The origins of institutional effectiveness are traced, its evolution within community colleges is described, the use of the term "institutional effectiveness" is analyzed, and a practical, operational definition of the term is presented. The author hopes that this definition and the discussion in this article prove useful to community college…

This paper describes criteria used to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of outcomes-based program review. The criteria were generated from a grounded theory analysis of thirteen institutions whose faculty and administrators have been practicing outcomes-based program review from seven to thirty-two years. Examples of the…

Policymakers, administrators, and institutional researchers should recognize the critical stakeholders in the area of institutional effectiveness at the community college, their differences in perceptions about institutional effectiveness, and ways to negotiate these differences in perception. This article identifies the different stakeholders in…

This paper analyzes the effects of a higher education accountability system in Brazil. For each discipline, colleges were assigned a grade that depended on the scores of their students on the ENC, an annual mandatory exam. These grades were then disclosed to the public and colleges were rewarded or penalized based on them. I find that the ENC had…

Heightened national goals for degree attainment in the United States means increasing prominence for community colleges, which entails greater scrutiny in the form of accountability. Technology and a new generation of accountability measures appropriate to the distinctive community college mission are available to meet this challenge. This article…

This practical guide to outcomes-based assessment in student affairs is designed to help readers meet the growing demand for accountability and for demonstrating student learning. The authors offer a framework for implementing the assessment of student learning and development and pragmatic advice on the strategies most appropriate for the…

This report is one of several efforts designed to monitor outcomes in Washington's higher education system, and fulfills the biennial requirement that the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) inform the higher education and fiscal committees of the legislature of progress toward goals. The portrait that emerges from this review of…

Reviews the use of licensure examination results as performance indicators of graduate and undergraduate programs. Contains appendix showing information on how examination results are reported in selected disciplines. (17 citations) (JDI)

This Critical Success Factors Report is an accountability document for the North Carolina Community College System; it is also the result of a process undertaken to streamline and simplify accountability reporting by the community college system. The 12 performance measures for accountability, also labeled as the 12 core indicators of student…

Describes the assessment of student learning outcomes in six domains: general education, transfer programs, vocational and occupational education, remedial and developmental education, continuing education, and affective and noncognitive areas. Discusses the use of assessment results and the implications of assessment for external accountability…

Identifies key challenges for community college student services units: student diversity, a renewed focus on student success, and calls to demonstrate program effectiveness. Reviews proposed solutions to address each challenge and notes continued gaps in the literature, particularly in studies related to the need for student services staff to…

This is a report on the Qualitative Use of Evaluative Systems and Techniques (QUEST) program used by Pensacola Junior College (PJC) (Florida) to assess, integrate, and improve institutional effectiveness. The program focuses on 12 major institutional functions: strategic planning, academic programming, facilities planning, college operations,…

This report from St. Louis Community College (Missouri) provides an update of the college's activities and outcomes in accordance with the North Central Association's (NCA) standards for institutional effectiveness. It also outlines the college's assessment operations for the next five years, identifying specific activities to develop the…

A survey of 22 dental-hygiene-program directors found that programs routinely and effectively assess student outcomes and use the information for program improvements and to demonstrate accountability. Both policy and faculty/administrative support were deemed important to implementation. Time constraints were a major barrier. Outcomes-assessment…

This guide to standards and measures for compliance with the Perkins Act was developed by and for 29 community colleges in Michigan in order to provide accountability for planning and program improvement. The Perkins Act requires recipients of Perkins funds to evaluate the effectiveness of programs based upon a statewide system of standards and…