In 1991, Howard Community College (HCC), in Maryland, implemented an institutional effectiveness plan that attempted to apply lessons from the previous 10 years of college planning. This paper focuses on the problems and issues encountered during implementation of the plan and is designed to provide general recommendations for others establishing…

This plan provides information on the efforts of Arizona's Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) to evaluate its effectiveness in achieving organizational mission and purpose. The plan contains the following information: (1) a discussion of EMCC's institutional effectiveness efforts to date, indicating that the college's Plan for…

As an institution having undergone many changes over the past 13 years in the Maricopa Community College District, Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) in Arizona has developed and implemented its strategic planning process, institutional effectiveness and student outcomes assessment model, and resource allocation (budget) process over the…

Suggests that college compliance with external accrediting agency policies regarding outcomes assessment will not necessarily affect the internal academic environment. Recommends that outcomes assessment be presented to faculty as a student success approach, which does not threaten academic freedom or job security. Discusses the politics of…

The institutional effectiveness movement has emerged on the higher education agenda because of increased global competition, decreased funding levels, and a loss of public confidence in higher education. While the movement's emphasis on outcomes-based accountability has been integrated into state mandates, accreditation processes, and educational…

Designed to help community colleges establish institutional effectiveness programs, this workbook provides step-by-step instructions and sample forms from an effectiveness program developed by South Carolina's Midlands Technical College (MTC). Introductory sections provide an overview of institutional effectiveness and the reasons for implementing…

As state governments and the public demand greater accountability from community and technical colleges, increasing focus is placed on the concept of assessing student academic achievement. To be effective, assessment processes should provide institutions with information that helps develop specific plans for improving operations. While processes…

In response to calls for increased accountability in educational institutions, the American Association of Community Colleges developed the following 13 core indicators of institutional effectiveness: student goal attainment, fall to fall persistence rates; degree completion rates; placement rates in the work force; employer assessments of…

Despite the fact that students over age 25 will soon comprise the majority in higher education, programming and resource allocation at many universities remain inadequate to meet adult needs. Institutions have also failed to invest in adult education research. At the same time, pressures for objective assessment of student learning in higher…

The University of Phoenix has developed a comprehensive outcomes and impact assessment program to assess the effects of a university education on students, particularly adult students. The program is integrated with the existing process assessment systems. Process assessments, which the university refers to as the Academic Quality Management…