AQIP Project Status UpdateSJC Board of Trustees RetreatNovember 4, 2011

Academic Quality Improvement Program

Higher Learning Commission

Accreditation Criteria

Definition of Accreditation“Accreditation is a process of external quality review created and used by higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities and programs for quality assurance and quality improvement. In the U.S., accreditation is carried out by private, nonprofit organizations designed for this specific purpose.” - Judith S. Eaton, President, CHEA

• Roles of Accreditationo Assuring quality

• Quality of faculty, curriculum, student services, etc.• Fiscal stability

– Institutional mission is central to quality judgments

o Access to federal and state funds• Financial Aid• Grants

o Engendering private sector confidence• Individuals• Employers• Foundations

o Easing transfer between institutions

Maintaining Accreditation• All institutions accredited by the Higher Learning Commission must

demonstrate how they meet the HLC’s

Five Criteria for Accreditationo Criterion One: Mission and Integrity

o Criterion Two: Preparing for the Future

o Criterion Three: Student Learning and Effective Teaching

o Criterion Four: Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge

o Criterion Five: Engagement and Service

• Each Criterion has three elements: Criterion Statement, Core

Components, and Examples of Evidence

• The Criteria are currently under revision (will not impact this portfolio

submission)

HLC Accreditation Programs/Models

• PEAQ - the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality o Pathways - a new model that will replace PEAQ in 2012-

13

• AQIP - the Academic Quality Improvement

Program o San Juan College adopted AQIP as its model for

reaffirming its accreditation in November 2000

The AQIP Model

About AQIP

• AQIP is a quality improvement model that focuses on the

key systems and processes an institution uses to achieve its

mission

• AQIP’s nine categories provide a framework for institutions

to examine their key processes

• AQIP’s core processes are structured in a 7-year cycleo Strategy Forum

o Action Projects with Annual Updates

o Systems Portfolio

o Systems Appraisal

o Quality Checkup Site Visit

o Reaffirmation of Accreditation

Systems Portfolio

• Systems Portfolio – consists of an Organizational Overview and

examines each of the major systems employed to accomplish the

organization’s mission and objectives

• Nine Categories:

o Helping Students Learn

o Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives

o Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs

o Valuing People

o Leading and Communicating

o Supporting Institutional Operations

o Measuring Effectiveness

o Planning Continuous Improvement

o Building Collaborative Relationships

Relationships Between the AQIP Categories

The AQIP Category Framework

• Process Standardso 8P4. How do you coordinate and align your planning processes,

organizational strategies, and action plans across your organization’s various levels?

• Results Standardso 8R2. What are your performance results for accomplishing your

organizational strategies and action plans?

• Improvements Standardso 8I1. What recent improvements have you made in this category? How

systematic and comprehensive are your processes and performance results for Planning Continuous Improvement?

Category 1: Helping Students LearnFocuses on the design deployment, and effectiveness of teaching-learning processes that underlie

your organization’s credit and non-credit programs and courses, and on the processes required

to support them.

Category 2: Other Distinctive ObjectivesAddresses the key processes (separate from your instructional programs and internal support

services) through which you serve your external stakeholders — the processes that contribute to

achieving your major objectives, fulfilling your mission, and distinguishing yours from other

educational organizations.

Category 3: Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ NeedsExamines how your organization works actively to understand student and other stakeholder

needs.

Category 4: Valuing PeopleExplores your organization’s commitment to the development of your faculty, staff, and

administrators.

Category 5: Leading and CommunicatingAddresses how your leadership and communication processes, structures, and networks guide

your organization in setting directions, making decisions, seeking future opportunities, and

communicating decisions and actions to your internal and external stakeholders.

Category 6: Supporting Institutional OperationsAddresses the organizational support processes that help to provide an environment in which

learning can thrive.

Category 7: Measuring EffectivenessExamines how your organization collects, analyzes, distributes, and uses data, information, and

knowledge to manage itself and to drive performance improvement.

Category 8: Planning Continuous ImprovementExamines your organization’s planning processes and how your strategies and action plans help

you achieve your mission and vision.

Category 9: Building Collaborative RelationshipsExamines your organization’s relationships – current and potential – to analyze how they

contribute to the organization’s accomplishing its mission.

Standards that are Common across AQIP Categories• How do you determine objectives…

• Whom do you involve in setting these

objectives ?

• How do you build and operate… (programs,

services, relationships)

• How do you support…

• How do you define, document, and communicate

across your organization your expectations…

• How do you align…

Standards that are Common across AQIP Categories• How do you assess/analyze…

• What measures do you collect and analyze regularly?

• What recent improvements have you made…

• How systematic and comprehensive are your processes

and performance results?

• How do your results compare to peer institutions?

• How do your culture and infrastructure help you to

select specific processes to improve and to set targets

for improved performance results?

AQIP Reaffirmation of Accreditation

• AQIP reaffirmation of accreditation decisions are made

every 7 years based upon an organization’s overall pattern

of improvement

o System Portfolio Appraisals (demonstrate improvement)

o Action Projects• Number, scope, completed on time

o Quality Check-up Visits

o Annual Financial Reports

AQIP @ SJC

SJC Accreditation History

Year of Last PEAQ Comprehensive Evaluation: 1993 -

1994

Year of Admission to AQIP: 11/20/2000

Year of Last Reaffirmation of Accreditation: 2007 -

2008

Year of Next Reaffirmation of Accreditation: 2014 -

2015

Year of Last System Appraisal: 2007 - 2008

Year of Next System Appraisal: 2011 - 2012

Due Date of Next Systems Portfolio: 6/1/12Source: HLC Statement of Affiliation

SJC AQIP Schedule – 3rd Cycle

• Action Projects

• Systems Portfolio

• Systems Appraisal

• Strategy Forum

• Quality Check-up Visit

• Reaffirmation of Accreditation

– Three Action Projects retire in 2012

– November 1, 2011June 1, 2012

– Sept/Oct, 2012

– Spring 2013

– Fall 2013 or Spring 2014

– AY 2014 - 2015

Visit the SJC website to view AQIP documents

Expectations of the Systems Portfolio

• AQIP expects organizations that participate in the Program

to demonstrate overall improvement from one Systems

Appraisal to the next. http://www.hlcommission.org/aqip-portfolio.html (2006)

• The second, third, and subsequent versions of an

institution’s Systems Portfolio should clearly document

how the benefits of improving processes is paying off, and

where the evidence shows it.Systems Portfolio Guide (2010)

Institutional Challenges Impacting 2012 Portfolio Development• Changes in leadership

• Institutional commitment to AQIP and continuous improvement

principles

• Lack of clearly defined structure for input to ELT and the Board

• Lack of strategic plan, ongoing planning process, alignment of

plans

• Limited use of data in decision-making

• Lack of process documentation

• Limited faculty participation

• Continued changes in leadership…

SJC 2012 Portfolio Category Leaders and LiaisonsCategory 1 Helping Students Learn

Sher Hruska, Dave Eppich, Lisa Wilson, Stacey Bradley

Category 2 Accomplishing Other Distinct ObjectivesSher Hruska, Liesl Dees, Ken Kernagis

Category 3 Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs

Dave Eppich, Tim Warren, Susan Grimes, Heather JamesCategory 4 Valuing People

Dave Eppich, Stacey Allen, Skylar Matsen

Category 5 Leading and CommunicatingMike Tacha, Sam Bachert

Category 6 Supporting Institutional OperationsRussell Litke, Tim Warren, Karen King

Category 7 Measuring EffectivenessRussell Litke, Dianne Garcia, Tim Schroeder

Category 8 Planning Continuous ImprovementRussell Litke, Laurie Gruel, Shelley Pickett

Category 9 Building Collaborative RelationshipsSher Hruska, Nancy Shepherd, Bill Lewis, Machell Day

Category Team Members

Gap Action Plan

Standard Action Plan

Draft Chapter

Index to HLC

Criteria

Project Timeline – 2012 Portfolio Development

Feb-April ’11 May-July ’11 Aug-Dec ‘11 Jan ’12

Stakeholder Review

Submit Portfolio

Feb-April ’12 May ’12

Gap Action Plan

Standard Action Plan

DraftChapter

Index to HLC

Criteria

Current Status – 2012 Portfolio Development

Category 7 I

Category 3Category 5 I

Category 6Category 9

Category 1Category 2Category 4Category 8 I

I = Institutional issues need to be addressed to move forward

SJC 2012 Systems Portfolio

• Shared DriveMy Computer, Tools, Map Network DriveDrive:           <choose an available drive letter)

Folder: \\link\aqip

Finish

Questions?Pamela Miller, Ph.D.Associate Vice President for Learningmillerp@sanjuancollege.edu 566-3217