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H.5. – Institutional Improvement Plan
5. Institutional Improvement Plan
As part of the review process for initial or reaccreditation, institutions are required to have a written plan for
improvement. Standard XII. A. Planning and Evaluation states: An accredited institution has a written plan that is
designed to identify internal and external trends and patterns, optimize opportunities, address challenges, reflect on
achievements and maintain quality. The planning enables the institution to improve services to students, ensure the
professional growth of its instructors/ faculty and staff, and provide for the long-term quality and growth of the
institution. The institution collects and analyzes data on a systematic, consistent basis to monitor the status and
effectiveness of the plan and evaluates its full range of services.
A strategic-type plan covering no more than 3 years is preferred over a long-range plan, because a long-range plan
usually does not take into account the changing external environment. Therefore, strategic planning aims to exploit
the new and different opportunities of tomorrow, in contrast to long-range planning, which tries to optimize for
tomorrow the trends of today.
In addition to the elements found in a Strategic Plan, the Commission also wants to know how your institution is
developing, improving, or expanding its curriculum and services for its students, and how are you are ensuring
professional growth of your instructors/faculty and staff. The Commission wants reassurance that your institution can
guarantee long-term quality education and services for your students. Therefore, we refer to it as an “Institutional
Improvement Plan.”
Steps of the Planning Process for Strategic Plan
The basic strategic planning process includes:
1. Clarification of Objectives: identification of critical issues facing your institution
2. Information gathering and analysis: includes internal and external assessment by analyzing SWOTs
(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats)
3. Evaluation of the feasibility of the objective in view of the SWOTs
4. Develop a strategy (how can we use our strengths, stop the weaknesses, use the opportunities, and defend
against the threats in pursuit of the selected objective?)
5. Develop an Action Plan (Name the strategy, benefits expected. Actions: What will be done, how, by
whom, when (start and complete). Resources: What will be needed, people, money, information,
technology, etc.; How will progress be measured and reported? Rewards for performance, if any;
contingency plan: What will be done if results fall short?
6. Monitor and update: Planners regularly reflect on the extent to which the goals are being met and
whether action plans are being implemented.
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Effective Planning Process
Inputs:
Accreditation Review and Reports
Historical Experience
Institutional Research
Observation
Advisory Board
Student Evaluations
Exit Interview
Faculty Surveys
National Testing
Employer Surveys
Mission Statement Review Survey
Here is an overview of an Institutional Improvement Plan:
Your Plan
Executive Summary
Mission Statement
Vision
Goals
Strategies
Objectives
Formulating Strategies
SWOT
Strategic analysis
Strategic programs
Review and/or Revise Mission Statement
Action Plans
Operating Plan
Budget
Monitor
Elements
Who you are and what you do
Where do you want to be in 3-5 years?
What does your institution hope to achieve in the next 3-5 years.
Goals focus on outcomes or results and are qualitative in nature.
Statements of major approach or method (the means) for
attaining broad goals and resolving specific issues.
Specific, concrete, measurable statements of what will be done to
achieve each goal generally within a one-year time frame.
External/internal assessment to identify SWOT (Strengths and
Weaknesses and Opportunities and Threats)
Identify key internal strengths and weaknesses through an
internal audit
Identify key external opportunities and threats through an
external audit
Identify and prioritize major issues/goals
Design major programs to address issues/goals (generate and
evaluate alternative objectives and strategies)
Review and revise to bring in alignment with vision statement
Objectives, resource needs, roles, and responsibilities for
implementation (select and prioritize strategies)
Develop the yearly operating plan document (establish clear
objectives)
Develop and authorize budget for year one (allocation of funds
needed to fund year one).
Monitor/review/evaluate/update Institutional Improvement Plan
Document (CEO should see status at least once a month)
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Are goals and objectives being achieved?
Future Plans
Reporting Results
Addenda
H.5. – Institutional Improvement Plan
If not, consider the following:
Will the goals be achieved according to the timelines specified?
Should the deadlines be changed?
Do personnel have adequate resources (money, equipment,
facilities, and training) to achieve the goals?
Are the goals and objectives still realistic?
Should priorities be changed to put more focus on achieving the
goals?
Should the goals be changed?
What can be learned from monitoring and evaluation in order to
improve future planning activities and monitoring evaluation
efforts?
Plans for expansion and improvement of curriculum, services,
faculty, staff, etc.
Plans for professional growth of instructors/faculty,
administrators
Brief description of your succession plan
Budgeting and financial resources need to implement plans
Report plans for changes to curriculum, services, faculty, etc. to
the appropriate agencies (DETC)
Flow Charts, etc.
The following are the questions that the on-site evaluator will be asking when reviewing Standard XII. A. Planning
and Evaluation:
1. Describe how the institution has a written plan that is designed to identify internal and external trends and
patterns, optimize opportunities, address challenges, reflect on achievements, and maintain quality. Provide a
copy of the institution’s written plan.
2. Explain how the planning enables the institution to improve services to students, ensure the professional
growth of its instructors/faculty and staff, and provide for the long-term quality and growth of the institution.
3. Describe how the institution collects and analyzes data on a systematic, consistent basis to monitor the status
and effectiveness of the plan and evaluates its full range of services. In particularly discuss how results of the
institution’s outcomes assessments have been incorporated into the plans for self-improvement.
4. Explain how the institutional improvement plans the institution has or will undertake for its long-term
development, improvement, or expansion of its curriculum and services for its students, instructors/faculty,
and staff.
5. Explain how the plan contributes to improving institutional quality and provides adequate and realistic
growth of the institution and the personnel needed to support the growth, as well as the finances needed.
6. Identify and briefly describe the major strengths and weaknesses of the institution.
7. As candidly as possible, describe the significant challenges currently facing the institution. State how the
process of DETC self-evaluation has helped to clarify/identify these challenges as well as other major issues
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or problems. Describe what plans have been developed to meet these challenges and solve these problems
and the process(es) for implementing solutions.
8. List, in order of importance, those activities or innovations undertaken in the past five years/most recent
strategic planning cycle considered particularly worthy of notice by the Examining Committee.
9. State what institutional problems, actions, or policies should be emphasized to the Examining Committee as
examples of significant institutional achievements in quality distance study.
10. Discuss the ways in which the institution has contributed to the overall advancement and enhancement of the
field of distance study in the past five years.
Revised December 2011
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