Institutional Effectiveness Report | 2013-2014 Table of Contents Overview............................................................................2 2012-2013 Annual Planning Actions Progress ..................2 Summary of Planning Indicators & Progress ...................2 Persistence .................................................................2 Basic Skills Education .................................................4 Distance Education ....................................................5 Non-Credit Course Enrollment and Community Education .................................................................12 Fiscal and Operational Sustainability .......................14 Assessment ..............................................................15 Technology ...............................................................18 Effectiveness of the Integrated Planning Process ..........22 Integrated Planning Survey Summary .....................22 Institutional Effectiveness Summit ..........................23 Integrated Planning Model .............................................24 Emerging Themes from Program Review Data and Interpretation ..................................................................26 Institutional Effectiveness Scorecard .............................28 Integrated Planning Annual Timeline .............................34 2014 – 2015 Annual Plan .................................................35 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 2 2013-2014 Annual Planning Actions Progress Overview Each year, an annual plan is created with action items that are driven by the overarching strategic goals of the District. The first section of this report provides a progress update on each action in last year’s 2013-2014 Annual Plan. An overview of related institutional data indicators is included to motivate the intent of the action, and track improvement. Summary of indicators related to Strategic and Education Master Plan Goal 1: Student Success Persistence The college selected a theme of “Increasing Persistence” for the 2013-2014 Annual Plan. The theme was developed to focus everyone’s efforts on a common goal of greatest importance. Potential actions for increasing persistence were discussed throughout the year, starting at convocation, and in a variety of meetings. The conversation will continue at the next Student Success Summit in spring 2015. Fall to fall persistence rates of new students are identical over the past two years for full-time students, but have fallen for part-time students. Fewer than half of the new students who begin in the fall at CR will enroll the next fall. CR has experienced sharp declines in enrollment for the past five years. While it is not surprising that declining enrollments signal declining persistence rates, the enrollment decline also signals fewer students reaching their educational goals, and less resources generated for the institution to support students. An analysis of the persistence of new student cohorts revealed that persistence rates differed across student groups in terms of demographics, education goal, and location. Females persisted at a higher rate than males. Younger students persisted at higher rates than older students, although older students represent a much smaller subset of students. Table 1. Fall-to-Fall Persistence of New Student Cohorts by Gender & Age (Fall 2010, 2011, 2012) Gender Age Female Male 17 and younger 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-59 60 and older N = 3017 Persistence 46.1% 35.5% 53.3% 43.2% 32.4% 28.2% 27.8% * % of Cohorts 55.1% 44.9% 12.9% 57.7% 10.5% 10.4% 7.5% <1% * too few students to report INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 3 Asian, Caucasian and Hispanic students persisted at higher rates than other ethnic groups. African American students had the lowest persistence rate. A larger percentage of the African American cohort was male (about 69%) and about one quarter of the cohort was student athletes. The Student Equity Committee revised the Student Equity Plan to be submitted in 2014 according to new guidelines from the Chancellor’s Office to narrow the achievement gap for underrepresented student populations (2013-2014 Annual Planning Action I.F). The Student Equity Plan Update for 2014-2017 includes the goal of increasing the percentage of first-time, full time students who return one semester later to take classes, and increase the percentage of degree-seeking students who attend for the first three consecutive semesters, with a main emphasis on African American students. Activities to achieve these goals include the provision of diversity awareness in-service training on classroom dynamics and the development of an Institutional Professional Development Center that includes multicultural and diversity resources for faculty and staff. Table 2. Fall-to-Fall Persistence of New Student Cohorts by Ethnicity (Fall 2010, 2011, 2012) N = 3017 Persistence % of Cohorts Ethnicity American Indian Asian African American Hispanic 2 or more Unknown Caucasian 34.4% 57.4% 26.7% 44.3% 42.3% 38.7% 40.1% 7.0% 2.9% 3.4% 13.8% 7.8% 5.1% 59.3% Differences were also present outside of equity indicators. Persistence rates were higher for students with the educational goal of obtaining an associate’s degree and transferring, or transferring without a degree. Transfer-oriented students had the highest persistence rates, but these rates have room for improvement. Additional research is needed to determine why students with intent to transfer are more likely to persist than students with intent to earn a degree. One possible explanation is that students who are focused on earning a degree are more concerned with getting a job. These students could be more likely pulled away from college to enter the workforce because of opportunities that present themselves or out of necessity. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Persistence rates by location were highest for Eureka, with Mendocino experiencing the most pronounced decline in persistence rates in recent years. Table 3. Fall-to-Fall Persistence of New Student Cohorts (Fall 2010, 2011, 2012) N = 3017 Education Goal Obtain Associates & Transfer Transfer without associate degree Obtain associate's degree without transfer Obtain vocational degree without transfer Earn a vocational certificate without transfer Discover career interests/prepare for career Undecided on goal Location Eureka Del Norte Klamath Trinity Mendocino Basic Skills Education % of Cohorts 46.6% 47.9% 38.7% 36.3% 31.9% 28.6% 38.8% 44.3% 8.6% 11.0% 3.3% 3.2% 7.1% 13.7% 41.4% 38.7% 37.3% 32.5% 76.9% 11.5% 2.8% 7.7% Last year this report discussed the actions taken in 2012-2013 by the English and Mathematics Departments to improve basic skills across the curriculum. This initiative was continued in 20132014 to continue development, as well as implementation of, alternative basic skills curriculum (2013-2014 Annual Planning Action I.E). The English and Mathematics Departments participated in the Community of Practice Acceleration Project. This led to development of ENGL-102 to accelerate the preparation of basic skills English students and reduce the number of courses needed to enroll in ENGL-1A. The Mathematics Department developed the “Path2stats” course to shorten the developmental path to MATH-15 (Elementary Statistics). Success rates in English courses below transfer-level appear to be increasing slightly in recent years. This year we will begin to see if students more successfully progress through the developmental English and Math sequences as a result of the accelerated courses. Table 4. Success in English Courses at Least One Level Below Transfer ENGL-150 ENGL-350 2013-2014 58% 57% 2012-2013 2011-2012 54% 55% 56% 55% READ-360 47% 43% INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 5 The majority of students who take English and Mathematics placement exams are placed one or two levels below transfer-level English (ENGL-150, 350) and two or three levels below transferlevel Mathematics (MATH-380 or 276/376). The college held dialogue sessions this year to analyze placement results in more detail, and to devise ways to improve the placement process. The English and Mathematics Departments worked to revise the Accuplacer cut scores. They also worked with student services to improve the multiple measures process so students have an opportunity to move if evidence, besides Accuplacer, supports placing them into a more advanced course. Table 5. Math and English Placement, by Cohort New students Assessing into: Cohort Year 2013 - 2014 2012 - 2013 2011 - 2012 Cohort Year 2013 - 2014 2012 - 2013 2011 - 2012 Distance Education Transfer-level English All transfer ENGL courses 24% 27% 27% Transfer-level Math All transfer MATH courses 11% 15% 14% Developmental ENGL-150 38% 39% 38% Developmental, Degree Applicable MATH-120 10% 11% 10% Basic Skills ENGL-350 30% 26% 27% READ260/360 8% 8% 8% Basic Skills MATHMATH380 276/376 35% 34% 36% 33% 35% 35% MATH372/272 10% 5% 5% Approximately 2,000 students take online courses each year. Headcount in online courses has remained fairly stable over the last five years, whereas the district’s headcount has noticeably declined. 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 Headcount in Online 2012-2013 2013-2014 Total Headcount INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 CR is looking to grow online enrollments to make up for some of the loss in overall enrollments. Online growth allows the college to meet enrollment goals, while providing flexible courses for students so that they have more options for attaining their educational goals. To expand online enrollments in a way that is most beneficial to students, the college is submitting a substantive change proposal to the ACCJC this year (2013-2014 Annual Planning Action IV.G). The intent of the proposal is to gain approval to offer additional online courses so that a student could earn over half of their declared program of study in online courses. Success in online courses remains lower than in face-to-face and hybrid courses. Success rates in fall 2013 reveal that success in face-to-face courses is about eight percent higher than in courses taught online. The gap is even wider in transferable and vocational courses given that these courses do not include basic skills sections that can weigh down face-to-face success. The college is devoting resources to the Office of Distance Education with the goal of enhancing online education to narrow this gap. A newly appointed Director of Distance Education and a Distance Education Faculty Coordinator are developing processes to promote effective faculty preparation and professional development for online instruction. A task force of the Distance Education Committee recommended that the District pilot a new learning management system (LMS). The LMS Canvas received high ratings in terms of features that students most valued in an online learning tool, such as intuitiveness and ease of use. Over twenty faculty have volunteered to offer their courses in Canvas in fall 2014. A successful pilot may lead to implementation of a new learning management system that enhances online learning. Table 6. Fall 2013 District-Wide Success Rates by Course Type Course type Credit Transferable Vocational Online 61.6% 60.6% 66.6% Face-to-Face 69.3% 72.0% 78.2% Gap 7.7% 11.4% 11.6% The 2013-2014 Annual Plan contains several additional actions to address strategic planning initiatives to improve student success and the effectiveness of the institution. The following update provides more details about the status of each action in the annual plan. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 7 Strategic Plan (SP) Goal 1: Student Success Education Master Plan (EP) SP.1. Focus on Learners: Developmental, Career Technical, EP.1. Ensure Student Success and Transfer Education Objectives SP.1.1. Match student readiness with educational pathways. EP.1.1. Provide structured academic pathways SP.1.2. Continuously assess and evaluate programs to provide effective educational programs and services for all learners. SP.1.3. Students will be able to complete their desired educational goals. EP.1.2. Improve support for students. SP.1.4. Enhance student support and student engagement. EP.1.4. Increase transfers and degree and certificate completions. EP.1.5. Professional development programs will improve educational effectiveness. EP.1.6. Improve success among underrepresented populations. SP.1.5. Improve basic skills success. SP.1.6. Support staff and faculty development and instructional innovation. EP.1.3. Improve effectiveness of basic skills education. Annual Planning Actions Annual Action Plan Progress Update Status I.A. Develop degree plans with course pathways based upon students entering at various math and English placement levels. Counseling and Advising developed course packages that identify the basic/remedial skills classes available to them. Students can build their elective course schedule around the basic/remedial skills courses. Completed I.B. Implement the First Year Experience (FYE) program. The FYE program was implemented in fall 2013. FYE assessment is an ongoing process. FYE completed an instructional program review to examine the curricular aspect of General Studies (GS) and Guidance (GUID) courses. An end-of-semester survey was provided to GS students in the fall to assess their understanding of available resources, degree requirements, college expectations, and other program outcomes. This survey will be administered again this spring 2014 semester. Initial data from the fall 2013 cohort (students enrolled in GS 1 and GS 6 districtwide) indicate 84% retention, 59% success, and as of January 10, 2014, 68.8% persistence. Additional data has been requested to assess the implementation of the FYE scheduling packages. Specifically, how many students placed into remedial math and English, did those students enroll at CR, did they take their math and English remedial courses, and if they didn’t, what did they take. As part of new student orientations, all students regardless of educational goal are provided with a recommended course package for their first semester that includes a math and/or English class, a First Year Experience or College Success class, major requirements, and/or general education. Course pathways may also include career planning or noncredit options depending on the individual student’s program of study or need for basic skills. I.C. Offer peer Two surveys are being utilized to assess this outcome. The first survey was mentoring/supplehanded out at the end of a Fall 2013 GS-6 course that was supported by mental instruction for an EOPS Peer Mentor who worked directly with the instructor and students. attended the course – a model similar to SI support in that the mentor was a model student available for both one-on-one and group support in and outside of the class as guided by the instructor. The question on the INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Completed In progress 8 survey asked the extent to which Peer Mentor/Tutor support for GS enhanced the learning experience. Another survey will be deployed twice during the 2013/14 year to assess student satisfaction with EOPS Peer Mentor services, as well as several other EOPS support services. Analyses of the results will be performed in May/June 2014. The final report will be completed by September 2014. I.D. Provide comprehensive ongoing faculty and staff training that includes diversity training. The Professional Development Committee (PDC) implements an annual training survey for staff, associate faculty, faculty, and managers. The results of these surveys help to plan training for the subsequent year. A training matrix was established to assess topics for delivered trainings and identifies areas not adequately covered for training and to make sure training is appropriately distributed throughout linkages with the mission and strategic plan (linking professional development to planning). Diversity training was created and implemented as mandatory for individuals serving on hiring committees, and a diversity in higher education DVD training was purchased to be part of the new hire orientation. Diversity has been an integral topic maintained throughout training planning, is assessed through needs surveys, and assessed through participant feedback after trainings take place. Completed I.E. Implement alternative basic skills curriculum (e.g., acceleration, noncredit). The Community of Practice in Acceleration is an initiative supported by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office through 3CSN, which assists faculty with examining English and math remedial curriculum sequences and redesigning those sequences into accelerated pathways. Last year the English Department was selected to participate with David Holper, Peter Blakemore, and Jay Scrivner in the Acceleration project. The result was the creation of English 102, a course that takes English 350 students and prepares them for English 1A in one semester. In progress This year the English Department applied to participate again with a new team and Todd Olsen applied for the Math Department to become a member of the Community of Practice. The application process was very competitive with 119 faculty members from 25 colleges submitting applications. Both the English and Math teams were accepted in the California Acceleration Project. The English team consists of Pam Kessler, Susan Nordlof, Ruth Rhodes, and Deborah Gerth. The focus of the English team’s project is to expand training in acceleration to faculty at the Del Norte campus with Del Norte piloting English 102 in fall 2014. They also wanted additional faculty to participate in the training to continue to invigorate the faculty and their curriculum. Todd Olsen, Mike Haley, Steve Jackson, Erik Kramer and Richard Ries make up the Math team. The Math acceleration project is designed to shorten the developmental mathematics path to statistics. The accelerated “Path2stats”course will focus on teaching the core elementary/intermediate algebra concepts using data and statistical type graphs. This course will be a departure from our traditional “one size fits all approach” to basic skills curriculum in mathematics and will be geared INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 9 towards those who are non-science/math majors. The course is scheduled to run as a pilot in spring 2015. Late last spring, on the advice of CRFO leadership, the administration set up a conference workshop for faculty leadership and interested English and math faculty and administrators, facilitated by LeBaron Woodyard, Dean of Academic Affairs for the Chancellor’s Office, to help clear up some confusion about noncredit programs. The workshop touched on: The history of noncredit programs in the California Community College system, the Education Code and Title 5 regulations governing noncredit and the different noncredit apportionment models; How credit-bearing courses have relatively strict rules around the amount of work, the amount of time involved, and the qualifications of the instructor while non-credit courses are much more flexible; and The idea of making courses or programs “stackable”. Stackability refers to the idea that if you take enough small noncredit classes in the right order, they can (and should) add up to a certificate of competency or completion. Subsequent to the workshop, Julia Peterson, Erin Wall, Tracey Thomas and Sheila Hall met with transfer, career technical education and counseling faculty to discuss how noncredit courses can enhance student success and support our credit offerings. With a greater understanding of the opportunity to use noncredit to better meet student needs, we worked together to move our noncredit course development process forward. The math faculty worked with Julia and Tracey to develop three noncredit math courses that will provide much needed Math lab access to students in credit math classes. Also developed were two basic skills level noncredit math classes that will give students the opportunity to learn math skills that will prepare them for credit math classes and credit classes with a math pre-requisite. The Manufacturing Technology Program developed a new noncredit course in an area that the Manufacturing Technology Advisory Committee had expressed an interest in offering. This noncredit “Introduction to Mechatronics” is an introductory and low-risk class that should promote growth in the district’s technology credit classes as students learn more about applied technology offerings. In spring 2014 we also saw the first of the fall 2013 start communitybased English language learners (ESL) students take credit classes. These higher level ESL students were very excited to be able to take a credit class while continuing to work on their English skills in noncredit ESL. The ability to take both noncredit and credit helped to smooth the transition and we expect to see more noncredit ESL students attend credit classes as their English skills improve. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 10 The ESL credit students’ need for additional language support brought credit English and ESL faculty and noncredit ESL faculty together to work on aligning the credit and noncredit ESL with English classes. As a result of that meeting, a noncredit ESL class has been added to the fall schedule during the mid-day time period to support students taking daytime credit classes. “Ready, Set, Go to College” and “Explore Your Career Options” are two new noncredit classes developed around the needs that DSPS and Counseling faculty see in new students. These classes will help students get a strong start in their degree programs by teaching college success skills, career exploration and helping students to learn to navigate the higher education system. In summer 2015 we will offer a noncredit Summer Bridge to College. This idea was strongly requested by attendees at the Student Success Summit held in January of this year. Summit attendees included College of the Redwoods faculty and staff, high school faculty and administrators, and HSU faculty and administrators who strongly expressed their belief that a Summer Bridge to College would help students transition successfully into college. This first Summer Bridge to College will include noncredit classes that will help students learn about college, practice successful study habits, career exploration, work readiness skills, and college preparation math and English. Participation in similar Summer Bridge programs has been widely shown to improve student success in credit programs during the regular academic year. Julia Peterson and Kintay Johnson are also working with partners in the community to bring our noncredit classes to community locations. We are expanding our noncredit class offerings in the Humboldt County Correctional facility and will develop additional classes that will be offered to inmates so they can increase their skills and knowledge. Many of the inmates have expressed interest in attending our credit classes upon release and we are working with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office to develop a pathway from the jail to the college. Kintay has visited the jail to meet with inmates to explain how CR’s EOPS program can help them succeed in college upon their release. We’re also partnering with HSU and HCOE to expand our ESL classes in many community locations in summer 2015, including South Fortuna Elementary School, the Fortuna Multigenerational Center, the Loleta Family Resource Center, Pacific Union Elementary School, and Alice Birney Elementary School. For this partnership CR offers the noncredit classes and HCOE provides a location, childcare in an adjacent classroom, and snacks for the students and children. HSU provides a paid parent liaison to help coordinate each class. Together we are serving over 200 ESL learners, predominantly at the very beginner level. We are running ESL classes over the summer in Loleta, Fortuna, Eureka and at the Garberville Instructional Site. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 11 In 2014-15 noncredit curriculum will be developed to support the Adult Education needs identified by the AB86 Regional Consortia, our faculty, and local agencies. We expect to develop classes for Older Adults, Short Term Vocational trainings that align with partner needs and/or feed CR credit programs, College and Career planning, and Parenting classes and create noncredit certificates in College Math Preparedness, Career and College Advancement, Community ESL, Community and Career ESL, and a Customer Service Academy. I.F. Based on priorities identified in the Student Equity Plan, develop a plan for narrowing the achievement gap for underrepresented student populations. The 2014 Gateway Student Success Summit was a collaborative event, meaning that stakeholders on the continuum from high schools through university joined together to talk about ways to improve student access and success, identified several actions that, when implemented, could help close the achievement gap for underrepresented student populations: 1. Improve/create connections with current students and new students via peer mentoring 2. Create a social community within an academic community 3. Find out what can be provided to a high school student to increase connections to college 4. Offer tuition guarantees 5. Improve the bridge to education through parent interventions 6. Define who our students are: Student athletes, students out of state/cultural difficulty, transition with age/culture, low income, underrepresented students, etc. 7. Develop summer bridge programs for student success 8. Get key people together to improve transition from high school to college 9. Investigate service learning opportunities 10. Build connections with workforce preparation and work experience 11. Get CR faculty out in the high schools connecting with students and promoting their programs. They are not only the most knowledgeable of their programs, but their personal connection with students will go a long way to getting students to choose CR and/or college in general. EOPS has addressed items 1, 2, and 7. Noncredit courses for inclusion in a summer bridge program has been developed and are in the Chancellor’s Office approval process (item 8). The Matriculation Pathways Task Force has been formed to address item 9. The academic senate supported the recommendation to get more faculty involved in outreach. Counseling put out a call for faculty participation. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 In progress 12 Summary of indicators related to Strategic and Education Master Plan Goal 2: Community Education Non-credit course enrollments The college’s efforts to develop non-credit course offerings were evidenced in 2013-2014 (20132014 Annual Planning Action II.D). Non-credit enrollments grew noticeably, especially in the areas of ESL and Reading. Table 6. Non-Credit Enrollments and Offerings Year 2013 - 2014 2012 - 2013 2011 - 2012 2010 - 2011 2009 - 2010 Enrollments 446 17 60 26 28 Sections Offered 43 3 4 4 4 Growth of non-credit courses is expected to continue in 2014-2015 to support basic skills students. Approximately one hundred students are enrolled in newly offered sections of noncredit Mathematics this fall 2014. The 2013-2014 Annual Plan contains additional actions to develop non-credit and not-for-credit opportunities for students, and to enhance community outreach. The following update provides more details about the status of each action in the annual plan. Strategic Plan (SP) Goal 2: Community Education Education Master Plan (EP) SP.2 Focus on Learners: Community Partnership EP.2 Develop Programs and Services to Meet Community Needs Objectives SP.2.1. Provide workforce development training. SP.2.2. Respond to business and industry short-term training needs. SP.2.3. Develop non-credit programs. EP.2.1. Enhance community education program. EP.2.2. Enhance incumbent worker and contract training. EP.2.3. Develop not-for-credit programs. EP.2.4. Career & Technical Education (CTE) Programs respond to community training needs. EP.2.5. Develop non-credit programs. Annual Planning Actions Annual Action Plan Progress Update Status II.A. Develop a new not-for-credit training in an area where employees are needed by local employers. II.B. Review business and industry and economic A new not-for-credit training in Business to Business sales was developed and was taught over the summer of 2014. This training was developed in partnership with Humboldt County Employment and Training Department and local business partners to help provide employers a pool of trained Business to Business sales people. The shortage of people with the knowledge and skills in this area was identified by local businesses and wages for such employees are well above the local median wage. Humboldt County’s Targets of Opportunity report, the Humboldt County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy were reviewed. A crosswalk between CR degrees and Completed INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Completed 13 development survey data to inform program alignment and identify potential partnering opportunities. II.C. Hold conversations with High Schools to align program offerings and career pathways for students. certificates and the Targets of Opportunity was developed. Internal meetings as well as meetings with key stakeholders in the community were held to review the data, discuss program alignment and community needs, and to identify partnering opportunities. Partnerships with educational, industry, local government and other local agencies have been formed and are expected to continue to strengthen and to provide additional information, alignment and opportunities. CR held our inaugural CR Student Success Summit on January 31, 2014. The theme focused on success through the pipeline of secondary and college education. Through the combination of presentations and group discussions this year’s summit addressed five significant “areas of concern” that impact the success of our students. These five “areas of concern” included: access and alignment; closing the achievement gap for underrepresented populations; academic preparation and persistence and educational and matriculation pathways. Participants in the summit were diverse audience of faculty, administrators and staff from the local high schools, HCOE, HSU and CR. Completed The CR math faculty attended meetings, hosted by HCOE, this past summer to discuss the K-12 common core standards and how those standards will impact college level curriculum. CR is partnering with Northern Humboldt Unified School District, Eureka City Schools, Fortuna Union High School District, Humboldt County Office of Education, and the Humboldt County Workforce Investment Board to provide courses for dual enrollment for career paths in Computer Science, Engineering, Pre-medical and Accounting and Finance. Michael Butler and Tami Matsumoto discussed the new idea of offering Math 50A as a dual enrollment class at McKinleyville High School with a McKinleyville High School instructor. They discussed the Math 50A curriculum and the needs of the students and agreed to continue discussion curriculum and assessment needs and offer the class in Fall 2014. II.D. Develop job readiness noncredit classes. Local employer and employment training organizations’ needs for work readiness certification were reviewed. WorkKeys® and CareerReady101 software have been purchased and implemented to support work readiness classes and certification. Noncredit curriculum was developed for noncredit work readiness classes over the spring semester and was submitted to the CCCCO for approval at the conclusion of spring semester 2014. Upon approval classes will be taught at various CR and partner organizations’ locations. This curriculum will address the industry need for a workforce with 21st Century Skills. Industry has indicated they will pay holders of a work readiness certification a higher starting wage than new hires without the certification. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Completed 14 Summary of indicators related to Strategic Plan Goal 3: Fiscal & Operational Sustainability Resource Allocation CR is beginning to carry out a budget cycle for facilities and equipment repairs and replacement of aging technology. Increased categorical funds are being used to refresh classroom and lab computers more quickly than in the past which is helping the College move closer to fully implement replacement cycles. Employee computers and other equipment will be upgraded according to a regular replacement cycle. In addition, an identified amount of funds has been budgeted to fund smaller requests that do not arrive at the budget planning committee. The status of additional 2013-2014 Annual Planning actions to address fiscal and operational sustainability are addressed below. Strategic Plan (SP) SP.3 Fiscal & Operational Sustainability Goal 3 Education Master Plan (EP) Objectives SP.3.1. Reduce reliance on apportionment-based funding. SP.3.2. Improve college operational efficiencies. SP.3.3. Increase funding available for strategic initiatives SP.3.4. Increase community support for the college. SP.3.5. Practice continuous quality improvement. SP.3.6. Practice continuous adherence to accreditation standards. Annual Planning Actions Annual Action Plan Progress Update Status III.A. Implement Softdocs e-forms for business and student service processes. III.B. Establish process for submitting delinquent accounts to collection agency on a regular basis. III.C. Implement a budget cycle for equipment replacement (e.g., computers, vehicles, lab equipment). III.D. Implement a budget cycle for capital repairs and maintenance (e.g., roofs, HVAC, painting). The Softdocs project was put on hold while the system was migrated from the cloud (Rackspace) to a local server on campus. Information Technology staff will collaborate with the student service areas in fall 2014 to determine the best way to move forward. In progress All eligible accounts have been referred to the collection agency. Very old accounts and accounts with small balances have been written off and an adjustment made to the student’s account by the Business Office. Each semester, new accounts will be identified and sent to collections. Completed An additional $50,0000 in instructional support categorical funds has been identified for ongoing refresh of computer labs and classrooms. An additional $50,000 in physical plant categorical funds has been identified for ongoing IT equipment replacement. Old computers taken out of the labs will be reassigned to faculty and staff offices. $35,000 in physical plant funds has been identified for ongoing replacement budget for vehicles. Completed $90,000 in physical plant funds has been identified for ongoing repairs. A portion of the net cash flow from facilities leases is being used for repair and upgrade of the leased facilities. Realistically, the District will need another local bond measure in the next 10 years or so to generate sufficient funds to address remaining capital repair and deferred maintenance needs. In progress/ Change in direction INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 III.E. Increase resident and non-resident FTES. III.F. Recruit additional foundation Board members. Based on current estimates, we are on track to meet the budgeted FTES number. In 2012-13 we earned less than one FTES in noncredit. However, in 2013-14 we will report approximately 45 FTES. Five new community members have joined the Foundation Board of Directors, and one new trustee replaced a departing member. Two of the new members are from Crescent City and three are from Northern Humboldt. 15 In progress Completed Summary of indicators related to Education Master Plan Goal 3: Practice Continuous Quality Improvement Student Learning Outcome Assessment At least one student learning outcome in almost all offered courses and programs was assessed and reported on during the most recent assessment cycle ending in 2013-2014. A great deal of assessment activity is happening prior to the close of the current assessment cycle. Assessment dialogue sessions and assessment-related professional development activities remain a focus to make sure we do not backtrack on the substantial progress made from 2011-2012 to date. Student learning outcome reports indicate that students are successfully achieving the desired course and program outcomes. Assessment data includes an analysis of whether students were below, at, or above expectations. Nearly one hundred percent of the course outcomes used to assess program outcomes were seen as successfully meeting program expectations. There was some variation across disciplines in the extent to which students met or exceeded expectations for course-level outcomes, but at least eighty percent of students across all disciplines met or exceeded expectations. CR now has a baseline set of student learning outcome data from which to track improvements following relevant changes in the future. Figure 2. Percent of students who were above, at, or below expectations for course outcomes 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Above Met Below 16 Strategic Plan (SP) Goal 3 Education Master Plan (EP) EP.3 Practice Continuous Quality Improvement Objectives EP.3.1. Improve tools for assessment reporting. EP.3.2. Student learning will be a visible priority in all practices and structures. EP.3.3. Student learning outcomes and assessment are ongoing, systematic, and used for continuous quality improvement EP.3.4. Systematically use data to inform decision making. EP.3.5. Provide continual and inclusive training opportunities regarding assessment. EP.3.6. Increase number of institutional employees who have accreditation experience. Annual Planning Actions Annual Action Plan Progress Update Status III.G. Integrate assessment planning with assessment reporting for easier tracking. An assessment planning tool was developed and provided to instructors at the 2013 convocation. Instructors indicate when (on a semester basis) over the next two years each outcome will be assessed to help keep track that each course outcome is assessed in a two year cycle. Instructors can easily view the last time that each outcome was assessed within the tool to help establish the plan, with quick access to the reports that have been submitted. Instructors provided feedback about the usability of the tool at assessment dialogue sessions throughout the year. This feedback has been used to make changes to the tool such as including a larger number of future semesters, and including semesters that have already taken place. Completed III.H. Refine the role of assessment in program review and decision making. The planning and resource request sections of the program review template were expanded in 2013-2014. The program plans section now contains instructions to better inform authors to describe how their assessment results motivate the need for program planning actions. The resource request section was changed to require that each resource request is directly tied with a specific planning action, and each planning action is required to be motivated by assessment results. Completed In addition, the program review committee implemented a new rubric to evaluate each section of the submitted program review templates. The committee systematically evaluated programs’ responses to the assessment section. They looked at the extent to which program improvements were evaluated by the program’s reflection on a significant amount of assessment activity that has taken place, and if program changes driven by assessment findings were later evaluated for improvement. III.I. Develop Institutional Learning Outcomes and a plan for how they will be assessed. Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) have been developed, approved by the Academic Senate, and presented to the Board of Trustees. Each outcome was accompanied by several indicators to be used in evaluating the outcome. The majority of this evaluation comes from data that is already collected, but assessing the ILOs allows for that data to be reviewed and discussed by a wider audience to improve student learning. The Assessment Committee outlined an annual plan for collecting data, holding dialogue sessions, and INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Completed 17 III.J. Refine the assessment process with an emphasis on sustainability. reporting results to campus in spring 2014. The first ILO dialogue session was held at the fall 2014 Convocation. The Assessment Coordinator and the Director of Institutional Effectiveness met with the Instructional Council in the summer of 2013 to discuss the nuts and bolts of assessment and met again in the summer of 2014 to assess the assessment process and the role and responsibilities of the Deans and Directors in ensuring that assessments are conducted. In progress Evaluation and fine-tuning of organizational structures to support student learning is ongoing. Work continues to make the assessment process more efficient. Roles and responsibilities related to assessment are being clarified in light of the administrative structure with Deans. The college made a commitment to provide continued administrative support for assessment tracking by adding a high level office coordinator to collaborate with the Deans and Directors to support enhancement of the assessment tracking process, help develop feedback loops in instruction assessment, and work with the administration to develop a two year academic calendar to support two year assessment planning. A new planning feature has been added to the assessment software to make it easier for instructors to plan for the future, and to track the progress towards their plan. Programs can plan which outcomes they will assess and when for their courses and programs through spring 2016. A new feature was also developed to allow programs to map the outcomes of degrees/certificates to each of the course-level outcomes. This tool allows programs to more easily identify the course-level assessments to review when assessing program-level outcomes. Student learning improvement is a visible priority in all practices and structures across the college. Ensuring that the college is at sustainability level is an indicator that has been added as a general assessment item in the annual plan, so we will need to explicitly evaluate our progress towards this rubric level through the year. Student learning improvement is included in the integrated planning resource and personnel decision making. Assessment continues to be integrated into program review and institutional planning. The program review template for this year requires authors to list the number of course- and program-level assessments completed. The template also requires a description of assessment-based changes made to the program and associated courses, and it requires that program resource requests are tied to assessment data. The Instructional Council, Student Development Leadership Group and the Budget Planning Committee then uses the assessment data in their evaluation of requests, and our planning process considers the assessment-based plans of programs to develop broader institutional initiatives. III.K. Identify candidates to serve on ACCJC visiting teams. Four faculty and three managers have submitted applications for consideration as future ACCJC team members. One faculty and two managers are scheduled to serve on teams in fall 2014. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Completed Summary of indicators related to Strategic and Education Master Plan Goal 4: Technology Improvements to Technology Infrastructure Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) was fully implemented in 2013-2014. This project represents a substantial improvement to CR’s voice and data infrastructure (2013-2014 Annual Planning Action IV.E). It replaces equipment that could no longer be serviced or supported with state of the art expandable systems. IT staff received a great deal of training so that they can effectively support the college’s new infrastructure. The progress of additional 2013-2014 Annual Planning Actions are detailed below. Strategic Plan (SP) SP.4 Technological Relevance Goal 4: Technology Education Master Plan (EP) EP.4 Maintain Technological Relevance Objectives SP.4.1. Improve technology infrastructure to support all EP.4.1. Lab equipment and technology effectively supports college operations. instructional needs. SP.4.2. Improve instructional labs to support effective EP.4.2. Update the comprehensive technology replacement teaching and learning. plan. SP.4.3. CTE programs will have technology relevant to their EP.4.3. Enhance distance education or eLearning. disciplines SP.4.4. Improve efficiency through technology. EP.4.4. Effectively utilize technology in teaching. SP.4.5. Improve data gathering and utilization to support instructional, student service, & administrative decision making. Annual Planning Actions Annual Action Plan Progress Update Status IV.A. Expand wireless and cell phone network capabilities. Additional wireless nodes have been deployed and more are in the works. This last group of wireless upgrades is expected to provide coverage across the District’s facilities. A cell phone repeater was installed in Student Services/Administration building, and is working well. Additional cell phone repeaters are planned. It has been determined that a special repeater is needed just for Verizon customers in addition to the generic repeater that services most other major carriers. In progress Student wireless bandwidth expanded from 5Mb to 50 Mb. Twelve new wireless access points were also added. This work will continue as resources allow. The AT building will be next. IV.B. Provide backup SAN equipment has been ordered and is planned for installation. An agreement and disaster has been struck with Lassen College to allow CR to co-locate a backup SAN recovery device on their campus for better site survivability. capability with storage-areanetwork (SAN). IV.C. Update the The existing CR website was moved into a responsive framework so that it college website. displays well on mobile devices such as phones and tablets. Several design INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 In progress In progress 19 changes have been made to the website based on student feedback and usability training. A web task force met throughout 2013-14 to advise a full redesign of the CR website. Their work included advice on navigational structure and visual design. Working with the task force, the webmaster and graphic designer have created a redesigned homepage to be implemented in fall 2014. They will continue working with offices across the district to revise pages with key information for students. IV.D. Implement Student Ed Plan queries in Colleague (formerly Datatel) to inform scheduling. Counselors and Advisors now have the ability to identify the courses students plan to take in future semesters in Colleague. The Office of Institutional Research has queried this information and reported on the number of students planning to take specific courses, by campus. This information has limited utility until it becomes available for a larger number of students. In progress IV.E. Finalize VOIP implementation. VOIP cutover has been completed so that nearly all phones have been converted to VOIP phones. This project is substantially completed. Staff will continue to work trouble tickets and to implement additional functionality and services, but the main upgrade is complete. Completed IV.F. Implement minimum technology specs for all new or retrofitted classrooms. A standard technology package for classrooms has been developed and was recently updated to include new smart board technology. The technology package will be updated on a regular basis as technology advances and as prices change. Completed IV.G. Submit a revised DE substantive change proposal. A DE substantive change proposal was developed in 2013-2014 to deliver more than 50% of a program via distance education . The proposal was revised in summer 2014 following a significant amount of work by the DE committee in spring 2014 to progress the college’s adoption of new policies and procedures related to distance education. A draft of the DE substantive change proposal is being circulated and will receive constituent review prior to being submitted to the ACCJC in October 2014. In progress In spring 2014 the college partnered with Ellucian (formerly Datatel) to implement their Student Planning Module in Colleague. The planning module will allow students to develop student education plans directly in Datatel on their own or with the guidance of counselors and advisors. The college will receive consultation from Ellucian in fall 2014 to strengthen the quality of the information in the degree audit system for use in the planning tool. Data integrity issues will be addressed in 2014-15 prior to implementation of the student planning module. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 20 Summary of indicators related to Goal 5: Enhancing the Institutional Profile and Increasing Student Participation Outreach The College was engaged in a variety of outreach activities with local high schools over the course of the year. CR Administrators, faculty and staff visited high schools on multiple occasions. High school administration and counselors came to CR to attend Counselor Day, as well as the Student Success Summit which focused on the success of students from high school to college. The progress of additional 2013-2014 Annual Planning Actions to enhance the institutional profile and increase student participation in campus activities are detailed below. Strategic Plan (SP) SP.5 Enhance Institutional Profile Goal 5 Education Master Plan (EP) Objectives SP.5.1. Enhance support for the college community. SP.5.2. Support/increase cultural activities at the college. SP.5.3. Develop partnerships for utilization of the available buildings. SP.5.4. Reactivate the alumni association. SP.5.5. Increase communications and outreach to the community. SP.5.6. Develop a governmental relations function. SP.5.7. Increase public support for the college Annual Planning Actions Annual Action Plan Progress Update Status V.A. Lease available buildings. Additional space has been leased. However, attempts to lease the Redwoods Business Complex C (old library) revealed the need for costly repairs that prohibit leasing this space due to negative cash flow concerns. At this point, the College has leased all of the major spaces that are “readily leasable.” Completed V.B. Expand publicity and marketing. In addition to traditional commercial and public radio, TV and newspaper ads, web ads on local media have been extensively used. Media include the Lost Coast Outpost, North Coast Journal, the Times-Standard and the Triplicate in Del Norte. Completed Class schedule newspaper inserts have been used in Eureka, Del Norte and Klamath-Trinity, and radio interviews for events throughout the District have been used extensively. Our CR Facebook friends have increased from about 1,000 to almost 3,600. Extensive posting of events and press announcements have been used. Paid boosts to specific postings have increased. A postcard, “Ready for change,” emphasizing short-term Career Technical Education programs was mailed to 54,000 residents of Humboldt County. A new Ready for Change landing page was created to capture internet traffic from the postcard. V.C. Increase district involvement in outreach Extensive outreach efforts throughout the District occurred in 2013-2014. It started in spring 2013 with President Smith, Student Services personnel and faculty visiting some high schools. It continued with more involvement of INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 In Progress 21 initiatives with local high schools. V.D. Reestablish an Alumni Association. V.E. Plan activities for the 50th anniversary of CR. faculty and staff at the annual CR Counselor Day, including tours of the new buildings. More visits were made by faculty and Student Services staff to high schools. A widely attended Student Success Summit was held with many high school administrators and counselors attending from throughout the District. Between 50 and 100 new members have asked to be included in the Alumni Association by filling out the new member form. In progress The date for a major celebration has been set for Saturday, October 4 from 4-6 p.m. on the Eureka Campus. A committee has been working on details for four months. A hexagon tent will be used; complimentary finger foods provided; wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages will be sold; 50th logo beer and wine glasses and clothing will be sold; the CR Jazz Band will perform. A postcard is being sent to key alumni, former trustees, community members, administrators, etc. Tours of the new academic buildings will be conducted. In Progress The CR Football homecoming game will be held in the Community Stadium the same day to attract more attendees. V.F. Reinstate CR’s Science Night. Science Night will take place on October 24 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Strategic Plan (SP) In progress Goal 5 Education Master Plan (EP) EP.5 Increase Student Participation in Campus Activities Objectives 1. Improve student engagement among all students. 2. Develop a vibrant student center. 3. Increase student engagement in the community. 4. Faculty and staff will model positive engagement in the college community Annual Planning Actions Annual Action Plan Progress Update Status V.G. Enhance wireless and computer access in student centers. V.H. Develop a new Multicultural Diversity Center. Wireless coverage is now available across the District’s facilities. Student wireless bandwidth expanded from 5Mb to 50 Mb. Twelve new wireless access points were also added. This work will continue as resources allow. In Progress The Multicultural Center has been developed located off the cafeteria. ASCR will continue to encourage faculty and staff to use the center for events and meetings. Completed V.I. Develop a new ASCR office. The new ASCR office has been completed and ASCR is occupying the space. A part-time staff member has been hired and staffs the office. Completed INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 22 Effectiveness of the Integrated Planning Process 2013-2014 Integrated Planning Survey Summary For the fourth year in a row, members from each integrated planning committee evaluated themselves using a survey. The survey instrument was revised by the Institutional Effectiveness Committee because it had consistently resulted in very positive responses leaving little room for improvement. Questions were added that were regarded as central to the mission and responsibilities of each of the committees. Some questions, which had received the lowest ratings over the past three years, were retained to look for continued growth. Ratings to all questions that were the same as in prior years improved. In 2010-2011 these questions had average ratings between neutral and somewhat agree, and now they are between strongly and somewhat agree. It appears that meeting attendance, and relying on data to make informed decisions have both progressively improved over the past four years. Appropriate representation from each campus on the committee and finding the integrated planning and budgeting process clear received the lowest ratings. These issues were both discussed at length at the Institutional Effectiveness Summit. Table 7. Integrated Planning Survey Results Average Ratings The following statements were rated using the scale 5 = strongly agree, 4 = somewhat agree, 3 =neutral, 2 = somewhat disagree, 1 = strongly disagree Question 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 1. Members of the committee attend regularly. 3.58 3.92 3.57 2. The committee members had appropriate information to make informed decisions. 3. Discussions and decisions were data-driven and supported by sound evidence. 4. The committee accomplished what it set out to do. 2013-2014 4.27 3.39 3.73 3.95 4.36 3.39 3.98 4.00 4.37 Questions 4-15 were new in 2013-2014. 4.20 5. Each constituent group had representation on this committee. 6. Each campus location had representation on this committee. 7. Relevant committee information was effectively communicated to appropriate constituents. 8. The results of committee activities are communicated broadly to keep the district informed of changes/improvements. 4.33 9.The committee had collegial and collaborative dialogue regarding decisions, plans, etc. 10. The committee followed an effective process for decision making. 11. The committee followed transparent processes. 4.59 12. The committee website is generally up to date (minutes, members, charge, etc.). 13. The integrated planning and budgeting process is clear. 14. The district has effectively communicated the outcomes of the planning and governance process. 15. Resources were adequate for committee members at all locations to participate. 4.20 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 3.87 4.02 3.93 4.35 4.47 3.59 3.93 3.98 2013-2014 Institutional Effectiveness Summit The college has hosted an Integrated Planning Summit each year since 2010-2011. This year the name of the summit was changed to the Institutional Effectiveness Summit to communicate a more overarching role of the planning committees in driving the effectiveness of the institution. The summit began with a review of the results from the integrated planning survey, as well as an overview of the integrated planning model, timeline and planning process. Members of each of the committees discussed the strengths and weaknesses of their individual committees, as well as the flow of communication from one committee to another, and with the rest of the college. Committee restructuring was a major topic at the 2012-2013 summit that took effect in 20132014. The committees discussed the impact of the restructuring. Most committees experienced little impact as a result of the new structure, but some members noted that the newly established subcommittees resulted in more communication across the committees. The group agreed that we should build on this improvement by holding group meetings at least once a term with members of the main committee with the subcommittees. In addition to group meetings, several committees found it successful to hold fewer meetings throughout the semester although this did not work for all committees. Several additional recommendations resulted from the Institutional Effectiveness Summit related to the following areas. Overall Committee Effectiveness A committee calendar should be developed with the day and time of week that each committee will meet. Constituent representation for each committee would also be helpful. Committees should more effectively communicate information with their constituents. Several suggestions were given such as creating a location for updates on inside.redwoods.edu where committees can easily post important information and updates. Chairs or representatives could also send out the link to all upcoming committee meetings via email. The Enrollment Management Committee recommended continuing to change so that it focuses more on overarching issues impacting student support and success rather than detailed action plans. Program Review and Budget Planning Clearer feedback should be provided to those requesting resources by giving a summary to the campus of all funded items or by notifying all parties who received funding. The campus should be alerted of where they can find the summary of funded requests. Functional committees (TPC, FPC) should be notified of each request before the program review is submitted so that they can see if the request is reasonable. This could be done by requiring a signature of approval by someone in IT or facilities prior to forwarding the request for consideration. Program review authors should be able to start working on the template earlier in the year. IR should provide program review data by September 4th to allow for work to begin. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 24 The resource request section of program review should be changed to combine columns that previously linked plans/requests to planning or operational categories. One category should exist for general requests. Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC) Responsibilities Revised Integrating Planning Model The IEC should update the planning manual and the integrated planning model on an annual basis and widely distribute this information. The IEC should display large posters of the integrated planning time-line at print stations and key areas where faculty congregate across the district. The Integrated Planning Model has been revised each year to reflect an increasingly sophisticated planning process. This year the model was revised to include the Student Equity Plan (SEP) and the Student Success and Support Program Plan (SSSP) to communicate the importance of these plans in driving annual planning. A set of shared interests were identified following work to revise the SEP and develop the SSSP. These interests include implementation of an early alert notification process, a system to allow for online student education planning, non-credit course and certificate pathways, institutionalizing basic skills funded programs and projects, and providing intervention strategies for students who are at risk. The model was also changed to show a clear path of how various requests for all resources, professional development, and staff flow from the program review process to the relevant Vice President, Dean or Director for initial prioritization before some requests are sent to the Budget Planning Committee. Instructional Council was also added to the model, alongside the student development leadership group, to communicate their role in leadership and planning. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 25 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Emerging Themes: Data and Interpretation from Program Review 26 The Program Review Executive Summary contained several trends regarding critical reflection of assessment activities. These assessment activities result in discoveries that support the need for resources for program improvements. Assessment-motivated changes Assessment findings made a wide-ranging impact on the programs. Eight programs discussed the changes they made to exams, assignments, and rubrics to better assess outcomes. Five programs talked about an increased emphasis placed on certain classroom practices and strategies (e.g., hand on approaches, motivational interviewing) and others talked about experimenting with innovative learning strategies and various techniques to increase student engagement (e.g., flipping the classroom). In addition to specific changes made to the class, several programs specifically referenced an increase in dialogue amongst full- and part-time faculty, and greater involvement of everyone in the process that resulted from assessment. Other changes included a few programs who revised their curriculum to better match program outcomes, and a few who made greater consistency/standardization across course sections. Changes requiring institution-support A few programs were concerned by a lack of adequate equipment/tools to provide adequate instruction for students. This equipment was placed in the planning and resource request sections of their program reviews. A few programs requested support with the assessment process, to expedite the process and to coordinate program-level assessment. Other concerns included student support -- inadequate resources for students at branch campuses compared to Eureka (e.g., DSPS support, tutoring), and a lack of specialized tutoring to help students in need who are not meeting outcomes. Data analysis trends for each program review student success indicator was also identified to inform institutional planning for the upcoming year. Enrollments Approximately half of all programs commented on possible reasons for enrollment declines. The most common reason cited was due to fewer section offerings. Eight programs noted difficulty finding instructors to teach sections. This appears to be a concern for the branch campuses, as well as certain disciplines at Eureka. Five programs also noted enrollment declines because of system-wide changes to repeatability and a shift to prioritize certain educational outcomes which shifted TLU allocation. Success & Retention Services provided to support students outside of the classroom was mentioned in multiple program reviews. While a few programs noted the need for more student services, one program provided evidence that students and faculty lack awareness of the services that are provided, and could benefit from heightened awareness of everything offered by way of an orientation or taking/teaching a first year experience course. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 27 Persistence Eight programs discussed the importance of the major a student declares. Some were concerned that students are declaring majors that do not accurately reflect possibilities (e.g., declaring a major not available at their campus, or declaring a major they haven’t been admitted into). Others are concerned whether or not the major they declare truly matches their education goal, and noted that students often are unaware of how to change their major. These concerns are important in that a student will have a difficult time developing a usable student education plan if they haven’t declared the real major they want. Also, the reporting and use of accurate persistence and completion rates rely on this information. Several programs discussed approaches for improving the accuracy of the major a student declares. Two programs have started encouraging students to meet with a counselor or advisor. One program is working directly with counseling and advising to make sure that counselors are aware of the most appropriate major to recommend to a student based on a student’s background and goals. Multiple programs noted that they would like to receive the contact information of all students who have declared their program so that they can do outreach. Completion Programs gave suggestions for increasing completion rates. Four programs touched on completion related to course offerings. Specifically, students in several programs were seen to have an easier time graduating when courses were offered more frequently. Faculty noted that students experienced difficulty making their way through the program that used a two year course rotation. A few CTE programs explained that low completion rates do not necessarily mean that students are failing to meet their education goal. Rather, students in CTE programs are interested in building workforce skills, not receiving a degree or certificate. It was also noted that MATH-120 may be a deterrent towards CTE students earning a certificate. Student Equity Group Data Achievement gaps were identified by the majority of programs. Gender was cited most frequently, but ten programs talked about an achievement gap across ethnicity. The gap noted most frequently was for African American students. While many of the programs noted a gap, few programs specifically addressed how they plan to start closing the achievement gap. More of a focus on professional development activities related to student equity and the achievement gap seem to be needed given that professional development is a common item appearing in programs’ plans. Labor Market Data Several programs called for more meaningful labor market data. Issues with the current LMI data were that it goes beyond our service region, reflecting jobs along the entire North Coast, and that many of the jobs included in the data do not accurately represent jobs that could be obtained after completing a program at CR. Many CTE programs would also like to include job placement rates of their students within the program review data. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 Institutional Effectiveness Scorecard Two important components were added to the Institutional Effectiveness Scorecard this year. Institution-Set Standards were added in response to recent requirements of the ACCJC and federal guidelines. Five student achievement measures (retention, success, persistence, number of degrees /certificates awarded, and number of transfers to 4-year institutions) are required. These standards are not aspirational targets. Rather, they represent the minimum expectation set by the institution to meet educational quality and institutional effectiveness, below which the institution regards its performance unacceptable. College of the Redwoods is proposing nine institution-set standards. Basic skills and online course success were included because they were seen as central to the current focus of the college to improve student success. Persistence and completions were also broken into subgroups to add clarity. In addition to institution-set standards, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee developed targets so that the institution can clearly monitor the extent to which it is improving. We would want to be well aware if we ever fall below unacceptable levels, but that shouldn’t be a worry if we remain focused on reaching attainable goals. Institution-set standards are Minimum Standards: reflect the institution’s satisfaction with the performance of student learning and achievement. Minimum standards are set for each key indicator directly measuring student performance, such as course success, transfer, and degree completion. o The Institutional Effectiveness Committee arrived at institution-set standards by taking the minimum observed value over the past seven years. Target: a measurable outcome that, when achieved, will have a meaningful positive impact on institutional effectiveness. o The Institutional Effectiveness Committee arrived at targets by evaluating the trend for each, and reaching consensus on what they thought was an aspirational yet achievable goal. Institution-set standards and targets have been added to the Institutional Effectiveness Scorecard to keep track of the extent to which we are attaining the goals of the District. As of 2013-2014, we are at or above all of the Institution-Set Standards. Course success rates are on target, but several other indicators are noticeably below target (persistence, basic skills and online course success, and completions). The college is keenly aware of the challenges in these areas, and the progress towards the Institutional Annual Plans provides numerous examples of actions being taken to reach these targets. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 29 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 30 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 31 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 32 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 33 Integrated Planning Annual Timeline The Integrated Planning Timeline was revised this year to reflect changes in the planning process. The IEC tracked the timeline throughout the year and used it to successfully keep on track with new and existing processes related to institutional effectiveness. The committee decided to add and remove items in the timeline as the year went on to better reflect central activities and deadlines. The IEC distributed it to campus at convocation for the second year in a row. 2014-2015 Annual Plan CR’s development of Annual Plans is ongoing, and is becoming a central part of the college’s planning process. The IEC led the development of the 2014-2015 Annual Plan with input from a variety of employees. Prior to adoption, the plan was taken to Expanded Cabinet for representatives from each continent group to review, and reviewed by the Board of Trustees. The IEC will collect progress updates for items to be accomplished each semester. Progress updates will be shared with Cabinet and the Board of Trustees. INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 34 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 2014-2015 Annual Plan Theme: Increasing Persistence Employing strategies to keep students continually enrolled from one semester to the next. Strategic Plan (SP) Goal 1: Student Success Education Master Plan (EP) SP.1. Focus on Learners: Developmental, Career Technical, EP.1 Ensure Student Success and Transfer Education Objectives 1. Match student readiness with educational pathways. 2. Continuously assess and evaluate programs to provide effective educational programs and services for all learners. 3. Students will be able to complete their desired educational goals. 4. Enhance student support and student engagement. 5. Improve basic skills success. 6. Support staff and faculty development and instructional innovation. 1. Provide structured academic pathways 2. Improve support for students. 3. Improve effectiveness of basic skills education. 4. Increase transfers and degree and certificate completions. 5. Professional development programs will improve educational effectiveness. 6. Improve success among underrepresented populations. Annual Planning Actions Plan. Goal. Objective. Action Actions to be taken Responsible Persons Semester Evaluation Plan VP of Instruction and Student Development (VPISD) VPISD Spring 2015 Are students aware of the pathways? Are they enrolling in them? Spring 2015 Can we track how many students have an SEP? Are there nonexempt students without an SEP? Has dual enrollment increased? EP.1.1.1 SP.1.1.3 Enroll students into Pathways. EP.1.1.1 SP.1.1.1 SP.1.4.1 Effectively support the development of student education plans (SEPs) for all nonexempt students. SP.1.1.5 SP.1.3.2 EP.1.2.2 EP.1.4.3 SP.1.1.1 EP.1.2.1 Expand dual enrollment opportunities. VPISD Spring 2015 Develop orientation for students taking distance education courses. VPISD ,Distance Education Committee Fall 2014 SP.1.1.2 SP.1.5.1 EP.1.3.1 SP.1.2.2 SP.1.6.1 EP.1.4.2 EP.1.6.1 Evaluate placement process and explore multiple measures. VPISD, Director of Institutional Research VPISD, Academic Senate Fall 2014 VPISD with Student Equity Planning Committee Chair Fall 2014 (October 17th ) Develop additional ADT degrees. Update Student Equity Plan using new Chancellor’s Office template to include a plan for narrowing the achievement gap. Spring 2015 Has an orientation been developed? Is its effectiveness being evaluated? How is the process being evaluated? Who is involved in dialogue? How many, and what information was used to select them? Has an updated plan been communicated to campus? INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 2014-2015 Annual Plan Strategic Plan (SP) Goal 2: Community Education Education Master Plan (EP) SP.2 Focus on Learners: Community Partnership EP.2 Develop Programs and Services to Meet Community Needs Objectives 1. Provide workforce development training. 2. Respond to business and industry short-term training needs. 3. Develop non-credit programs. 1. Enhance community education program. 2. Enhance incumbent worker and contract training. 3. Develop not-for-credit programs. 4. CTE Programs respond to community training needs. 5. Develop non-credit programs. Annual Planning Actions Plan. Goal. Objective. Action SP.2.1.1 SP.2.2.1 EP.2.4.1 Actions to be taken Develop a plan to respond to community training needs identified through business industry research. SP.2.3.1 EP.2.5.1 Coordinate with K-12 school districts to offer adult education. SP.2.3.2 EP.2.1.1 EP.2.5.2 Pilot an adult education program. Responsible Persons Director of Business & Training Center, CTE Dean VPISD, Vice President of Administrative Services (VPAS) VPISD Semester Spring 2015 Fall 2014 Spring 2015 Evaluation Plan What has been implemented and has the impact been evaluated? Has a plan been developed? How many students are in the pilot? What is their success? INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 2014-2015 Annual Plan Strategic Plan (SP) SP.3 Fiscal & Operational Sustainability Goal 3 Education Master Plan (EP) Objectives 1. Reduce reliance on apportionment-based funding. 2. Improve college operational efficiencies. 3. Increase funding available for strategic initiatives 4. Increase community support for the college. 5. Practice continuous quality improvement. 6. Practice continuous adherence to accreditation standards. Annual Planning Actions Plan. Goal. Objective. Action SP.3.2.1 SP.3.5.1 Actions to be taken Implement more efficient payment processing. SP.3.2.1 Develop budget cycle for equipment replacement. SP.3.2.2 Develop budget cycle for capital repairs and maintenance. SP.3.5.2 EP.3.4.1 Implement a revised AP 4021 “Program Revitalization or Discontinuation Process” Responsible Persons VPAS, IT Manager VPAS in collaboration with the Budget Planning Committee VPAS in collaboration with the Budget Planning Committee President, VPISD Semester Spring 2015 Fall 2014 Evaluation Plan Is less time taken to prepare for and print checks? Do equipment repairs adhere to a budget cycle? Fall 2014 Do capitol repairs adhere to a budget cycle? Fall 2014 Has the new process been approved? INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 2014-2015 Annual Plan Strategic Plan (SP) Goal 3 Education Master Plan (EP) EP.3 Practice Continuous Quality Improvement Objectives 1. Improve tools for assessment reporting. 2. Student learning will be a visible priority in all practices and structures. 3. Student learning outcomes and assessment are ongoing, systematic, and used for continuous quality improvement 4. Systematically use data to inform decision making. 5. Provide continual and inclusive training opportunities regarding assessment. 6. Increase number of institutional employees who have accreditation experience. Annual Planning Actions Plan. Goal. Objective. Action EP.3.2.6 SP.3.6.1 EP.3.5.1 EP.3.6.1 Actions to be taken Implement a refined process to monitor the ACCJC standards, eligibility requirements, and commission policies. Increase the number of CR employees serving on ACCJC visiting teams. EP.3.2.5 EP.3.4.2 Review the Education Master plan and discuss revisions to make the plan more meaningful to the campus. EP.3.2.2 EP.3.3.2 EP.3.4.1 Assess the Institutional Learning Outcomes and hold institutional dialogue about the results. EP.3.2.1 EP.3.3.1 Communicate Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) with students and employees through dialogue and publications like syllabus template. Improve the assessment processes regarding areas of responsibilities. EP.3.2.4 EP.3.5.2 EP.3.1.1 EP.3.2.3 EP.3.3.3 Improve the quality of SLO/PLO assessments. Responsible Persons Accreditation Liaison Officer Semester Fall 2014 Evaluation Plan Is the process outlined and driving progress? President Fall 2014 President, Director of Institutional Effectiveness Director of Institutional Effectiveness in collaboration with the Assessment Committee VPISD, Director of Institutional Effectiveness Spring 2015 Are CR employees taking part in visits contributing to CR accreditation work? Have discussions been documented? Spring 2015 Are results reported in the Institutional Effectiveness Report? Fall 2014 Is campus able to identify ILOs when quizzed? VPISD Fall 2014 VPSID in collaboration with the Assessment Committee Spring 2015 Has the role of the Deans been defined and communicated? Does the Assessment Committee perceive an improvement? INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 2014-2015 Annual Plan 39 Strategic Plan (SP) SP.4 Technological Relevance Goal 4: Technology Education Master Plan (EP) EP.4 Maintain Technological Relevance Objectives 1. Improve technology infrastructure to support all college operations. 2. Improve instructional labs to support effective teaching and learning. 3. CTE programs will have technology relevant to their disciplines 4. Improve efficiency through technology. 5. Improve data gathering and utilization to support instructional, student service, & administrative decision making. 1. Lab equipment and technology effectively supports instructional needs. 2. Update the comprehensive technology replacement plan. 3. Enhance distance education or eLearning. 4. Effectively utilize technology in teaching. Annual Planning Actions Plan. Goal. Objective. Action EP.4.3.1 Responsible Persons VPISD Semester Fall 2014 VPAS, IT Manager Fall 2014 IT Manager SP.4.1.1 Develop videoconferencing capabilities for meetings and classes. Expand wireless capabilities. Spring 2015 Fall 2014 EP.4.4.1 SP.4.4.4 Provide training of effective use of classroom technologies. IT Manager Spring 2015 SP.4.4.2 Further update the college website. Fall 2014 SP.4.4.3 SP.4.5.1 Make progress implementing student self service (Datatel student planning module). Director of Information Systems in collaboration with Web Task Force Director of Information Systems EP.4.2.1 EP.4.4.1 Actions to be taken Develop a comprehensive plan for offering DE courses. Develop a technology replacement plan. IT Manager Spring 2015 Evaluation Plan Has a plan been adopted? Has a plan been approved by the Technology Planning Committee? Has faculty and staff perceptions improved? Is there an increase in wireless availability? Did faculty rate that trainings were effective? Have visitor’s ratings (e.g., ease of finding information) improved? Can students develop Education Plans (SEPs) online? INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 2014-2015 Annual Plan Strategic Plan (SP) SP.5 Enhance Institutional Profile Goal 5 Education Master Plan (EP) Objectives 1. Enhance support for the college community. 2. Support/increase cultural activities at the college. 3. Develop partnerships for utilization of the available buildings. 4. Reactivate the alumni association. 5. Increase communications and outreach to the community. 6. Develop a governmental relations function. 7. Increase public support for the college Annual Planning Actions Plan. Goal. Objective. Action SP.5.7.1 Actions to be taken Implement activities for the 50th anniversary of CR. SP.5.1.1 SP.5.7.2 Develop a marketing plan. SP.5.4.1 Develop Alumni testimonial videos. SP.5.1.3 SP.5.7.4 SP.5.5.3 SP.5.5.1 Equip faculty and staff with marketing materials for outreach activities. SP.5.1.2 SP.5.5.2 SP.5.7.3 EP.5.4.1 SP.5.5.4 SP.5.3.1 Increase course offerings at alternate locations (e.g., high schools). Increase faculty and staff outreach to the high schools. Develop a schedule of visits. Responsible Persons Director of Communications & Marketing Director of Communications & Marketing Director of Communications & Marketing Director of Communications & Marketing VPISD Semester Spring 2015 Fall 2014 Evaluation Plan What was the impact on foundation resources? Is a plan in place? Fall 2014 Are videos present on the website? Spring 2015 Do faculty and staff perceive having the materials they need? Has dual enrollment increased? Is a schedule being followed? Fall 2014 VPISD Spring 2015 Collaborate with the community to continue student success discussions (e.g., summit). VPISD Fall 2014 Determine most effective options for unused buildings. VPAS Spring 2015 What initiatives have risen from these discussions? What information was used to determine options? INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014 2014-2015 Annual Plan 41 Strategic Plan (SP) Goal 5 Education Master Plan (EP) EP.5 Increase Student Participation in Campus Activities Objectives 1. Improve student engagement among all students. 2. Develop a vibrant student center. 3. Increase student engagement in the community 4. Faculty and staff will model positive engagement in the college community Annual Planning Actions Plan. Goal. Objective. Action EP.5.3.1 SP.5.2.1 EP.5.1.1 EP.5.2.1 EP.5.1.2 Actions to be taken Increase opportunities for students in work experience. Evaluate the use of the Multicultural Diversity Center. Expand the student ambassador program. Responsible Persons VPISD Semester Fall 2014 VPISD Spring 2015 VPISD, Director of Counseling Spring 2015 Evaluation Plan Has enrollment in work experience increased? How do students perceive the space? Are they using the space? How many students are contributing? INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS REPORT | COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS | 2013-2014