This book presents two dominant and rival conceptions of quality in higher education. One is based on the expression of the tacit conceptions of value and propriety in the academic community. It is the character and quality of the continuing interactions of higher education's members that are at issue rather than any endpoint or definitive…

Librarians have not been able to agree on a meaning for library effectiveness that is both comprehensive and practical, expressed in terms that suggest directions for improvement. This book applies Kim Cameron's principles of organization effectiveness to the traditional issues of academic library effectiveness. The investigation described is…

This self-study handbook focuses on: (1) "Self-Study and Peer Review" (including the role of "Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education," the Middle States Commission on Higher Education's statement of standards for accreditation); (2) "Models and Approaches to Self-Study" (the comprehensive model, the comprehensive with special emphasis…

This report evaluates the institutional effectiveness of the Houston Community College System for the 1998-1999 fiscal year. Part 1 describes the institution's progress toward eight strategic goals outlined in 1996-97: promoting student success, improving student access, ensuring responsive curricula, building new and varied partnerships,…

The newsletters of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) (California) provide commission news and discussions on current issues and policies regarding institutional accreditation. The January 2000 issue states that recent annual reports submitted by member institutions to ACCJC have revealed confusion about what…

This self-assessment report is intended to serve as the foundation for Austin Community College (ACC) (Texas) to build a common language and to facilitate communication about performance excellence. Using the Baldrige Criteria in the areas of leadership, strategic planning, student and stakeholder focus, information and analysis, faculty and staff…

This report outlines institutional effectiveness measures at Austin Community College (Texas). Areas of assessment include transfer outcomes, workforce education, developmental education, retention, student services, and adult education. This report shows the purpose of each area of assessment, followed by the intended outcome, assessment…

This document is a compilation of reports that outline various institutional effectiveness measures and present assessment results and data at Austin Community College (ACC) (Texas). The College Effectiveness Update reports include Academic Programs Transfer Effectiveness Measures, Workforce Education Effectiveness Measures, Developmental…

The report describes the Instructional Program Review Process at Austin Community College (Texas). The report includes program review process timeline and schedule. The Instructional Program Review Process focuses on issues of need, cost, and effectiveness of instructional programs. It provides for identification of improvements, includes…

The document contains the strategic plan for Pellissippi State Technical Community College (Tennessee). The previous five-year strategic plan, "The Pathfinder Project," was prepared in 1994 but was out of date before the end of the five-year planning cycle. To secure information for projecting new five-year strategic directions and goals…

This study investigated the extent to which two quality assurance mechanisms, accreditation and teacher certification, are consistent in assigning high marks for teacher quality to the same teacher education institutions in Georgia. The study sample was teacher candidates in thirteen institutions in Georgia that sought initial…

This document is the 2000 Institutional Effectiveness report from Piedmont Technical College (South Carolina). The areas that the report addresses are: academic advising, achievement of transfer students, and student development. Findings conclude that advisors need to consider work schedules and job demands when advising students, that Piedmont…

Over the past decade, institutions of higher education have come under increasing demands for accountability. Colleges and universities are expected to document student learning, beyond traditional course grades. The use of assessment as a tool to improve learning relies on the active involvement of faculty in planning, implementing, and refining…

Examines the role of community colleges in expanding the supply of information technology (IT) workers. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative methods, the authors find contrasting evidence on the importance of these institutions. Analysis of the 1994 and 1999 Current Population Survey and interviews with large IT employers indicate that…

This handbook is designed to serve as a guide for community colleges as they plan distance learning programs. Produced by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, it provides member institutions with guidelines and policies that will be considered in the evaluation of distance education. Eleven current accreditation concerns…