Office of Institutional Research & Planning PROCEDURES MANUAL Tad Pfeifer, M.S. Cindy Odean Area Director of Institutional Area Research Analyst Effectiveness odeanc@mpcc.edu pfeifert@mpcc.edu 308-535-3685 308-535-3684
TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME... 2 TRENDS & STATISTICS... 3 DATA REQUESTS... 4 INSTITUTIONAL REPORTING... 7 SURVEY ASSISTANCE... 8 ACADEMIC QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (AQIP)... 10 ACCREDITATION... 11 STRATEGIC PLANNING... 13 REPORTS & PRESENTATIONS... 14 1
WELCOME The mission of the Office of Institutional Research & Planning (OIRP) is to enhance institutional effectiveness by providing information which supports and strengthens operations management, decision making, and unit and institutional planning processes. The goals of the department include: Providing accurate and timely data and information Developing a culture of systematic data collection and use Creating usable information Providing trend data Competently serving as HLC/AQIP Liaison Officer and resource Providing support for strategic planning and goal tracking Maintaining security and confidentiality of sensitive data The Procedures Manual is a guide to the information that is created, disseminated, and curated by the Office of Institutional Research & Planning and how and where to access information at Mid-Plains. It was developed by the staff of the OIRP. CONTACT: Tad Pfeifer Area Director of Institutional Effectiveness pfeifert@mpcc.edu (308) 535-3684 Cindy Odean Area Research Analyst odeanc@mpcc.edu (308) 535-3685 2
TRENDS & STATISTICS The Trends and Statistics fact book provides essential data elements for making better decisions. The data pertains to such areas as demographics, education, economics, workforce, placement and technology. The goal of the fact book is to provide information which leads the college to examine internal and external environments, to provide information that drives strategic directions and institutional goals, and for the college to better align with institutional planning and decisionmaking. Sections of the fact book will be updated on the web throughout the year. http://www.mpcc.edu/about-mpcc/institutional-research-and-planning#trendsstats Section 1: Area Population and Nebraska K-12 Education Descriptions of the demographics and trends in population in the 18-county service area. Section 2: Student Enrollment Data Student enrollment trends broken out by various student characteristics including breakouts by county and student goals. Section 3: Student Characteristics Demographic characteristics of students attending the institution. Section 4: Academics Enrollment and completion information by program and/or discipline. Section 5: Student Services Athletic, residence hall, and financial aid data descriptive information. Section 6: Student Success Retention, persistence, graduation, and transfer-out information. Section 7: Human Resources Descriptive information on the employees of the institution. Section 8: Physical Resources Not available at this time. 3
Section 9: Center for Enterprise Descriptive information on the workforce training of the institution. Section 10: Institutional Development and Grants Information on college foundations and institutional grants activities. Section 11: Finance Expenditure and revenue information for the institution. DATA REQUESTS OVERVIEW The MPCC Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP) receives many requests for data every year. Some requests come from internal sources and some from external sources. These are completed on a first come first served basis, unless there is an urgent need or an unforeseen pressing deadline. They are tracked on a spreadsheet within the OIRP and also on a web-based project planning software product called Asana. Typical Data Requests College Cabinet/College Board o Strategic Planning Data o Annual Report o Trends and Statistics o Completer Report o Key Performance Indicators Office of the President o Presentation data o IPEDS Data Feedback Report o Impact of Federal Educational Dollars 4
Vice President of Academic Affairs o Program review data o Academic Planning data o New program data o Enrollment pattern data o Course evaluation data Faculty o Course evaluation data o Program review data o Assessment data o Program accreditation data, Nursing, Dental, Med Tech o Special requests Vice President of Student Affairs o Strategic Enrollment Planning data o Retention data o Developmental Education data o Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) data Area Dean of Enrollment Management o Enrollment KPI data o Board Report data Area Dean of Student Life o Student Services data, including housing & food services o Retention data o Clery ACT/Campus Safety & Security data o Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) data Area Dean of Career Services o Dual Credit Saturation report o High school graduate college going rate 5
o Career Academy data o High School data-special requests o Completer Report data Area Director of Outreach o Extended Campus data o Dual Credit data at Extended Campuses o Course Level data at Extended Campuses Area Director of Human Resources o Special requests Area Associate Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing o Publication and marketing data o Term enrollment snapshot report Area Grants Coordinator o Grant development data o Grant reporting data Area Assessment Coordinator o Non-instructional assessment data o Program assessment data o Student satisfaction data Area Director of Development o Special projects o Mailing lists Area Director for the Center for Enterprise o Non-Credit course related data o Nebraska Department of Labor requests 6
INSTITUTIONAL REPORTING Federal/National o Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS) Institutional Characteristics Completions 12-mo Enrollment Human Resources Student Financial Aid EF-Fall Enrollment GRS-Graduation Rate Survey 200% Graduation rates o Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA) o Gainful Employment Act (NSLDS) o ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire (ACT IDQ) o Higher Learning Commission Annual Institutional Data Update (HLC AIDU) o AQIP Action Project Updates o AQIP Systems Portfolio o Student Right to Know (DOE-OPE) Clery Act Reporting-Campus Safety and Security Athletic Equity Report Graduate Data o National Student Clearinghouse data o Susan Thompson Buffet Scholarship Reporting o Higher Education Directory State o Perkins Funding Data 7
o Perkins Accountability Data file o Workforce Investment Act (WIA)/Perkins Placement File o P20 Longitudinal Data System o Coordinating Commission on Postsecondary Education Supplemental Forms o Nebraska Educational Data Survey (NEEDS) o Department of Labor Workforce Training Link o Department of Labor Data exchange o Budget Book Spreadsheets C-2 Headcount o Budget Book Spreadsheets C-3 Placement o Budget Book Spreadsheets C-4 Demographics o Student Directory Requests o Special Requests; Legislative, Community, etc. SURVEY ASSISTANCE OVERVIEW All surveys given to students, faculty, employees, or local employers should be run in conjunction with the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP). It is important to have one entity tracking the surveys in order to prevent survey fatigue and low response rates. The OIRP also has expertise in the design of surveys and works to prevent the violation of anonymity requirements. Survey assistance is provided on a first come first served basis and requires a minimum two week lead time. Analysis of survey data and sharing of survey results will be done as soon as possible after the survey collection is complete, allowing for other critical deadlines to be met if necessary. Human subjects research requires Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and the process for obtaining approval is described in the IRB application process form located on the Portal under Resources >Faculty in a document entitled IRB Guidelines. 8
Annual Surveys Entering Student Survey Graduate Survey Employer Survey Student Assessment of Instruction Surveys (aka: course evaluations) Student Services Housing Surveys Student Services Food Service Surveys Student Services Roommate Survey Financial Aid Customer Service Survey College Board Survey Peterson s Survey ACT IDQ Survey Higher Education Directory Survey Intermittent Surveys PACE Survey CCSSE Survey CCFSSE Survey Event Follow-up Surveys AQIP Action Project Surveys Miscellaneous Department Surveys 9
ACADEMIC QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (AQIP) OVERVIEW The Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) is built on a culture of continuous improvement and organized around areas of highly effective institutions of higher education. Mid-Plains Community College utilizes this model to implement action projects aimed at improving processes identified as priorities during the strategic planning process that occurs on a 3-year cycle. The Area Director of Institutional Effectiveness relays progress and outcomes of action projects to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for peer feedback. The quality improvement approach has helped make the strategic plan implementation more systematic and guides the institution towards measurable progress. Areas used to categorize processes in institutions of higher education have been developed by the HLC, and are utilized by the college. These categories are described below. AQIP Categories (Revised 2014) The Revised AQIP Pathway Categories (now six in number) provide a framework that institutions can use to examine their key processes and allow institutions to analyze, understand, and explore opportunities for improvement. Category One: Helping Students Learn This category focuses on the quality and effectiveness of teaching-learning processes (and on the processes required to support them) that underlie the institution s credit and non-credit programs and courses. Category Two: Meeting Student and Other Key Stakeholder Needs This category addresses the key processes (separate from instructional programs and internal support services) through which the institution serves its external stakeholders in support of its mission. Category Three: Valuing Employees This category explores the institution s commitment to the hiring, development, and evaluation of faculty, staff, and administrators. 10
Category Four: Planning and Leading This category focuses on how the institution achieves its mission and lives its vision through direction setting, goal development, strategic actions, addressing threats, and capitalizing on opportunities. Category Five: Knowledge Management and Resource Stewardship This category addresses management of the fiscal, physical, technological, and information infrastructures designed to provide an environment in which learning can thrive. Category 6: Quality Overview This category focuses on the Continuous Quality Improvement culture and infrastructure of the institution. This gives the institution a chance to reflect on all its quality improvement initiatives, how they are integrated, and how they contribute to improvement of the institution. ACCREDITATION The Academic Quality Improvement program (AQIP) is one of several pathways leading to reaffirmation of accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission. Others include the Open and Standard Pathways. AQIP differs from the other pathways in that it is premised on principles of continuous quality improvement, and its various processes and requirements are designed to assist institutions in achieving quality improvement, along with reaffirming the institution s accredited status with the Commission once every AQIP cycle. The Area Director of Institutional Effectiveness acts as the Liaison to the HLC and oversees the accreditation process. Maintaining institutional accreditation consists of fulfilling the criteria for accreditation along with fulfilling the actions prescribed by the AQIP pathway. Action Project Updates o MPCC is required to have a minimum of three active action projects on an annual basis, and must provide updates to the HLC through the Action Project Directory. 11
Systems Portfolio o A portfolio of the institution s processes and results that is submitted on a 4-year cycle that shows evidence of meeting the criteria for accreditation. Strategic Forums o Team approach to identifying and prioritizing one or two processes to address, informed by the Systems Appraisal Feedback Report. Federal Compliance Filing & Comprehensive Review o Comprehensive review, including site visit, that is required prior to reaffirmation of accreditation in the 8 th year of the cycle. The role of the Office of Institutional Research and Planning in the AQIP accreditation process includes oversight of the above functions along with the following: Promotion and development of AQIP at MPCC. Providing guidance, leadership, and participation on the AQIP Core Team. The Core Team consists of 12 volunteers from all areas of the college who meet regularly to discuss AQIP processes and oversee all of the Action Project Teams who are working to improve college processes. Training of the Action Project Teams. Maintaining all of the records of the Action Project Teams and uploading the required documentation to the HLC. Information regarding AQIP can be found on the college Portal, https://portal.mpcc.edu/aqip/forms/allitems.aspx, or on the MPCC Website. http://www.mpcc.edu/about-mpcc/accreditation#aqip Updating and submission of the Systems Portfolio. Review of the Systems Appraisal Feedback Report. 12
STRATEGIC PLANNING OVERVIEW The Strategic Planning Process for MPCC is on a three year cycle. It involves gathering input from a range of stakeholders and then using the knowledge gained from the stakeholders, along with other data, to come up with a strategy for success for the college over the next three years. The Strategic Plan is then directly aligned with the AQIP Action Project processes for improvement and placed into a document called Leading for Tomorrow. Strategic Planning Processes Plan input sessions and gather input from stakeholders o Communities o Employees o Students Data analysis of input session notes Examination of any survey data that is applicable o PACE Employee Survey o CCSSE Student Engagement Survey o Entering Student Survey Synthesis of data from stakeholder groups for the final strategic plan Presentation to the Board of Governors for approval Public release of the Leading for Tomorrow document Notification to Community Input Session participants Presentation to employees/students Implementation of the improvements through the AQIP Action Project teams 13
Stakeholder Input Cabinet Strategic Plan Cabinet Liaison per project (ID Project Leaders) Board Approval AQIP Core Core Team Liaison per active project Schedule & Communicate Training to Project Leaders SUPPORT PROJECT LEADERS Give guidance on recruiting team members Provide training (by two Core Team members) Give guidance on completing project charter Determine timeline, strategies, and metrics REPORTS & PRESENTATIONS OVERVIEW It is the job of the Office of Institutional Research and Planning to take data and transform it into information and knowledge that stakeholders may use to guide MPCC into the future. This is done through effective written and oral communication. The OIRP is also available to help others with reports and presentations when requested. Internal Reports Trends and Statistics Report Completer Report Entering Student Survey Summary Student Assessment of Instruction Summary Report Enrollment KPI Reports Provide information for the Office of Institutional Grants required reporting 14
Provide information for other internal stakeholders reports-president s Annual Report, Quick Facts, Leading for Tomorrow, etc. External Reports IPEDS Data Feedback Report CCSSE Executive Summary CCFSSE Executive Summary PACE Survey Summary 15