rate for all students enrolled in the spring of 2005 was 76%. The rate for students unsuccessful in spring 2005 courses was 12%. The withdraw rate for all students in spring 2005 was also 12%.
Mission Category: Transfer Education
Mission Goal Statement Provide quality transfer courses and programs that enable students to achieve success at four-year institutions.
Core Indicator 1 Success at Transfer Institution
Measure A: The university first year grade point average (GPA) of Danville Area Community College transfer students with at least 12 hours of transfer credit compared to the first year GPA of all Community College transfer students and all native students. This measure will be reported annually for students attending Illinois Public four-year universities during the fall and/or spring semesters.
2005 Outcome: See Attached Graph for detailed results on this measure.
Mission Category: General Education
Mission Goal Statement Provide the knowledge and abilities that enable students to achieve academic and personal goals.
Core Indicator 1 Number of General Education and major specific courses included in the Illinois Articulation Initiative
2005 Outcome: The total number of general education courses included in the Illinois Articulation Initiative is 77, with 133 major specific courses included in IAI as of fall 2005. In total, DACC has 210 courses that guaranteed to transfer to senior institutions in Illinois.
Mission Category: Developmental Education
Mission Goal Statement
5 Provide quality developmental education courses and programs that prepare students for educational and personal success
Core Indicator 1 Successful performance in developmental education and subsequent related courses
Measure A: The percentage of developmental education students who successfully complete developmental education courses.
(The cohort of students is all students enrolled in one or more developmental courses)
Suggested Standard: Developmental Education course completion rates will be at least 75% of the college-level course completions.
2005 Outcome: This year 64% of students enrolled in the Developmental English 098/099 sequence successful completed. For Developmental Math, 57% of students enrolled in the 098/099 sequence were successful. The all campus course completion rate is 76%.
(Both English and Math met or exceeded the suggested standard)
Mission Category: Workforce Development
Mission Goal Statement Provide specialized training, courses and services that meet the needs of businesses and individuals.
Core Indicator 2 Identify the percentage of occupational degree and certificate completers who were employed or enrolled in further education within one year of graduation.
2005 Outcome: For FY2004, over 93% of occupational degree and/or certificate completers were employed or enrolled in further education one year after graduation. This is an increase of 9% from the previous year.
Core Indicator 3 Total number of Business and Industry Center courses/workshops conducted.
2005 Outcome: The Corporate & Community Education conducted 526 courses/workshops in FY 2005, the state average is 440. The C& CE division has conducted over 1,522 courses/workshops over the past five years, compared to the state average of 1,312.
6 Mission Category: Student Support
Mission Goal Statement Provide exceptional services and resources that meet the dynamic needs of students and support learning.
Core Indicator 1 Student satisfaction with Academic and Student Services
Measure: Danville Area Community College’s mean student satisfaction scores on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement compared to peer community colleges and to national average scores for the following academic and student service categories:
Academic Advising/Counseling Student Support Services Financial Aid Admissions & Records Career Services Job Placement Services Skill Labs (Writer’s Room, Math Lab, etc.) Computer Labs
This measure will be implemented biannually during the spring semester of even years.
2005 Outcome: See attached graph 2 for results on this measure.
7 ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
THE ASSESSMENT INITIATIVE
The “Culture of Assessment” at DACC
Assessment Committee - As a result of the development and subsequent organization of the NCA Response, the DACC Assessment Committee was established in the Fall of 2001. Implemented from the framework of the College’s Continuous Quality Improvement system, the Assessment Committee became a subcommittee of the CQI’s Academic Affairs team. The Assessment Committee is made up of the following DACC personnel: two faculty members from each of the academic divisions, one nursing faculty member two members of Student Services two members of the Adult Education and Basic Skills divisions, one faculty member of the library, three academic deans two members of the Administrative Council,
The Assessment Committee is chaired by the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness & Academic Support Services.
Assessment Committee 2004-2005 Connie Schroeder Director, ADN Program Glenda Boling Instructor, Speech Jane Brown Professor, Information Systems Belinda Dalton Dean, Student Services Brian Fink Instructor, Accounting/Business Lori Garrett Professor, Biology Jeff Hutton Instructor, Technology Dave Kietzmann Vice President, Instruction & Student Services Ruth Lindemann Instructional Services Librarian Alan Thompson Instructor, Science/Math Penny McConnell Coordinator, Student Support Services Bruce Rape Dean, Business & Technology Eric Rayburn Instructor, Mathematics Janet Redenbaugh Dean, Mathematics & Science Ted Gallagher Instructor, Rhetoric Eric Simonson Instructor, Music
8 Nancy McCoy Professor, Rhetoric Maurice Miller Instructor, Psychology Tom Szott Director, Adult Education Marie Vanada Professor, Developmental Education Randy Fletcher, Chair Dean, Institutional Effectiveness & Academic Services
Assessment Planning In terms of assessment planning, the Assessment Committee has identified three primary phases of the Assessment Initiative at DACC.
PHASE I -- FY 2003
Assessment Committee formation
Course-Level Assessment Plans (full-time faculty)
Initial Education of Faculty/Staff on Importance of Assessment
PHASE II – FY 2004
Incorporate Core Indicators of Effectiveness into Institutional Assessment plan
Program-Level Assessment Plans (all academic divisions)
Course-Level Assessment Plans (full-time & part-time faculty)
Establish General Education Outcomes for all academic programs
Phase III – FY 2005
Establish systematic Institutional Effectiveness Plan that generates data from all divisions and departments of the college.
Data from this system will be used to develop a report on student learning outcomes, student service functions, and administrative service functions and ultimately determine the levels of effectiveness of the college.
Major Assessment Activities
General Education
9 In the spring of 2004, all academic divisions developed two course-level assessment plans (including online courses). The academic divisions also analyzed the general education outcomes for each program area. This directive came from the Assessment Committee and their decision to establish four (4) General Education Outcomes that all program areas must incorporate: Communications, Critical Inquiry, Technological Competence, Cultural Awareness and Social Skills.
In the fall of 2005, a second test for General Education skill level was conducted with 250 entering, degree-seeking students. The standardized assessment used to collect the data was the Academic Profile, which is a nationally-normed general knowledge assessment developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The assessment measures the knowledge level of students by structuring the 40-question assessment around humanities, social science and natural science topics. The Academic Profile will capture a second set of baseline data in the spring 2005 semester. The survey will target second year students as they are about to graduate from their programs of study. By analyzing incoming student general education knowledge in the areas of communication skills, critical thinking and social/cultural awareness against students who have completed their program of study, the Assessment Committee can begin to make assumptions about the quality of our academic preparation of students in these core general education areas.
Transfer & Career and Technical Programs In FY 2005, all full-time faculty members were required to develop a course-level assessment plan for one course in the spring 2003 semester. The instructors and professors that make up the transfer and Career and Technical Education divisions of the college submitted plans that identified the following: Learning Outcomes – what students were expected to learn from enrolling the particular course Assessment Tool Design – the primary objective for the assessment plans at the course level is to collect student data that can be analyzed and used to improve learning. Instructors were given the option to develop tools that collected quantitative or qualitative data. Results & Conclusion
10 Actions based on Findings – It was the intent of the Assessment Committee when the course-level assessment plans were devised to use the results/findings of the assessments to directly impact classrooms, student learning and most importantly the DACC campus community’s understanding of assessment.
EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS MADE/ACTIONS TAKEN
Classroom Level
In FY 2005, all full-time faculty members were required to develop a course-level assessment plan for two courses. The instructors and professors that make up the transfer and career and technical education divisions of the college submitted plans that identified the following: Learning Outcomes – what students were expected to learn from enrolling the particular course; Assessment Tool Design – the primary objective for the assessment plans at the course level is to collect student data that can be analyzed and used to improve learning. Instructors were given the option to develop tools that collected quantitative or qualitative data; Results & Conclusion; Actions based on Findings – It was the intent of the Assessment Committee when the course-level assessment plans were devised to use the results/findings of the assessments to directly impact classrooms, student learning and most importantly the DACC campus community’s understanding of assessment.
Examples of Educational Improvements Made/Actions Taken Biological Science Courses: The Math/Science division implemented a new placement pre-requisite – BIOL 102 Principles of Biology for the Anatomy & Physiology (A & P) I course. The placement was designed to improve the success rates of students who need A & P as a pre-requisite for many DACC allied health programs. The course has been designed with an Exemption Exam for those students who feel they have a proficiency in the subject matter and wish to by-pass the pre-requisite.
Ethics Courses: Two sections of PHIL 103 Ethics were assessed in Fall 2004 to determine whether or nor infusing critical thinking lessons into the curriculum would increase overall course success rates. Results proved that by integrating critical thinking
11 components into the curriculum, overall content retention of course materials increases and grades on tests and papers increases one-half letter grade.
BMGT 291 – Advanced Marketing – The students were given a reflective paper assessment after they concluded their primary projects for the class. It gathered student feedback both on the project assignments and the overall class. The instructor used the findings from the reflective feedback paper to develop a timeline for the class projects, where progress deadlines will be establish to ensure that students are staying on task with the project assignments. The project assignments will also no have a more detailed overview handout that spells out every detail and expectation of the assignment set.
General Education Outcomes at the Course & Program Level
Math Program Level Assessment Results:
The Math Department at DACC conducted an assessment on students in Math 111 and Math 115 to determine whether or not if there is a correlation between student success in these math courses and ACT scores used as placement data. The results concluded that student success appears to have no strong relationship with ACT placement scores. These scores are gathered during a student’s junior year in high school and can be concluded that in one year’s time, skill level in higher level math classes decreases when subsequent math classes are not taken in the senior year of high school. The recommendation from the Math department is to reconsider using ACT scores for Math placement scores instead of DACC COMPASS scores.
CONCLUSION
With the NCA visit in March of 1999 came the realization for Danville Area Community College that though data was collected, it had little meaning when it came to carrying out the duties of teaching and preparing students for the world of work. NCA spotted the deficiency and mandated that the college change its thinking on the utility of assessment. In less than five years since the NCA visit, DACC only knows what assessment is and how it can be used to improve student learning and institutional effectiveness; it embraces the concept and actively has incorporated the assessment system into classrooms, programs and institutional departments.
DACC still has much ground to cover in terms of assessment, but with the continued support of the faculty, staff, administration and board of trustees, the systems and processes that are being incorporated will continue to strengthen. Assessment is about setting high standards and
12 expectations and then sitting back and letting the talent and expertise of an institution meet and exceed those standards and expectations. DACC is up to this challenge.
2005 UPDATE TO STRATEGIC PLAN (2002-2005)
In FY 2005 many significant college initiatives occurred that improved the institution and greatly impacted the lives of the students we serve. The following narrative description offers but a glimpse of all of the hard work and achievements that occurred at DACC this year. These highlights include:
The Radiologic Technology program was transferred from Provena United Samaritans Medical Center to DACC. In the transfer, the department transitioned all 2nd year Provena students into DACC’s curriculum. In the fall of 2004, DACC accepted its first class of Rad Tech students.
The Associate Degree Nursing program accepted its largest class of Level I and Level II nursing students in the history of the DACC ADN program (87 students).
DACC assumed responsibility for the occupational education of area high school students. Local high school superintendents opted for the transition as a way to provide a more cost effective means for course and program delivery to high school students. DACC will serve over 230 students this fall.
In the Math/Science Division, the Health Information Technology (HIT) program completed a self-study and site visit by the CAHIM accrediting agency. In the fall of 2005, the HIT received full accreditation by CAHIM.
A Fire Science program and Associate of General Studies were implemented.
Corporate & Continuing Education initiated an on-line manufacturing training program in partnership with the Business & Technology Division,
13 who will provide the hands-on testing of concepts learned.
Faculty and staff in the Liberal Arts Division were involved in multiple outreach program, including the HIV Prevention Fair and Symposium.
The Math/Science Division again hosted thousands of community members on campus to increase interest in math and science related programming.
The Student Services Division launched the ENRICH program to ensure that the entire community is aware of college and community resources and services.
Finally, DACC served over 8,000 students during the past academic year, and 40% of recent high school graduates enrolled at DACC in fall 2004.
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