surviving reaffirmation: two tstc approaches to compliance & the qep
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Surviving Reaffirmation: Two TSTC Approaches to Compliance & the QEP. Texas Association for Institutional Research 27 th Annual Conference February 23, 2005 Presented by. Kathy Kennedy Manager-ORPA SACS Accreditation Liaison. Blanca Trevi ñ o Bauer Director-IER - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
www.harlingen.tstc.eduwww.westtexas.tstc.edu www.tstc.edu
Surviving Reaffirmation:Two TSTC Approaches to Compliance
& the QEP
Surviving Reaffirmation:Two TSTC Approaches to Compliance
& the QEP Texas Association for Institutional Research
27th Annual ConferenceFebruary 23, 2005
Presented by
Texas Association for Institutional Research27th Annual Conference
February 23, 2005
Presented by
Kathy Kennedy
Manager-ORPA
SACS Accreditation Liaison
Blanca Treviño Bauer
Director-IER
SACS Accreditation Liaison
Texas State Technical College
Two Essential Components of Reaffirmation
• Compliance Certification
• Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
www.harlingen.tstc.eduwww.westtexas.tstc.edu www.tstc.edu
The First Component:The First Component:
The Compliance CertificationThe Compliance Certification
Texas State Technical College
TSTC Harlingen’s Story…
• Reviewed work of pilot institution’s• Selected SACS Leadership Team (SLT)• SLT assigned Principles based on
expertise/area of responsibility• Established aggressive timelines• Narratives completed by Dec. ’03, BUT
format of all later changed• Little attention paid to QEP
development
Texas State Technical College
Approaching Compliance:
• Select a Leadership Team with authority
• Set aggressive timeline based on complexity of each Principle
• Ensure enough IT expertise
• Before narratives are entered, outline, plan, and collect all documentation to support requirement
Texas State Technical College
Approaching Compliance• Plan narratives/organize based on
1) the amount and types of documentation 2) a standard format all “writers” follow 3) responses to all sections of Principle
• Promptly identify:1) documentation to be converted to electronic format, 2) documentation/information best presented through database format, 3) any elements college is not doing and begin planning/implementing immediately
Texas State Technical College
TSTC Harlingen . . .Show & Tell
• Visual design & ease of use is important
• Use databases! (Assessment Plans, Program Review reports, policies & procedures, position descriptions, “closing the loop” examples)
• Embed references in text…no extraneous documents
• Cross-reference between principles
• Use pictures to tell your story (labs, library)
• Don’t let narrative get tedious for the reader
Texas State Technical College
To access TSTC Harlingen’sreaffirmation documents
(Compliance & QEP)
Go to: http://sacs.harlingen.tstc.eduTo access the secure system, use the following:
username: sacs
password: SACScoc2005(login username and password are case sensitive)
Questions: contact Blanca Treviño Bauer at [email protected] or 956.364.4050
www.harlingen.tstc.eduwww.westtexas.tstc.edu www.tstc.edu
The Second Component:The Second Component:
The QEPThe QEP
Texas State Technical College
Importance of the QEP
QEP
Impact on Student Learning
Impact on the Institution
Texas State Technical College
First Things First
• Read carefully the “Handbook for Review Committees” published by SACS
• Determine what should be in a QEP
• Establish an internal timeline
Texas State Technical College
Developing a QEPTSTC West Texas Experience
• Highlights (see Chronology Handout)
– Assessed the college’s needs through a variety of methods• Focus groups• Surveys• Strategic planning and SWOT analyses
Texas State Technical College
Developing a QEP
• The Team • Members• Meetings
• Student learning in the context of our QEP
Texas State Technical College
Review Criteria and the West Texas Experience
The Focus1. Finding our Focus
• Research Information• College Community Input• Business and Industry Surveys and
Advisory Committee recommendations
2. The Executive Summary
Texas State Technical College
The Review CriteriaInstitutional Capability….
• Answered the following questions– Who will be responsible?– Do we have the resources to implement
and sustain the plan?• Fiscal resources• Expertise (internal and external)
– Do we have the support of administration, faculty, staff, and business and industry?
Texas State Technical College
The Review CriteriaAssessment
• Based on goals and objectives from committees concerning:– Processes – Student learning– Overall plan
• Developed narrative
• Created chart of process
Texas State Technical College
The Review CriteriaDeveloping Broad-based
Involvement
• Focus Groups, surveys, development activities
• Committees– Importance of committee chairs– Number of committees/purpose– Empowering committee members– Retreat
• Preparing for the visit
Texas State Technical College
Putting It All Together
• Lead writer• Editor• Content reviewers/contributors• Final editor• Preparation for the visit
– Evaluators– Informing the college community– Scheduling
Texas State Technical College
To access TSTC West Texas reaffirmation documents
(QEP)
Quality Enhancement Plan:
http://www.westtexas.tstc.edu/qep
Questions: Contact Kathy Kenney at [email protected] or
325.235.7379
Texas State Technical College
Final thoughts
• Create balance between demands of Compliance Certification and QEP
• Communication among ALL is a must
• If Accreditation Liaison, know what is happening in all areas (QEP, audits, policies, assessment plans), push Leadership Team members to meet their deadlines
• Support from President is key throughout the two years—USE IT!
Texas State Technical College
Questions?
Texas State Technical College
Thanks for Coming
Good Luck with your own SACS journey!