Institutional Effectiveness Format and Reporting Policies

Georgia Highlands College

Institutional Effectiveness Committee 
Cabinet:  October 4, 2004

The purpose of this policy is to assure coordination of the strategic planning process and the assessment process at Georgia Highlands College.  Planning at Floyd is a bottom up process.  Academic units and administrative units develop their own unit plans that develop individual goals as related to the major goals of the College.  Each unit then assesses its achievements through a process that was developed through the Institutional Effectiveness Committee and is now managed by the Assessment Committee.

            The Institutional Effectiveness Committee approves the format of all assessment reports to assure coordination with the planning process.

 The format of each unit plan must include the following elements:

1. Related institutional goal(s) for each unit/team goal.
2. The unit/team goal(s)
3. Expected outcome to be achieved in relation to each goal
4. The outcome assessment process, that is, what specific methods will be used to assess each outcome.  Units are encouraged to include both primary and secondary methods to assess each outcome.
5. The performance targets ( primary and secondary), that is, what specific quantifiable levels of achievement will be established as targets.
6. Summary of data collected – the unit plan should only contain a summary of results on the primary and secondary measures; the detail data should be kept within each unit office.
7. Use of results – each unit plan must contain that unit’s response to the data collected, that is, how the data collected will be used to improve the unit operations and/or unit learning outcomes..
8. A summary of the unit plan with the following elements:
   1. Expected outcome -- state the specific goal
   2. Outcome assessment -- means by which the outcome will be assessed
   3. Performance targets (primary and secondary) -- how achievement of the outcome will be measured, which includes the following:

                                                               i.      measure must be specifically quantified

                                                             ii.      measure must have primary and secondary measurements

4. Summary of data collected
5. Responsible party -- individuals responsible for oversight  of goal assessment
6. Use of results -- what data tells us, appropriate corrective action – if any

 This format should provide a smooth transition from the assessment process into the planning process.   The outcomes of the previous year’s assessment are reported at the Administrative Retreat, where the unit reports provides analysis of data and an assessment of where the units succeeded or failed in achieving expected results.  Based on this and other information, the strategic plan for the college is created.

 Results will be given to Office of Institutional Effectiveness at least three weeks prior to the annual Administrative Council Retreat.

 The following were recommended by the committee as appropriate places for the assessment information to be housed:

• Each unit’s office (chair/director)
• Institutional Effectiveness Office
• Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Georgia Highlands College Intranet

 http://www.highlands.edu/subwebs/academicaffairs/institutional_effectiveness_committee.htm