AQIP Systems Portfolio - Midstate College: Home

Midstate College November 2016

- i - Table of ContentsAQIP Systems Portfolio

Institutional Overview ...............................................................................................................1

Category One – Helping Students Learn .................................................................................3Subcategory One: Common Learning Objectives .........................................................................................4

1P1: Processes ............................................................................................................................................41R1: Results .................................................................................................................................................71I1: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................11

Subcategory Two: Program Learning Objectives ........................................................................................121P2: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................121R2: Results ...............................................................................................................................................171I2: Improvements ......................................................................................................................................18

Subcategory Three: Academic Program Design ..........................................................................................181P3: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................181R3: Results ...............................................................................................................................................201I3: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................21

Subcategory Four: Academic Program Quality ...........................................................................................221P4: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................221R4: Results ...............................................................................................................................................251I4: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................26

Subcategory Five: Academic Student Support ............................................................................................281P5: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................281R5: Results ...............................................................................................................................................321I5: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................34

Subcategory Six: Academic Integrity ............................................................................................................341P6: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................341R6: Results ...............................................................................................................................................371I6: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................38

Category Two – Meeting Student and Other Key Stakeholder Needs ................................39Subcategory One: Current and Prospective Student Need ........................................................................40

2P1: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................402R1: Results ...............................................................................................................................................442I1: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................48

Subcategory Two: Retention, Persistence, and Completion ......................................................................482P2: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................482R2: Results ...............................................................................................................................................512I2: Improvements ......................................................................................................................................52

Subcategory Three: Key Stakeholder Needs ...............................................................................................522P3: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................522R3: Results ...............................................................................................................................................552I3: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................56


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Subcategory Four: Complaint Processes ....................................................................................................562P4: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................562R4: Results ...............................................................................................................................................582I4: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................59

Subcategory Five: Building Collaborations and Partnerships ...................................................................592P5: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................592R5: Results ...............................................................................................................................................612I5: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................64

Category Three – Valuing Employees ...................................................................................65Subcategory One: Hiring ................................................................................................................................65


Subcategory Two: Evaluation and Recognition ...........................................................................................713P2: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................713R2: Results ...............................................................................................................................................743I2: Improvements ......................................................................................................................................76

Subcategory Three: Development .................................................................................................................773P3: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................773R3: Results ...............................................................................................................................................783I3: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................80

Category Four – Planning and Leading .................................................................................81Subcategory One: Mission and Vision..........................................................................................................82


Subcategory Two: Strategic Planning...........................................................................................................874P2: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................874R2: Results ...............................................................................................................................................894I2: Improvements ......................................................................................................................................90

Subcategory Three: Leadership ....................................................................................................................904P3: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................904R3: Results ...............................................................................................................................................934I3: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................94

Subcategory Four: Integrity ...........................................................................................................................954P4: Processes ..........................................................................................................................................954R4: Results ...............................................................................................................................................994I4: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................99


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Category Five – Knowledge Management and Resource Stewardship ...........................100Subcategory One: Knowledge Management ..............................................................................................101

5P1: Processes ........................................................................................................................................1015R1: Results .............................................................................................................................................1035I1: Improvements ..................................................................................................................................103

Subcategory Two: Resource Management .................................................................................................1055P2: Processes ........................................................................................................................................1055R2: Results .............................................................................................................................................1065I2: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................107

Subcategory Three: Operational Effectiveness .........................................................................................1075P3: Processes ........................................................................................................................................1075R3: Results .............................................................................................................................................1095I3: Improvements .................................................................................................................................. 111

Category Six – Quality Overview .........................................................................................112Subcategory One: Quality Improvement Initiatives ................................................................................... 112

6P1: Processes ........................................................................................................................................1126R1: Results .............................................................................................................................................1136I1: Improvements ..................................................................................................................................115

Subcategory Two: Culture of Quality .......................................................................................................... 1166P2: Processes ........................................................................................................................................1166R2: Results .............................................................................................................................................1176I2: Improvements ....................................................................................................................................117

AQIP Systems PortfolioInstitutional Overview


- 1 - Institutional OverviewAQIP Systems Portfolio

Institutional OverviewMidstate College is a for-profit, family-owned institution granting diploma, associate and bachelor degrees. The College maintains operations as a single, non-residential campus in Peoria, Illinois, since being founded in 1888. The College is led by a Board of Directors, the President and a team of administrators. Midstate College was first accredited in 1982 by the Higher Learning Commission and moved from PEAQ to the AQIP pathway in 2005.

Midstate College offers 18 programs both on-campus and online, with many being available 100 percent online. The College’s key program areas include accounting, allied health, business administration, health information, information systems and technology, legal studies, and realtime reporting. The average age of the student body is 34, with over 85 percent of the student body being 25 and older. The average class size is eight students. The College maintains articulation agreements with local community colleges and participates in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) to help ease transferability for its significant group of transfer students. Midstate College serves on average a non-duplicated headcount of 761 students per year. The College has 20 full-time faculty, 31 part-time faculty, and 24 full-time administrative staff members. [See 4I1 for the Vision of Midstate College]

MissionThe Mission of Midstate College is to provide educational opportunities that emphasize skills and knowledge that will allow the student to adjust through a lifetime of social and technological change. We recognize that education is vital in developing skills needed for a productive society and essential in promoting the individual’s sense of worth, values, and high ethical standards. The College is committed to offering quality education that meets the needs of its students assisting them in clarifying and pursuing their professional and educational goals.

Code of Ethics• We value responsible, accountable, ethical behavior in an atmosphere of honest, open communication

with mutual respect and caring for each other.• We value creative and enthusiastic pursuit of ideas. • We value continuous improvement of our programs, services, and processes through employee

empowerment and professional development in a team-based culture.• We value commitment to student success and satisfaction by responding to customer needs.• We value an educational environment that attracts, nurtures, and supports a diverse student and staff

community.

Institutional ObjectivesIn fulfilling the mission of Midstate College, the institution sets forth the following objectives which reflect the overall goals of the College:1. To provide a varied selection of academic curricula in business and specialized areas enriched with

instruction in general education.2. To provide the students with a background of job skills which will enhance their employability.3. To provide the students with basic skills which contribute to success in their careers and in their

private lives.4. To lead the student in the self-discovery process of clarifying and raising the individual’s goals and

achievements commensurate with the student’s potential.5. To provide a framework and atmosphere of learning which will enhance the student’s capability to

demonstrate ethical and moral values in professional, personal, and business situations.


- 2 - Institutional OverviewAQIP Systems Portfolio

6. To strive for and maintain excellence in business, specialized, and general education by systematically reviewing classroom facilities, equipment, curricula, faculty, and staff.

7. To make available to our students activities and experiences which foster personal growth and leadership qualities that will assist students in their social, vocational, and academic pursuits.

8. To provide placement assistance for graduates and students through individual counseling.9. To maintain a process of communication with the community of employers to assure relevant

curricula to meet the developing needs of the economic community.

Quality Improvement Experiences Since 2011The College is moving into the third AQIP accreditation cycle since joining the AQIP pathway in 2005. Each time the institution passes through the accreditation cycle, growth can be seen through improvements to processes and results. The College President is at the forefront of working to create and maintain a culture where continuous quality improvement is ongoing.

In the past few years, the College has encountered challenges regarding increased competition and enrollment trend changes. There is more local and state-wide competition since the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement was approved in Illinois. Additionally, there is also increased local competition with new programs and institutions opening satellite campuses in central Illinois. A major employer in central Illinois has downsized and limited tuition-reimbursement for existing employees. Due to the State of Illinois budget challenges, the availability of the State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant has been uncertain. The budget challenges have reduced the number of students eligible for the grant in addition to reducing amounts awarded. All of these outside factors have contributed to declining enrollment trends for the College’s degree programs. Although the College has faced these declining enrollments over the past few years, by careful budgeting and management of resources, the College continues to maintain profitability and governmental compliance.

The College continues to have many improvements to celebrate. We have moved from reacting to systematically using data and information through the efforts of the Institutional Effectiveness Committee and Executive Finance Committee. In 2014, Midstate College established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which act as a dashboard of established metrics that are considered crucial toward achieving the Mission of the College. In 2016, as a result of the Improving and Refining Retention Strategies action project, the College established weekly Retention and Enrollment meetings which bring together faculty and staff to discuss student retention and enrollment challenges with the goal to establish a formalized college-wide retention plan. Since 2011, the College has refined the budget process so it is more fully aligned to the Mission, strategic plan, and departmental goals. The refined budget process has also allowed the College to be more responsive to changing needs and priorities.

In addition, the College has improved safety and security services. Annual trainings and documentation in both areas have been updated to reflect changing requirements. In another action project, the College established a more structured outreach plan, including a baseline of community partners derived from a five-year cohort of partnership information targeted to better identify and improve relationships while serving our key partners.

We recognize the current climate in higher education and understand financial barriers facing the adult learner population that we serve. Therefore, we have elected to freeze our tuition for the last three academic years.

As stated throughout our Systems Portfolio, our commitment to a culture of quality improvement is evident through our many processes, results and improvements regarding institutional effectiveness.

AQIP Systems PortfolioCategory One - Helping Students Learn


- 3 - Category OneAQIP Systems Portfolio

Category One Overview Since 2011, the College successfully completed five action projects in the area of Category One - Helping Students Learn. As a result of this continuous improvement project work, the College is moving from systematic to aligned maturity for our processes and results in this category. The College updated its academic assessment process, implemented program reviews, revised its entrance and placement exam process and began a two-year pilot, initiated a new process for handling all prior learning, revamped General Education Objectives and philosophy, and aligned all course objectives.

From the submission of the last systems portfolio in 2011, Midstate College has identified specific key student groups and at risk student subgroups as well as developed methods to maximize their educational experience through various support services. Despite our performance and evidence of success, we now turn our efforts to data gleaned from our Retention Action Project which will act as an impetus for identification of not only additional student groups but will also assess needs and refine methods to better serve Midstate College students as we continue to move forward.

The College offers a variety of diplomas, associate degrees, and bachelor degrees. The following lists all of our offerings:• Bachelor Degrees: Bachelor of Business Administration; Bachelor of Science, Accounting; Bachelor

of Science, Health Information Administration (Pending Final Approval from ED); Bachelor of Science, Health Services Management; Bachelor of Science, Computer Information Systems; Bachelor of Science, Realtime Reporting; Bachelor of Arts, Law and Social Justice.

• Associate Degrees: Associate of Applied Science, Administrative Professional; Associate of Applied Science, Business Administration; Associate of Applied Science, Business Computer Accounting; Associate of Applied Science, Computer and Information Science; Associate of Applied Science, Health Information Technology; Associate of Applied Science, Medical Assistant; Associate of Applied Science, Paralegal Studies.

• Diplomas: Medical Coding and Billing, Medical Office Technician, Pharmacy Technician, Office Assistant.

The College maintains the following program accreditations: the Bachelor of Science in Realtime Reporting is certified by the Council on Approved Student Education of the National Court Reporters Association and has met the General Requirements and Minimum Standards established by said board. The Health Information Technology Associate of Applied Science is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The Midstate College Medical Assistant Associate of Applied Science is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), upon the recommendation of the Medical Assisting Educational Review Board (MAERB). The Midstate College Paralegal Studies Associate of Applied Science is American Bar Association (ABA) approved.

In order to accommodate the needs of our student population, we offer a variety of instructional delivery methods for our programs: daytime, evening, and weekend courses in a traditional classroom environment, independent/arranged study, internships/externships, eLearning, and hybrid/blended delivery called flex learning.



Subcategory One: Common Learning Outcomes

1P1: Processes

Determining and aligning common learning outcomes:

The College has a process for determining and aligning our common learning outcomes. The General Education committee is comprised of Program Directors, administrators, full-time faculty, and General Education adjunct faculty members. This committee evaluates the General Education curriculum, philosophy, and objectives as part of the annual academic assessment and Catalog curriculum review cycles. Their work to keep the General Education Objectives current is guided by the College’s Mission and Institutional Objectives as well as our participation in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) and use of the General Education Core Curriculum (GECC). When the College Mission and Institutional Objectives are updated, the General Education Objectives are reevaluated to ensure alignment. (3.B.1, 3.E.2)

The College defines our common learning outcomes as our General Education Objectives, and the General Education committee has mapped these objectives to General Education descriptors to promote interaction and discussion with advisory boards as well as for overall ease of use. [See Figure 1P1.1] To ensure that our General Education Objectives fully support the Institution’s Mission and Institutional Objectives, the General Education committee has developed matrices to demonstrate alignment of the General Education Objectives to the Mission and Institutional Objectives. [See Figures 1P1.2, 1P1.3] Additionally, the General Education Objectives are mapped to the College’s General Education curriculum. (3.B.1) [See Figure 1P1.4]

Figure 1P1.1: General Education Objectives and DescriptorsGeneral Education Descriptors General Education ObjectivesCommunication Optimize written and oral communication by composing coherent essays, critical

analyses, research papers, and documents, and delivering organized and coherent speeches and presentations using appropriate language, grammar, and documentation.

Information Fluency Demonstrate information fluency by locating, evaluating, and effectively using information from a variety of sources.

Critical Thinking Demonstrate critical thinking skills by analyzing issues, case studies, and texts, and taking into account contrasting points of view and adopting a position supported by evidence.

Quantitative Reasoning Demonstrate quantitative reasoning skills by generating solutions and recommending a course of action.

Interpersonal Skills Demonstrate interpersonal skills by contributing productively in small groups by assuming accountability, modeling appropriate behaviors, recognizing strengths and weaknesses of other individuals, and demonstrating the importance of compromise.

Global Awareness Develop global awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity in the world by analyzing an issue from the perspective of another cultural tradition and demonstrating an understanding of and respect for cultural differences.

Professionalism Demonstrate professionalism with self-management skills including goal setting and time management.



Mapping of Institutional Objectives to Mission Statement Matrix: The Mission of Midstate College is (1) to provide educational opportunities that emphasize skills and knowledge that will allow the student to adjust through a lifetime of social and technological change. (2) We recognize that education is vital in developing skills needed for a productive society and (3) essential in promoting the individual’s sense of worth, values, and high ethical standards. (4) The College is committed to offering quality education that meets the needs of its students and assisting them in clarifying and pursuing their professional and educational goals.

Figure 1P1.2: Institutional Objectives Related to the Midstate College MissionInstitutional Objectives: In fulfilling the Mission of Midstate College, the Institution sets forth the following objectives which reflect the overall goals of the College.

Mission

1 2 3 4 1. To provide a varied selection of academic curricula in business and specialized areas

enriched with instruction in general education. ü ü ü ü

2. To provide the students with a background of job skills which will enhance their employability. ü ü ü

3. To provide the students with basic skills which contribute to success in their careers and in their private lives. ü ü ü

4. To lead the student in the self-discovery process of clarifying and raising the individual’s goals and achievements commensurate with the student’s potential. ü ü ü ü

5. To provide a framework and atmosphere of learning which will enhance the student’s capability to demonstrate ethical and moral values in professional, personal, and business situations.

ü ü

6. To strive for and maintain excellence in business, specialized, and general education by systematically reviewing classroom facilities, equipment, curricula, faculty, and staff. ü

7. To make available to our students activities and experiences which foster personal growth and leadership qualities that will assist students in their social, vocational, and academic pursuits.

ü ü ü

8. To provide placement assistance for graduates and students through individual counseling. ü

9. To maintain a process of communication with the community of employers to assure relevant curricula to meet the developing needs of the economic community. ü ü ü

Figure 1P1.3: General Education Objectives Aligned with Institutional Objectives

General Education Objectives

Institutional Objectives [See Figure 1P1.2]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Communication ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

Information Fluency ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

Critical Thinking ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

Quantitative Reasoning ü ü ü ü ü ü

Interpersonal Skills ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

Global Awareness ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

Professionalism ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

In 2013, the College declared an action project called Refining General Education. In 2014, through extensive research, the action project team benchmarked General Education practices from 17 other institutions to our General Education information. In addition, the committee compared our curriculum to GECC recommendations from IAI and submitted changes for approval. The action project committee



also used the policies of the Illinois Board of Higher Education regarding degree level requirements for General Education to verify that our General Education curriculum was at the appropriate degree level. In 2014, as part of this project, a process was created to annually review General Education requirements from state, regional, and program accreditation within the cycle of College Catalog updates. Between 2014 and 2015 the General Education committee, along with all faculty, revised the General Education Objectives and Philosophy and added to the General Education course curriculum through working committees, faculty meeting sessions, and surveys. (3.B.1, 3.B.2, 4.B.4)

Articulating and assessing common learning outcomes and ensuring the outcomes remain relevant and aligned:

There is an annual process for reviewing and publishing the General Education Objectives, Philosophy, overall course listing, and degree program General Education course requirements in the Catalog; this information is available on the College’s website. (4.B.1) Additionally, all advisory boards review and evaluate the General Education curriculum and objectives (up to two per year) to ensure the College is teaching the skills that are needed in this subject area. (3.B.4)

General Education assessment follows the annual academic year assessment cycle as shown in 1P2. In the Summer of 2015, an Assessment Plan was established to assess one of the updated General Education Objectives during the 2015-2016 academic year, and results were reviewed in the annual Assessment Report. (4.B, 4.B.1, 4.B.2, 4.B.4) [See Figure 1R1.6] A new 2016-2017 Assessment Plan was implemented this year. The rubrics created by the General Education committee, which match each General Education Objective, are used in correlation with the annual assessment plan.

The College holds quarterly assessment activities such as assessment days and program department assessment sessions. Examples of work completed during the 2015-2016 assessment activities include:• Remapped General Education coursework to the newly revised General Education Objectives; the

matrix, a sample of which is shown in Figure 1P1.4, contains level of achievement through the mapping of courses to demonstrate where objectives are Introduced (I), Reinforced (R), and Mastered (M).

• Reviewed the completed General Education rubrics to ensure they are mapped to the revised General Education Objectives. [See Figure 1R1.1]

• Created two new draft versions of rubrics to match to new General Education Objectives.• Worked and refined the rubrics that are scheduled to be normed.• Conducted annual training on rubric usage.

Figure 1P1.4: Mapped General Education Objectives to General Education Courses (Sample)

General Education Courses

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7BUS201 Professional Development I R R,M

ECO144 Introduction to Macroeconomics R I M M

ECO145 Introduction to Microeconomics R I M M



General Education Courses

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7ENG109 Principles of Speech I,R,M I,R,M I,R I,R I,R I,R,M

ENG116 Composition I,R I,R I,R I I,R

ENG117 Advanced Composition R,M R,M R,M R R,M

FSN260 Food Science and Nutrition R I R R R R

HIS130 U.S. History I I,R I,R I I I,R

HUM110 Human Potential R I,R I I,R I,R I,R

MAT140 College Algebra R,M

Incorporating into the curriculum opportunities for all students to achieve the outcomes:

Bachelor- and associate-level students have the opportunity to achieve the General Education Objectives. Diploma-level students have the opportunity to achieve up to two General Education Objectives depending on the degree. Coursework in all degrees is mapped to the General Education Objectives. All degree programs contain a humanities course called Human Potential; this course has a standard assignment which helps students discover their individual learning style. (3.B.3)

Designing, aligning, and delivering co-curricular activities to support learning:

The College has a process for managing Co-curricular Activities. It starts with linking the College’s General Co-curricular Activities directly to Institutional Objective 7 and, in turn, to the Mission. The Director of Student Affairs oversees and manages all aspects of the general Co-curricular Activities. As part of annual strategic planning, the Student Affairs department analyzes student and graduate survey feedback and sets departmental goals as a result of processing this data. Figure 1P1.5 demonstrates the relationship mapping between elements of Institutional Objective 7 and General Co-curricular Activities and Experiences. (3.E, 3.E.1)

Figure 1P1.5 General Co-curricular Activities and Experiences MappingComponents of Institutional Objective 7 General Co-curricular Activities and Experiences1. Personal growth Student Volunteer/Achievement Program (SVAP)

2. Leadership qualities Student Volunteer/Achievement Program (SVAP)

3. Social Campus events such as cookouts

4. Vocational and academic pursuits N/A; see Figures 1P2.1 and 1P2.2

1R1: Results

Graduate Exit Surveys provide indirect assessment results from graduates who provide feedback regarding General Education Objectives. [See Figure 1R1.2] Additionally, the College asks questions regarding the importance of active citizenship and if our graduates have a better understanding of global



cultures as well as people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. [See Figure 1R1.3] This information is reviewed and analyzed in the annual in-services using SWOTs for analysis and departmental goal setting activities. (3.B.4) The College also uses feedback from the Student Opinion Survey (SOS) to measure students’ satisfaction with co-curricular opportunities. [See Figure 1R1.4] These feedback results drive goal setting and decision-making. Additionally, the College measures graduates’ self-development reporting by surveying how well they feel we fulfilled Institutional Objective 7. [See Figure 4R1.3]

The College is beginning the second year of the annual assessment process for the newly revised General Education Objectives. Figure 1R1.1 outlines the assessment results from the previous assessment cycle, rubrics used to assess student work, and assessment cycle by year.

Figure 1R1.1: Snapshot of General Education Assessment Descriptors of General Education Objectives Tools Year(s) Results

Communication(Revised 2015-2016 Catalog)

Writing Assessment Rubric

Oral Communications Rubric

2010-20112011-20122012-2013

2011-20122012-20132013-2014

Basic English requires longer writing assignments and more focus on APA/MLA. Composition I and II have increased writing mechanics in their curriculum. Trained faculty on use of this adopted and normed rubric to be used by all writing assignments.

Increased the number of speeches and methods of training for ENG120; trained faculty on use of this adopted and normed rubric to be used for all oral communication assignments.

Information Fluency(New 2015-2016 Catalog) Information Fluency Rubric 2021-2022 Completed.

Critical Thinking(Revised 2015-2016 Catalog) Critical Thinking Rubric 2020-2021 Completed.

Quantitative Reasoning (Revised 2015-2016 Catalog)

Quantitative Analysis Rubric

2015-20162016-2017 In process of being revised and normed.

Interpersonal Skills(Revised 2015-2016 Catalog)

Interpersonal Communications Rubric 2017-2018 Completed.

Global Awareness(New 2015-2016 Catalog) Global Awareness Rubric 2018-2019 Completed.

Professionalism(Revised 2015-2016 Catalog)

Student Professionalism Rubric 2019-2020 Completed.

Overall, our students are extremely satisfied with their achievement of the General Education Objectives. It is important to note that the General Education Objectives were revised for the 2015-2016 academic year; thus, the summary below is based on the previous General Education Objectives. [See Figure 1R1.2]

Figure 1R1.2: Graduate Exit Survey Results as Related to General Education ObjectivesGeneral Education Objectives 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 Overall AverageEffectively communicate in writing 4.54 4.58 4.55 4.65 4.57Utilize effective oral communication skills 4.41 4.50 4.46 4.56 4.47Demonstrate ethical reasoning 4.56 4.60 4.57 4.70 4.60Demonstrate critical thinking skills 4.47 4.54 4.55 4.72 4.55Demonstrate quantitative reasoning skills 4.45 4.51 4.52 4.61 4.50



General Education Objectives 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 Overall AverageDemonstrate interpersonal skills 4.46 4.47 4.48 4.61 4.49Practice tolerance 4.46 4.54 4.56 4.62 4.53Demonstrate professionalism 4.54 4.64 4.64 4.76 4.62

Ratings regarding Graduate Exit Survey are on a 5.0 scale.Scores have been averaged across survey responses from each academic year.

The overwhelming majority of students agree that their understanding of global cultures, as well as people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, has improved as a result of their education at Midstate College. For this reason, this is an area of strength. [See Figure 1R1.3] An area where we could improve is reflected in this figure as well, as a larger percentage of students were either unsure or disagreed that their education at Midstate helped them realize the importance of active citizenship. [See Figure 1R1.3] Given that the majority of the students selected “unsure” for this question presents us with the opportunity to more clearly link the community service activities on campus (food and clothing drives, Student Volunteer/Achievement Program (SVAP), and book donation activities) with the concept of being an active citizen. Making minor changes in this area could also help boost the internally lower satisfaction scores in relation to Co-curricular Activities as they compare to other items in the SOS. [See Figure 1R1.4] We recognize that the score in this area falls within the satisfied range, and we believe that it is due to being a commuter campus where interest level in Co-curricular Activities is low. The College has strategic planning processes in place to regularly analyze SOS results and make improvements through departmental goal setting. (1.C)

Figure 1R1.3: Graduate Exit Survey Results as Related to Global Culture and CitizenshipGlobal Culture and Citizenship 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 TotalGlobal Culture: Do you feel you have a better understanding of global cultures as well as people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds through your educational experience?Yes 83.3% 81.2% 82.0% 85.1% 82.7%Unsure 6.5% 11.3% 7.2% 10.8% 8.6%No 10.1% 7.5% 10.8% 4.1% 8.6% Total Count 168 133 111 74 486Citizenship: Has your education helped you to realize the importance of active citizenship?

Yes 43.5% 35.6% 40.5% 32.4% 39.0%Unsure 42.9% 56.8% 36.9% 56.8% 47.4%No 13.7% 7.6% 22.5% 10.8% 13.6% Total Count 168 132 111 74 485

Figure 1R1.4: Student Opinion Survey Results as Related to Co-curricular Activities SatisfactionSection VII: Student Services/Activities 2013 2014 2015 2016Co-curricular Activities 4.28 4.35 4.22 4.40

Ratings regarding Student Opinion Survey are on a 5.0 scale.

The General Education Objective “Demonstrate quantitative reasoning skill by generating solutions and recommending a course of action” has been selected for evaluation over the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years. A major factor behind selecting this objective for evaluation is due to the College piloting the use of the Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) program from McGraw-Hill for homework and assessments for our algebra sequence (Fundamentals of Math, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra). This software assesses the student’s current knowledge of the material with a



pretest at the start of the class, and continually evaluates progress throughout the course. Since all of the course objectives for the algebra sequence link directly to this General Education objective, all of the homework and assessments assigned in each course are evaluated as part of the College’s goal for this objective, which is 70 percent or more of students to master at least 70 percent of the course material, provided that the students are devoting adequate time to the completion of their homework and assessments. As shown in Figure 1R4.5, students typically need to devote at least 40 hours of time over the course of the quarter to ALEKS, with greatest success occurring for students devoting between 70-80 hours (or approximately 6 hours a week) to the material. No student with less than 20 total hours dedicated to the material achieved the minimum 70 percent mastery level (which is required to pass the course) and thus are not included in these figures.

Figure 1R1.5: Time and Achievement of Course Objectives in ALEKS (Academic Year 2015-2016) Hours Initial Mastery Final Progress Improvement Percentage of Students Passing20-30 23% 63% 40% 36%30-40 17% 56% 39% 31%40-50 17% 74% 57% 77%50-60 19% 79% 60% 67%60-70 16% 69% 53% 64%70-80 18% 81% 63% 80%80-90 16% 82% 65% 63%90+ 9% 76% 67% 71%

The ALEKS program was initially piloted in Fall 2015, in only two sections of Fundamentals of Math. The students excelled with the program, and the College achieved a 100 percent pass rate for those courses. As a result, the program was implemented in Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra for Winter 2015. Evaluation of those assessment results showed that the amount of material being covered was potentially excessive, given the low percentage of students passing (39 percent), in spite of the serious uptick of hours logged when compared to Fall 2015. [See Figure 1R1.6] Therefore, all course material was evaluated for potential topics that could be eliminated, while still providing adequate material for the achievement of course objectives. The new course structure was implemented in Spring of 2016. As a result, the percent of students achieving 70 percent mastery increased from 39 percent to 53 percent, with little change to overall average time spent in the course.

Figure 1R1.6: Assessment Results by Quarter for Academic Year 2015-2016

Assessment

Fundamentals Only

Fundamentals & Intermediate All Courses

Fall Winter Spring SummerInitial 30% 9% 14% 22%Final 89% 57% 70% 72%Percentage of Students that Passed the Course 100% 39% 53% 57%Average time 40.4 58.4 59.2 47.7

Since 53 percent is still fairly far from our overall target passing rate of 70 percent, further evaluation was performed, and it was determined that too much of the student’s time was being spent on biweekly retention assessments. Therefore, the frequency of those assessments was reduced. This appears to have a positive impact on Fundamentals of Mathematics students but a potentially negative effect on



College Algebra students. [See Figure 1R1.7] Data will continue to be collected for all courses and evaluated for further potential improvements and adjustments.

Figure 1R1.7: Spring and Summer 2016 Pass Rates by CourseCourses Spring SummerFundamentals of Mathematics 50% 100%Intermediate Algebra 67% 67%College Algebra 50% 38%

The 2015-2016 assessment report identified challenges with the Quantitative Analysis rubric. The rubric is being edited by the General Education committee in order to be updated with methodology to evaluate both written and online coursework, and we plan to norm it after it is revised.

1I1: Improvements

The General Education committee is working to finalize all rubric assessment tools by the end of 2017. All rubrics are used for course assignment assessment in both General Education courses and major courses. The College has two established rubrics that have been normed and are used for the Writing Across the Curriculum Initiative. [See Figure 1R1.1]

As a result of the Refining General Education Action Project, the Midstate College General Education committee updated the General Education philosophy, objectives, course sequencing, and course offerings as well as established an annual compliance review process for General Education coursework. Since 2014, the College increased General Education course offerings by 15 percent as a result of curriculum reviews completed in the action project. The General Education committee conducted an in-depth review and revision of all General Education course sequencing in 2014. As part of this sequencing work, the mathematics sequencing was reviewed and revised for an additional two years. Revising math sequencing involved examining the course objectives for all four courses in the College Algebra sequence for relevancy and overlap. It was discovered that with minor restructuring one of the courses in the sequence could be removed due to overlapping objectives, thus saving our students time and money. Two of the three remaining courses in the sequence were also categorized as developmental as the result of this work.

As part of assessment activities in Fall of 2015, General Education courses were remapped to the revised General Education Objectives and Philosophy. In the Summer of 2015, an assessment plan was established to assess one of the updated General Education Objectives during the 2015-2016 academic year. Additionally, the College uses the IAI and GECC as the basic guide when completing updates and reviews of General Education coursework as part of the annual Catalog curriculum update cycle and academic assessment process.

Since the last Systems Portfolio, the College faculty completed an action project which focused on making all course objectives measurable and appropriate to the course level based on Midstate’s adoption of Bloom’s Taxonomy. All active General Education courses were reviewed using assessment matrices and all curriculum edits were approved. The course and program approval processes were created. Faculty submitted Course and Program Approval Forms, and the Curriculum and Assessment committees evaluated and gave feedback to faculty. Faculty revised the course objectives and returned the forms for final approval. Since this action project, all new courses and revisions go through an approval process which includes submitting course approval forms.



Subcategory Two: Program Learning Outcomes

1P2: Processes

Determining, aligning, and articulating purpose of program outcomes and ensuring they remain relevant:

According to the College’s Mission, our core purpose is to provide educational opportunities. The College doesn’t make any other claims regarding a students’ educational experience in regard to research, community engagement, religion, spiritual, or economic development. The College offers baccalaureate-level degrees, associate-level degrees, and diploma programs. The list and details of programs, including program objectives, can be found on the College website at the following path: http://www.midstate.edu/programs/ and is also located in the College Catalog. (3.E.2)

The College has two main processes for determining, aligning, ensuring relevancy, and articulating the purpose of program objectives. The first process is used when developing a new degree program. The second process is on-going and is driven by academic assessment and program review.

The initial process is completed when a new degree program is being developed. The process for determining initial program objectives starts with the Curriculum committee (deans, Program Directors, faculty, and administration) researching industry trends and similar programs offered at public institutions; completing community needs assessment; reviewing graduate, internship, and student survey results; collecting feedback from advisory boards; and, if needed, reviewing the criteria of program and regional accreditations and state requirements for industry-specific certifications. (3.B.4, 3.B.5) Additionally, Program Directors work with the Assessment committee to align the program objectives to the College’s Mission, Institutional Objectives, and Vision. (3.E.2) Once the program objectives are linked to the Mission and all other curriculum mapping is completed, the curriculum goes through another cycle of review through additional stakeholder surveys/input and advisory board feedback before the curriculum is finalized. After much input into the program and curriculum development, the department’s faculty members and Program Director bring their final review and recommendations of the proposed program back to the Curriculum and Assessment committees for approval. The final curriculum draft includes Bloom’s Taxonomy as a framework for aligning instructional course activities, learner activities, and assessments in association with stated program and course objectives. (3.A.2, 4.B.1, 4.B.4) The Institutional Effectiveness Committee reviews and approves the final program degree draft and ensures approval from the Board of Directors. (3.A, 3.A.1, 3.B.1, 3.B.2)

The College has a process for annual on-going program review and assessment. Midstate College uses the Nichols Model as the foundation for academic program assessment. Program Directors use the Nichols Model to ensure that the objectives for each of the courses are mapped to their specific program objectives, which are also linked to Institutional Objectives, and ultimately, the Mission. In this way we have created a network of linked objectives that support the educational needs of all students pursuing degrees at any particular level. General Education Objectives support learning at all levels, and individual course objectives support student learning at the associate and baccalaureate level via their association with Bloom’s Taxonomy. We continue to develop academic programming that supports the extent to which individual course content introduces, reinforces, or provides mastery of program-level objectives.



The annual assessment cycle is implemented as follows:• Program Directors submit annual program assessment plans using the Nichols Model to indicate specific

educational outcomes and criteria for measurement of success. Those plans drive which courses and learning objectives in each program are assessed yearly.

• As part of the College’s assessment process and planning, instructors are required to submit faculty self-assessments during assigned academic terms. The self-assessments are designed to evaluate student learning based on course objectives. These assessments are a means (beyond course grades) of directly evaluating students’ performance on specific course objectives and provide the College with a means of evaluating student learning at the course level.

• Annually, Program Directors compile all self-assessment results and subsequently create assessment reports proposing program changes designed to address any deficiencies found as a result of this process.

As seen in 1P3, ongoing Program Review accomplishes the following: links our program review to annual assessment plans and reports, links to our Key Performance Indicators through Academic Performance Indicators by program, and uses a process to get external stakeholder feedback from the academic advisory board on metrics and assessment outcomes. (4.B.1, 4.B.2, 4.B.4)

Designing, aligning, and delivering co-curricular activities to support learning:

Midstate offers students a variety of Co-curricular Activities associated with specific programs. Our delivery for programmatic Co-curricular Activities is designed to fit the needs of our non-traditional population. The College uses feedback from the Student Opinion Survey to measure students’ satisfaction with programmatic co-curricular opportunities, and the feedback results drive goal setting and decision-making.

The Program Directors work in conjunction with the Director of Student Affairs to provide programmatic Co-curricular Activities for their students. The activities are designed to enhance their learning experiences outside of the classroom in relation to specific program objectives. (3.E, 3.E.1) Examples of the relationship between the programmatic Co-curricular Activities and the program objective(s) are evidenced. [See Figure 1P2.2]

Selecting tools/methods/instruments and assessing attainment of program learning outcomes:

The College has several methods for evaluating programmatic Co-curricular Activities. Evaluation starts with ensuring that the Co-curricular Activities are mapped directly to Institutional Objectives and program objectives. The programmatic Co-curricular Activities are mapped directly to Institutional Objective 7 and, in turn, support the Mission. (3.E.1) Figure 1P2.1 shows the relationship mapping between elements of Institutional Objective 7 and Programmatic Co-curricular Activities and Experiences. (4.B.2) The College measures graduates’ self-development reporting by surveying how well they feel we fulfilled Institutional Objective 7. [See Figure 4R1.3]

Figure 1P2.1: Programmatic Co-curricular Activities and Experiences MappingComponents of Institutional Objective 7 Programmatic Co-curricular Activities & Experiences1. Personal growth Program Meet and Greets

2. Leadership qualities Tech Day; Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

3. Social Program Meet and Greets

4. Vocational and academic pursuits Program Meet and Greets, on-campus program professional organizations; and continuing education options



The College uses Graduate Exit Survey results of all program objectives as indirect assessment for measuring curricular and Co-curricular Activities. Figure 1P2.2 shows how the Program Objectives are mapped to Co-curricular Activities. See Figure 1R2.1 for an example of assessment results for measuring the Co-curricular Activities for the Allied Health department’s Medical Assistant (MA) Program.

Figure 1P2.2: Examples of Co-curricular Activities in Relation to Academic Program Objectives

Department/Programs Co-Curricular Activity Topic/Event(s)Program

ObjectivesAllied Health(HSM, MA, MOT, PT)

Meet & Greet

American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)

Speaker Topics: Healthcare, networking with employers, students, and faculty.

Membership in professional organization; invitations to students for continuing education days through AAMA.

HSM: 2,4MA: 1,5MOT: 3,6PT: 3,8

Health Information Technology (HIT, MCB)

Meet & Greet

Central Illinois Health Informatics Management Association (CIHIMA)

Speaker Topics: Smoking Cessation, Addiction, industry news, Sexual Assault; networking with students and faculty.

Membership in professional organization.

HIT: 1,2,3MCB: 1,3

Accounting(BSA, BCA)

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

Meet & Greet

Income tax preparation for the community and experience in the field.

Networking with students and faculty.

BSA: 4,10BCA: 1

Business(BBA, BA)

Rotaract (formerly Phi Beta Lambda) Lecture Series

Meet & Greet

Speaker Topics: Financial Management, Entrepreneurship, Networking, Identity Theft, and Office Soft-skills.

Networking with students and faculty; information on industry and department news.

BBA: 8BA: 1,3

Information Systems & Technology(BSCIS, CIS, AP, OA)

Tech Day Networking with students, faculty, and industry professionals; speaker topics by students and professionals in the industry, such as IT security; socializing with employers, asking questions, and seeking employment opportunities

BSCIS: 1CIS: 1,3AP: 1,2OA: 2,7,8

Legal Studies(LSJ, PL, RR)

LSJ & Midstate Jurist Quarterly Meetings

Central Illinois Paralegal Association (CIPA)

National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)

Networking with students and faculty, industry topics, and department news.



LSJ: 1PL: 1RR: 4

Assessment at Midstate College is a college-wide, faculty-driven, continuous improvement effort that measures student progress toward educational goals, determines academic progress, improves teaching and learning, and evaluates Institutional Effectiveness. Program assessment is facilitated through the Nichols Model which emphasizes institutional and program objectives, means of assessment and criteria for success, analysis, evaluation, data driven decision making, and emphasis on continuous quality improvement. (4.B.2) In keeping with our educational theory, course-level assessment measures and tools are developed to be consistent with the course and program objectives. Midstate incorporates Bloom’s Taxonomy as a framework for aligning instructional activities, learner activities, and assessment measures/tools with stated objectives.



Assessment activities are performed directly and indirectly, as well as qualitatively and quantitatively, at the course, program, and General Education levels. These activities drive data-driven decision-making to enhance academic programs. See Figure 1P2.3 for more details of measurements.

Figure 1P2.3: Assessment Activities

Measures Description

Direct or Indirect

Assessment Frequency/ Start Date

Collection Method

Administered by

Data Communicated To

Examinations Examinations are used as a means of assessing each of the program objectives. Examinations serve as formative and summative measures at the course level and program level.

Direct As offered Results reported by faculty member

Individual Faculty

AdministrationProgram Director

FacultyStudents

Program Advisory Committee

Assignments Assignments are designed to meet specific course objectives. Rubrics are used as frame of reference for assessing assignments from writing to professionalism.


Individual Faculty


FacultyStudents


Presentations Presentations are designed to meet specific course objectives and may involve oral and written outcomes. The Midstate Writing Across the Curriculum Rubric (WAC) is used as a frame of reference for assessing writing, and the Midstate College Oral Communication Rubric is used as a frame of reference for assessing oral communication. Presentations serve as formative and summative measures at the course level and program level.


Individual Faculty


FacultyStudents


Professional Practice Experience Site Evaluation

Professional practice experience site supervisors provide feedback concerning student interns. Internships serve as formative and summative measures at the course level and program level.

Indirect As offered Internship Site

Evaluation Rubric

Internship Site Supervisor,

Program Director


FacultyStudents


Survey/Focus Groups

Graduate, Alumni, and Employer surveys and focus groups are requested to provide feedback regarding satisfaction with preparation provided by the program (graduates) and knowledge / skills base presented by entry-level employee graduates. In addition, alumni and employers are asked to provide feedback regarding current marketplace needs.

Indirect Graduate Exit surveys every term

Alumni surveys

and focus groups

bi-annually (odd years)

Surveys and focus

groups bi-annually (odd years).

Survey Instruments and Focus

Group Questions

Program Director,

Executive Director of

Marketing and Enrollment


Faculty




Measures Description

Direct or Indirect

Assessment Frequency/ Start Date

Collection Method

Administered by

Data Communicated To

Course Evaluations

Course evaluations provide students the opportunity to provide feedback regarding the course.

Indirect Every Term Course Evaluation Template

Dean of Academics

Administration Program Director

Faculty

During the 2014-2015 academic year, the College revised its overall academic assessment program starting with reworking the planning and reporting forms. Training was implemented before beginning the new assessment cycle. Beginning in Summer 2015, a four-year cycle was implemented for assessing program objectives using Bloom’s Taxonomy and based on the Nichols Model. (4.B, 4.B.4) [See Figure 1P2.4] The cycle is as follows: • Year 1: Create a plan for assessing a single program objective, which includes linking the program

objective to specific classes, course objectives, and assignments. Faculty teaching those courses are notified by the Program Director, who relays instructions for capturing assessment data. This data is collected quarterly throughout the academic year.

• Year 2: Assessment data is analyzed and reported out, (4.B.2) and improvements are deployed in the course if course objective(s) did not meet a minimum 70 percent achievement rate. (4.B.1) Assessment data is again captured for the course(s) throughout the academic year. A plan for assessing a second program objective is also created and implemented at this time.

• Year 3: Assessment data is again analyzed and reported out for the first objective, with special consideration paid to whether the implemented improvements have evidence which support effectiveness. (4.B.3) Data for the second objective, and data for all future objectives, are collected and reported following this cycle. A plan for assessing a third program objective is also created and implemented at this time.

• Year 4: Assessment data is again analyzed and reported out for the second objective, with special consideration paid to whether the implemented improvements have evidence which support effectiveness. (4.B.3) Data for the third objective, and data for all future objectives, are collected and reported following this cycle. A plan for assessing a fourth program objective is also created and implemented at this time.

Figure 1P2.4: Four Year Assessment CycleYear Term Administration Tasks Meetings Faculty & Program Director Tasks

Year 1

Summer 2015

Selection of Academic Performance Indicators for Program Review

Early: Assessment Day to review previous year’s data

Late: Assessment Day planning for upcoming year

Develop assessment plan forone objective

Review of Graduation Rate and Retention Rate (Academic Performance Indicators)

Fall 2015 Evaluation of plans & report Department Faculty Meeting & Assessment

EventsCollect data for above objectiveWinter 2015

Spring 2016



Year Term Administration Tasks Meetings Faculty & Program Director Tasks

Year 2

Summer 2016


Late: Assessment Day planning for upcoming year.

Submit assessment report for above objective & planned improvements

Develop plan for second objectiveFall 2016 Evaluation of plans & report

Department Faculty Meeting & Assessment

Events

Collect comparison data to assess improvements

Collect data for above objective

Winter 2016Selection of Academic

Performance Indicators for Program Review

Review of Academic

Performance Indicators

Spring 2017

Year 3

Summer 2017



Submit assessment report regarding improvements


Develop plan for third objectiveFall 2017 Evaluation of plans & report


Events





Review of Academic


Spring 2018

Year 4

Summer 2018



Develop plan for fourth objective

Submit assessment report regarding improvements


Fall 2018 Evaluation of plans & report


Events





Review of Academic


Spring 2019

1R2: Results

As shown in Figure 1R2.1 overall, the Graduates of the Medical Assistant Associate of Applied Science degree are extremely satisfied with their achievement in meeting their program objectives. The program objectives are linked to Co-curricular Activities in Figure 1P2.2.

Figure 1R2.1: Graduate Exit Survey Results Related to Medical Assistant Program Objectives (Sample)Medical Assistant Program Objectives 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 Grand TotalObjective One 5.00 4.80 4.60 4.83 4.85

Objective Five 5.00 4.73 4.80 5.00 4.87Ratings regarding Graduate Exit Survey are on a 5.0 scale.



Program Directors complete the Annual Assessment Report for each degree program at the end of each Annual Academic Assessment Cycle. The Annual Assessment report contains information such as program objective(s) assessed, methods of assessment, summary and analysis of evidence of learning collected, results, and specific plan for improvements. Figure 1R2.2 outlines examples taken from the 2015-2016 Annual Assessment Reports. (4.B.3)

Figure 1R2.2: Annual Assessment Report Results (Examples)

Direct and IndirectMethods of Assessment

Summary and Analysisof the Evidence ofLearning Collected Results

Specific Plan for Implementing Improvements/Change Based

on FindingsPre-test and post-test All Objectives were successfully

met by three different terms of data collected.

Meets Expectations

No plans for changes at this time.

Assignments that covered these outcomes: Course Objectives 1-8: Chapter 1-8 quiz questions

All Objectives were successfully met by three different terms of data collected except for Course Objective 8.

Course Objective 8 needs improved

Revise course curriculum and remapped assignments and content (update lectures) to ensure this objective is met when assessed for the following year.

1I2: Improvements

In 2012, faculty completed an action project on making all course objectives measurable and appropriate to the course level based on Midstate’s adoption of Bloom’s Taxonomy using the newly created course approval forms. This action project was instrumental in setting up a formalized course and program approval process which follows the annual academic Catalog review cycle. (4.B.3)

In 2015, the College updated assessment plan and report forms, initiated extensive assessment training for faculty, redesigned and scheduled on-going quarterly assessment events, and rolled out a four-year assessment cycle. Additionally, the College set up a centralized electronic location for storing all assessment evidence, results, reports, and plans. (4.B.3)

As part of continuous improvement initiatives, the College added joining the Assessment Academy as a strategic goal for 2016. The College will be submitting an application to join the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Assessment Academy in November 2016. (4.B.3)

Subcategory Three: Academic Program Design

1P3: Processes

Identifying student stakeholder groups and determine their educational needs:

Prospects interested in enrolling at Midstate College have a wide variety of educational goals such as seeking a promotion at their current job, transferring from another college and wanting to finish a degree, looking to move into a new career, or needing training for new industry areas. Marketing and enrollment planning works to support the needs identified during the admissions process. As stated in 2P1, strategies are in place within the College’s admissions approach to including prospective student need finding activities, environmental scanning, data analysis, performance tracking, and market trends examination.



Students move from the prospective student group to the active student group once they have completed the admissions procedures, have been admitted, and the term has begun. (1.C, 1.C.1, 1.C.2) [See 2P1]

During the enrollment process, the College collects information to help determine educational needs. Prospective students complete an application, declare a major, complete the entrance and placement exams, provide transcripts, and disclose any special needs. (1.C.1, 1.C.2) Once a student moves from the prospective student group to the active student group, this information helps to determine if the active student falls into any sub-group(s) where they may need additional support. [See Figure 2P2.1]

The College uses several survey tools to help determine if we are meeting each active student’s educational needs. The active student population completes an annual Student Opinion Survey and term-based course evaluations to assess their educational experience. Additionally, there are other processes in place for students to get support for any other identified educational needs. Active students have the opportunity to submit self-referrals to Student Success at any time during their tenure at Midstate. The Student Success department is located on-campus, and walk-ins and phone calls are encouraged if a student needs assistance. (1.C.1, 1.C.2)

Identifying other Key Stakeholder groups and determine all stakeholder needs:

As outlined in 2P3, the College has defined processes for identifying and meeting the needs of Key Stakeholder groups. Additionally, as seen in 1P4, program accrediting bodies fall into the category of key stakeholders in academics. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee, in partnership with Program Directors, uses data from advisory boards, accreditation feedback, and information from articulation partnerships to evaluate whether we are meeting stakeholder needs in relation to our academic programs and to ensure our degree programs are up-to-date. (1.C.1, 1.C.2)

There are processes in place to receive annual feedback from advisory boards. The College maintains 6 different academic departments and a total of 11 advisory boards to provide feedback for 18 diploma and degree programs. Some of the diploma and degree programs are stackable, while others are distinct with separate program accreditation. Each academic department maintains at least one advisory board. The number of advisory boards per department is determined by the types of programs in a department and whether degrees are stackable. Program Directors have policies in place to ensure each advisory board maintains a diverse membership that reflects both the Central Illinois business community as well as where Midstate College students and graduates are employed. As part of membership expectations for advisory boards, they are asked to be prepared to help share employer expectations and community needs. Advisory boards also help confirm professional industry standards, identify skills needed to fill gaps in the workforce, and verbalize what knowledge students need to have to be successful in their future careers. (1.C.1, 1.C.2)

Developing and improving responsive programming using program review:

The College uses academic program review as an extension of the Institution’s Continuous Improvement program. All academic programs participate in academic program review. An overview of the program review process is outlined below. (4.A) [See Figure 1P3.1]



Figure 1P3.1: Program Review OverviewAcademic Program

Review Aspects Description Documentation DatesFaculty Credentialing Faculty Credentialing by academic department and

course is managed by Human Resources in correlation with faculty, Program Directors, and Dean of Academics

Faculty Credentialing Form

2016-2017Ongoing

Academic Performance Indicators by Department

Academic Performance Indicators (APIs) are relevant Key Performance Indicators broken down by program and disseminated to Program Directors

Annual Program Review of Academic Performance Indicators Form

2014-2015 Pilot2015-20162016-2017Ongoing

Annual Curriculum Review and Updates

As part of program review outcomes, Program Directors (faculty designation) make curriculum change recommendations as part of the annual Catalog update cycle

Course and Program Change Forms

2012-2017Ongoing

Annual Assessment Reporting

Annual Assessment report results are shared with advisory boards for feedback and recommendations

Annual Assessment ReportAdvisory Board Minutes

2015-20162016-2017Ongoing

Environmental Scanning

Feedback from academic program advisory boards (review assessment and program review results), community partners, and program accreditation bodies

Minutes Ongoing Since 1990s

As of the 2015-2016 academic year, the review of Academic Performance Indicators (APIs) became part of the annual academic assessment planning and review cycle. (4.A.1) A plan to review the APIs was established whereby additional metrics and measures are added each year until all APIs have been reviewed. (4.A.1) The College’s process for program review is constructed of multiple parts: faculty credentialing by department, academic performance indicators by program, evaluation of curriculum, assessment results, and environmental scanning feedback. During the annual Catalog update cycle, Program Directors (faculty designation) document the description, justification, and environmental scanning data to complete course and program change form requests to make curriculum changes. This information is reviewed and approved by members of the assessment committee.

The information received through the following environmental scanning activities is documented and included in course and program approval forms:• Professional organization memberships and participation in conferences;• Program advisory board feedback (assessment, program review information, and program curriculum

is shared annually);• Program accreditation bodies reporting and program criteria and expectations;• Research of local, state- and nation-wide competitors;• Feedback from Key Community Partners. (4.A.1)

1R3: Results

The College uses the results from the Graduate Exit Survey for Institutional Objective 9 to determine how graduates feel about our communication process with community employers in regard to maintaining relevant curricula and meeting the developing needs of the economic community. [See Figure 4R1.3] While Midstate scores consistently well on all Institutional Objectives, this particular objective shows a potential area of improvement as the mean scores across this objective differ by roughly 0.2 points when compared to Institutional Objectives 1-7.



The College’s academic program review process has increased the amount of submitted program and course approval forms. The forms approved by the members of the Assessment Committee are shown in Figure 1R3.1. This ongoing curriculum improvement process has assisted in ensuring our curriculum is up-to-date and relevant.

Figure 1R3.1: Approved Program and Course Approval FormsAcademic Year(s) Program Approval Forms Course Approval Forms

2012-2013 3 1

2013-2014 2 29

2014-2015 17 76

2015-2016 19 50

Program Directors complete the Program Review of Academic Performance Indicators Form as part of the Annual Program Review cycle. The evidence and changes from the 2015-2016 work completed from two academic programs are outlined below. [See Figure 1R3.2] The Academic Performance Indicators used for this cycle of program review were Program Graduation Rates and Program Retention Rates.

Figure 1R3.2: Sample of 2015-2016 Annual Program Review of APIs Evidence-based or Theoretical Reasons for Being

Below Threshold Rate Adjustments or Changes that Could Improve APIsWithdrawal or course drop forms indicate life circumstances as the stated reason, but trend shows it happening when students are taking accounting classes

Inform students of available services provided by the Student Success department along with the availability of accounting tutors;

Trend of computer science students switching to other programs

Explore curriculum update to include a new course or course revision which would include exploration of the IT field

1I3: Improvements

During a program review for the Medical Transcription diploma program, a 60 percent decline in enrollment was noted between Fall 2012 and Fall 2013. The program review data includes feedback from students, graduates, and the HIT advisory board. In October 2013 a survey was performed by a third-party research company to help determine the continued viability of the Medical Transcription program. This survey reflected that 81 percent of the surveyed medical community in the Peoria area did not anticipate hiring medical transcriptionists in the future. Additionally, the survey results indicated that 71 percent of the respondents did not currently employ medical transcriptionists. The Medical Transcription diploma program was formally retired after all active students graduated. The program was removed from the 2014-2015 Catalog.

During a program review of the Medical Coding and Billing, formerly known as Medical Coding Specialist, diploma program in 2014-2015, it was determined that the curriculum and focus of this program needed to be updated due to recent industry changes. Since almost 20 percent of graduates between 2011 and 2014 ended up in the billing side of their chosen career field, the billing aspect of the degree was strengthened. In January 2015, these proposed changes were approved by the program advisory board. Therefore, the program name, curriculum, and course objectives were updated and are reflected in the 2016-2017 Catalog.



Subcategory Four: Academic Program Quality

1P4: Processes

Determining and communicating the preparation required of students for specific curricula, programs, courses, and learning they will pursue:

The College has a process for assessing student readiness for students interested in entering college-level courses. All prospective students are required to complete a placement and entrance exam if they have less than an associate degree. Figure 1P4.1 outlines the entrance and placement exam exceptions and requirements.

Figure 1P4.1: Midstate College Entrance RequirementsStudent Type Entrance Exam Placement ExamFirst-Time Student ü ü

Transfer Student (with less than associate degree) ü ü

Transfer Student (with associate degree) Not required ü

Stop-Out (attended Midstate more than five years ago) Not required ü

Stop-Out (attended Midstate five years ago or less) Not required Not required

Midstate Graduates Not required Not required

The College has additional processes for screening and special requirements for program applicants for Health Information Technology and Medical Assistant programs. (4.A.4)

The College has a process for maintaining curriculum sequencing for all degree programs and using prerequisites to ensure skills and competencies are fulfilled before students move to the next course level. If placement exam scores are below requirements for math, English, and technology, the College requires that the student is placed in developmental courses. These courses need to be completed before the student is enrolled in college-level courses in these areas. Program Directors (faculty designation) and faculty work together to review curriculum sequencing as part of the annual Catalog update cycle. If prerequisite edits are requested, a course change form is completed and shared with the curriculum and assessment committees for approval. (3.A.1, 4.A.4)

The College also has a process to ensure that all new or revised courses and programs have the appropriate rigor. Course and program updates as well as new coursework goes through an approval process which includes verifying that the course and program objectives follow Bloom’s Taxonomy. (3.A.2, 4.A.4)

The College process for communicating the requirements for completing all programs and courses is as follows:• The Catalog contains program descriptions, program objectives, course descriptions, and prerequisite

requirements.• Admissions Representatives meet one-on-one with all prospective students to discuss program and

completion requirements.• The Admissions department provides a description of the entrance and placement exam requirements,

and prospective students are permitted to complete practice sections if requested.



• The admission’s process is outlined on the College website (See http://www.midstate.edu/admissions/).• Program Directors and faculty are available to discuss majors, to review course information, and to

answer any industry-specific questions. • A course syllabus template is used for all course offerings, and a repository of course syllabi is maintained

electronically for all active courses. Syllabi are provided to students on the first day of classes as well as electronically through the Learning Management System (LMS) if the class is offered online. (4.A.4)

Evaluating and ensuring program rigor for all modalities, locations, and consortia:

The College does not maintain any dual credit programs; however, the College maintains a consortium agreement with Heartland Community College for the Realtime Reporting program. (4.A.2) This agreement permits active students to complete their General Education course requirements at Heartland Community College while taking their major classes at Midstate College. Heartland Community College maintains regional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and is mandated to follow the same curriculum and assessment guidelines that we follow. (3.A.3)

The College maintains multiple processes to ensure program rigor, including:• Articulation between internal academic departmental programs enables specific review during academic

program review, during the assessment cycle, and the annual curriculum review process. (3.A.1, 3.A.2) • On-campus, classroom, and online observations are performed by the Dean of Academics and/or

Program Directors as an extension of regular employee progress reports or when prompted by new course offerings or student feedback.

• External stakeholders from advisory boards provide annual feedback regarding program rigor through review of curriculum, assessment data, and program metric results.

• Ongoing quality checks occur throughout the term by the eLearning department and Program Directors for online courses; additionally, Program Directors act as assistant instructors if opportunities for improvement arise or as part of regular online observations. (3.A.3)

• In February 2016, an Academic Quality Improvement committee was initiated with the goal of improving academic quality in all course delivery modes. This faculty-driven committee meets bi-monthly.

• An active relationship with Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) is maintained to foster continuity, currency, and rigor in General Education coursework; the College sets annual goals for expansion of IAI approvals and currently maintains IAI approval for 32 percent of all General Education courses. (4.A.4)

Awarding transfer credit:

The process for awarding transfer credit is managed by our Registrar, with the support of Student Records Assistants. The College has a process for evaluating transfer credits on the basis of official transcripts and score reports, including Joint Services Transcripts (JST) and international credential evaluations. The College maintains a policy that transfer institutions must be regionally accredited; such accreditation is verified through the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Midstate evaluates only those courses applicable to a student’s program for which a grade of C or above is awarded. Remedial and pass/fail courses are not eligible for transfer credit and are, therefore, not evaluated. Additionally, students must complete at least one-third of their program at Midstate. (4.A.2, 4.A.3)

In addition to formal articulation agreements, the College maintains, in our Student Information System (SIS), a table of course-to-course relationships approved for transfer. This table allows our Student



Records Assistants to quickly and effectively evaluate most incoming credits. When faced with a course not yet approved for transfer without an existing transfer relationship, Student Records Assistants provide materials, such as course descriptions and objectives from the transfer institution, to resident content experts for further evaluation. The Registrar and Student Records Assistants work closely with those experts, typically our Program Directors, on a final decision regarding transferability.

Midstate follows the American Council on Education’s (ACE) recommendations, documented on a student’s JST, regarding college credit for completed military training and experience. International coursework must be evaluated by a third party, such as World Education Services, before we will evaluate that coursework for transfer. Midstate then strongly considers the third party’s course recommendations as part of the transfer process. (4.A.2, 4.A.3)

Due to departmental accreditation requirements, some departments have established limits for accepting transfer credits because of course age and delivery method which would impact updated course content. When a course cannot be approved for transfer due to these requirements, we offer students the option of taking a proficiency exam (with a fee waiver) for the course in question. Proficiency examinations are graded by the Program Director and approved by the Dean of Students. These examinations must be passed with a B or higher to receive credit. (4.A.2, 4.A.3)

Awarding prior learning:

The College has extensive processes for managing all of the various areas that fall under prior learning. This process is in the College Catalog [See 2016 - 2017 Catalog, p. 50, online.midstate.edu/Downloads/Publications/Catalog.pdf] and clearly outlines how to petition to have prior learning evaluated through various methods: College Level Examination Program (CLEP); Departmental Proficiency Examination; and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) through a Portfolio Process and/or through the Non-Collegiate Instructional Evaluation Process. In each case the purposes of the evaluation are as follows: (a) to determine if the learning is representative of college-level learning and (b) to award appropriate credit. Credit granted by examination, proficiency, or PLA is limited to 25 percent of the total credits earned at Midstate College. (4.A.2)

An example of the process for evaluation of the method labeled as PLA is outlined in this paragraph. A student who wishes to have credit for prior learning experience can complete the PLA Application and pay an application fee. After completing this application and receiving approval to continue, the student pays another fee to enroll in the PLA workshop. This workshop helps clarify educational goals and priorities and assists the student in learning how to articulate his or her prior learning. During the PLA workshop, the PLA Administrator provides instruction for developing a portfolio which articulates and verifies the learning acquired through personal and professional experience. Upon completion and submission of the PLA portfolio, the PLA Administrator assembles a review committee comprised of faculty and staff to evaluate the completed portfolio contents. Course credit is awarded if the review committee determines the portfolio demonstrates the learning is congruent with all learning objectives of the course requested to be credited. (4.A.2)

Selecting, implementing, and maintaining specialized accreditations:

The Institutional Effectiveness Committee uses academic departmental feedback from key external and internal stakeholders and program review data to make decisions about new and existing program accreditations. Additionally, the committee ensures that any added program accreditation aligns with the Strategic Plan, Vision, Mission, and other peer institutions where our students transfer or receive higher degrees. (4.A.5)



The College has a process in place for managing and maintaining the four program accrediting bodies which oversee distinct areas in legal, realtime reporting, health information, and allied health. These program accrediting bodies provide oversight of five academic programs ranging from diploma to bachelor-level. The Program Directors for each department are empowered to act as program liaisons and managers for each program accrediting body. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee ensures that data and information is accurate before it is submitted. Program accreditations promote rigor, require additional academic assessment, annual program review of metrics, and promotion of current industry standards. There are processes in place to use data generated from annual reports and site visits for program assessment, program review, and overall curriculum improvement. (4.A.5, 4.A.6)

Assessing the level of outcomes attainment by graduates at all levels:

The College confers degrees at the diploma/certificate, associate, and bachelor levels. The College constructs its diploma/certificate programs to have very basic General Education courses with the core classes focused on training in designated industry areas. Associate and bachelor degrees follow the standards designated by accrediting bodies. We maintain transferability between degree levels within all academic departments. Several departments have perfectly stackable programs, while other departments maintain degrees where students can transfer seamlessly but may have extra credits or need to use open electives for transferability. [See Figure 1P4.1] An example of how stackable programs promote students’ successful completion can be seen from data compiled from the Allied Health department. From 2011-2016, out of the 11 total graduates from the Medical Office Technician diploma program, seven of these students have progressed to the Medical Assistant Associate of Applied Science degree and are currently progressing successfully as active students. (4.A.6) The College also tracks the transferability of all degrees within each department as another part of Program Review. (3.A)

Figure 1P4.1: Departmental Program Transfers - Transferability (Light Blue) vs. Stackable (Dark Blue)Diploma Associate BachelorMedical Office Technician Medical Assistant Health Services Management

Pharmacy Technician Health Services Management

Paralegal Studies Law and Social Justice

Business Administration Business Administration

Business Computer Accounting Accounting

Medical Coding & Billing Health Information Technology Health Information Administration (pending)

Office Assistant Administrative Professional Business Administration

Computer and Information Science Computer Information Systems

Realtime Reporting

1R4: Results

The College uses the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Job Placement Rate as the primary success outcome to measure overall academic program quality. This KPI is defined as the percent of Midstate College graduates who are employed in a profession aligned with their earned credential within one year of the last day of classes. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee also reviews and evaluates this success outcome measure by reviewing job placement rates by degree level. [See Figure 1R4.1] Program Directors use this indicator broken down by program to review success during annual program reviews. (4.A.6)



The College tracks continuing education plans of our graduates both in the Student Record’s department by collecting data of institutions requesting graduate transcripts and in the Student Affairs office as part of the exit paperwork for graduates.

From September 2012 to August 2015, the following graduates requested transcripts be sent to other institutions: 21 diploma graduates, 57 associate graduates, and 35 bachelor graduates. This information is used to explore the feasibility of new educational partners as we are looking for ways to track success of our bachelor graduates who pursue master-level degrees.

The College is satisfied with the current placement rates of its graduates and views them as an indicator of overall program success and quality. It should be noted that the best practice calculation of placement rate removes students continuing their education and those who decline placement services from the overall percentage. The College’s overall placement rate since 2010 hasn’t dropped below 91 percent. [See Figure 1R4.1]

Figure 1R4.1: Graduates’ Work Status by Degree Level Work Status 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015

BachelorEmployed in Related Field 59% 69% 70%

Continuing Education 8% 2% 0%

Declined Placement Services 33% 27% 25%

Other 0% 2% 5%

Overall Placement Rate 100% 97% 93%

AssociateEmployed in Related Field 70% 71% 64%



Other 4% 0% 0%


DiplomaEmployed in Related Field 40% 35% 27%



Other 0% 0% 7%


1I4: Improvements:

Entrance and placement exam improvements: Many colleges nationwide have adopted open enrollment policies and have done away with entrance testing requirements all together. While open enrollment is not something we are comfortable doing at this point, we realize the changes in our industry require us to be responsive and adaptable when it comes to college admittance. We are piloting a project to improve and standardize entrance requirements and processes. The new entrance requirements, brought forth by the Entrance Requirement Review Committee, will be in effect for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years. Throughout the pilot period, the appropriateness and effectiveness of these entrance requirements, procedures, and outcomes will be reviewed before entrance requirements are finalized for the 2017-2018 academic year.



Over the past year, admission requirements have been under review, taking into consideration many variables, including any program accreditations that might pertain to admission requirements. Statistically, we have analyzed student success in each program by looking at entrance exam scores from multiple viewpoints. We eliminated the Wonderlic exam as of Fall 2015 as a result of a study performed by the Entrance Requirement Review Committee. This study determined that scores on the exam were not a good predictor of student success. The pilot program uses solely our existing entrance and placement exams. The following departments have been involved in updating our entrance exams and admissions requirements: Student Records, Institutional Research, Student Success, Academics, Admissions, and Administration.

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Improvements: The College implemented a new PLA program after completing an action project in 2012. Processes and policies were put in place, forms created, marketing materials published, and information updated and placed in the Catalog. Continuous improvement updates for the PLA program have occurred as part of the Catalog update cycle for the past four years. Another update is in progress to streamline the documentation used for processing PLA requests and completions.

Program Accreditation Improvements: In February 2012, the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates granted approval to the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Paralegal Studies at Midstate College. The term of ABA Approval is for a period of seven years, beginning February 2012 and ending February 2019. During the approval period, the program was required to submit an interim report during the third year. The interim report was due on February 15, 2015, and it was approved in June 2015. In 2012 another improvement implemented by the Program Director for Legal Studies was to put a plan in place to overcome the low external stakeholder survey turnout by implementing focus group meetings for all external stakeholders.

Midstate College started the process of obtaining programmatic accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) for the College’s Business Administration department in 2010. In the final year of the three-year process, Midstate College was listed in “candidacy” status by the ACBSP. The Dean of Academics and Director of Business Administration both attended annual ACBSP conferences throughout this process. Through the completion of a detailed self-study, several key initiatives were designed and implemented with regards to assessment and curriculum development within the department. As a result, several quality improvements were made: a mission for the Business department and Advisory Board was created; teaching loads were shuffled to ensure faculty rotation throughout all course levels; more faculty sought and joined memberships and participated in continuing education; and faculty explored writing and publishing options as well as presenting at conferences.

Although Midstate College received positive feedback following a successful March 2013 site-visit from the organization’s mentor, in October of 2013, Midstate College withdrew membership. The decision to withdraw was made after research showed this program accreditation was not a key employability factor. Additional research showed that peer institutions found the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation provided more of a focus on quality business education and leadership and offered a longer stable history of operations. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee is continuing to explore the benefits of AACSB accreditation as a long-term future strategic initiative.



Subcategory Five: Academic Student Support

1P5: Processes

Midstate College embraces the mantra that each student’s success is our success. As such, we utilize outlined processes and procedures driven by assessment data to identify at risk student populations as well as to improve student learning. Analysis of this data collection has been the impetus to the identification and implementation of student services to support programs based upon student need. Students attending Midstate College are from Peoria and the surrounding areas and represent a cross-section of abilities, cultures, and interests. We pledge to provide resources that support their needs as they progress through their individual programs to accomplish their career ambitions.

Identifying underprepared and at risk students and determining their academic support needs:

The Institutional Effectiveness Committee and the Student Success department reviewed data from 2011 through 2014 on student persistence. Based on the data, students at high risk for attrition were identified based on retention rates as part of the Retention Action Project that was launched in 2015. (3.D.1) One of the action project initiatives is to create a repeatable process to substantiate present student groups, identify any additional groups, and examine current and future needs and practices. Present student groups are identified in Figure 2P2.1. (4.C)

Of the seven identified categories noted in Figure 2P2.1, not all students are in danger of attrition; however, all those student groups are monitored in a weekly retention meeting to determine the need for additional attention and follow up. We consider students in jeopardy to be: students failing to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), students with failing grades at midterm, and students referred to Student Success, either by themselves or a faculty member. The Dean of Students works one-on-one with these students throughout their tenure. Weekly, and more often as warranted, contact is made using a variety of communication mediums: email, telephone, one-on-one meetings, and text messaging. In addition, referrals to the Student Success office are generated by students themselves as well as by instructors to monitor progress and waylay barriers to class success. Such factors as missing or consistently late assignments, poor class performance, improper attitude, class absences, and poor class participation are reported. Immediate follow up ensues, and reports are generated for the following week’s retention meeting. (3.D.1, 4.C.3)

The College’s entrance requirements are outlined in Figure 1P4.1. If the placement exam results show that students do not meet minimum English, technology, or math requirements in their program, they are placed in developmental classes that are designed to enhance skills in those particular areas and prepare them for the rigor of college-level coursework. In addition, all degrees require that students enroll in the Human Potential class very early in their academic tenure. This class focuses on promoting student success within the college experience and is instrumental in building a sense of community among students at a commuter college such as Midstate. Furthermore, pre-tests and/or diagnostic tests are administered in classes to determine students’ specific skills, knowledge gaps, and instructional learning modes. (3.D.1, 3.D.2)

As an identified attendance-taking school by the Department of Education, attendance for all students is monitored on a daily basis. For students that have been absent for two weeks in their respective classes, contact is made from Student Success to follow up. Student Success works with the student, as well as with the individual instructors, in developing strategies to get the student back on track.



Deploying academic support services to help students select and successfully complete courses and programs:

Staff members at all levels are actively involved with individual students from the time the student enrolls and throughout their academic tenure. Because we are a small school, a personal investment is afforded every student. The Admissions department monitors placement test scores and class prerequisites for initial class advisory. In subsequent terms, individual academic advising from Program Directors and Student Success ensues along with monitoring class attendance, midterm and final grades, and prerequisite grades. Program graduation fulfillments are electronically available to advisors and students. This provides readily discernible progress and course-completion expectations. During the registration period, Program Directors and advisors provide individualized information on courses and programs to each student through email, phone, or one-on-one appointments. (3.D, 3.D.3)

Students are able to submit requests for tutoring to Student Success, or tutoring may be requested by an instructor on a student’s behalf. Tutors, including work study students and faculty, proficient in the individual disciplines are provided. Moreover, instructors have set up study groups in specific areas for additional assistance. Figure 1P5.1 shows the volume of all referrals; the majority of referrals are for tutoring.

Figure 1P5.1: Student Success Referrals (Academic Year 2015)Referrals Fall 2015 Winter 2015 Spring 2016 Summer 2016Staff/Faculty 129 88 96 104Self 11 11 8 4

Figure 1P5.2 outlines individualized assistance provided to students by library staff regarding information resources, technology support, research, and retrieval. The library staff also collaborates with departments to provide instruction in support of department need. (3.C.5, 3.C.6, 3.D, 3.D.1, 3.D.2, 3.D.3, 3.D.4, 3.D.5)

Figure 1P5.2: Library Services Usage Statistics

Month/Year TechnologySchool Info/

PolicyReady

ReferenceResearch

Assistance Other TotalAug 2015 50 22 12 10 0 94

Sep 2015 70 35 20 24 0 149

Oct 2015 45 11 13 11 0 80

Nov 2015 68 26 16 18 0 128

Dec 2015 44 26 17 1 0 88

Jan 2016 44 29 11 6 0 90

Feb 2016 52 38 8 3 0 101

Mar 2016 51 29 21 9 0 110

Apr 2016 34 37 18 21 3 113

May 2016 69 42 15 15 1 142

Jun 2016 45 41 32 29 0 147

Jul 2016 47 48 22 1 0 118

Aug 2016 12 26 1 2 2 43

Total 631 410 206 150 6 1403 Percent 45.0% 29.2% 14.7% 10.7% 0.4%



Course evaluations are reviewed for suggestions to improve class information delivery and address individual learning modes. Generalized information from these evaluations is collected by the Dean of Academics and discussed in faculty meetings. Those meetings also focus on training in best practices to include curricula content, stakeholder expectations, and teaching methods. (3.C.6, 3.D.4)

Begin with the end in mind is a mantra practiced from the time a student enrolls. From the graduation preview at orientation, which gets students thinking about the goals they have set for themselves, to steps to gaining a career, the Career Services department makes classroom presentations so students are aware of the department services. Students are provided the opportunity to participate in mock interviews with trained interviewers and are also made aware of work-study opportunities. Job placement assistance is offered both while the student is attending classes and after completion of their respective programs. This department focuses on work readiness skills and giving students the opportunity to practice those skills along with writing and presentation of appropriate work-related documents. (3.C.6, 3.D.4)

Ensuring faculty are available for student inquiry:

Faculty are expected to post and publish office hours and availability. In addition, it is mandated that eLearning instructors must log into their individual courses five out of seven days without more than a day in between. Procedures and time frames for reporting grades and comments are in place, and feedback is available through the Learning Management System (LMS) for eLearning classes. eLearning instructors follow specified guidelines for required participation (time in LMS, answering emails, and posting grades). (3.C.5)

Determining and addressing the learning support needs of students and faculty:

Since we are a small institution, environmental scanning as well as survey instrument feedback drives the majority of determining and implementing student support needs. Annual planning and budgeting supports learning needs of students in terms of provision of staff, materials, and infrastructure. Results generated through the Student Opinion Survey (SOS), Graduate Exit Survey (GES), and Adult Learner Inventory (ALI) serve as a barometer to reinforce and generate improvements. (3.D, 3.D.1, 3.D.3, 3.D.4, 3.D.5, 5.B.2)

The College uses the following tools and activities to help determine faculty needs: in-service feedback and brainstorming sessions, technical support and eLearning surveys, Employee Performance Progress information, and survey data from self-assessments. Program Directors meetings are held several times through each term, and there is an open forum in each meeting to discuss faculty overall needs and concerns. Annually, Program Directors submit departmental budgets and as part of this process they ask departmental faculty for input regarding resource and professional development needs. If a faculty resource need arises that is deemed urgent, there is a process in place for Program Directors to complete a purchase order to obtain a quick turnaround response. (3.D, 3.D.1, 3.D.3, 3.D.4, 3.D.5, 5.B.2)

Ensuring staff members who provide student academic support services are qualified, trained, and supported:

The College values student academic support services and has multiple processes in place to ensure staff members who provide these services are qualified, trained, and supported. As stated in 3P1, upon recognition of a need, Human Resources (HR) is supplied with the job description and credentials required for the opening by the department head. These credentials are rigorously tested throughout the interview process and during the completion of a staff qualification rubric. (3.C.2, 3.C.6)



Onboarding and orienting processes are in place to familiarize the new staff member with the overall culture, policies, and procedures of the College, and the department head provides training in regards to their area of specialty. Ongoing support is provided by the department head and administration, when applicable, which is supplemented with 60-day, 90-day, and annual progress reports. (3.C.4, 3.C.6) Annual progress reports gauge levels of mastery of content area and job duties which lends well to providing further support through our assigned mentor plan or professional development offerings, as necessary. (3.C.4, 3.C.6)

Additionally, staff members are continuously supported through various means such as an Assigned Mentor Plan (when applicable), professional development, employee socialization, benefit and support programs, and employee recognition. (3.C.4) For example, staff members are provided with on- and off-campus training (conferences, seminars, webinars, etc.) as professional development options to keep current in trends directly related to job duties and performance. Student tutors are selected based on their skills in the particular content area in which they are tutoring and are mentored in techniques of dealing with students by the Dean of Students. (3.C.6)

Communicating the availability of academic support services:

The Student Success department is located in a visible area on the second floor of the main building of the College and is easily accessed by all students. The Student Success department, the Career Services department and the Student Affairs department are located in the same corridor, which promotes student access to those services as well. All academic support services are clearly outlined for students as seen below:• New student orientation focuses on a graduation preview, student success services, career services,

campus resources, technical support, and eLearning instruction. • Flyers and notices are provided electronically and through social media as well as posted throughout

the campus to encourage students to seek assistance.• eLearning support is available on-campus, via email, and after-hours. The Admissions department

provides an informational pamphlet to new students that tells them what to expect when taking eLearning classes. This pamphlet also provides information as to how to access the eLearning and Technical Support departments. The Student eLearning Guide is available on the College’s website, which provides information on how to reach eLearning support services. Quarterly, the eLearning department provides additional information in the e-newsletter.

• Through a joint effort between the Student Records, Financial Assistance, and Student Accounts departments, we communicate important academic and financial aid dates and deadlines to students. This repeatable process occurs each term.

• Department study groups are advertised on bulletin boards and the Voice e-newsletter.• Students in at risk subgroups are provided with caring attention through personal contact (phone,

text, email) by faculty, staff, Student Success, and the Dean of Students. Additionally, the College emphasizes the availability of all support services.

• The Midstate Website outlines services such as available as does the Student Handbook, which offers additional mediums to promote student services, such as advising.

• Student support services representatives are invited by classroom instructors to speak in their classes, which promotes student services unity and cohesiveness. (3.D.1, 3.D.2)



Selecting the tools/methods/instruments used to evaluate the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of support services:

Tools and methods are selected based on their ability to output data that can be used to track effectiveness and comprehensive services. We look for methods that are repeatable and understood among relevant stakeholders. An example of one such tool is the SOS. [See Figure 1R5.4]

The Student Success department, in conjunction with Institutional Research, tracks the number of referrals and follow-up contacts for:• Tutoring• Intervention (poor grades, consistently late or missing assignments)• Class absences• Students on academic warning or probation (SAP plans)

1R5: Results

As mentioned above, Student Success gathers referral and absence data for all students and maintains regular contact with at risk students, details of which are logged in the Student Information System (SIS). Abridged summaries of this communication are distributed to staff through the Weekly Retention Report. Satisfaction with Student Success activities is monitored through the SOS, GES, and ALI.

As seen in Figure 1R5.1, students with two consecutive weeks of absences in at least one class are contacted by Student Success, regardless of referral. Students absent in all classes for two consecutive weeks are administratively dropped unless contact can be established; therefore, those students are tracked with particular care in a separate report. Examples of student absences in all classes can be seen in Figure 1R5.2. Students in the categories in Figure 1R5.3 are monitored and contacted as necessary on a weekly basis. (4.C.2, 4.C.4)

Figure 1R5.1: Example Single-Class Absence Report (Fall 2016)

Name Status Class SectionLast Date of Attendance

Student #1 Active HSM420 E 10/16/2016

Student #2 Active MAT038 NF 10/18/2016

Student #3 Active CIS126 NF 10/14/2016

Student #4 Active ACC400 DF 10/12/2016

Student #5 Academic & Financial Aid Warning ENG116 N 10/16/2016

Student #6 Active AH165 N 10/19/2016

Student #7 Active CIS114 DF 10/13/2016

Student #8 Active ACC110 E 10/16/2016



Figure 1R5.2: Example Absence in All Classes Report (Fall 2016)

Name School Status ClassesLast Date of Attendance

Student #1 Active ACC105 [DF], BUS325 [NF] 10/3/2016

Student #2 Active ENG010 [DF], MAT001 [DF] 9/29/2016

Student #3 Active BUS310 [E], MGT375 [NF] 10/2/2016

Student #4 Academic & Financial Aid Warning CIS114 [NF], HUM110 [NF] 10/4/2016

Student #5 Active BUS106 [NF], HUM110 [NF] 9/29/2016

Student #6 Active CIS126 [NF], CIS202 [NF] 10/4/2016

Student #7 Academic & Financial Aid Probation CIS123 [E], ENG010 [DF], HUM110 [NF] 10/2/2016

Student #8 Active BUS340 [NF], HR320 [NF], MGT375 [NF] 10/5/2016

Student #9 Active CIS202 [NF], ENG117 [N] 9/22/2016

Figure 1R5.3: Academic Warning/Probation Counts, as of 10/5/16Academic Warning Probation – New Probation – Continuing

21 13 6

As a whole, students at Midstate College are satisfied with the Student Success department. Ratings are excellent across the board for our internal surveys and the College scored consistently and significantly higher than our peer institutions on Student Success related items on the ALI. [See Figures 1R5.4, 1R5.5, 1R5.6]

Figure 1R5.4: Student Opinion Survey Results as Related to Student SuccessSection VII: Student Services 2013 2014 2015 2016E. Student Success 4.41 4.55 4.47 4.361. How do you rate the assistance you receive from the Student Success

personnel?4.43 4.51 4.47 4.35

2. How do you rate your satisfaction with the tutoring assistance you have received?

4.39 4.59 4.47 4.36

3. Did your instructor offer to meet with you to provide tutoring?

Yes 48.60% 47.37% 55.71% 59.04%

No 51.40% 52.63% 44.29% 40.96%

4. How were you made aware of tutoring services?

Instructor referral 24.30% 24.21% 34.29% 25.30%

College Administrator referral 2.80% 4.21% 12.86% 18.07%

Word of Mouth 26.17% 21.05% 17.14% 21.69%

Other 46.73% 50.53% 35.71% 34.94%Ratings regarding Student Opinion Survey are on a 5.0 scale.

Figure 1R5.5: Graduate Exit Survey Results as Related to Student SuccessStudent Satisfaction 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 Grand AverageStudent Success 3.67 3.73 3.62 3.74 3.69

Ratings regarding Graduate Exit Survey are on a 4.0 scale.



Figure 1R5.6: 2014 Adult Learner Inventory Results Related to Student Success

Student Support SystemsMidstate

College 2014National Four-Year

Adult LearnersMean

Difference11. This institution offers strategies to help me cope with the

multiple pressures of home, work, and my studies.5.63 4.95 +0.68

19. I receive timely responses to my requests for help and information.

6.06 5.76 +0.30

22. I receive the help I need to develop my academic skills, including reading, writing, and math.

6.30 5.74 +0.56

28. This institution initiates many opportunities for me to connect with other adult learners.

5.88 5.41 +0.47

31. This institution makes many support services available at convenient times and places.

6.30 5.66 +0.64

1I5: Improvements

In 2015, the College declared a Retention Action Project which will result in more formal data collection instruments being designed and put into place where only informal data collection methods are used for the following information: • Looking for patterns in excessive call-ins from students who are missing class;• Monitoring grades in developmental courses;• Creating a spreadsheet to analyze class tutoring requests, track the number of tutoring appointments,

and complete a follow-up survey to close the loop. (4.C.3)

With analysis of this data, combined with survey instrument results, we believe that we can make a significant difference in student persistence and retention. In addition, it will give us the opportunity to study data and base future decisions on outcomes.

Subcategory Six: Academic Integrity

1P6: Processes

Ensuring freedom of expression and the integrity of research and scholarly practice:

The College has a process for annually reviewing its academic integrity and academic freedom policies and ensuring that that they are up-to-date. The Catalog and Student Handbook both contain a section that outlines the College’s belief and views on academic freedom and integrity. “Midstate College believes in providing an educational experience in an open, honest, respectful, and fair manner engendering a mutual trust between all students, faculty, and administrators. Academic integrity is a basic principle of the College’s function.” [See 2016 - 2017 Catalog, p. 41, online.midstate.edu/Downloads/Publications/Catalog.pdf] Full-time faculty’s primary focus is teaching, not research or other scholarly pursuits. (2.D, 2.E, 2.E.1, 2.E.3, 3.B, 3.B.5)

The College employs several methods to encourage academic freedom of expression for faculty. (2.D, 3.B.5) The following are opportunities of expression provided to Midstate faculty, who are encouraged to: • Submit writings for the College’s newsletters, professional organizations, and other venues;



• Recommend and develop new courses and course content in their area of expertise with approval of the program advisory board and the Curriculum and Assessment Committees;

• Share their research work and thesis with their peers after completion of a new degree level;• Request topics for faculty meetings; • Share information on topics of interest in faculty meetings;• Develop Co-curricular activities in collaboration with the Student Affairs department;• Participate in faculty professional development and continuing education. [See 3P3]

Ensuring ethical learning and research practices of students:

The College employs several processes to ensure ethical student learning and research practices: publication of academic integrity expectations, third-party resources for verifying work originality made available to students, departmental student writing and research support, training sessions, course sequencing recommendations, and identity verification. (2.E.1, 2.E.2, 3.B.3)

The first process involves publication of student academic integrity and ethical guidelines, academic dishonesty definitions, and identity tracking procedures in the Catalog and handbooks. Areas highlighted in these publications include: expected research and writing practices, academic dishonesty definitions, plagiarism descriptions, and consequences of violating Midstate’s academic integrity policies.

Several processes are in place to act as interventions and to help prevent cheating, dishonesty, and plagiarism. The first of these processes is to use course sequencing in scheduling students so that they take composition classes before upper-level courses, where advanced research and writing assignments are assigned. The College has constructed the composition classes to introduce and strengthen research and writing skills. (2.E.1, 2.E.2)

Another proactive prevention process in place involves the library acting as a resource and aid to both new and existing students for helping them develop ethical research and writing practices. The Director of Library Services trains new students in the basics of research paper writing and introduces students to the library resources that are available for additional support. Additionally, when research papers or projects are assigned, the Director of Library Resources visits on-campus classes and is added to online courses to provide additional resources and help with works cited pages as well as to provide an easy, effective way for students to receive assistance when research and writing is required. (2.E.1, 2.E.2)

Additionally a proactive prevention process in place is the maintenance of a third-party resource which checks students’ work for originality. Since 2006, the College has maintained membership to Turnitin for both students and faculty as an additional aid to help ensure ethical research and writing practices. In 2012 the College started giving active students access to the Turnitin resources each term. This resource allows students to check all writing assignments without the information being stored in Turnitin’s repository. Students are provided this information through email, electronic announcements, and a student welcome announcement each term.

Another process in place to ensure that students understand academic integrity occurs with the assistance of the Student Success department. This department offers tutoring services through self-referral, walk-ins, and instructor referrals. Writing assistance is one of the areas of tutoring that is offered. Additionally, if academic dishonesty is reported, it is processed by the Dean of Students who coordinates with the student’s Program Director to resolve the issue. The process for how plagiarism, dishonesty, and cheating are handled is outlined under the Academic Integrity policy in the Catalog and Student Handbook. The



form that documents the offense is placed in a student’s hard copy file after a resolution is reached. (2.E.1, 2.E.2, 2.E.3)

The College uses several processes to verify student identification throughout the student life cycle. It starts with authenticating identification during new student enrollment by verifying a photo ID. The College uses multiple techniques to validate eLearning student identity. At the log-in page, the College’s Learning Management System (LMS) contains a disclaimer statement acknowledging student identity, citing the College’s Academic Honesty Policy, and the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Additionally, if questions arise regarding academic integrity, the LMS is equipped with reports that can track log-in and IP addresses of all users. There is also a process for proctoring exams that requires photo identification.

Ensuring ethical teaching and research practices of faculty:

The College has several processes for ensuring ethical teaching practices for faculty. Academic integrity and ethics are part of orientation training for all new faculty members. An orientation checklist is used to ensure this training occurs. Additionally, all new employees sign off for reviewing the Code of Ethics, Misrepresentation Policy, and academic integrity policies. (2.E.3) Faculty contracts (including the work-for-hire agreement) and job descriptions outline copyright policies, delivery of work policies, expectations, and duties. Employee counseling is documented and initiated whenever employee behavior varies from the professional standard set by the Code of Ethics, academic integrity policies, and legal obligations.

There are several processes in place for students to share issues that they have regarding their teaching and learning experiences. At the end of every term, students are given the opportunity to provide input as part of course evaluations. The College has complaint and grievance policies published on the College’s website and in the College Catalog. Students can also appeal a grade by completing a form for a grade appeal. (2.E.3)

Additional processes used to encourage ethical teaching involve the following: (2.E.1, 2.E.3)• The use of grading rubrics to ensure expectations for assignments are understood by students and

faculty’s feedback is clearly defined. • Faculty request eLearning students to write an autobiography at the start of each term; this provides a

writing sample for future writing comparison and allows faculty to become acquainted with each student. • eLearning faculty are trained to use security features that are offered through the LMS. For example,

faculty can shuffle questions within an exam, or they can require students to post to a forum before the student can see what his or her peers have written in the same forum.

• There is an eLearning faculty commitment form that is signed by all eLearning instructors when going through training with the eLearning Coordinator. The form asks faculty to include hours of availability in their syllabus as well as best practices and eLearning requirements. Included in these requirements is how often faculty are required to log-in to the LMS, what the expectations are with responding to student inquiries, and weekly grading deadlines.

• Faculty are encouraged to use Turnitin for major assignments to check student originality; this is available as an integrated assignment object in the LMS for easy use.

• When a course is online but requires a synchronous session, instructors check a student’s ID. • All faculty follow a designated syllabus template to ensure information continuity.



• Faculty are required to follow the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and guidelines in relation to all protected student data, which includes student grades. Annual trainings help ensure compliance.

1R6: Results

Annually, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee monitors longitudinal information on the following metrics to discover trends: course completion and drop rates by instructor and trends in grade distribution. Student data regarding plagiarism and cheating are tracked and handled through the Student Success department by the Dean of Students. The Dean of Academics tracks all faculty incidents related to academic freedom, copyright infringement, and work-for-hire. The library tracks online library resource usage and face-to-face support and assistance provided to library patrons. [See Figures 1R6.3, 1P5.2] The eLearning department tracks the use of Turnitin for both students and faculty.

Since the last systems portfolio, the College doesn’t have any documented faculty incidents regarding academic freedom, copyright infringement, and work-for-hire. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee hasn’t reported any trends of significance that have caused any data-driven decisions in relation to faculty performance as a result of data reviewed.

The College has made it easier in the past few years for students to check their own work and for instructors to easily detect plagiarism. The number of users of Turnitin has increased by 180 percent for instructors and by 93.8 percent for students. The College is pleased with the magnitude of current upward trends but will continue training and advertising to promote its use. [See Figure 1R6.1]

Figure 1R6.1: Turnitin Usage for Students and Faculty

Aca

dem

ic Y

ear

Inst

ruct

ors

Stud

ents

Subm

issi

ons

Orig

inal

ity

Rep

orts

75-1

00%

50-7

4%

25-4

9%

0-24

%

No

Mat

ches

Gra

ded

Pape

rs

Originality BreakdownPercent of Papers

0-49% 50%+2012 25 193 264 263 19 18 43 111 72 86 86% 14%

2013 71 317 1263 1261 68 91 195 482 425 786 87% 13%

2014 66 332 1896 1896 73 130 240 749 704 1304 89% 11%

2015 70 374 899 1301 134 65 153 510 439 229 85% 15%

The most common violations of Academic Integrity occurred in the area of plagiarism. The Dean of Students will continue to track formal violations of Academic Integrity. The College will continue our current processes for encouraging students to comply with our Academic Integrity policies. [See Figure 1R6.2]

Figure 1R6.2: Number of Student Violations of Academic IntegrityNumber of Violations of Academic Integrity 2013 2014 2015 2016Plagiarism 4 3 2 2

Cheating 0 0 1 2



1I6: Improvements

For the 2013-2014 Catalog, the College revamped its Academic Integrity Policy and updated the processes for handling academic dishonesty. The Catalog outlines student penalties for academic dishonesty and how the documentation will be stored for each offense and what the appeal process entails. Additionally, a form was created for faculty to complete to make it easier to process and store academic dishonesty offenses. The Academic Integrity Policy continues to be updated annually as part of the Catalog update cycle. Annual training is held in faculty meetings to review the updated Academic Integrity policy and processes.

Midstate transitioned the format of the online library from a webpage to the LibGuide platform, replacing singular links to multidisciplinary databases and catalogs with individual “websites” created specifically for a program/subject. [See Figure 1R6.3] Now students not only have a vehicle to Midstate’s eSubscriptions and catalogs but also to relevant and vetted internet resources, including everything from digestive system tutorials to customer service videos. The LibGuides have given the librarian a means to give students, both on campus and off, instruction on everything from evaluating websites, to locating professional associations, to APA and MLA formatting as well as a place to promote the College’s Academic Integrity policies. (3.B.3, 3.B.5)

Figure 1R6.3: Online Library Usage

Guide ID Guide Name 2015

Oct

2015

Nov

2015

Dec

2016

Jan

2016

Feb

2016

Mar

2016

Apr

2016

May

2016

Jun

2016

Jul

2016

Aug

2016

Sep

Tota

l

387142 Health Science Resources 81 141 52 99 47 102 65 111 126 42 97 94 1057

388818 Business Resources 18 94 38 63 68 126 109 120 90 54 95 36 911

398229 English & Humanities 0 43 16 24 66 161 102 65 108 16 47 54 702

397524 Computer and Information Science 0 50 64 65 48 29 10 27 16 10 8 9 336

388908 Law & Social Justice 0 30 14 22 4 61 18 23 18 10 47 12 259

472015 Administrative Professional Resources 0 0 0 0 0 13 62 40 12 9 27 21 184

412617 Realtime Reporting Resources 0 0 0 0 0 30 28 42 4 7 0 18 129

484344 General Resources 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 19 11 0 14 34 84

468631 History 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 14 4 6 3 39

Total Views by Month 99 358 184 273 233 522 400 459 399 152 341 281 3701

AQIP Systems PortfolioCategory Two - Meeting Student and

Other Key Stakeholder Needs


- 39 - Category TwoAQIP Systems Portfolio

Category Two OverviewSince the last systems portfolio was submitted in 2011, Midstate College has improved strategies for identifying and meeting student and other key stakeholder needs.

As a result of action projects and other efforts, we are poised to move from reacting to systematic in our process maturity level for meeting student and other key stakeholder needs. Our processes, goals, and metrics are generally understood, repeatable, documented, and measured. Additionally, our processes, outcomes, and improvements for identifying and responding to key stakeholders’ needs are aligned with our Mission, Vision, and annual budgeting process.

The culture of the College fosters student retention and persistence. In the last five years, our processes, results, and improvements for retention and persistence have increased in maturity to be systematic. Our measurements in this area are available to evaluate progress and are analyzed at various levels.

We undertook and successfully completed an Action Project to improve meeting key stakeholder needs. We have also implemented repeatable strategies for identifying and assessing the needs of stakeholder groups including an established model that is being implemented by targeted staff members. The results are being used for improvement throughout the College and will be presented in strategic planning. In addition to those successes, the College has integrated other staff and faculty to support key stakeholder outreach and a culture of collaboration, both internally and externally.

Another major initiative successfully completed by the College is the improved complaint and grievance processes. As a response to an “opportunity” rating given in our 2012 Systems Appraisal Feedback Report, Midstate implemented a new policy for complaints and established the difference between a complaint and a formalized grievance.

Partnerships and outreach have an explicit plan with measurable goals and communication strategies to inform the rest of the College. We believe as communication and expectations around partnerships develop and mature, improved data will allow us to identify and develop an aligned process for selecting future tools, methods, and instruments to assess partnership effectiveness. We believe that by achieving our goal of having a more aligned process for partnerships, our outcomes and metrics will be understood throughout the key stakeholder population. Further, through integrated processes, we will be able to segment results to drive effective decision-making throughout the College and then communicate efficacy to involved stakeholders. Additionally, our metrics for goals will yield results that are used in resource allocations.

As stated above, Midstate is planning additional improvements in this category that will move our processes and results into a higher level of maturity within the AQIP pathway.



Subcategory One: Current and Prospective Student Need

2P1: Processes

Identifying key student groups:

Identifying student groups is an all-inclusive effort throughout the College, and strategies for meeting student needs depend on the need itself, as well as departmental level involvement. Midstate College has identified key student groups to include prospective students and active students. Because of the nature of our student population, our key student groups are identified naturally and have remained unchanged for many years. Further, Midstate College has identified key student subgroups within the active student population. • Group One - Prospective Students: The Admissions department at Midstate reaches out to prospective

student groups through recruitment efforts, marketing, and outreach activities. Midstate’s Admissions department is led by the Executive Director of Marketing and Enrollment and includes Admissions Representatives and an Admissions Assistant.Individuals that express an interest in Midstate are identified and categorized as prospective students. Prospects inquire through a variety of vehicles made available to them through supportive marketing efforts related to the admissions process. Additionally, relationships with feeder schools enhance lead flow. Midstate College chooses not to purchase leads. Interested prospective students enter the enrollment flow, [See Figure 2P1.1] and they are nurtured by an Admissions Representative. This flow includes phone calls, emails, text messages, meetings, and mailings to the prospective student highlighting appropriate benefits and services provided by the College, with the ultimate goal of converting interested and qualified prospects to applicants. Naturally the flow allows for students to exit at any time. Strategies are in place within the College’s admissions approach to include prospective student-need finding activities, environmental scanning, data analysis, performance tracking, and marketing trend examination. Students move from the prospective student group to the active student group once they have completed the admissions procedures, have been admitted, and the term has begun.

Figure 2P1.1: Enrollment Flow

ActiveAdmitApplicantInquiryProspect

• Group Two - Active Students and Student Sub-groups: Students become active on the first day of their first term, the point in which the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) applies. See Figure 2P1.2 for demographic information describing our active student population. The process for identifying student subgroups takes place in a variety of ways which include: potential growth in enrollment, student groups that require additional services, and industry trends. Additionally, ongoing communication is encouraged through staff, faculty, and administration to identify student subgroups. This communication occurs in in-services, staff meetings, and especially through the weekly retention and enrollment meetings where all department heads are present.



Figure 2P1.2: Student DemographicsCategory Number Percent of TotalMinority Students 129 33.2%Female 308 79.4%Male 80 20.6%

Students over 25 years of age 338 87.1%Veterans 13 3.3%Students with Zero Expected Family Contribution (EFC) 180 46.4%Students served by reasonable accommodation 5 1.3%

Based on Active students as of 10/4/2016.

Determining new student groups to target for educational offerings and services:

The process for the identification of new potential student groups is driven by the overall marketing and recruitment strategy in place through the Executive Director of Marketing and Enrollment, with input from the admissions team as well as from the President. Engagement with the identification of new potential student groups is encouraged in all areas of the College, including all staff members of the Admissions, Student Records, Financial Aid departments, the President, the Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Board, the Dean of Students, the Dean of Academics, the eLearning Coordinator, and all other faculty and staff members when appropriate. Additionally, Midstate’s process for determining new student groups to target for educational offerings and services includes analyzing lead reports, which help determine the number and type of leads generated through Admissions department processes, marketing efforts, and outreach programs.

The process for determining new student groups to target for educational offerings and services outside of new recruitment exists in areas throughout the College. If a need arises within the current student body, the College is quick to accommodate those students’ needs by collecting detailed information and communicating with the appropriate personnel to complete the process. The current student population is surveyed annually regarding satisfaction, and informal feedback is received on an ongoing basis; the process for meeting their needs varies depending on those survey results. Additionally, the Dean of Students is physically located in an easily accessible location, which lends to ready involvement with students.

Determining and meeting student needs:

Midstate College is aware that a student’s needs change, or evolve, over time. Midstate has created processes to acknowledge the changing needs of its students and the College as a whole. The process for determining and meeting student needs remains the same whether we are assessing the needs of all students, the needs of student sub-groups, or changing student needs. (3.D.1) Through these processes we analyze data from a variety of sources, including Student Focus Forums, Student Opinion Surveys (SOS), Graduate Exit Surveys, and Departmental/Co-Curricular Surveys. See Figure 2P1.3 for additional information regarding the frequency, purpose, and type of data captured in regards to determining and meeting students’ needs.

Midstate is currently offering several online tools to meet the needs of its students. These include flex learning delivery classes (mix of online and traditional classroom learning) and Gateway (our employe and student portal) services which provide access to student status, schedule, account balances, degree audits, unofficial transcripts, and the ability for students to make payments to their account. Additionally, staff, faculty, and administration stay abreast of and engaged with changing trends and best practices



from benchmark institutions for providing the best quality services possible to meet the needs of students. Through various vehicles such as memberships in industry-specific organizations and professional associations, professional development activities, conferences, and webinar participation, we learn about, and implement as warranted, evidence-based approaches to meeting student needs. (3.D.1)

Figure 2P1.3: Sources for Data Analysis for Determining and Meeting Student Needs

Tool Data Type FrequencyData Gathered

FromFeedback Utilized By Purpose

Student Opinion Survey

Qualitative and

Quantitative

Yearly Active students through web survey

Administration, Department Heads, Faculty, Staff

Gathers detailed feedback across all areas of the institution; required by IPEDS

Graduate Exit Survey

Qualitative and

Quantitative

Quarterly Pending graduates through web survey


Gathers detailed feedback across all areas of the institution regarding program efficacy

Adult Learner

Inventory

Quantitative 5 Year Cycle Active students through web survey


Gathers feedback on student satisfaction with all aspects of the institution; provides national benchmarking

Course Evaluations

Qualitative and

Quantitative

Quarterly Active students through web surveys

Administration, Department Heads, Faculty

Gathers feedback on student satisfaction regarding course content, delivery method, and quality of instruction

Student Focus

Forums

Qualitative 3 Year Cycle Active students through in-person videotaped sessions

Administration, Department Heads

Gathers informal, non-structured feedback from students by major

Student Success Referrals

Qualitative Continuously Active students and faculty through online and/or phone referrals

Administration, Department Heads, Faculty

Gathers student information in order to evaluate and assist with their needs through tutoring, counseling, mediating issues between instructors and students

Application for

Admission

Qualitative Continuously Prospective students through application forms

Administration, Admissions, Student Records

Gathers information on lead sources, previous educational history, demographic information, and employment status at time of application

Identifying and supporting student subgroups with distinctive needs:

As with existing services that are available for all students, Midstate’s process for connecting specific sub-groups with services is facilitated primarily through the Dean of Students and the Student Success department, with additional support offered throughout the College. Through strategic advising efforts and presentation of specified services, Midstate College is able to support the following student sub-groups: (3.D.1)• eLearning Students: Students are accommodated through the efforts of the College’s eLearning

department. Many services provided by Midstate are offered both on-campus and at a distance, via phone conference, or virtually. Additionally, eLearning students are provided with a Student eLearning Guide which serves as a resource for policies and navigating the Learning Management System (LMS).



• Veterans: The College offers a variety of financial assistance opportunities to veterans and has a veterans’ liaison on-campus.

• Students with Disabilities: The Student Success department services students with disabilities through reasonable accommodation and in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

• At Risk Students: This subgroup includes students that are vulnerable to stop out. An array of Student Success services is provided for these students. See 1P5 for additional information.

Deploying non-academic support services to help students be successful:

Midstate’s deployment of non-academic support services to help all students be successful include: (3.D.1, 3.D.2) • Advising: Advisors provide assistance throughout a student’s tenure at Midstate College for academic

and career planning, scheduling, and goal setting. • Career Services: An advisor in the Career Services department provides résumé building, mock

interview experiences, job placement assistance, and on- and off-campus job postings. • Bookstore: Textbook purchases are the main focus of the Midstate College Bookstore. Additionally

apparel, school supplies (e.g. pens, paper, and notebooks), and bus passes can be purchased. A book buyback program is also in place to save the students money each term. Students at a distance have the option of having their books shipped to them.

• Café: Midstate’s Café is a service that provides breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack items at a reasonable cost. The Café also provides catering services for campus functions.

• Technical Support: The Midstate College Technical Support team assists students, employees, and alumni with computer-related questions and concerns. Repair service is provided for personal computers at no additional cost.

• Federal Work Study Program: Eligible students can apply for on- and off-campus work study opportunities. This program creates a positive image in partnership with community organizations as well as provides applicable work experience for students while they are completing their program.

Ensuring staff members who provide non-academic student support services are qualified, trained, and supported:

Midstate’s recruitment and hiring processes ensure that faculty and staff members responsible for providing non-academic student support services are qualified. In addition to the consistently recurring in-service meetings for all faculty and staff, conferences and webinars are also made available to staff members in every department. (3.C.6)

Staff positions providing non-academic student support services meet required qualifications that are determined based on the specifics of the job and its duties. Those qualifications include appropriate education levels and previous relevant work experience. [See 3P1] Midstate provides a variety of training opportunities for staff. Non-academic support staff are encouraged to participate in various on- and off-campus training and learning activities to include conferences, webinars, and continuing education. (3.C.6)



Communicating the availability of non-academic support services:

The process for communicating the availability of non-academic support services occurs through a variety of means. Details are provided and made available on the Midstate College website (www.midstate.edu) that also includes an online events calendar.

Additional methods of communication include the Midstate Voice, a bi-weekly e-newsletter with updates about the College, café specials, available scholarships, and more. The Voice is emailed to every student and employee. Bulletin boards featuring announcements and notices are located throughout the campus. The Student Handbook and Consumer Information and Campus Security Handbook serve as resources for College policies and services available to students. Midstate also uses several social media platforms including: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Snapchat to communicate with students, faculty, and staff. (3.D.2)

Selecting tools/methods/instruments to assess student needs:

Midstate College selects tools, methods, and instruments, to assess student needs by developing a system to ensure that we are collecting data in every way possible. By using multiple forms of assessment, Midstate is able to better identify the needs of its key student groups.

Assessing the degree to which student needs are met:

The Institutional Research department analyzes assessments and prepares reports. Results are discussed at in-services and departmental meetings. Survey results are compared with previous results and externally benchmarked when possible. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee meets bi-weekly to review data related to academic effectiveness in the context of student needs.• Departmental Surveys: Program Directors and staff review the survey results and create departmental

goals based on the feedback received.• Student and Graduate Surveys: Student and graduate feedback is collected from course evaluations, the

Adult Learner Inventory, SOS, and Graduate Exit Surveys. This information is reviewed communicated throughout the Institution, and goals are created based on the feedback received.

2R1: Results

Our admissions reports track multiple items, such as appointment conversion rates (by individual admissions representative as well as the department as a whole), leads by program, and leads by source. [See Figures 2R1.1, 2R1.2, 2R1.3A, 2R1.3B] Student satisfaction with individual services, as well as overall satisfaction with the College, is measured using multiple tools. [See Figures 2R1.4, 2R1.5, 2R1.6] The College also regularly compiles and reviews demographic information gathered on the application for admission.



Figure 2R1.1: Appointment Conversion Report: Admissions Department (Sept. 1 – Aug. 31)Appointments 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16Scheduled 1339 1037 1038 764 366Actual 918 767 649 506 248Enrollments 516 530 482 371 332

Scheduled/Actual Conversion 69% 74% 63% 66% 68%Actual/Enrollments Conversion 56% 69% 74% 69% 91%Online applications* N/A N/A N/A 22 107

Began tracking in June 2015. Online applications are removed from enrollments when calculating actual/enrollment conversion.

The Admissions department uses lead reports, conversion reports, and enrollment by term reports to track the performance of marketing efforts, Admissions Representatives, and the Admissions department, respectively. These reports also help to communicate with internal and external stakeholders and to drive improvements. For example, for the 2015-2016 academic year, when our marketing dollars didn’t perform as well in the billboard category, we reallocated marketing budget dollars to Internet advertising, as it is a top performing lead source. [See Figure 2R1.3B]

Figure 2R1.2: Admissions Data Calculated by the Institutional Research DepartmentReport Frequency PurposeConversion Rate Monthly Prior month’s leads receivedLeads Analysis Monthly Breakdown of leads by program and lead source to assist in targeted

marketingEnrollment by Term Quarterly “Snapshot” of incoming matriculated enrollments vs. cancellations

Examples compiled by the IR department to provide feedback on the Admissions department.

Figure 2R1.3A: Lead Reports – By Program2015 - 2016 Leads by Program

Month AP BA BCA CIS HI MED PL LSJ BBA BSA CIS4 HSM RR MCB MOT MT OA PT SS Oth Tot.

Sep 15 0 1 0 1 0 4 2 1 3 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 58 76Oct 15 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 1 7 0 3 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 64 88Nov 15 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 2 2 1 0 0 4 4 0 1 1 0 0 57 78Dec 15 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 4 1 1 1 2 2 2 0 0 0 2 22 43Jan 16 0 3 3 0 2 9 2 3 4 1 2 1 4 1 1 0 4 7 0 60 107Feb 16 0 3 0 3 1 4 1 0 6 2 1 1 3 4 2 0 1 8 0 28 68Mar 16 0 2 1 0 1 7 1 2 4 1 3 3 2 2 1 0 0 6 0 29 65Apr 16 0 2 1 0 0 7 1 0 3 3 1 1 2 3 5 0 1 0 2 31 63May 16 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 2 4 1 5 0 2 3 2 0 2 0 2 6 35Jun 16 0 2 1 1 0 4 1 1 1 0 2 1 0 4 0 0 1 0 1 170 190Jul 16 0 6 0 0 0 3 1 2 5 2 1 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 33 60Aug 16 0 1 0 0 0 3 1 1 2 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 38 56Total 1 25 6 7 4 53 13 15 45 16 20 15 24 30 14 1 11 23 10 525 525



Figure 2R1.3B: Lead Reports – By Source2015 - 2016 Lead Source Report

Month BB CO DM HS INET PI PS Area Print Rad RF TV VM* WI ISIR YP Other Total

Sep 15 0 10 0 0 27 0 0 2 1 1 4 0 0 0 16 0 15 76Oct 15 4 43 0 2 18 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 0 0 7 0 5 88

Nov 15 2 14 7 18 13 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 13 0 10 78Dec 15 0 9 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 12 43

Jan 16 4 3 22 2 24 0 0 0 1 1 12 1 0 0 18 0 19 107Feb 16 1 2 6 11 18 0 0 0 1 0 5 4 0 0 6 1 13 68Mar 16 0 17 1 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 0 0 3 0 16 65Apr 16 1 4 10 3 18 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 4 0 11 63May 16 1 0 1 0 15 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 9 35Jun 16 1 0 0 2 6 0 0 0 0 1 7 2 0 0 153 0 18 190Jul 16 2 1 6 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 6 3 0 0 15 0 23 60Aug 16 1 0 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 1 7 3 0 0 15 0 21 56Total 17 103 55 39 178 0 0 2 3 9 80 16 0 0 254 1 172 813

Figure 2R1.4: 2015-16 Graduate Exit Survey Results as Related to Student Service SatisfactionService Fall 2015 Winter 2015 Spring 2016 Summer 2016Bookstore 3.90 3.71 3.67 3.69Career Services 3.86 3.38 3.15 3.27Technical Support 3.89 3.56 3.66 3.55

Academic Advising 3.78 3.75 3.60 3.57Ratings regarding Graduate Exit Survey are on a 4.0 scale.

Figure 2R1.5: 2013-2016 Student Opinion Survey Results as Related to Student Service SatisfactionAdvising and Support Services 2013 2014 2015 2016Section III: Admissions 4.50 4.42 4.47 4.461. How do you rate the verbal information you received about Midstate and your program

from your Admissions Representative?4.47 4.43 4.51 4.47

2. How do you rate the admissions material you received from the College prior to and at the time of your enrollment?

4.46 4.49 4.54 4.48

3. After you enrolled, how do you rate the follow-up from your Admissions Representative through entrance testing, financial aid interview, academic advising, and orientation?

4.51 4.43 4.44 4.46

4. How do you rate the following admissions processes? Taking the entrance/placement exam: 4.53 4.48 4.52 4.51 Meeting with financial aid: 4.52 4.47 4.39 4.53 Adademic advising: 4.45 4.29 4.30 4.51 Registering you for classes for your first term: 4.52 4.47 4.45 4.55 Identifying an academic program that met your goals: na na na 4.545. How do you rate the clarity of information you received about how much your education

would cost?na na na 4.26

6. How do you rate the information you received about the requirements necessary to fulfill your course of study?

na na na 4.42

7. How do you rate your placement in the appropriate course level matched to your academic preparation?

na na na 4.41

8. How do you rate the clarity of the overall enrollment process? na na na 4.43



Advising and Support Services 2013 2014 2015 2016Section VI: Academics 4.44 4.37 4.40 4.488. How do you rate the academic counseling provided in your department? 4.45 4.31 4.32 4.4617. How do you rate the availability of an academic advisor/program director to help you

with questions about your course of study?na na na 4.47

Section VII: Student Services / Bookstore 4.39 4.35 4.52 4.441. How do you rate the service you receive at the bookstore counter? 4.50 4.47 4.59 4.522. How do you rate the availability of your textbooks at the beginning of each term? 4.50 4.36 4.56 4.493. How do you rate the availability of supplies needed each quarter? 4.51 4.44 4.63 4.424. How do you rate the book buyback process? 3.95 4.07 4.28 4.30Section VII: Student Services / Career Services 4.10 4.24 4.33 4.471. How do you rate the assistance you receive from the career services personnel? 4.02 4.24 4.32 4.502. How do you rate your satisfaction with the availability of employment resources and

training to support your career search? (professional development, library resources, placement department)

4.06 4.24 4.33 4.43

Section VII: Student Services / Café 4.36 4.52 4.47 4.561. How do you rate the assistance you receive from the Cafe personnel? 4.44 4.51 4.50 4.552. How do you rate the quality of the food provided? 4.24 4.40 4.39 4.533. How do you rate the quality of the beverages provided? 4.24 4.52 4.40 4.534. How do you rate the cleanliness of the Café? 4.49 4.65 4.58 4.61Section IX: Technical Support Services 4.51 4.46 4.49 4.531. How do you rate the adequacy of computer resources on campus to complete class

work effectively?4.62 4.51 4.62 4.52

2. How do you rate Midstate College’s Technical Support? eLearning Support 4.47 4.43 4.50 4.60 General Technical Questions 4.54 4.38 4.52 4.653. How do you rate the response time of Technical Support in answering your questions? 4.51 4.59 4.49 4.604. How do you rate the friendliness of Technical Support? 4.62 4.55 4.60 4.62


Figure 2R1.6: Adult Learner Inventory Results as Related to Student Service Satisfaction

Advising and Support ServicesMidstate

College 2014

National Four Year Adult

Learners 2014Midstate

College 200915. Advisors are knowledgeable about requirements for courses

and programs of interest to me.6.38 5.78 6.24

31. This institution makes many support services available at convenient times and places.

6.30 5.66 6.38

34. This institution provides “one-stop shopping” for most student support services.

6.21 5.63 6.36

12. Technology support is available to me when I need it. 6.58 5.76 6.53Ratings regarding Adult Learner Inventory (ALI) are on a 7.0 scale.

According to the SOS, the bookstore buyback process has experienced a significant upward trend since 2013. Students appear to be very satisfied with non-academic student services in general, according to both the SOS and the Graduate Exit Survey. The College also scores consistently high on advising and support services and well exceeds its peers on these items.



2I1: Improvements

An area of continued improvement at Midstate includes meeting the needs of our student subgroups. There are many successful efforts in place to understand key student subgroup needs, and strategies are in place to meet them on a case-by-case basis. Midstate has established an action project to focus on the retention of our student population, specifically at-risk students. The final retention plan implemented by this action project will include offering a holistic service solution for specified subgroups. Additional improvements in the area of meeting student needs are a derivative of retention and persistence, and, as stated in 2P2, within the past year Midstate faculty and staff have begun participating in weekly retention and enrollment meetings to determine, address, and meet student needs.

Lastly, Midstate College has made significant improvements with regards to responding to growth trends, both nationally and internationally. With the growing need for furthered education among baccalaureates, we are pursuing approval to offer a Master of Business Administration program. Further, through the action project format for strategic improvement, we embarked upon a path to begin accepting international students to further diversify and grow our active student population. Final approval is pending from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

Subcategory Two: Retention, Persistence, and Completion

2P2 Processes

Collecting student retention, persistence, and completion data:

Prior to 2014, Midstate used published national data from schools with commensurate demographics to set a baseline for retention, persistence, and completion rates, gauging our progress against expected graduation rates and the rates of other similar institutions. As part of an action project in 2014, the College established KPIs in the areas of retention, graduation, completion, and persistence. Since Midstate College offers a variety of diploma programs that can be completed in three terms, this was the time frame selected to “check-in” on the new start cohorts from each term to see if the students were still attending. Term-to-term and year-to-year persistence data is also collected for all new start cohorts. (4.C.4) This data is extracted from the Student Information System (SIS). 2015-2016 targets, as well as a six-year target for 2019-2020 [See Figure 5I1.1], have been established as baselines from which to draw comparisons. (4.C.1) Midstate College’s Institutional Research department worked closely with administration, faculty, and staff to determine the sources of this information and to set initial targets. (4.C.2)

Along with faculty referrals to Student Success, procedures have been put in place for student self-referral. We feel that by opening the referral process to self-referral, in addition to the other referral means, trends and further student identification may surface. Daily attendance for all students is rigorously monitored. Students with lack of attendance, poor or failing grades, consistently late or subpar assignments, or poor attitude in class are targeted for assistance from the Dean of Students and the Student Success department. This data is also collected with the intention of using it in future applications.



Determining targets for student retention, persistence, and completion:

Specific student groups were identified using our KPIs as a guideline. [See 5I1] External benchmarking proved a challenge in that Midstate College is a small institution with a large nontraditional student population, and IPEDS focuses primarily on the retention and graduation rates for traditional (first-time, full-time) students. The small percentage of the overall student populous that factors in to calculating these metrics for institutions that cater primarily to nontraditional students causes the rates to be highly variable and thus unreliable measures of student performance. However, we push to challenge ourselves and forge forward to utilize IPEDS to identify data that may prove useful in helping specific students be successful. The College established its own calculations for retention, graduation, completion, and persistence based upon the College’s entire student body, and these metrics serve as realistic models while inciting drive and challenge. (4.C.4) The original setting of targets for retention, graduation, job placement, and completion rates began by collecting feedback from administration, staff, and faculty regarding targets they deemed reasonable during an in-service in April 2015. This feedback was reviewed by the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, and targets were officially implemented on the 2010-2014 Dashboard published in August 2015.

Analyzing information on student retention, persistence, and completion:

Through the efforts of our Institutional Effectiveness Committee and the Student Success department, led by the Dean of Students, we have short- and long-term processes in place to analyze the information on student retention, persistence, and completion. A mindset shared by all Midstate employees is “each student’s success is our success.” As part of our retention plan, we analyze and review week-to-week persistence data for key and at risk student subgroups in weekly retention and enrollment meetings involving administration, department directors, admissions, and deans. Midstate monitors seven identified key and at risk subgroups at present. [See Figure 2P2.1] (4.C.3)

Figure 2P2.1: Identified Key and At Risk Student SubgroupsStudent Subgroups Student Count First-time, full-time Bachelor degree seeking 3

First-time, full-time Associate or Diploma seeking 7

First-time, part-time All Programs 9Students on a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Plan 19Financial Aid & Academic Warning 21Failing grades at midterm 86Referrals to Student Success (self and faculty) 28

*Student Count as of 10/4/2016.

Retention, persistence, and program completion (graduation) all combine to be our definition of student success. Overall rates are reviewed annually during in-services in relation to our targets. These rates are also parsed out by program and reviewed annually by Department Directors and faculty as a part of academic program review.

Meeting targets for retention, persistence, and completion:

Annually, two targets for retention, persistence, and completion are identified: goal percentage and goal percent increase. (4.C.1) Although ambitious and challenging, we feel our targets are realistic and attainable. We challenge ourselves to an increase of two percent per year in the areas of retention rate,



graduation rate, completion rate, and persistence rate. Planning processes and support services are in place to maximize student success with methodology developed to help increase all of the above rates. Of particular import are the processes that resulted from the Retention Action Project that kicked off in summer of 2015, most notably, the weekly retention meeting (as mentioned above). Contact and follow up on each at risk student is documented and shared during these meetings. In addition, the Dean of Students contacts or meets with identified students to establish an individual action plan for those students not meeting SAP.

Selecting tools/methods/instruments to assess retention, persistence, and completion:

As noted above, IPEDS calculations do not accurately reflect our student population; therefore, we have developed our own metrics and methods. (4.C.2) The Institutional Effectiveness Committee with the support of IR established and documented methodology in order to ensure consistency in the definitions, procedures, and calculations for each KPI, an abbreviated example of which follows [See Figure 2P2.2] (complete calculation detail is not included).

Figure 2P2.2: Example of KPI Calculation ProceduresComponent DefinitionPersistence Rate Certain percentage or greater of new start cohort groups will be consecutively

registered from one term to the next.

Definition New start cohorts will be consecutively registered from one term to the next, and one year to the next (when applicable).

Frequency of Data Collection On a quarterly basis, no earlier than Week 3.

Period of Review Trends will be analyzed and reported for review on a yearly basis.Rationale for Inclusion This measure considers the student’s ability to persist in their studies once they have

enrolled. By examining how many new students enrolled the following quarter after first beginning a program and how many students are still enrolled one year after starting a program (not including students that have graduated in less than one year), it will be possible to identify trends and develop strategies for improvement.

Procedure for Pulling Data Utilizing the Term Registration Analysis report in our SIS, student data is pulled for all New Start student groups existing in the SIS (these are currently created on a quarterly basis by the Registrar).1. New start student groups by quarter exist in the SIS starting in Fall 2010;

therefore, all student groups from that point forward are included. Going forward, it will be ideal to run this report for five years’ worth of new starts once the student groups are available.

2. Parameters for report: a. Status Category: Active, Temporary Out, Permanent Out b. Term: Term of earliest student group included in report through current

quarter c. Student groups: Earliest new start student group available through new

starts one quarter prior to current quarter, for a maximum of five years’ worth of new start student cohorts.

Calculation Creation of a pivot table makes this calculation relatively straightforward.1. Fields for pivot table: a. Column labels: Term Code b. Row labels: Student Name c. Values: Count of Credit hours2. Copy and paste this pivot table into a new sheet, selecting ‘Paste Special –

Values’

Portfolios reviewed from our peer institutions showed that most are using internal benchmarking for their KPIs; thus, we are challenging ourselves to the increases as noted above and will continue to strive for excellence.



2R2: Results

The College’s retention, persistence, and completion rates are all computed yearly and tracked on the Midstate College Dashboard Excerpt. [See Figure 2R2.1]

Figure 2R2.1: Midstate College Dashboard Excerpt

Midstate College Dashboard Excerpt Targets

2012 - 2013 2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015

Goal Percent Change Per Year

Threshold 5 Year Target

(2019-2020)2015-2016

Target

Retention Rate*: percent of new start cohort groups actively enrolled three terms after initial enrollment.

57.7% 60.7% 59.7% 2.00% 65% 62.7%

Graduation Rate: Six year average of graduates divided by unduplicated headcount. 46.0% 48.5% 51.1% 2.00% 60% 50.5%

Completion Rate*: percent of all credit hours scheduled each term that are earned. 74.9% 75.8% 74.5% 2.00% 80% 77.8%

*Statistic is calculated quarterly. Yearly average is shown.

Below is an example table of the Academic Performance Indicator retention rates given to Program Directors for academic program review. [See Figure 2R2.2] Note that this table is due to be updated. The figures highlighted indicate that year’s metric is below 60 percent and is a flag for programs that may need to implement new or different strategies to retain their students. (4.C.3) See 1P3 and 1R3 for more information regarding academic program review.

Figure 2R2.2: Programmatic Retention Rates by Academic YearProgram 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014All Programs 58.8% 64.7% 57.7% 60.7%Administrative Professional 65.0% 81.0% 62.8% 68.8%

Bachelor of Business Administration 62.0% 72.0% 70.0% 80.0%

Bachelor of Accounting 72.4% 64.6% 66.7% 76.5%Associate of Business Administration 56.8% 67.8% 45.3% 64.3%Business Computer Accounting 24.2% 34.4% 46.8% 52.6%Associate of Computer and Information Science 58.5% 49.9% 42.9% 60.0%Computer Information Systems 35.8% 91.7% 88.8% 60.0%Health Information Technology 75.0% 77.7% 56.9% 51.4%Health Services Management 46.1% 52.9% 59.1% 72.4%Law and Social Justice na na na 60.0%Medical Assistant 61.2% 69.7% 63.3% 51.7%Medical Coding Specialist 70.6% 71.3% 58.3% 50.0%Medical Office Technician 39.1% 70.0% 63.0% 44.4%Office Assistant 67.7% 46.7% 38.4% 37.5%Paralegal Services 58.3% 63.8% 58.0% 45.0%Realtime Reporting 79.4% 61.1% 25.0% 50.0%



For the 2014-2015 academic year, graduation and persistence rates exceeded the two percent increase target, while retention and completion rates held relatively steady. The College will not have direct evidence of the efficacy of the Retention Action Project until the 2016-2017 KPIs are calculated, since the program began in Summer term of 2015. We are optimistic that our efforts are having a positive effect.

2I2: Improvements

As our work continues and additional data is collected, we will review our progress annually and set goals that further reflect the needs of Midstate students as they strive for success, and we will challenge ourselves to meet those needs. We will also look at specific programs and analyze persistence and completion rates for individual programs as part of academic program review. (4.C.3)

In the future, the College plans to begin tracking retention and graduation data for additional student subgroups: students in developmental classes, part-time students, students on the verge of exhausting their financial aid benefits, and students transferring between programs with the intention of determining whether these subgroups are also at risk.

Subcategory Three: Key Stakeholder Needs

2P3: Processes

Determining key external stakeholder groups:

Midstate College uses a variety of resources and strategies in order to determine key external stakeholder groups. Some of our key stakeholders are also partners, and these processes to identify and meet their needs are described in 2P5.

The following processes are included as a part of determining key external stakeholder groups:• Strategic planning• Engaging key community partners • Identifying and communicating community partner needs to internal and external stakeholders• Assessing and utilizing results

Our key stakeholder groups include alumni, employers, and the community. Each of these stakeholder groups is considered to be a stable partner due to the long-standing history of evaluating and meeting changing needs.• Alumni: Midstate College alumni have served as a key stakeholder group for the College through a

long and rich history. We provide opportunities for alumni to engage with the College through events, marketing, and continued communication. The Alumni Association serves as a liaison to alumni throughout the College, community, and area businesses. In the past, the Midstate College Alumni Association Board of Directors was comprised of Midstate graduates that met regularly to assist the College’s administration with scholarship fundraising, community engagement, and ideas to improve the quality of life and collegiate experience for a student. The Alumni Association is currently in transition; therefore, the structure and status may change in the future to better serve the needs and expectations of our alumni.



• Employers: Midstate College has an outreach effort in place to identify potential opportunities and service area overlaps in order to understand needs and meet them. This process includes the outreach team, which consists of admissions staff, the Career Services Director, and Program Directors. This outreach team visits area businesses and organizations to inform them about programs and other resources available at the College. A portion of this business outreach plan focuses specifically on employers that are currently employing our students and graduates as well as providing internship and externship sites for our students. During the visits, the outreach team begins a discussion about potential partnership opportunities, including graduate placement and internship and externship opportunities. The outreach team informs these organizations about our unique tuition deferral policy in place for individuals who take courses or programs that are paid or reimbursed by their employers. Employer stakeholders are represented on the advisory boards for each of our programs. Our program advisory boards meet to drive curriculum development to ensure alignment with workforce needs and changing trends. Program advisory boards consist of Program Directors, faculty, industry specific community leaders, employers, students, and graduates. These boards provide valuable sources of information and recommendations for the improvement of training and programs the College offers.

• Community: Administrators at Midstate College are involved in many community events, including large sponsorships, as well as in all-inclusive community and educational efforts. Examples such as Peoria Pathways to Prosperity (an initiative that seeks to ensure that more students complete high school and are college- and career-ready) and the CEO Council (a board comprised of top business leaders that focus their efforts and fundraising to affect positive change in our community) nurture relationships with the educational and business community locally. In addition to those community engagement efforts, Midstate College staff, faculty, and students serve as representatives on local and regional boards and committees to communicate information about campus events and news.

Determining new stakeholders to target for services or partnership:

Midstate College recognizes alumni, employers, and community as current, broad-based key stakeholder groups. As previously stated, we consider these stakeholder groups to be stable due to the long standing and rich history of providing high-quality services and graduates. The College understands that there are potential opportunities to grow the population within each of these stakeholder groups and, therefore, focuses efforts on expanding them rather than identifying new stakeholder groups to target. • Alumni: During outreach efforts, Midstate College representatives offer Alumni Contact Information

Forms to gather up-to-date information for alumni that previously had not been connected to the College. In addition, graduates are asked to provide contact information as a part of the Graduate Exit Interview in an effort to continue to communicate with alumni.

• Employers: As a part of our outreach action project, Midstate College identified its Desired Community Partners from a list of top employers as defined by the Economic Development Council of Central Illinois and city information. From the list, top administrators identified companies which can offer employment, externship, and internship opportunities that match Midstate student and graduate career preparation and skillsets relevant to Midstate’s degree programs. An outreach plan is in place to guide the Career Services Director and Admissions Representatives to meet with these desired community partners and conduct need-finding activities in an effort to grow our employer base and better serve our partners.

• Community: Administration at Midstate is supportive of efforts that focus on the expansion of community engagement. The Student Affairs Director plays an active role in working with a variety of non-profit, civic organizations to provide volunteers, event support, and fundraising efforts to grow and continue strong partnerships within our community. Additionally, the College sponsors various community fundraising events.



Meeting the changing needs of key stakeholders:

To determine whether we are meeting needs and to measure satisfaction, the College uses the following methods of assessment for each of the respective key stakeholder groups:• Alumni : Alumni in the Medical Assistant, Health Information Technology, and Paralegal Studies programs

are surveyed regularly in compliance with their external accreditation requirements. Additionally, we survey all alumni before launching new programs as well as on a per-project basis. In the last term of attendance, pending graduates are surveyed regarding their level of satisfaction. Further, information is gathered regarding their future plans and level of interest for engagement as they transition to alumni. Midstate also encourages informal need-finding activities with alumni at campus events and activities. The College keeps a record of email addresses of all alumni. Through email correspondence, we are able to send communications pertaining to alumni and college events. Midstate also continues to meet the needs of alumni by offering on-going career services to assist graduates with job placement, résumé writing, and interviewing skills. Lastly, a group formed on LinkedIn for alumni is an open forum for them to communicate needs and network with one another.

• Employers: The following processes ensure needs of key employer stakeholders are met:• Program Directors review all internship and externship surveys, which serve as a guide for

continuing partnerships with sites.• Career fairs have been held on- and off-campus to provide a connection to employers with

students, graduates, and the community. Employers were surveyed at these fairs.• Career Services conducts personalized interviews for qualitative data, and the Director of Career

Services serves as the relationship manager for employers to communicate needs.• Many employers hold positions on Midstate advisory boards, serving as a liaison between the

employer and the College, creating open lines of communication.• Outreach meetings with community stakeholders include surveying area human resource managers

at businesses and organizations throughout the Peoria area. These surveys provide insight into which area businesses and organizations offer tuition assistance benefits to their employees. The survey also helps determine which businesses and organizations have employees that are interested in serving on Midstate College Advisory Boards, giving presentations to classes, or welcoming a Midstate College expert as a guest speaker at their business or organization. Results from this survey are used to determine and meet the needs of our employer partners. Businesses and organizations continue to be surveyed on an on-going basis.

• When beginning a relationship with an employer, the Career Services Director completes a “Lead Sheet” that acts as a proactive, need-finding survey tool to gather information regarding employer needs before a graduate is placed with the company. This tool also determines if there are means in place for Midstate to meet the employer’s needs.

• Community: Midstate College welcomes feedback from community partners. We review comments received and monitor reviews on Google and Facebook.

Recently, the President participated in a charter community forum hosted by Jobs for the Future that assessed the needs of the business community, educational community, and non-profit organizations. Qualitative and anecdotal data was received, and recommendations for improving the climate for students, graduates, and the workforce were shared.

At Midstate College we are proud to exhibit an open-door policy throughout our organization, which lends itself to receipt of feedback regarding needs.



Selecting tools/methods/instruments to assess key stakeholder needs:

Current techniques in use to assess alumni, employer, and community needs includes qualitative tools for the assessment of key stakeholder needs. They are included below:• Business Surveys from Business/Employer Visits. • Research phone calls to employers, alumni, and community members during program development

and end-of-life phases.• Graduate exit survey and departmental exit interviews.

The College is in the development phase of implementing more quantitative methods to assess key stakeholder needs, such as a regular, consistent surveying process. Research is being done to determine the most effective way to survey employers, as many of the large area businesses now have strict confidentiality policies prohibiting them from providing information to external sources regarding their employees, our graduates.

Assessing the degree to which key stakeholder needs are met:

To assess the degree to which key stakeholder needs are met, Midstate staff and faculty act as relationship managers with stakeholders. Communication takes place by phone, email, text, face-to-face meetings, and other necessary means to assess the degree to which their needs are met. In addition, the results from the quantitative tools listed above are reviewed in strategic planning in-services by administration and by departments on a regular review cycle.

2R3: Results

As stated above, Midstate uses many forms of feedback from key stakeholders, including advisory board members, community partners, and employers to determine if we are meeting their needs. In the case of formal partnerships with employers and internship/externship sites, additional outcomes are represented in 2P5.

The employer feedback that is processed through department heads is a part of driving curriculum improvements, both in the long- and short-term. The measures tracked through the tools listed in the processes above often result in the offering of new degrees, new areas of concentration, and new course offerings.

Tuition discounts are given to community partners, including local hospitals and other appropriate employers in the area. Currently, we have 33 students participating in our employer tuition discount program.

Employers in the community are very satisfied with our graduates, as evidenced by our consistently high job placement rates. [See Figure 2R3.1]

Figure 2R3.1: Job Placement RateMetric 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015Job Placement Rate 92.6% 91.6% 96.0% 94.0%



2I3: Improvements

Since our last systems portfolio in 2011, the College has made great strides in improving our ability to communicate with students and other key stakeholders. We’ve formalized many of our processes, as indicated above, as well as solidified many of our surveying processes to gather valuable data and quantifiable results when it comes to meeting the needs of our stakeholders. Midstate’s recent improvements regarding meeting student and other key stakeholder needs include the establishment of an action project featuring efforts to expand the populations in these key stakeholder groups while continuing to meet their needs.

Through feedback received from employers, community partners, and advisory board members, it was determined that there is a need to effectively and consistently describe the attributes, skills, and knowledge that embodies a typical Midstate College graduate. Therefore, Program Directors each created a “Snapshot of a Graduate,” which provides a one-sheet infographic to promote the program, encourage the hiring of our graduates, and communicate the quality educational experience provided at Midstate College. This initiative is in the final approval stage.

Subcategory Four: Complaint Processes

2P4: Processes

Collecting complaint and grievance information from students:

Midstate College utilizes several mechanisms for students to express complaints and grievances. In addition to the formal Student Grievance policy, students are able to communicate complaints and suggestions regarding courses, final grades, and student service areas through the SOS, Open Door policy, course evaluations, and grade appeals process. Students are encouraged to seek informal resolution of a matter with the faculty or staff member involved, following that procedure with the immediate supervisor of the faculty or staff member if necessary.• Formal Student Grievance Policy: The Student Grievance Policy, published on Page 43 of the 2016-

2017 College Catalog, states, “Students expressing a grievance about the application of College policy, academic or non-academic, should attempt to seek informal resolution of the matter with the faculty or staff member involved, following that with the immediate supervisor of the faculty/staff member if necessary. If such informal procedures do not affect an equitable resolution of the matter, the student may submit a formal grievance form, located on the college’s website or in the front office. A formal grievance will be submitted to the Director of Student Affairs, who will contact the staff/faculty member directly involved and attempt to reach a resolution. If a suitable remedy for the grievance cannot be reached, a subcommittee will be formed to arrive at a successful resolution. Once the written complaint has been received, the student will be immediately contacted by the Director of Student Affairs and will receive a follow-up contact within one week. The Director of Student Affairs will keep a log of all formal complaints.”

• Open Door Policy: Midstate College supports an atmosphere that facilitates and enhances the social and academic development of students. Communication from the top down and bottom up is fostered. Access to any administrator, faculty member, or staff person is encouraged. Students are valued and are always treated with respect and fairness. Whether students are having difficulty passing tests, problems with specific course work, or difficulty identifying study strategies, the College provides positive support, problem-solving suggestions, and encouragement to assist students in finding the right strategy to



help them grow in mastery of their academic life. The “family” environment encouraged by the College makes for a comfortable, enriched setting in which to seek assistance when needed and provides an open invitation to share successes as they occur.

• Student Opinion Survey: The annual SOS provides an opportunity for students to rate their satisfaction with every department within the College and provide qualitative feedback. The survey includes, but is not limited to the following functional areas: academics, facilities, student services, security, eLearning, and technical support.

• Course Evaluations: Course evaluations are available Weeks 10 through 12 of every term and provide students with the ability to evaluate the course, instructor, and teaching methods, and to comment on their experiences. Evaluations are reviewed by the Dean of Academics, Program Directors, and faculty.

• Grade Appeals: Students may appeal a grade by completing an application for grade appeal form available in the Student Records office. All appeals must be in writing and received within a six-week period following the end of the term. A committee of administrators and faculty will then review the appeal. The decision of the committee is final.

• Graduate Exit Survey: The Graduate Exit Survey gives students an opportunity to evaluate the College’s processes in their last term of enrollment.

Collecting complaint information from other key stakeholders:

Any external stakeholder is welcomed to provide feedback or complaints regarding the Institution via phone, email, or face-to-face. The College distributes surveys and feedback forms to partnering institutions and other agencies to gauge necessary improvements and build upon strengths. The College’s Open Door policy applies to all key stakeholders, whether they are students, employees, alumni, employers, board members, neighbors, or any community entity or individual. Through this policy a complaint may be addressed by any member of the staff, directed to administration, or forwarded to the President. Additionally, on the homepage of our website, there is a link to the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Institutional Complaint System. • Consumer Information: Midstate provides contact information for the IBHE, Higher Learning Commission

(HLC), and other accreditation information on our website and in our Catalog.• Midstate Personnel: Employees are encouraged to take advantage of the Open Door policy to discuss

any issue they may incur. The Open Door policy provides the opportunity to discuss issues with the individual’s supervisor, administration, Human Resources, or the President. The College administration reviews all feedback and makes timely, thoughtful decisions based on policy and fact to determine proper courses of action with legal consult as appropriate.

Learning from complaint information and determining actions:

We have many processes in place to learn from complaint information and determine appropriate actions, including:• Course Evaluations: The Dean of Academics and Program Directors review course evaluations. Any

faculty member who scores below 2.5 or receives a negative comment, must complete survey questions on how to improve. This evaluation is driven by the Program Director and involves the faculty member in an active process to improve and hone skills.

• Formal Grievance: The policy process and results of a formal student grievance are handled on an individual basis and begin when the student completes and submits the Student Grievance form.



The Director of Student Affairs: (1) immediately contacts the student to confirm the report and obtain additional information; (2) discusses the issue with appropriate supervisor(s) and necessary parties to glean additional information; (3) receives the resolution from the appropriate supervisor(s); (4) continues timely communication with the student until final resolution. All communication regarding the issue, from complaint to administrative follow-up and resolution, is documented.

• Surveys: The Institutional Research department evaluates all surveys and disseminates results to the appropriate department(s) for action. The annual employee strategic planning in-service includes departmental SWOT analysis and goal setting based on the results and comments from the annual SOS.

Communicating actions to students and other key stakeholders:

We have many processes in place to communicate actions to students and other key stakeholders, including:• Midstate Voice e-Newsletter and Midstate Employee e-Newsletter are tools utilized to communicate

results to students and employees of actions taken based on survey results. • Communication methods vary depending on the situation and need for confidentiality. Letter, email,

phone, and other methods of communication may be used.

Selecting tools/methods/instruments to evaluate complaint resolution:

Surveys, evaluations, and forms have been created as methods for obtaining feedback from students based on accreditation needs, whether it be state, federal, program accreditation, or other entities that require information.

2R4: Results

Midstate utilizes primarily qualitative data, in the form of comments, from the variety of surveys we administer as previously listed. Given the low volume of complaint data that exists from these surveys, the types of complaints are informally tracked (with the exception of grievances), and action is generally taken when a trend is noticed.

The College’s Open Door policy handles the majority of student complaints as they arise, but Midstate has experienced a handful of formal complaints and grievances since the College’s last portfolio in 2011. [See Figure 2R4.1]

Figure 2R4.1: Grievances and Formal Complaints, 2011-2016

Types of Complaints and Grievances NumberPercentage of Total

Complaints ReceivedCommunication (Faculty or Staff) 4 19%

Grade Appeal 11 52%

Behavior (Faculty or Staff) 3 14%

College Policy/Procedure 2 10%

Other (Extracurricular Activities) 1 5%

TOTAL 21 100%



Trends were spotted from the Student Opinion and Graduate Exit Surveys in regards to security on campus and temperature regulation in classrooms. As a result, the College has moved from the maintenance staff doubling as security to bringing in a contracted company to perform the duties for security. We started with a dedicated officer during the evening and Saturday hours and then added an officer to the day shift as well. As part of our facilities strategic plan we have encompassed the upgrade of air units, especially in the RDB Student Center. At this time two of the five units have been replaced, and we continue to monitor and replace units as need arises.

2I4: Improvements

As is noted on improvements made as a result of the surveys and evaluations, the Midstate Voice e-Newsletter and Midstate Employee e-Newsletter have improved communication throughout the campus. Additionally, the survey and evaluation process has been improved in implementation, tabulation, and results calculations by moving from paper to electronic surveys.

In response to an outstanding opportunity in our 2012 Systems Appraisal Feedback Report, we improved documentation of the distinction between complaints and grievances. Internally, we clarified definitions, and we continue to communicate the differentiation between a grievance and a complaint. Additionally, we publish the student grievance policy and process for submitting a grievance separately from complaints. We collect and analyze complaint information through a variety of survey instruments and set departmental goals which support the mindset and commitment to improving areas of concern. Because of the nature of the complaints we receive, the College implements improvements based on identified trend patterns. Due to their rare nature and need for confidentiality, grievances are resolved on a case-by-case basis.

Subcategory Five: Building Collaborations and Partnerships

2P5: Processes

Selecting partners for collaboration:

At Midstate, building collaborations and partnerships is an effort that aligns with the themes presented in our strategic initiatives and institutional objectives. The overarching goal of partnering and collaborating with other educational institutions and civic organizations is to support our Mission of providing educational opportunities that emphasize skills and knowledge that will allow the student to adjust through a lifetime of social and technological change.

Through the efforts of staff, faculty, and administration, we are able to select partners when a need for collaboration is identified. Additionally, when needs arise within program content areas, we identify and select new and/or existing partners with whom to collaborate. We also respond to external initiations for partnerships, most commonly triggered by environmental scanning. As part of determining the feasibility of partnering with another institution, we review both incoming and outgoing transfer reports. The staff involved in selecting partners varies, though a team of administrators execute the partnership. Those administrators include the President, Dean of Academics, and the Executive Director of Marketing and Enrollment.



Our process for selecting partners for collaboration varies depending on the type of partner and the need identified between parties, but, in most cases, we follow a general process to select partners. [See Figure 2P5.1]

Figure 2P5.1: Process for Selecting Partners

It is important to note that Midstate has the opportunity at any point to decide not to move forward with a partner due to any reason, such as challenges with Mission alignment. (1.D.3)

Building and maintaining relationships with partners:• Educational Institutions: The Articulation Committee, which consists of members from across the College, is involved with choosing partners to collaborate with in order to develop articulation agreements. At this time, we have five active articulation agreements and one active consortium agreement. Both parties involved sign agreements, which are reviewed annually, to determine if they still meet needs and objectives of each party. The College uses the Educational Institution Partnership Lifecycle as a framework to assist in building and assessing

its relationship with other educational institutions. [See Figure 2P5.2] This is done on a yearly basis, and decisions are made regarding how many partnerships to pursue and which partnerships to renew as part of the strategic plan. Additionally, decision making regarding partnership growth and expansion is driven by the level of alignment between both parties’ missions and codes of ethics. We have also surveyed existing partners to determine which agreements need to be updated and how to better meet the needs of our partners. In addition to articulation agreements, the College continues its membership in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI). This activity has provided a seamless transfer of credits to benefit our students. To support partnerships between educational institutions, we continue to build our courses to include them in this valuable initiative.

Figure 2P5.2: Educational Partnership Lifecycle• Civic Organizations: The College has always been, and continues to be, highly involved with top civic organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce in Peoria and surrounding areas, the Economic Development Council, the CEO Council, and Pathways to Prosperity project. Individual faculty and staff members also maintain memberships and participate in activities in different organizations that apply to their specific areas of expertise. Administration, staff, and faculty have been invited to serve on many community boards, which contributes to and builds relationships. As previously stated in 2P3, the College welcomes opportunities to grow and to continue strong partnerships in the community as well as to continue building and nurturing involvement in civic organizations.

EducationalInstitution

PartnershipLifecycle

EstablishContact,

Define MutualGoals, BuildRelationship

MaintainRelationship

DevelopCurricula andArticulation

SignAgreement

Midstate College Process for

Selecting Partners

Need Arises

AgreementSigned and/or

PartnershipEstablished

PartnerSelected

FeasibilityDetermined

ApproachConsideredInternally

ContactPotentialPartners



• Businesses: In an effort to streamline processes and achieve maximum organizational effectiveness, the outreach function has transitioned from an individual-led effort, to be led by a cross-functional team from academics, admissions, and career services. This team’s objective is to build collaborations and partnerships with local businesses. The business outreach team collaborates with area businesses through a plan that is devised with the collaboration of administration, marketing, and career services. An annual report is also presented each year to administration. This is compiled through ongoing collaboration with the cross-functional outreach team consisting of faculty, admissions, and career services. Quarterly meetings are held between team members to ensure that all outreach activities are recorded for annual evaluation by administration.

Selecting tools/methods/instruments to assess partnership effectiveness:

The College uses both a transfer report and methods included in the educational institution partnership lifecycle, including an annual analysis for articulation agreements, as tools to assess partnership effectiveness. These tools are used in determining the feasibility of partnerships with educational institutions. Additionally, the feasibility of a potential partnership takes place in the “selecting a partner” phase which includes research, a presentation to administration, and a cross examination of mission alignment and needs assessment. (1.D.3)

The stakeholder and outreach matrix is a device that is designed to track the level of engagement a particular partner has with the College. [See Figure 2R5.1] This matrix is updated and analyzed annually to determine partnership status and implementation of a process to understand and meet their needs in appropriate association with their level of engagement. The rating on the scale influences the numbers of individuals involved in maintaining the relationship.

As initially referenced in 2P3, our outreach meetings with community stakeholders include surveys to area human resource managers at businesses and organizations throughout the Peoria area. Because of the nature of our institution, our employers tend to also be considered partners, and therefore these survey serve a dual purpose.

Evaluating the degree to which collaborations and partnerships are effective:

Each department evaluates the effectiveness of collaborations, such as externship site value and employer surveys. Oftentimes, informal feedback is received from our partners regarding the effectiveness of our partnerships.

Individual academic departments and the Career Services department engage in processes to evaluate the effectiveness of partnerships including evaluations from internship or professional practices, feedback from partners, advisory board meetings, and signed work study agreements. The continuation of a signed agreement between partners also indicates partnership effectiveness.

2R5: Results

As stated previously, tools utilized to track measurements include completed business surveys from partner outreach visits as well as feedback received from educational institutions, internship and externship sites, and the stakeholder matrix. [See Figure 2R5.1]



Figure 2R5.1: Stakeholder Matrix Excerpt

Businesses/Organizations #Advisory Boards

Board of Directors

Internship Externship

PPETuition Benefits

Tuition Discounts

Graduate Employer

Event Participation

Alumni Board

Federal Work Study

Associated Surgical Group 1 ü

Advanced Technology Services 2 ü ü

Avanti’s Ristorante 1 ü

Bach Law Office 2 üü ü

Bard Optical 2 ü ü

Basic ITS 1 üü

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Peoria 3 ü ü ü

Brewer's Distributing Company 1 ü

Byerly Aviation 2 ü ü

Cardiac Consultants 1 ü

Caterpillar Inc. 7 üüüüü ü üü ü ü üü üü

CEFCU 2 ü üü

Center for Pain Management and Rehabilitation

1 ü

Center for Prevention and Abuse 2 ü üü

Above figure is an abbreviated version of the entire stakeholder matrix.

Transcript requests for incoming students are also tracked to help identify institutions for potential partnership. [See Figure 2R5.2] Specific outcomes vary, depending on the partner, as well as the goal intended for the type of partnership.

Figure 2R5.2: Requested Transcripts on Behalf of New Starts, by Calendar YearSchool 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 (to date) TotalIllinois Central College 54.5% (236) 53.0% (185) 53.0% (177) 55.8% (163) 49.7% (84) 53.6% (845)

Spoon River Community College 3.7% (16) 2.9% (10) 3.3% (11) 1.0% (3) 1.8% (3) 2.7% (43)

Robert Morris University 1.4% (6) 2.3% (8) 3.0% (10) 2.7% (8) 2.4% (4) 2.3% (36)

Illinois Valley Community College 1.8% (8) 3.7% (13) 1.2% (4) 2.1% (6) 1.2% (2) 2.1% (33)

Midwest Technical Institute 0.7% (3) 1.4% (5) 2.1% (7) 3.4% (10) 2.4% (4) 1.8% (29)

Bradley University 1.4% (6) 2.3% (8) 1.5% (5) 2.4% (7) 1.2% (2) 1.8% (28)

Heartland Community College 1.4% (6) 0.6% (2) 2.1% (7) 2.1% (6) 3.6% (6) 1.7% (27)

Carl Sandburg College 1.8% (8) 1.4% (5) 0.9% (3) 1.7% (5) 0.0% () 1.3% (21)

Illinois State University 1.2% (5) 0.6% (2) 0.3% (1) 2.4% (7) 3.6% (6) 1.3% (21)

University of Phoenix 1.4% (6) 1.4% (5) 0.9% (3) 1.4% (4) 1.8% (3) 1.3% (21)

Southern Illinois University 1.2% (5) 0.9% (3) 1.5% (5) 0.7% (2) 1.8% (3) 1.1% (18)

Black Hawk College 0.9% (4) 1.4% (5) 1.5% (5) 0.3% (1) 1.2% (2) 1.1% (17)

University of Illinois - Springfield 0.9% (4) 0.6% (2) 1.2% (4) 1.0% (3) 1.8% (3) 1.0% (16)

Western Illinois University 1.4% (6) 1.4% (5) 0.6% (2) 0.7% (2) 0.6% (1) 1.0% (16)

Methodist College of Nursing 0.5% (2) 0.3% (1) 1.2% (4) 2.1% (6) 0.6% (1) 0.9% (14)

Lincoln College 0.2% (1) 1.1% (4) 1.2% (4) 0.0% () 2.4% (4) 0.8% (13)

Parkland Community College 1.2% (5) 0.0% () 1.2% (4) 0.3% (1) 1.2% (2) 0.8% (12)

Richland Community College 0.2% (1) 1.7% (6) 0.3% (1) 0.7% (2) 1.2% (2) 0.8% (12)



School 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 (to date) TotalUniversity of Illinois - Champaign 0.5% (2) 0.6% (2) 0.9% (3) 0.3% (1) 0.6% (1) 0.6% (9)

Other 23.8% (103) 22.3% (78) 22.2% (74) 18.8% (55) 21.3% (36) 21.9% (346)

Internal comparisons of our performance results for collaborative relationships are outlined in the examples below. [See Figure 2R5.3]

Figure 2R5.3: Performance ResultsDescriptor Purpose 2011 System Portfolio Results Current ResultsHigh School Visits

Building awareness of education choices among local traditional student populations

In 2010, 23 site visits and classroom presentations completed

12 site visits and classroom presentations completed in 2014-15 (decline due to change in marketing strategy to focus efforts on adult learners and community needs)

Educational associations, Professional memberships; External agency

Support of industry knowledge-building, civic, business and professional memberships

Survey results show approximately 13% membership growth since tracking began in 2007-08

46% of faculty and staff currently have at least one professional membership

Educational Partners

Easier student transferability to Midstate College from feeder institutions

Maintain four articulation agreements (Spoon River College, Illinois Central College, Huntington College, and Black Hawk); one informal agreement (College of Court Reporting), one consortium agreement (Heartland College); two educational partners (MacCormac College and Illinois Valley Community College) in beginning stages of articulation.

Maintain five articulation agreements (Spoon River College, Illinois Central College, Huntington College, MacCormac College and Black Hawk); one consortium agreement (Heartland College); further diversification of program articulation is in progress with current partners.

Internships/Externships/ Professional Practice Experiences

Real-life employment experiences for students

185 Students enrolled in internship/externship/PPE courses:2007-2008 - 592008-2009 - 612009-2010 - 65

331 Students enrolled in internship/externship/PPE courses:2010-2011 - 832011-2012 - 912012-2013 - 602013-2014 - 472014-2015 - 50

Federal Work Study Sites

Provide students with the ability to earn financial funding through a part-time work program

In 2009-2010, thirteen students participated at the following organizations/agencies:Common Place - 3Peoria Boys & Girls Clubs - 2Peoria Housing Authority - 1South Side Mission - 3Dress for Success -1Midstate College - 3

In 2014-2015, twelve students participated at the following organizations/agencies:EPIC - 3South Side Mission - 1Red Cross - 2Midstate College - 6

Service Learning Site

Meaningful community service connected to a specific course

2010-2011 one student participated in our first Service Learning Opportunity at Southside Mission

2014-15 nine students participated in Service Learning Opportunities



2I5: Improvements

Due to natural expansion and contraction of the Institution, responsibilities have shifted. We believe as communication and expectations around partnerships develop and mature, improved data will allow us to identify and develop a systematic process for selecting future tools, methods, and instruments to assess partnership effectiveness.

We have made improvements to our internal processing for articulation, which includes a table of course-to-course relationships approved for transfer. Student Records Assistants have been trained to effectively evaluate incoming credit with the assistance of Programs Directors. This process improvement has increased efficiency with updating and creating articulation agreements.

As a process improvement for selecting new partners for collaboration, we are in the preliminary stage of collecting and analyzing data regarding outgoing transcript requests for our graduates to educational institutions. The analysis of this data will assist us in better identifying and selecting new educational partners.

As a result of the partnership outreach component of our Key Stakeholder Action Project, outreach efforts are in place to visit the human resource offices of local businesses and meet with the office managers of area employers to discuss employer-paid tuition benefits for their employees. The College also collaborates with non-profit service organizations throughout the community to help individuals and families in need obtain access to training opportunities and post-secondary education.

AQIP Systems PortfolioCategory Three - Valuing Employees


- 65 - Category ThreeAQIP Systems Portfolio

Category Three Overview At Midstate, the processes related to valuing employees are led by the Human Resource (HR) Department. The College has improved upon the processes involved in valuing employees greatly since the last portfolio. The College has transitioned from a reacting process maturity level for processes and results to a systematic process maturity level across both areas. Institutional goals are generally understood and effective practices are implemented. Improvement is being fostered across institutional units.

Now that our process maturity is solidly systematic, with continuous improvement, the College’s maturity for both processes and results is set to elevate to the aligned maturity level by the time the systems portfolio is due to be updated again. The College has made improvements with the staff in key HR Department functions. In order to be more effective for the College, the HR Department has shifted from a once primarily administrative function to one of strategy and inclusion. The administrative approach involved primarily data-related functions, such as payroll, benefit enrollment, and database entry, with little-to-no involvement with strategic initiatives. While these administrative tasks are still being completed, the strategic approach allows a true human resource strategic partner relationship which can now drive processes and results within HR.

As the new strategic approach has been implemented, processes regarding the HR Department have been refined and, in some cases, created. Forms that can be applied, tracked, recorded, and analyzed have been put into place to create an effective working atmosphere where employees understand the College views their contributions as valuable while also feeling appreciated. An Assigned Mentor Plan as well as a Continued Education Plan have been implemented and provide opportunities for professional growth.

In order to ensure the College is only hiring qualified staff and faculty that are appropriately credentialed, solid processes for recruiting, hiring, and orienting new employees are implemented and are being maintained. With these new processes, faculty and staff are now tested against a rigorous credentialing system that ensures only those who possess the required qualifications, skills, and values are incorporated into the College.

The College recognized the need for a more clearly defined performance progress process and has developed a plan that provides opportunities to ensure perceptions of job expectations align between employees and management. This plan involves providing performance progress reports to all faculty, staff, and administrators on an annual basis as well as providing feedback for newly hired employees at 60 and 90 days from hire date. This performance progress report ties into the College’s Code of Ethics and relates to the employees’ key functions, generalized performance, and goals for the next year. The processes that accompany the performance progress reports are explained in detail in 3P2.

Subcategory One: Hiring

3P1: Processes

Recruiting employees:

The recruiting process begins once a need is communicated to HR, who then continues the process by discussing the request with finance, other top administrators, and the President. (3.C.1) Once the President approves the position opening, HR communicates approval to the department head who then



provides a job description and credentials required. (3.C.2) The job opening is then announced internally, as appropriate, in order to provide upward and lateral opportunities from within the organization. Position announcements are also provided through the College’s website and external means such as indeed.com, peoriahelpwanted.com, career fairs, academic professional resources, and word of mouth. Whenever possible, the College prefers to promote from within the organization and encourages employee referrals.

All applicant inquiries are submitted to HR and include the following: résumé and cover letter, standard employment application, and unofficial transcripts (for faculty consideration). HR compares the credentials of the applicant to the position requirement and preliminarily sorts all applicants according to qualifications. (3.C.2) The top candidates are then discussed with the department head(s) and other top administrators. Once the top candidates are chosen, HR contacts each applicant to discuss interest in the position and availability for an interview.

Special recruitment considerations:

The Board of Directors confirms and approves the selection of the College President. (3.C.2) Individuals with specific credentials and/or experience are sought for key administrative positions and, after careful consideration and review, approved by the President.

The family atmosphere and inclusive leadership policies of the College provide key administrators with the knowledge and empowerment to maintain and continue the ongoing operations of Midstate College should the need for transition occur. In addition, key administrators attend and participate in all Midstate College Board of Directors meetings providing input on major decisions and are therefore knowledgeable of factors affecting important Board decisions. The culture of the College, including many opportunities for employees to grow and develop through educational benefit plans, cross training, service on committees, and mentoring provided by long-term employees, assures the continuation of quality leadership into the foreseeable future. (3.C.2, 3.C.6)

As stated further in 3P2, all-employee strategic planning in-services are held, in part, to enlist and encourage feedback from across the College. The departmental information and feedback completed by staff and faculty such as SWOT analysis, strategic planning groups, review of the Student Opinion Survey, and development of goals to be completed in the next year, provides a solid foundation for the voices of students, staff, and faculty to be heard by the College. This information also feeds into projections, such as the need for a new department or additional personnel. Based on college and departmental growth and needs, administration pursues appropriate adjustments in personnel, and, if necessary, the recruiting process ensues. (3.C.1)

Hiring employees:

The hiring process begins by conducting interviews with top candidates. The interview process typically includes the President, Dean of Academics (for faculty), HR, and the department head. A face-to-face interview with a few key personnel or a panel interview is conducted with the applicants in order to garner additional perspective into their credentials, abilities, and commitment to student learning and success. (3.C.6) Interviews include a variety of behavioral- and ethics-based questions as well as standard interview questions. Midstate strives to hire qualified applicants with the same values and caring attitude that the College shows toward its students. (3.C.6)

For faculty, if after the initial interview the candidate is being strongly considered, the second phase of the interview process begins. The applicant is required to review the teaching and learning philosophy of the College and is then asked to develop and present his or her personal teaching and learning philosophy.



A teaching style presentation is also requested to gain insight into instructional abilities such as: course material creation, lecture presentation, accuracy, neatness, professionalism, grammar and articulation, ability to connect with an audience, and technology usage. (3.C.2, 3.C.6) HR provides applicants with all the necessary materials to complete their teaching style presentation and personalized teaching and learning philosophy. A second round of interviews in which the faculty candidate presents all completed materials is then scheduled and completed.

In conjunction with the second phase of the interview process, a faculty qualification rubric is completed by HR in order to ensure the College’s hiring processes result in faculty that possess the required qualifications, skills, and values. (3.C.6) Staff and administration have a separate qualification rubric that is completed. We determine hiring qualifications either by accreditation requirements, specific job position requirements, or specific needs of the department. (3.C.2, 3.C.6) All faculty positions require at least one degree or certification level above the level at which they are teaching, as well as eighteen or more credit hours in the discipline and/or additional factor considerations. (3.C.2, 3.C.6) Additional factor considerations include: three or more years of experience in real-world situations directly related to the subfield, certifications/licensure proving expertise regarding subfield, recognition of teaching excellence and/or three or more years of satisfactory teaching experience, and education and training outside the specified credit hours or completed course work with appropriate course qualifications.

The HR department maintains and reviews job descriptions in order to determine the credential requirements and skill levels for each position within the organization. (3.C.2, 3.C.6) The Code of Ethics, as stated in the College Catalog, outlines the values held important by administration. In combination with the previously mentioned processes, references, past employment, and background checks are also verified in order to determine experience, work ethic, character, and credentials. (3.C.2, 3.C.6)

Orienting employees:

Once the President approves the top candidate, an employment offer is made by HR. Upon acceptance of the employment offer, the new hire and HR schedule a time to meet in order to begin the College’s orientation process.

The orientation process begins by creation of an employee file with HR to initially include all pre-hire paperwork and the employee life-cycle form. The orientation process includes the new hire’s completion of all federal and state government forms as well as forms created by the College such as the employment contract and insurance information, when applicable. The applicant is also asked to review the College’s Mission Statement, Vision, Institutional Objectives, Misrepresentation Policy, and Code of Ethics. Additionally, the Personnel Handbook, along with other resources, such as the Student Handbook, the College Catalog, the Consumer Information and Campus Security Handbook, and the AQIP Systems Portfolio are made available to the new hire. The new employee is also shown common employment amenities such as the mailroom and the breakroom. (3.C.2, 3.C.6)

Appointments between the new hire and the eLearning Coordinator as well as the Director of Library Services are created in order to ensure the new hire has full understanding of the College’s resource opportunities, when applicable. The new hire’s department head is given the 60- and 90-day follow-up dates in order to schedule a meeting time to review performance progress. (3.C.3, 3.C.6) The process of orienting an employee is completed by scheduling the annual performance progress report. See Figure 3P1.1 for an overview of the hiring process. The HR Department communicates with the department head to schedule the hours pertaining to the first day of work and then relays this information to the new hire. In an effort to communicate our culture for valuing people, the new hire’s working space is prepared and designed to ensure they feel welcomed and appreciated.



Figure 3P1.1: Midstate College Hiring Process

AnnualPerformance

Progress

60/90ProgressReports

OrientingHiringRecruiting

Designing hiring processes that result in staff and administrators who possess the required qualification, skills, and values:

New employees meet with their department head and are given additional information regarding job performance expectations. (3.C.3) New faculty members meet with the department head to review teaching support materials, attendance policies, syllabus information, gradebook and grade resources, and assessment processes. Within the teaching support materials, faculty members are provided with textbooks as well as complementary materials and resources to include items such as PowerPoint presentations, test banks, and supplemental information. (3.C.2, 3.C.6) The attendance policies and syllabi information are covered to ensure full understanding of attendance recording, processing, and handling as well as proper templates and directions for syllabi creation. Instructions for gradebooks and grading are explained and templates are given as well as grade submission expectations. The College’s assessment process is fully covered to include institutional and programmatic assessment processes, the student evaluation process, and the self-assessment process. (3.C.3)

Administration and/or department heads train new employees to ensure a full grasp of job expectations as well as a solid understanding of the Code of Ethics. (3.C.2, 3.C.6) HR and top administration complete a formalized checklist as well as the qualification rubric to hire all staff, administrators, and faculty. (3.C.2, 3.C.6) Non-academic department heads train all new staff employees in their individual departments. (3.C.2, 3.C.6)

An Assigned Mentor Plan is initiated for faculty that show true potential and commitment to quality instruction but require an experienced instructor to act as a mentor in order to improve upon key teaching style skills. The Assigned Mentor Plan is completed in conjunction with the training conducted by administration and/or the department head. The Assigned Mentor Plan can be completed prior to teaching or during teaching as deemed appropriate by the Dean of Academics. The faculty member works with the assigned mentor to identify three main goals in which to focus upon for improvement as well as a timeline for constant review and progress. The faculty member is released from the Assigned Mentor Plan when sufficient progress has been made concerning the initial specific goals that were set when the plan began. (3.C.6) Faculty members can be placed in consecutive Assigned Mentor Plans until progress is satisfactory. With the approval of the Dean of Academics, the Assigned Mentor Plan can be utilized for current faculty members or faculty candidates. (3.C.3)

The Assigned Mentor Plan can also be initiated for staff and is recommended for staff that show true potential and commitment but require improvement on key skills. The process for the Assigned Mentor Plan for staff is the same as described above. (3.C.3, 3.C.6)

A Continued Education Plan is recommended for faculty that currently meet minimum credential expectations and should therefore continue education to solidify credential requirements and become eligible to instruct a wider range of courses. (3.C.2, 3.C.6) This plan includes information regarding degrees currently being pursued as well as the accompanying anticipated completion dates. Class names



intended to be completed within the current academic year are listed, and updated transcripts are provided to HR annually. Within the Continued Education Plan, if it is determined that tuition benefits supplied by the College will be utilized, faculty complete a tuition benefit request form prior to HR submitting the Continued Education Plan for approval. (3.C.2, 3.C.6)

The Continued Education Plan can also be initiated for staff and is recommended for those staff that currently meet minimum credential expectations and should therefore continue education to solidify credential requirements. (3.C.3) The process for the Continued Education Plan for staff is the same as described above.

Developing and meeting academic credentialing standards for faculty, including those in dual credit, contractual, and consortia programs:

The College developed qualification rubrics, as mentioned previously, which ensure the College is meeting academic credentialing standards for faculty, including those in dual credit, contractual, and consortia programs. (3.C, 3.C.1, 3.C.2, 3.C.3) These rigorous qualification rubrics are completed by HR and cross-checked by the Dean of Academics during the hiring process.

Midstate College maintains a consortium agreement with Heartland Community College for the Realtime Reporting program. Heartland Community College maintains regional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and is mandated to follow the same credentialing requirements as Midstate College. Consortium students take General Education courses at Heartland Community College and major courses at Midstate, and, as a result, no alternate faculty credentialing is required for Heartland Community College’s faculty. (3.C, 3.C.1, 3.C.2)

Ensuring the institution has sufficient numbers of faculty to carry out both classroom and non-classroom programs and activities:

To ensure that we have a sufficient number of faculty, the College uses the HLC’s Non-Financial Indicator formula for the ratio of faculty to programs. (3.C, 3.C.1) This formula is used as a foundation, and the Institutional Effectiveness Committee reviews this rate quarterly to ensure Midstate is compliant.

Full-time faculty’s primary focus is teaching. Additionally, they are required to attend academic and assessment meetings, in-services, and trainings. The College encourages faculty to participate in varied committee work as their schedules permit.

Ensuring the acquisition of sufficient numbers of staff to provide student support services:

Midstate College ensures the acquisition of sufficient numbers of staff to provide student support services by assigning every major department with a department head and every sub department with at least one coordinator. (3.C.1, 3.C.6) Every student support service department has a department head, namely: tutoring (Student Success), Academic Advising (program directors and academic advisors), Financial Aid Advising (financial assistance officers), and Co-curricular Activities (student affairs). (3.C.6)

Departmental information and feedback gathered at in-services feed into projections, such as the need for a new department or additional personnel. (3.C.1, 3.C.6) Administration and pertinent department heads (and others as warranted) discuss the needs of the College and act accordingly, which includes initiating the recruitment process when appropriate. Based on College and departmental growth, administration pursues appropriate adjustments in personnel, and, if necessary, the recruiting process ensues. (3.C.1)



3R1: Results

Midstate College uses the Noel-Levitz College Employee Satisfaction Survey (Employee Satisfaction Survey) and the HLC’s Non-Financial Indicator Formula to measure effectiveness in regards to ensuring the College has sufficient numbers of faculty to carry out both classroom and non-classroom programs and activities. The Employee Satisfaction Survey is completed every five years, and HLC’s Non-Financial Indicator Formula is reviewed quarterly.

The Employee Satisfaction Survey through Noel-Levitz is completed on a five-year cycle and allows for comparable institutional benchmarking. At this time we do not have additional comparison data because the Employee Satisfaction Survey was first completed in 2012 and is scheduled to be completed again in 2017. However, the College had positive differentials when the comparison group calculations were conducted. Improvements upon the areas related to hiring are expected within the next survey. The survey results encompass the HR orientation process as well as onboarding by department heads. [See Figure 3R1.1]

Figure 3R1.1: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Hiring Processes

Campus Culture and Policies

Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialThis institution consistently follows clear processes for selecting new employees

3.63 3.20 +0.43

This institution consistently follows clear processes for orienting and training new employees

3.53 3.07 +0.46

Ratings regarding understanding employee satisfaction are on a 5.0 scale.

The Employee Satisfaction Survey shows satisfaction in the areas of meeting student needs and making sufficient staff resources available. Again, we do not have additional comparison data; however, each of these areas was significantly higher than the baseline comparison group. [See Figure 3R1.2] These results are expected to further excel when the next survey is completed in 2017.

Figure 3R1.2: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Meeting Needs


Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialThis institution does a good job of meeting the needs of students 4.26 3.48 +0.78

This institution makes sufficient staff resources available to achieve important objectives

3.95 2.94 +1.01


3I1: Improvements

Multiple processes have been established to drive college improvement as it pertains to valuing employees. Rigorous qualification rubrics have been implemented to ensure the College is hiring properly qualified and credentialed faculty, staff, and administrators. New faculty are completing a lengthy screening process that assesses multiple facets of instructional abilities.



A Continued Education Plan has been implemented and encourages current faculty and staff to pursue professional development to enhance credentials or to remain current in chosen subfields. An Assigned Mentor Plan has been implemented and is creating a positive work atmosphere where new employees feel valued and are given the opportunity to learn from experienced personnel and provide the assigned mentor empowerment and trust. (3.C.3, 3.C.6)

Annual, 60-, and 90-day new hire performance progress reports have been implemented to create a culture of transparency in regards to work performance expectations. These reports have shaped an environment where goal setting is the norm and each and every employee at the College understands the set objectives for the year. We recognize the potential to gain valuable feedback regarding onboarding processes and, in turn, measure this feedback in the form of onboarding surveys completed as a piece of the 90-day performance progress report for new employees.

Standardized methods regarding recruiting, hiring, and orienting employees are in place. These methods improve processes concerning newly hired employees. Additionally, this data tracking allows the College to provide directives for items such as applicant sourcing and new hire onboarding satisfaction.

Subcategory Two: Evaluation and Recognition

3P2: Processes

Designing performance evaluation systems for all employees:

The Employee Performance Progress Report is the College’s performance evaluation system, and it is designed to gauge the level at which administration, faculty, and staff are reaching their professional goals while maintaining superior job performance. (3.C.3) The progress report includes identification of the ten key objectives and duties as well as appraisal of general performance aspects to include: attendance/dependability, punctuality, appearance, attitude, productivity, work quality, judgment, creativity, teamwork, skills, and any other additional factors affecting performance the department head deems appropriate to a particular position. (3.C.3) The system is designed to give employees opportunities to set goals for themselves and their departments. The progress reports are linked to the College’s Code of Ethics. The department head completes the performance progress reports, which are then reviewed by top administration. (3.C.4)

Upon hiring, HR communicates the 60- and 90-day follow-up dates for the employee to the department head. On these dates, the department head is to complete the Employee Performance Progress Report and discuss areas of strengths and weaknesses with the newly hired employee. The newly hired employee will also complete a progress report and discuss it with the department head to ensure job performance perceptions are properly aligned. The performance progress report is then completed annually on the employee’s date of hire. (3.C.4, 3.C.6) Top administration reviews all performance progress reports before they are filed in the employee’s personnel file.

The Employee Performance Progress Report is also an opportunity for the employee and the department head to develop goals for the upcoming year. (3.C.3) Goals are created to implement changes related to areas that need improvement, departmental strategic planning objectives, employees’ objectives, or other goals as deemed appropriate by the employee, department head, and top administration. (3.C.4)



Students anonymously evaluate faculty through course evaluations completed at the end of each term. Additionally, Program Directors, the deans, and/or the President will on occasion visit classrooms to evaluate instructors. Faculty are asked to provide self-assessments on the courses they teach if a course evaluation is negative and/or at the request of the Dean of Academics or Program Director. These self-assessments include open-ended questions that provide the opportunity for thoughtful consideration regarding feedback and communication. (3.C.3, 3.C.4) Feedback on each of these methods is immediate so that, if necessary, changes can be made. (3.C.3) Faculty, administration, and staff are encouraged to strive for improvement and growth as quality improvement applies not only to the processes we put into place but also to the employees that perform these functions. (3.C.3)

Soliciting input from and communicating expectations to faculty, staff, and administrators:

Midstate College’s open-door policy provides occasions for discussion, problem solving, collaborative decision making, and maintaining open lines of communication to all faculty, staff, and administrators. (3.C.4, 3.C.6) Job descriptions are established in order to meet standards and objectives to fulfill the goals of each position. These descriptions also align expectations of faculty, staff, and administration. (3.C.4)

Administration reviews completed performance progress reports and provides feedback, including the assignment of mentors, encouragement, resources, and reinforcement to facilitate improvement and encourage faculty to be proactive and engaged. (3.C.3, 3.C.6) Strategic planning sessions, administrative meetings, and in-services provide opportunities for faculty and staff input and feedback. Key issues are presented, discussed, and implemented using the tenets of the inverted pyramid. Faculty and staff realize they are stakeholders through this process. The communication survey is administered to all faculty and staff of Midstate College. (3.C.3, 3.C.6)

In order to communicate expectations surrounding campus involvement, events, meetings, and training sessions, information is relayed from administration using email, announcements in the employee newsletter, and announcements during in-services and administrative meetings. Additionally, at in-services, the President addresses all faculty and staff to discuss past, present, and future goals and developments. (3.C.3, 3.C.6)

Communication throughout the campus is provided through various avenues designed to accommodate all employees such as email, bulletin boards, and employee newsletters. All departments have a voice in administrative meetings. The atmosphere of the College is such that it encourages employees across the campus to interact as a team. Whenever assistance is needed, our culture supports helping fellow co-workers. The ability to work independently but with full team support is a strong asset to the College and the employees.

Aligning the evaluation system for both instructional and non-instructional programs and services, and utilizing established institutional policies and procedures to regularly evaluate all faculty, staff, and administrators:

The process to align the evaluation system for both instructional and non-instructional programs and services includes many aspects discussed previously. These aspects include faculty self-assessments, student course evaluations, and performance progress reports.

Administration and staff members currently use the Employee Performance Progress Report as an assessment tool. Members of the administration team are evaluated by the President using the Employee



Performance Progress Report, while members of staff are evaluated by their department head. The employee completes a self-evaluation using this same report. (3.C.3) Once completed, the administration member meets with the President and the staff member meets with the department head to compare and discuss the progress reports. During this annual evaluation, goals are created and timelines are set for the next year. (3.C.3, 3.C.4)

Faculty also use the Employee Performance Progress Report; in addition, the student evaluations that are completed at the end of each term by students are taken into consideration. (3.C.4) The process is similar in that faculty complete a self-evaluation using the performance progress report and then meet with their Department Director to compare and discuss the evaluations. (3.C.3) The results of the student evaluations are taken into account as the department head completes the performance progress report for faculty. (3.C.4) These results and evaluations are then discussed and goals for the next year are set. Faculty may be entered into the Assigned Mentor Plan as deemed necessary by the department head. (3.C.4)

Establishing employee recognition, compensation, and benefit systems to promote retention and high performance:

We recognize the importance of both employee recognition (reinforcing behaviors) and employee rewards (rewarding results). In an effort to motivate employees, the College addresses the following four areas: compensation, benefits, recognition, and appreciation.

Performance and compensation are linked to the goals set by the College for each program and service (instructional and non-instructional) as well as the final outcome (performance levels) achieved by each individual as stated during annual performance progress reports. (3.C.4, 3.C.6)

The compensation package is evaluated annually and includes the following: medical insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, tuition reimbursement, personal/sick days, a variety of paid holidays, vacation days (increasing at 10 and 20 years of service), pay increases for higher degrees obtained, continuing education training, and encouragement of participation in seminars, workshops, conferences, and additional training, as well as flexibility in hours and scheduling. (3.C.1) We also offer the Midstate College 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan. We make a safe harbor matching contribution of 100 percent of employee 401(k) contributions that do not exceed 4 percent of employee compensation.

Recognition is also an integral part of the rewards system. This is accomplished in a number of ways to include acknowledgment of persons before their peers for specific accomplishments achieved, actions taken, and attitudes exemplified through behavior. Plaques, gift cards, and anniversary certificates are among the tangible rewards offered. In addition, department heads and administration personally congratulate employees who do a good job, and many write personal notes praising good performance which are included in the employee’s personnel file. (3.C.4, 3.C.6)

We appreciate our employees and take pride in providing the tools and resources they need to do their job. In this spirit, attention is given to providing a pleasant work culture and state-of-the-art equipment. The College provides an adequate and pleasant physical work space conducive to positive morale and production. (3.C.1) We afford each employee opportunities for career advancement through incentives such as additional training, classes, or degree options in order to develop and advance skill levels. Moreover, the College encourages a healthy balance between work and personal life through flexible work schedules and ample time off. (3.C.1)



Promoting employee satisfaction and engagement:

To promote employee satisfaction and engagement, special project teams are used to gain input from personnel in order to focus on a specific task at hand. Team leadership is also encouraged within the departments during departmental meetings. Faculty and staff are encouraged and expected to take an active role in meetings, to share ideas, and to assist in designing strategies. Management is empowered to make decisions in their departments and bring innovative ideas to administration. (3.C.4)

HR, along with department heads and other administrators, takes responsibility for the promotion of employee satisfaction and engagement. In order to achieve optimal productivity and effectiveness levels, the following opportunities for employees are provided:• Professional development: support for conferences, professional memberships, and/or continued

education;• Employee socialization: annual holiday party and numerous celebrations throughout the year that

include potlucks, themed parties, and cook-outs;• Benefit and support programs: health promotion program, extracurricular activities, participation in

community projects and fundraisers, and healthy options in the café;• Employee recognition: birthday and work anniversary notifications, welcome emails to all new hires,

and campus-wide recognition written in the employee newsletter.

3R2: Results

Midstate uses the Employee Satisfaction Survey and internal data collected by HR as tools to track employee rewards and recognition, employee satisfaction, and employee engagement. The College also retains all completed performance progress reports.

Midstate understands the importance of ensuring our performance progress report measures are not only being completed but are also linked to the College’s Code of Ethics. HR has increased communications in order to improve the rate at which performance progress reports are being completed. Communications have also been increased to stress the importance of direct line-of-sight for employees from the College’s Code of Ethics to the performance measures listed on the performance progress report. [See Figure 3R2.1]

Figure 3R2.1: Midstate College’s Code of Ethics Related to Performance Measures Found within the Performance Progress ReportCode of Ethics Linked to Performance Measures Integrity Innovation

Continuous Improvement

Customer Focus Diversity

Attendance/Dependability ü ü

Punctuality ü ü

Appearance ü ü

Attitude ü ü ü

Productivity ü ü ü

Work Quality ü ü ü

Judgment ü ü ü ü

Creativity ü ü ü

Teamwork ü ü ü ü

Skills ü ü ü ü



We strive to offer benefits that not only provide the best value but are also useful and easily attainable. Data shows employees feel as though they are being paid fairly and the benefits offered are valuable. As a result, many of our employees are taking advantage of the benefits offered. [See Figure 3R2.2, 3R2.3]

Figure 3R2.2: Employee Satisfaction Results Related to Benefits

Work Environment

Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialI am paid fairly for the work I do 3.36 2.98 +0.38

The employee benefits available to me are valuable 4.13 3.81 +0.32

I have adequate opportunities for advancement 3.35 3.03 +0.32Ratings regarding understanding employee satisfaction are on a 5.0 scale.

Figure 3R2.3: Midstate College’s Current Levels of Employee Benefit Participation

Employee Benefit Offered Percentage of Eligible Employees Actively ParticipatingDental 63%

Vision 51%

Medical 66%

401(k) 94%Based on participation as of 08/01/2016.

Midstate College recognizes and expresses appreciation for the long-term service of our employees. Our longevity numbers are updated and reviewed with each systems portfolio completion. [See Figure 3R2.4] Employees receive a certificate of appreciation for every five years of service. The College is consistently higher than the comparison group in regards to meeting the needs of faculty, staff, and administrators, which most likely directly relates to our impressive longevity numbers. [See Figure 3R2.5]

Figure 3R2.4: Midstate College’s Longevity Number Comparison

Personnel Classification As of 2/2011 As of 8/2016 DifferentialFull-Time Administration 19 20 +1

Full-Time Faculty 10 14 +4

Full-Time Staff 6 8 +2

Part-Time Faculty 4 5 +1

Part-Time Staff 3 9 +6Average of Years for Active Employees.

Figure 3R2.5: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Meeting Needs


Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialThis institution does a good job meeting the needs of its faculty 3.88 3.28 +0.60

This institution does a good job meeting the needs of staff 3.94 3.06 +0.88

This institution does a good job meeting the needs of administrators 4.10 3.58 +0.52




Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialThis institution has written procedures that clearly define who is responsible for each operation and service

3.58 3.01 +0.57


According to the Employee Satisfaction Survey, faculty, staff, and administrators take pride in their work. [See Figure 3R2.6] Along those same lines, it is noted within the survey that the College consistently follows clear processes for recognizing employee achievements. [See Figure 3R2.7]

Figure 3R2.6: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Pride and Cooperation


Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialFaculty take pride in their work 4.21 3.78 +0.43

Staff take pride in their work 4.21 3.74 +0.47

Administrators take pride in their work 4.19 3.68 +0.51


Figure 3R2.7: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Recognition


Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialThis institution consistently follows clear processes for recognizing employee achievements

3.29 3.07 +0.22


3I2: Improvements

Improvements to the performance evaluation system for Midstate include the creation of an updated, standardized report as well as solid processes put into place by HR. Newly hired employees will continue to be assessed at 60 and 90 days and will then go on to receive annual performance progress reports throughout their career. All progress reports are set to be reviewed by the President, and the main focus for HR during this process is to remain consistent, fair, and effective. By doing so, we will be able to collect and trend data to help drive further process improvement and development.

In addition to updates made to the performance progress report, HR has created a database that tracks employee longevity, individual performance progress report completion rates, and status. Not only does this provide an improvement in regards to time management, the use of a database creates an atmosphere of efficient and consistent communication between HR and other administrators and department heads.



Subcategory Three: Development

3P3: Processes

Providing and supporting regular professional development for all employees:

Training needs are determined through the strategic planning process, organizational planning, and institutional and program accreditation requirements. The College’s evaluation process facilitates the opportunity to discuss the goals of the employee and the College and to assess the need for any additional training in order to meet those goals. Solution-focused training, surveys, in-service training, individual program advisory board meetings, and course evaluations are used to assist in determining training needs. (3.C.4, 5.A.4)

The determination of training needs provides a continuous focus on industry standards and quality improvement, such as training on new software updates and other technological advances. Academic program strength is due to current, updated training as well as a clear understanding of the College’s Vision. Our organizational planning is kept current in order to plan for the future. College in-services are held in that regard. (3.C.4, 5.A.4)

Program Directors plan, monitor, and manage the budget and training needs for their academic departments, and department heads oversee the same aspects for their departments. Budgets for training needs are completed on an annual basis with the flexibility to consider additional requests on a case-by-case basis. (3.C.4, 5.A.4) The College provides release time for employees attending an approved training. In addition, faculty and staff are encouraged to seek out various professional development opportunities to enhance their collective and individual skills and abilities. (3.C.4, 5.A.4) The College also supports completion of advanced degrees and continuing education to address current and anticipated needs, to include mandated requirements. (3.C.4, 5.A.4)

Ensuring that instructors are current in instructional content in their disciplines and pedagogical processes:

Training needs are determined through the strategic planning process, organizational planning, and institutional and program accreditation requirements. The College’s evaluation process facilitates the opportunity to discuss the goals of the employees and the College and to assess the need for any additional training in order to meet those goals. (3.C.4) Solution-focused training surveys, in-service training, individual program advisory board meetings, and course evaluations are used to assist in determining training needs.

Another aspect of professional development is the faculty rank initiative. This initiative promotes lifelong learning and leadership as faculty continuously strive to embrace the qualities of good and effective teaching outlined in our faculty authored Philosophy of Teaching and Learning. (3.C.4) This initiative creates an avenue through which faculty can achieve goals in the areas of teaching and instruction, professional development, scholarly activity and creative endeavors, institutional involvement, and community service. This initiative fosters recognition of faculty for their commitment to lifelong learning and educational leadership. (3.C.4) The Academic Senate serves as an evaluating body for activities related to our Philosophy of Teaching and Learning, Academic Ranking Chart, and Rubric for Evaluation. Based on the Senate’s recommendations, honorary titles are awarded to faculty reflecting rank classification. This initiative is intended to encourage faculty participation above and beyond required work. (3.C.4)



Supporting student support staff members to increase their skills and knowledge in their areas of expertise:

We encourage all of our administration, staff, and faculty to obtain higher academic degrees and offers tuition reimbursement to assist personnel in obtaining these goals. (3.C.6) Employees are encouraged to attend seminars, conferences, and workshops that will enhance their career paths and to obtain certifications and continuing education units in order to keep their skills current. The College also provides in-house training to keep staff and faculty up-to-date on the latest technologies to enhance job performance. (3.C.6)

Aligning employee professional development activities with institutional objectives:

A streamlined process has been developed to assist the employee and the College in scheduling, planning, and processing payment procedures for an employee to attend off-campus seminars, conferences, and workshops. To ensure employee development activities are aligned with Institutional Objectives, the following process occurs:1. A request for professional development is submitted during the budget or a need is discovered via in-

house feedback.2. The Dean of Academics or department head analyzes budget restrictions, considers the amount of time

spent away from campus, and reviews the request to ensure the request of employee development aligns with institutional objectives.

3. If the professional development is approved by the Dean of Academics or department head, the approved request is then taken to HR for processing. If the request is denied, the employee receives communication.

4. HR arranges the professional development and collects feedback. The feedback is then used for future decisions surrounding that particular form of professional development.

The College also offers training on pertinent issues at each faculty meeting. (3.C.6) Moreover, these same training opportunities are available for review and reinforcement through extensive notes taken at each training. The Dean of Academics researches and investigates such areas: new teaching methodology, enhanced learning, opportunities and strategies, methods for increasing strategic department enhancement and growth. Opportunities are then explored to initiate short- and long-term personal and professional growth. (3.C.6)

3R3: Results

Midstate College uses multiple surveys, as well as feedback from employees, in order to understand if they feel supported in their professional development. Employees completed a professional development survey in 2016. We will continue this survey annually to track professional development of employees.

Midstate College uses the faculty rank initiative to encourage employee professional development. [See Figure 3R3.1] Results are currently in process for 2016. Paperwork associated with faculty rank is kept in the employee’s personnel file and is taken into account during the employee’s annual performance progress report. This initiative is also used for employee recognition purposes, but the main objective of the faculty rank initiative is to support professional growth, nurture goal development, and increase faculty’s specialized subfield awareness while also encouraging community interaction



Figure 3R3.1: Midstate College’s Faculty Rank Initiative Official Rank New Assignments by Year

Faculty Rank 2013 2014 2015Instructor 2 1 0

Senior Instructor 1 2 0

Assistant Professor 2 1 0

Associate Professor 3 1 2

Professor 0 0 2

Providing opportunities for professional development is an important aspect of academia, and the College takes professional development seriously as it directly relates to academic success and rigor. During the years 2012-2016, 38 percent of employees either pursued or completed advanced educational goals. Also, Midstate currently finances at least one professional membership for 46 percent of employees.

The Employee Satisfaction Survey shows employees currently feel as though they are being supported by supervisors while also being provided with adequate opportunities to improve skills and obtain professional development. [See Figure 3R3.2] According to the data collected from an employee survey regarding professional development, at least 50 percent of full-time employees have completed a webinar, attended a conference, or had some other form of professional development related to job duties annually from 2012-2016. [See Figure 3R3.3]

Figure 3R3.2: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Professional Development

Work Environment

Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialMy supervisor helps me improve my job performance 4.10 3.67 +0.43

I have adequate opportunities for training to improve my skills 3.90 3.33 +0.57

I have adequate opportunities for professional development 3.89 3.29 +0.60

The work I do is appreciated by my supervisor 4.26 3.86 +0.40

The work I do is valuable to the institution 4.30 3.93 +0.37




Figure 3R3.3: Professional Development Completion Percentages for Midstate College 2012-2016

Professional Development Completion Percentages for Midstate College

Professional Certification

Conference

Webinar

Outside Training Related to Job Duties

Other

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Other Outside Training Related to Job Duties Webinar Conference Professional Certification

2012 57 64 52 60 38

2013 71 55 56 64 38

2014 57 55 63 72 25

2015 57 82 70 68 63

2016 71 45 78 50 60

3I3: Improvements

Upcoming improvements regarding professional development include the tracking of tuition benefit requests and professional development inquiries and the addition of numerous on-campus training opportunities that will be offered to all faculty, staff, and administrators. Data collection in these areas will help attribute cost analysis as well as return on investment in order for the College to make informed decisions on which development areas are excelling and which are lacking.

The new and improved approach to HR has also improved faculty and staff development by conducting research into how to best offer training to maximize faculty and staff morale and efficiency. Periodic interpersonal skill-set training, to include ethics and integrity, is scheduled to be offered beginning in 2017 and will continue on an annual cycle to help solidify critical concepts necessary for personal and professional success on an individual level. Open lines of communication between administration, faculty, and staff foster an atmosphere where employees know and understand the importance of professional development.

AQIP Systems PortfolioCategory Four - Planning and Leading


- 81 - Category FourAQIP Systems Portfolio

Category Four Overview As stated in the 2011 Systems Portfolio, planning and leading processes are headed by the Midstate College Board of Directors, core administrative team, AQIP Core, and department directors. Alignment of the Mission, Code of Ethics, Vision, and Strategic Plan is facilitated through the Institution’s formal planning processes. The Mission and Code of Ethics provide the framework for employee position responsibilities as well as behavioral expectations that align with the overall Vision of the College. The Board of Directors and President maintain overall responsibility for all legal, accreditation, ethical, and social responsibilities; moreover, the administrative team members also serve as part of the AQIP Core, and functional responsibilities are carried out through the direction of this team.

The Midstate College Board of Directors initially defined the Mission of the College in 1982. The Board of Directors approved the last revisions to the Mission, with review and input from staff and faculty, in 2003. As stated in the 2011 Systems Portfolio, the College has a process to revise its Mission when significant strategic changes occur, such as moving to the status of a baccalaureate degree-granting institution, which occurred in 2003. The College has recently submitted a Notice of Intent to the Illinois Board of Higher Education as part of a plan to request approval to offer a master’s degree in the future. This change has prompted another formal review of our Mission as outlined in our process for updating and revising the College’s Mission, which will occur through a future action project.

In 2003, a formal Vision was established and published with collaborative efforts from all staff, faculty, and the Midstate College Board of Directors. In the November 2007 Systems Portfolio, the College showed how the Mission and Vision are linked. Additionally, the Vision, Mission, and strategic plan have been internally published together since the 2009-2010 academic year when the Vision was completely revised with all stakeholders’ input. Since then, the Vision was slightly revised in April 2015 in correlation with updates to the strategic plan.

At all Institutional levels there is a commitment to our Mission, Code of Ethics, and Vision, which is the key to aligning our leadership and decision-making with the requirements and expectations of the Midstate College Board of Directors, staff, faculty, students, and community.

Planning and leading is an area of strength for Midstate College, and our processes, results, and improvements are in a state of aligned maturity. The long-standing, rich history and thorough integration of the Mission and Vision throughout the College are a display of our aligned maturity. While there is room for improvement to become integrated, the College is proud that processes and results for planning and leading address key goals and strategies with an emphasis on strengthening the relation to our institutional goals.

In the next few years, the College has plans to institute an action project to help move the maturity level to integrated. The efforts of this action project will result in transparency of our processes as well as efficiencies and innovations within our results and improvements.



Subcategory One: Mission and Vision

4P1: Processes

Developing, deploying, and reviewing the institution’s mission, vision and values:

Processes are in place to ensure that regular feedback is received from key internal stakeholders regarding the Mission, Institutional Objectives, Code of Ethics, and Vision. All faculty and staff complete the Noel-Levitz Employee Satisfaction Survey (Employee Satisfaction Survey) on a five-year cycle. The survey asks targeted questions about the Mission and Vision (focus) of the College. School-wide in-services have regular activities to review and discuss the Mission as part of strategic planning. Graduate Exit Survey questions request feedback from students on how well we are meeting the College’s Mission, Institutional Objectives, Code of Ethics, and individual program objectives. Academic Assessment planning and reporting cycle reviews the Mission matrix and how it links to program objectives. The Board of Directors reviews the Mission, Institutional Objectives, and Code of Ethics whenever the strategic plan is reviewed. (1.A.2)

As stated in the previous systems portfolio and commented about in the Category Four Overview, the College includes all key stakeholders in the approval and revision of the Mission. The processes used to revise the College Mission are also used to revise the Vision, Institutional Objectives, Code of Ethics, and Philosophy. The process involves assembling a cross-functional committee comprised of top administration, a member of the Board of Directors, academic leaders (Deans, Program Directors, Institutional Research, and Executive Director of Marketing and Enrollment), Student Affairs Director, student representative, and advisory board members. (1.D.3) This committee meets to develop and revise new Mission, Institutional Objectives, Code of Ethics, and/or Philosophy. The revised version is evaluated as part of the strategic planning process and is brought to the Board of Directors for input. The input from the Board of Directors is brought back to the cross-functional committee for further revisions. The new draft is shared with all internal and external stakeholders such as faculty, staff, and advisory board members for input and feedback that is collected through qualitative and quantitative methods. Feedback is provided to the cross-functional committee who processes the results and brings the final version back to the Board of Directors for approval. (1.A.1) After informing all accrediting bodies of the new Mission and receiving their approval, the College publishes the new Mission in the Catalog, website, newsletters, and updates the displayed versions throughout campus. (1.B.1) [See Figure 4P1.1]

Figure 4P1.1: Process for revision of the Mission, Institutional Objectives, Code of Ethics, and Philosophy

Cross-functional committeeassembles to develop and revise

new Mission, InstitutionalObjectives, Code of Ethics,

and/or Philosophy

Once accrediting bodiesare informed and theirapproval is received,

revisions are published

Revisions are evaluated duringthe strategic planning process

and input from the Boardof Directors is requested

Draft is shared with all internaland external stakeholders, the

committee develops a new draft, and final results are given to

Board of Directors for approval

The Board of Directorsdelivers feedback to the

cross-functional committee who then develops a new draft



Ensuring institutional actions reflect a commitment to our values and allocating resources to advance the institution’s mission and vision, while upholding the institution’s values:

The Institution’s purpose according to the College’s Mission is to provide educational opportunities. (1.D.2) All of our functional units and administrative services support our Mission as shown: “...efforts to provide educational opportunities, student development of skills and preparation for social and technological change, and aiding students in obtaining professional and education goals” (See 2016 - 2017 Catalog, p. 10, online.midstate.edu/Downloads/Publications/Catalog.pdf). (1.A, 1.A.2 , 1.B.2, 1.B.3, 1.D.1)

The College’s Code of Ethics is the foundation of its values. The Strategic Plan and Vision are the action vehicles that occur within the College to fulfill its values. The Strategic Plan, budgeting process, and Vision are driven by the Mission which drives the purpose of Midstate College. (1.D.1, 1.A.3) The Strategic Plan, budgeting process, and Vision also dictate the Institution’s capacity to serve its external stakeholders, such as key community and consortium agreement partners. (1.D, 1.D.3)

The College’s strategic initiatives, found within the strategic plan, are linked to the Mission and Vision which drives fiscal decision making. [See Figure 4P1.2] The strategic plan and fiscal management is guided by weekly meetings held by the Executive Finance Committee. All major budgeting and resource requests are approved by the Executive Finance Committee who ensures they align with the College’s strategic plan and, in turn, with the Mission and Vision. (1.A.3) Additionally, the President’s Cabinet provides input and feedback to ensure that the purpose and intent of the College are driven by the Mission and Vision, rather than solely by the budget. (1.A, 1.D.2)

Figure 4P1.2: Mission, Vision, and Strategic Initiatives Matrix

Strategic InitiativesN

ew P

rogr

ams

New

A

ccre

dita

tions

Aca

dem

ic

Impr

ovem

ent

Stu

dent

Suc

cess

an

d R

eten

tion

Alte

rnat

ive

Rev

enue

Enh

ance

Onl

ine

Pre

senc

e

Effe

ctiv

e O

pera

tions

Elements of the Mission 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Education opportunity for skills and knowledge for lifetime social and technological change ü ü ü ü ü

Skills needed for a productive society ü ü ü ü

Promote the individuals worth, values, and high ethical standards ü ü ü ü ü

Quality education meeting student needs and assisting them in pursuing goals ü ü ü ü ü ü

Elements of the Vision 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Quality education ü ü ü ü ü ü

Caring atmosphere ü ü ü

Credible accreditation ü ü ü ü

eLearning ü ü ü ü Student services ü ü ü ü ü ü

Partnerships ü ü ü Enrollment growth ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

Online services ü ü ü

Strong campus base ü ü ü

Campus growth ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

Expanded programs ü ü ü ü ü ü ü



Communicating the mission, vision, and values:

There are multiple processes in place to ensure the College is communicating the Mission, Code of Ethics, and Vision to stakeholders. Midstate College’s Mission and Code of Ethics statements are printed in our Catalog and displayed prominently in public areas, including the walls of the College’s classrooms and offices. Additionally, students, staff, and visitors may review these documents on our website located at http://midstate.edu/Overview/mission.php and know by their accessibility that the College deems these documents to represent the foundation of Midstate College. Additionally, employees, students, and visitors can view the Vision, Philosophy, and Strategic Plan on the College’s website. (1.B, 1.B.1)

As part of the annual Catalog review cycle, the Mission, Institutional Objectives, Philosophy, and Code of Ethics are reviewed by all departmental directors and top administration. (1.B.2)

Ensuring that academic programs and services are consistent with the institution’s mission:

The Academic Assessment Committee ensures that Midstate College’s academic programs are linked to the Mission and Institutional Objectives. Program Directors work to update their matrix annually, which outlines how their program objectives align with the Institutional Objectives and the Mission. The Dean of Academics audits all program information annually to ensure compliance. (1.B.2, 1.B.3)

4R1: Results

We survey the staff and faculty following all in-service meetings that include strategic planning and AQIP to understand the level in which staff and faculty feel their contribution will be utilized for future action projects. [See Figure 4R1.1] We are in tune with industry and culture changes that may have affected the percentage change in 2013. At the same time, we are pleased to report that well over half of our staff and faculty consistently feel their contribution will be utilized.

Figure 4R1.1: Strategic Planning and AQIP In-Service Survey ResultsSurvey Item 2011 2012 2013 2016My contribution will be utilized in strategic planning or for future action projects.

76.3% 87.1% 68.0% 76.5%

The College uses the Employee Satisfaction Survey to determine employee perception of the College’s Mission, Vision (purpose), and Code of Ethics (values). The evidence shows that the College does an outstanding job aligning our goals with our Mission, purpose, and values, as well as relaying this information to staff and faculty, as we score statistically significantly higher in all categories when compared to our peers. [See Figure 4R1.2]

Figure 4R1.2: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Mission, Purpose, and Values


Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialThe mission, purpose, and values of this institution are well understood by most employees

4.06 3.50 +0.56

Most employees are generally supportive of the mission, purpose, and values of this institution

4.12 3.54 +0.58

The goals and objectives of this institution are consistent with its mission and values

4.28 3.51 +0.77




The College uses the Graduate Exit survey results to determine its graduates’ perception of how well the College achieves its Mission and purpose (through Institutional Objectives). [See Figure 4R1.3] Midstate graduates consistently and strongly believe we are successfully accomplishing our Mission and Institutional Objectives in relation to our students.

Figure 4R1.3: Graduate Exit Survey Results (2011-2016) for Mission and Institutional ObjectivesSurvey Item 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16The College Mission 3.71 3.81 3.69 3.79 3.70Obj 1: To provide a varied selection of academic curricula in business and specialized areas enriched with instruction in general education.

3.64 3.74 3.65 3.74 3.68

Obj 2: To provide the students with a background of job skills which will enhance their employability.

3.62 3.79 3.65 3.78 3.64

Obj 3: To provide students with basic skills which contribute to success in their careers and in their private lives.

3.75 3.80 3.72 3.87 3.64

Obj 4: To lead the student in the self-discovery process of clarifying and raising the individual’s goals and achievements commensurate with the student’s potential.

3.69 3.71 3.66 3.77 3.58

Obj 5: To provide a framework and atmosphere of learning which will enhance the student’s capability to demonstrate ethical and moral values in professional, personal, and business situations.

3.71 3.76 3.70 3.81 3.63

Obj 6: To strive for and maintain excellence in business, specialized, and general education by systematically reviewing classroom facilities, equipment, curricula, faculty, and staff.

3.64 3.71 3.64 3.73 3.63

Obj 7: To make available to our students activities and experiences which foster personal growth and leadership qualities that will assist students in their social, vocational, and academic pursuits.

3.61 3.71 3.58 3.74 3.58

Obj 8: To provide placement assistance for graduates and students through individual counseling.

3.52 3.57 3.48 3.61 3.45

Obj 9: To maintain a process of communication with the community of employers to assure relevant curricula to meet the developing needs of the economic community.

3.55 3.57 3.47 3.62 3.53

Ratings regarding Graduate Exit Survey are on a 4.0 scale.

4I1: Improvements

The last time the Vision, originally drafted for the 2012-2017 timeframe, was revised was in April 2015 in correlation with updates to the strategic plan. The new version of the Vision is below:

The five-year vision of Midstate College is that of an institution recognized for its commitment to quality education and outstanding personal attention to students. Midstate College will continue to be recognized as an institution that has been dedicated to providing an exceptionally caring atmosphere to students, faculty, and staff for over 124 years.

Midstate College will maintain a commitment to continuous quality improvement in academic programs, student services, and institutional effectiveness. Midstate values its relationships with its accrediting and approval agencies. The College will strive to meet or exceed the standards set forth by those regional and curricular accrediting agencies and seek new program accreditations as necessary.

Midstate College has invested substantial time and resources into the development of a comprehensive online learning system over the past eight years. The College will maintain high standards in the



ongoing development of eLearning and student services that fully support the attainment of students’ learning potential in a manner commensurate with need. Midstate recognizes the need to explore options and continue investing in the development of highly accessible student services that meet the evolving needs of non-traditional students.

Midstate College will seek and develop partnerships with area businesses, community agencies, and other educational institutions of higher learning. Midstate College will work with businesses to provide increased internship opportunities to students, educational programs that meet the needs of area employers, and relationships with professionals to continue alignment of academic programs and student learning outcomes with the needs of the workforce. Additionally, Midstate will offer specialized training and other services to the community to provide alternative revenue for the institution.

By 2017, Midstate College will serve approximately 1,000 students. The majority of the student body will continue to be adult learners, although the College will attract some younger students coming straight out of high school. More students will be involved in taking at least some of their courses online due to their need for flexible scheduling and increased online offerings.

The number of students taking all courses online will increase. The College will continue to develop and offer more online programs. Technological course enhancements will be developed for all courses, not just online courses. The College will continue to view online programs as an integral part of the whole college, not a separate campus or entity. Day and night campus-based classes will provide a solid foundation for all academic programs, with a strong continued institutional commitment to provide a unique, caring atmosphere online and on campus. Online programs will seek to serve a concentrated geographic area around the central campus, with only highly specialized programs marketed on a national level.

Midstate College will be best known for its caring atmosphere, quality academic programs, and well prepared graduates. It is essential that the College maintain the commitment to offering personal attention and a caring atmosphere, regardless of the size of the College or the delivery format of educational programs. The College will strengthen the quality of academic programs, and continue to link student outcomes to the changing needs of the business world.

In five to ten years, Midstate College will offer more online degree programs, more bachelor degree programs, and at least one master’s degree program.

The College has improved our overall internal marketing strategy, which is now aligned to our Mission, Vision (purpose), and Code of Ethics (values). This operational change resulted in significant improvements to the content, the process, and the delivery of the quarterly Employee Newsletter and the bi-weekly e-Newsletter sent to students, staff, and faculty.

As a result of the strategic initiative to move to the master’s educational level, the College will be declaring an action project in November 2016 focused on refining and editing our processes for updating the Mission, Institutional Objectives, Philosophy, and Code of Ethics. As part of the action project, we plan to go through the cycle of revising the Mission, Institutional Objectives, Philosophy, and Code of Ethics. In addition, this action project will ensure that the Mission, Institutional Objectives, Philosophy, and Code of Ethics continue to be measurable. (1.A.1)



Subcategory Two: Strategic Planning

4P2: Processes

Inclusive strategic planning serves as the primary guiding process for the Institution and all planning processes are developed in alignment with the College Mission. Since 2006, the College has extended the collaborative strategic planning efforts to include the campus as a whole. At that time the College adopted a formal strategic planning cycle that incorporated input and feedback from everyone at the Institution. [See Figure 4P2.1] The creation of our strategic plan follows this general process: (5.A.3, 5.C)

Figure 4P2.1: Strategic Planning Cycle

Team

• President’s Cabinet

• All staff

• All faculty

• Board of Directors

Planning

• In-Service Calendar

• President’s Cabinet meeting schedule

• AQIP Core meeting schedule

• Administrative meeting schedule

Documents

• AQIP Systems Portfolio

• Action Projects

• Feedback from Advisory Board and Key Partners (Minutes)

• Departmental goals

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) (targets, definitions, etc.)

• SMART goals worksheet

• Strategic Planning Framework worksheet

• Consumer feedback (surveys, student focus forums, etc.)

Position

• Situational analysis

• Identify top areas in need of improvement

• Identify strategic areas for growth

• Environmental scanning (enrollment trends, etc.)

• Receive input from internal and external constituencies

• Complete SWOT analyses by department

Strategy

• Process Midstate College Mission, Vision, Institutional Objectives, Code of Ethics

• Align strategic priorities with Mission, Vision, Institutional Objectives, Code of Ethics

• Map departmental and operational goals to core components of AQIP

• Discuss unique identifiers to separate us from competition

• Develop short- and long-term strategic initiatives separated by academics, quality improvement, student success, fiscal health, marketing, and operations.

• Process departmental SWOT to set priorities operationally within departments

• Complete SMART goal worksheet to set short to mid-term goals

• Refine performance indicators to track progress (KPIs, APIs, etc.)

• Align goals and resources needed for improvement with annual budget



Performance

• Review and approval from Board of Directors

• Roll out final strategic plan to internal and external key stakeholders

• Progress reviews subsequent in-services and administrative meetings

• Adapt quarterly or as necessary

• Update annually

As a continuation of processes outlined in the previous portfolio submission, recurring strategic planning in-services are held to develop five-year Strategic Initiatives. During these events, all members of our staff and faculty come together to evaluate our five-year strategic goals in the context of our Mission, Vision, and Code of Ethics (values). Additionally, each functional area examines its departmental goals for the following year using the Strategic Planning Framework to demonstrate how they will be aligned with the strategic initiatives, Vision, AQIP categories, Mission, and budget. [See Figure 4P2.2] All other activities follow suit with regularly scheduled meetings for planning and follow-up.

Figure 4P2.2: Strategic Planning Framework

AQIP Category:

Mission:

Institutional Objective:

Strategic Goal/Opportunity:

ObjectivesTasks/

Activities TimelineLead

IndividualMeasure/Document

Training Needed

Resources Needed

PriorityLevel

Progress Level

Engaging internal and external stakeholders in strategic planning:

Strong stakeholder input is reflected in our processes for strategic planning. All employees at the College are given the opportunity to become deeply engaged in the strategic planning process. In Figure 4P2.1, the Strategic Planning Cycle shows how we collect and use both internal and external stakeholder feedback in the strategic planning process. The final Strategic Initiatives reflect both the operational themes set by employees (environmental scanning, etc.) as well as the overarching Mission of the College, as governed by the Board of Directors, tying in a strong connection to our Institutional Objectives. (5.C.3)

The Board of Directors provides input as well as the final approval for the strategic plan; the administrative and in-service meetings, including administration, faculty, staff, and students, provide the major venue for motivating and following-up on the progress and achievement of strategic goals, objectives, and action items. (2.C.1) The AQIP Core assists in evaluating essential assessments and targets for improvements to feed strategic decisions through the quality improvement initiative. (5.B.3)

Lastly, the Strategic Plan is posted on the Midstate College website for student and external stakeholders. This step in the process opens lines of communication regarding our strategic initiatives.



Aligning operations with the institution’s Mission, Vision, values and aligning efforts across departments, divisions, and colleges for optimum effectiveness and efficiency:

As a part of the strategy development, the departmental goals are processed through the Strategic Planning Framework to be connected to the strategic initiatives, Vision, AQIP categories, Mission, and budget. Through in-service subcommittee work, staff, faculty, and students map departmental goals to the AQIP Categories and align each of them with the College’s Mission. (5.C.2) Final results are submitted, reviewed, edited, and returned by Administration. Additionally, Administration gives feedback in the form of strategic priorities as a directive to staff and faculty regarding an action plan for the goals set. (5.B.3)

Capitalizing on opportunities and institutional strengths and countering the impact of institutional weaknesses and potential threats:

To gain a solid understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing the College, the President facilitates a high-level institutional SWOT analysis as a part of the strategic planning process. Further, each functional area completes a SWOT analysis of their operational department. Those analyses are combined with the results of various surveys, and then used to set priorities operationally within their departments. Many of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats themed throughout different departments segue into open communication and rigorous discussion which results in a better understanding of both internal and external factors that impact the Institution at all levels. Specifically in regard to the function of enrollment within the strategic plan, the College adheres to processes that include an analysis of market trend data, benchmarking and competitor market saturation, past recruitment performance to drive future projections, and emerging factors within the industry that may impact the performance of the Institution’s enrollment. (5.C.4, 5.C.5) Following SWOT analyses, the departments set short- to mid-term SMART goals and submit them to Administration for review. When appropriate, there are performance indicators set to track progress. Additionally, “owners” are given report out responsibilities within each department to enhance accountability and adherence to tasks and timeliness.

Creating and implementing strategies and action plans that maximize current resources and meet future needs:

The inclusion of employees and students in the creation of the strategic plan ensures that the strategies that exist are designed to meet future needs. In the last step of developing the strategic plan, we align the departmental goals and needs for improvement with the annual budget. This step in the process aids in creating strategies that maximize current resources and meets future needs, as well as instituting an appropriate balance between the two when a gap arises. (5.C.1, 5.C.4) The Executive Finance Committee, led by the President, makes the final decision on what to fund based on budget projections for the coming year.

4R2: Results

As stated above, in-service meetings, which include follow-up surveys to gauge efficacy of time invested as well as SWOT analyses and the development of SMART goals within departments, are the tools that drive outcomes in strategic planning.

Administration tracks progress and outcomes for Strategic Initiatives and engages staff, faculty, and students through in-service meetings to ensure open communication exists. We are currently in the last year of the cycle and have already begun initial planning for future years. We are pleased that employees of the College are satisfied with the status of the plan to date. The figure below shows that the College’s employees are also significantly more satisfied with their involvement in developing future plans and feel the College develops plans more purposely and carefully than our peer institutions. [See Figure 4R2.1]



Figure 4R2.1: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Institutional Planning


Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialThis institution involves its employees in planning for the future 4.12 3.07 +1.05

This institution plans carefully 3.80 3.09 +0.71Ratings regarding understanding employee satisfaction are on a 5.0 scale.

We are pleased to report that well over half of our staff and faculty consistently feel their contribution will be utilized. [See Figure 4R1.1]

4I2: Improvements

We recognize that the strategic planning process is all encompassing and allows for continuous improvement. Our strategic planning cycle is effective and continues to be an area of strength for the College. We’ve taken the work that we’ve done with the plan in the past four years and integrated it with our departmental goal setting, which is a significant improvement from historical strategic planning processes. Through effective governance, our strategic planning process will continue to improve. Engagement with overall strategy from the Board of Director’s level is being encouraged now more than ever.

The College has made significant progress on many of the strategic initiatives included in the 2012-2017 plan. Completed initiatives include: approved BA in Law and Social Justice, added one distinctive program annually, developed KPIs, created a process for faculty rank, established an academic senate, revised academic records enabling us to offer robust student services online, implemented an improved Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program, launched a mobile website, increased marketing initiatives for online programs, revised evaluation and reward system, and strengthened financial management of the College.

Subcategory Three: Leadership

4P3: Processes

Board-institution relationships, board oversight, and delegating management responsibilities:

The Board of Directors (Board) drives the recruitment, selection, and replacement of the President. For key administrative positions, individuals with specified credentials and/or experience are sought, identified as candidates, and, upon careful consideration and review, approved by the President. [See 3P1] Key administrators attend and participate in all Midstate College Board of Directors meetings and provide input on major decisions and are, therefore, knowledgeable of factors affecting important Board decisions.

Outside of regular Board meetings, the President and Senior Advisor communicate regularly with Board members to keep them abreast of current events and to solicit input. (5.B.1) Midstate College follows the “Assumed Practices” of the Higher Learning Commission for the makeup of our Board of Directors. The College ensures that there are “public” members and Midstate College alumni who serve on the Board. (2.C, 2.C.3, 5.B)



All major decisions affecting the College are reviewed and must be approved by our Board of Directors. (2.C.4) The Board and President maintain overall responsibility for key legal, accreditation, ethical, and social responsibilities. The Board ensures transparent management and communication regarding overall operations by meeting up to four times per year. Additionally, the Board expects that top administration will adhere to sound fiscal management principles by approving the annual budget. The Board authorizes all major initiatives including: the annual budget, tuition increases, the Institution’s Mission and Vision, key partnership opportunities, major academic initiatives, strategic plan, key performance indicators and targets, and other major items which impact the future viability of Midstate College. (5.B.1)

Students have the opportunity to serve on departmental academic advisory boards, to complete course evaluations and the annual Student Opinion Survey (SOS), and to attend student focus forums. The College’s open door policy permits students to voice any concerns directly to the President, Board of Directors, or any other top administrator at any time. (5.B.2)

Providing effective leadership to all institutional stakeholders:

The President, Senior Advisor, and Board of Directors set the Institution’s priorities through encouraging strategic planning initiatives, adopting the Mission, and approving the Vision. (2.C.1) Presentations are made at each meeting by internal constituents that represent major departments. Board members are encouraged to ask questions, engage in an open dialogue, and provide feedback to ensure that operational decisions align with the Mission and Vision. Additionally, the Board approves all major external partnerships. (2.C.2)

The President provides effective leadership through the AQIP Core Committee and Presidential Cabinet. Additionally, top administration has a very inclusive leadership style. In departmental meetings, top administration engages present employees to ensure all opinions, concerns, and ideas are acknowledged and considered as part of the final decision making process. The College’s open door policy permits all internal and external stakeholders to voice any concerns directly to the President or any other top administrator at any time. (2.C.2)

Engaging internal and external constituencies and delegating academic matters:

Midstate College Board of Director’s meetings include constituents comprised of the Midstate administrative team. To assure open dialog and a unified leadership component, which provides up-to-date and important information to the Board, reports and discussion by the Dean of Academics, Dean of Students, Executive Director of Marketing and Enrollment, Director of Financial Assistance, Controller, and Financial Consultant, along with the President’s Report, help to guide the Board members as they direct the future of Midstate College. (5.B.3)

When needed, Board meetings are concluded with an Executive Session which includes the President and Board members so that they can engage in a confidential and open dialogue during which a substantial amount of support and advice is given to the President. These closed sessions have been an extremely important component of the Board meetings and are useful in the effective operation of the College. (2.C.3)

Board members periodically meet one-on-one with the President and Chairman in informal settings to offer guidance, consultation on confidential subject matters, and helpful ideas. This is a reflection of the commitment our Board members have toward Midstate College and the students it serves through education. Letters are sent when additional communication is needed. (5.B.3)

The Dean of Academics reports directly to the President and provides updates on key activities and initiatives at Board meetings. The Dean of Academics provides leadership and direction for Program



Directors (faculty designation) who, in turn, manage their departments, which includes managing the full- and part-time staff and faculty who implement operations. [See Figure 4P3.1] (2.C.4)

Figure 4P3.1: Management of Academics

Collaborating across all units to ensure the maintenance of high academic standards and open communications:

Annually, there are multiple opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to interact with each other, to contribute ideas, and to work collaboratively. (5.B.3) The following cross-institutional committee meetings are held regularly to make this happen: Assessment Committee, Curriculum Committee, AQIP Core Committee, Administrative Committee, Program Directors, Faculty, Retention and Enrollment, and Strategic Planning in-services. The committee meetings listed above meets multiple times throughout each term. Top administration

participate in all these meetings and attend regularly. The President’s Cabinet conducts the Strategic Planning in-services. The AQIP Core Committee directs the College’s Quality Improvement program, including action project selections derived from stakeholder feedback. The Administrative Committee sets policies and procedures and communicates them to all departments. The Retention and Enrollment meetings include a large cross-functional team that meets weekly throughout the term. Along with student retention, time is spent discussing academic challenges or ideas related to forms, academic portal (the Gateway), reporting processes, and policies. College-wide strategic planning in-services contain open chat sessions and collaborative group work sessions. All meetings, in-services, and committee sessions are documented with minutes that are available to all full- and part-time faculty and staff. (5.B.3)

There are several annual processes that require all departmental input to ensure academic policies and procedures are up-to-date, accurate, and complete. (2.C.4) Examples of these process cycles include updating the handbooks and the Catalog. The student handbooks and Catalog policies and procedures are part of an annual review that starts in the fall and continues through the end of spring. All academic requirements, policies, and processes are reviewed by faculty leaders and departments to ensure they are up-to-date and accurate. Each milestone is reviewed in quarterly faculty meetings each term until the final changes are approved. Progress and updates are made on an internal public drive and can be reviewed anytime during the cycle by staff and faculty. (5.B.3)

Developing leaders at all levels within the institution:

Leadership growth in the organization is based upon liberal continuing education policies, in-house training programs, leading by example, and promotion from within the organization. Participation by employees in accreditation activities contributes to leadership development within the organization.

The College has a history of employee longevity and encourages employees to develop leadership skills through mentoring, training, and experience. [See 3P1, 3P3] The College uses interim positions to help internal staff and faculty members grow into leadership roles. Through a faculty-driven action project, the College established an Academic Senate which oversees and manages academic rank. Participation in academic rank promotes professional growth for all faculty. As part of the employee development efforts,

Dean of Academics

Program Directors

Faculty and Staff

Leadership and Direction

Management

Operations



new non-academic managers are asked to attend leadership training programs at a partnering institution if they have more than one employee that is being managed; if they are primarily managing resources, then they are provided with opportunities to improve knowledge in content areas. Program Directors attend and participate in several meetings each academic term conducted by the Deans. The meetings provide a forum for leadership guidance, discussion of relevant challenges, a place to address faculty and student concerns, and a means for updating of term schedules.

Ensuring the institution’s ability to act in accordance with its mission and vision:

The Board of Directors includes the owners of the College as well as individuals representing public and corporate interest. All major decisions affecting the College serve to demonstrate our commitment to serve the best interests of our students, in essence: our Mission and Vision. All Board meetings include members of the College administration who provide specific and important information that could impact operational decisions. It is this transparency, openness in dialog, and inclusive leadership that serves our constituencies. (2.C.2)

4R3: Results

The College uses the Employee Satisfaction Survey to determine employee perception of the College’s planning, decision-making, leadership, and communication. As a whole, Midstate College is much closer to the “ideal” rating of three for this survey across the majority of categories when compared to our peers, with exceptional relative success in involving students and alumni. The College has also achieved a near perfect level of involvement in planning and decision making with staff and trustees (Board of Directors). [See Figure 4R3.1] We also exceed our peers in satisfaction with administration by a minimum of half a point (on a five point scale) across all associated items on the survey, with outstandingly high scores in administration’s communication. [See Figure 4R3.2]

Figure 4R3.1: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Involvement in Planning & Decision-making

Rate: Involvement

Midstate CollegeComparison

Group

Mean

Distancefrom Ideal

(Score of 3) Mean

Distancefrom Ideal

(Score of 3)

How involved are: Faculty 2.81 0.19 2.70 0.30

How involved are: Staff 2.98 0.02 2.28 0.28

How involved are: Deans or directors of administrative units 3.14 0.14 3.12 0.12

How involved are: Deans or chairs of academic units 3.09 0.09 3.09 0.09

How involved are: Senior administrators (VP, Provost level or above) 3.39 0.39 3.51 0.51

How involved are: Students 2.79 0.21 2.32 0.68

How involved are: Trustees 2.99 0.01 3.25 0.25

How involved are: Alumni 2.88 0.12 2.34 0.661 = not enough involvement, 3 = just the right involvement, 5 = too much involvement.



Figure 4R3.2: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Administration Communication


Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialThe leadership of this institution has a clear sense of purpose 4.01 3.36 +0.65

There are effective lines of communication between departments 3.43 2.74 +0.69

Administrators share information regularly with faculty and staff 3.76 3.08 +0.68

There is good communication between the faculty and the administration at this institution

3.82 3.08 +0.74

There is good communication between staff and the administration at this institution

3.76 3.06 +0.70


4I3: Improvements

Board governance, oversight, and responsibilities are well-established due to the long-standing history and Board make up. This strength in governance allows for effective leadership within the College’s administration and for resources to identify and nurture upcoming leadership in the Institution. [See Figures 4R3.1, 4R3.2]

Since the previous systems portfolio, multiple improvements have been made in order to further enrich leadership throughout the College. One of the most impactful improvements made in regards to leadership involved splitting the Chief Academic Dean position into two specifically focused positions: Dean of Academics and Dean of Students. This split enables the Dean of Academics to focus on academic quality improvement and accreditation in conjunction with promoting development of faculty and staff. The Dean of Students is enabled to focus on being an advocate for students while also nurturing development for staff that provide student support services. Another leadership improvement involves the promotion of the Director of Marketing to Executive Director of Marketing and Enrollment. At the time that the 2011 Systems Portfolio was submitted, the financial assistance, admissions, and marketing departments operated separately. Through this improved leadership and management, the individual department silos were broken down and operations were streamlined.

Starting in 2011 the President convened regular, re-occurring meetings with various key department heads in order to further foster leadership development. For example, the Dean of Academics and the Dean of Students began meeting with the President on a bi-weekly basis in 2012 to focus on the cultivation of leadership and operations. The President also drove an initiative for the Dean of Academics to hold multiple meetings per term with Program Directors.

The Faculty Growth and Development Action Project, which began in 2012 and retired in 2013, produced the faculty rank initiative which encourages proactive engagement in voluntary leadership opportunities in education. [See 3P3]



Subcategory Four: Integrity

4P4: Processes

Developing and communicating standards:

Top administration in conjunction with the Board of Directors set the Institution’s integrity standards. The Code of Ethics follows the same cycle of review and revision as the Institution’s Mission. The College’s Code of Ethics outlines the Institution’s values of integrity, innovation, continuous improvement, customer focus, and diversity. In 2013 the Misrepresentation Policy was established in compliance with the federal regulations (Sub F of Part 668). This policy was created in an effort to promote an environment of integrity as stated in the College’s Code of Ethics. According to the Misrepresentation Policy, Midstate College employees will not make misleading statements that convey that any program or degree offered by the College will benefit an individual in admission to another institution, salary or benefit increase, employment, employment promotion, etc. The policy also ensures that employees will share accurate and precise information to all media. This information is updated annually as part of the Catalog update cycle. Additionally, all admission and degree completion information, along with costs, is clearly stated in the Midstate College Catalog. The College’s Academic Integrity Policy outlines expectations of mutual trust between students, faculty, and administrators as well as the expected high level of academic honesty expected from students. The following are included in the actions Midstate College considers behaviors contrary to the academic integrity policy: plagiarism, cheating, deception, sabotage, computer misuse, and copyright infringement. (2.B)

The Code of Ethics is printed in the Catalog and displayed prominently in public areas, including on the walls of our classrooms. The College’s Academic Integrity Policy is noted on page 41 in the 2016-2017 Catalog. (1.B.1) Additionally, students, staff, and visitors may review the Code of Ethics on our website located at http://midstate.edu/Overview/mission.php. The Misrepresentation Policy is located in the Consumer Information & Campus Security Handbook and is also located on the website. The Misrepresentation Policy and College Integrity Policy are reviewed annually as part of the annual Catalog and handbook review cycle and updated as needed.

Training employees and modeling for ethical and legal behavior:

Academic integrity and ethics are part of orientation training for all new faculty members. An Orientation Checklist is used to ensure this training occurs. Additionally, all new employees sign off for reviewing the Code of Ethics as well as the Misrepresentation Policy. [See 3P1] Employee counseling is initiated and documented whenever employee behavior varies from the professional standard set by legal obligations and/or the College’s Code of Ethics, up to and possibly including employee termination.

Administration is committed to leading by example as they themselves follow the Institution’s published Code of Ethics. In an effort to encourage transparency, the College maintains an Open Door, Supportive Environment Policy which provides an atmosphere that facilitates and enhances the social and academic development of students. Whether students are having difficulty passing tests, problems with specific course work, or difficulty identifying study strategies, the College provides positive support, problem-solving suggestions, and encouragement to assist them in finding the right strategy to help them grow in skills to master their academic life. The family environment encouraged by the College makes for a comfortable, enriched setting in which to seek assistance when needed and provides an open invitation to share successes as they occur.



Ensuring the ethical practice of all employees and operating all functions with integrity:

The College ensures ethical practice through the following internal controls:• Financial Functions: Midstate College has policies and procedures in place to ensure that financial

activities are performed accurately, reliably, and in accord with government standards. The Financial Assistance, Student Accounts, and Finance departments work closely together, and policies are in place to ensure that the proper separation of duties is adhered to in relation to transactions and activities involving Title IV funds.

The College employs a third-party financial consultant to assist with the performance of mitigating controls. Due to the small staff size of the Finance and Student Accounts departments, it is not possible to rely solely on separation of duties for internal controls. The College utilizes mitigating controls in order to satisfy internal control requirements. Access to the financial accounting software is restricted. In addition, access rights within the software are assigned to a user based on job duties. The Student Information System (SIS) also has security rights assigned to individual users to limit access to student’s financial transactions. The Executive Finance Committee reviews the financial statements on a monthly basis. Additionally, the financial consultant presents the most recent financial statements to the Board of Directors at all board meetings.

Midstate’s financial statements are audited by an independent auditing firm on an annual basis. Audits are conducted in accordance with U.S. generally accepted auditing standards and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. (2.A)

• Personnel Functions: Midstate College takes great care in ensuring confidential information is protected for all applicants, employees, and past employees. The use of employment practices that can be proven as not only legal but also ethical and effective is a priority. The only personnel with the ability to see confidential information found within secured databases are the President of the College and employees of the Human Resources department. All cabinets containing employee files and information are kept locked at all times and are only opened for immediate use. These same cabinets are also kept in an office that is locked when vacant.

The President has sole responsibility for administrating written policies. The President handles any situation not clearly stated in written policies on a case-by-case basis. The Board is informed of significant outcomes. Having been oriented to personnel policies; employees at Midstate College are expected to be familiar with them and should consult with the President if questions arise before taking any action in order to ensure the interpretation is correct. All employees have access to the most current policies.

Integrity is an important aspect of the College and the Human Resource department, and, as a result, processes have been put into place to create an atmosphere where integrity is intertwined with personnel functions. Examples of these processes include employment, payroll, performance progress, grievances, and compliance with Title II, IV, and IX.

• Employment: Midstate College does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, political, marital status, sexual orientation, disabilities, or disabled veterans. Midstate College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For every opening we consider a fair amount of candidates in order to ensure the best and most qualified person is hired. Interviews include a variety of behavioral and ethical based questions as well as standard interview questions. Midstate strives to hire qualified applicants with the same values and caring attitude that the College shows toward its students. A panel interview made up of appropriate



personnel convenes, and interviews are conducted in order to garner additional perspective into the applicant’s credentials, abilities, and commitment to student learning and success. (3.C.6)

• Payroll: Midstate College tracks employee work hours, vacation, and sick pay. The Human Resource department reviews time entered on a weekly basis. The payroll process is divided among multiple departments, to include an outside payroll agency which ensures all payroll transmissions are developed, approved, and dispersed with integrity.

• Performance Progress: All new employees meet with their department head at 60- and 90-days to complete a performance progress form. During the first 60 and 90 days of employment, the department head will carefully monitor performance and provide regular verbal feedback to the new employee. If requirements are not met, the new employee is forewarned in writing during or in addition to the 60- or 90-day performance progress review and is also given reasonable time to remediate explicitly defined deficiencies. If satisfactory improvement does not result, the employee may be terminated without further notice during or at the end of the 90-day probationary period.

• Grievances: If an employee perceives an attitude, action, or incidence, whether it be intended or not, as unfair or unjust, his/her department head should be notified. The President becomes involved if the department head and the employee are unable to reach a suitable resolution. Grievances are documented.

• Compliance with Title II, IV, and IX: The Consumer Information and Campus Security Handbook is a comprehensive guide of the College’s policies and procedures regarding consumer information and campus security. The College prepares, publishes, and distributes the Handbook to all current students, employees, applicants for enrollment, and applicants for employment. Distribution and availability is as follows: ◊ A Handbook is published annually and distributed to all current students and employees in

the Fall term;◊ An informational flyer is distributed to all prospective students in their admissions interview as

well as all applicants for employment when their application is submitted to Human Resources;◊ Information is available in the display racks throughout the campus, on the College’s website,

and through the Student Affairs department.

• Academic Functions: The Academics department has various processes in place to ensure that faculty follows ethical academic practices. The first process starts with hiring procedures and includes documentation and forms that are designed to encourage ethical behavior. The faculty job description and faculty commitment form outline teaching practices that include the use of techniques to reduce cheating, to ensure academic rigor, to limit plagiarism, and to ensure student identity. New faculty sign a work-for-hire agreement form that outlines copyright and delivery of work. [See 1P6] The College has an additional process in place to make sure that all syllabi follow a formalized template. Before a new term begins, Program Directors review all syllabi and provide feedback on course content, including how course objectives are mapped to assignments.

The Registrar maintains an up-to-date knowledge base regarding The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) through various means, including newsletters and trainings offered by The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). The Registrar uses new knowledge gained to build and deliver relevant, mandatory FERPA training for all faculty and staff annually. (2.A) As part of orientation, all new employees, including work study students, are provided a copy of our FERPA policy and are required to sign a statement of FERPA understanding and confidentiality agreement. Student Records Assistants, along with other key personnel, undergo



more rigorous FERPA training geared specifically toward departmental needs. Access to Personally Identifiable Information (PII) within education records is granted on a need-to-know basis. Measures are in place to ensure employees have access to only the records relevant to their job duties.

Students are notified of their rights under FERPA at enrollment and then annually. Processes to verify identity and obtain signatures approving release of PII are in place to ensure students’ educational records are protected. Requests for PII, FERPA PII blocks, and specific permission to discuss educational records are tracked in our SIS. At the present time, no active students have a block on their PII; 18 percent have provided written permission to release their records to a third-party.

FERPA violations are taken seriously. The Registrar investigates any violation, no matter how minor, and takes appropriate steps to ensure any employee directly involved is retrained.

• Auxiliary Functions: Midstate College takes pride in providing our own Bookstore and Café in the R. Dale Bunch Student Center. The Student Center also houses the Barbara Fields Memorial Library. Thus, this space provides a convenient single location for non-class related activities, social opportunities, and a quiet place to study while on campus.

The Bookstore uses a third party, online system from MBS Direct that provides current market pricing to sell used books to students and buy them back after the term ends. This helps provide a lower initial cost to students and an opportunity to use the credit from their books toward their next term’s course materials.

In order to provide our students with the opportunity to purchase course supplies elsewhere, our SIS links the current version of each course with the corresponding course on our website. This information includes: book title, ISBN, author, publisher, edition, new and used pricing, and a link to the Library of Congress web description, if applicable. If the students choose to purchase course supplies from the Bookstore, they are able to charge their supplies to their student account and use financial assistance funds to pay for them. (2.A)

The Bookstore completes a physical inventory at the end of every month as part of the annual financial audit process. The inventory count and pricing are reviewed by the external auditors to ensure accuracy and proper valuation.

The Café is open to students, college personnel, and the community at-large. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served Monday through Thursday with a variety of menu options. The Café offers daily specials, and menu items are reasonably priced.

Making information readily and clearly available to all constituents:

The College has multiple avenues whereby information is made available to constituents. The College maintains information regarding its Board, faculty, and employees on the Institution’s website. This information is kept up-to-date by the Human Resource department. The College maintains all information on its website and Catalog regarding accreditation relationships. All accreditation feedback is shared internally through meetings and newsletters and is stored on an electronic drive available to all full- and part-time employees. Academic program information, including cost, is maintained on the website and in the College Catalog. Academic assessment plans and reports, as well as academic program review information, are available to staff and faculty. (2.B)



4R4: Results

We administer the Employee Satisfaction Survey to measure employee observations of our culture and policies as well as their level of satisfaction with services provided. Student complaints and grievances serve as another vehicle for communicating how well we meet expectations and standards in regards to College policies and the way we interact with students in accord with our ethical and legal standards. [See 2P4, 2R4]

The Employee Satisfaction Survey results show that employees are overall significantly more satisfied with the work environment and culture at Midstate College than employees at our peer institutions. The scores also reflect one of our greatest strengths as an Institution, which is the pride employees take in their work. [See Figure 4R4.1]

Figure 4R4.1: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Institutional Pride and Respectt

Work Environment / Campus Culture and Policies

Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialSection 4: Work Environment

I am comfortable answering student questions about institutional policies and procedures

3.93 3.56 +0.37

I am proud to work at this institution 4.55 4.04 +0.51

Section 1: Campus Culture and Policies

There is a spirit of teamwork and cooperation at this institution 3.79 3.09 +0.70

The reputation of this institution continues to improve 4.06 3.41 +0.65

This institution is well-respected in the community 4.07 3.44 +0.63Ratings regarding understanding employee satisfaction are on a 5.0 scale.

4I4: Improvements

The Controller is currently working on a manual to compile all the policies and procedures for the Student Accounts department into one working document. It will include both operational and procedural guidelines. Upon completion of the student accounts document, a similar document will be produced for the Finance department.

The College recognizes that best practices are formed and maintained by repetitively reviewing College policies and proper ethical behavior, having administration consistently model appropriate ethical and legal behavior, and supporting a culture of continuous improvement. In that regard, the Human Resource department will play an integral part in training employees on a regular basis to not only remind employees of proper ethical and legal behavior but also inform employees of any updates or changes.

AQIP Systems PortfolioCategory Five - Knowledge Management

and Resource Stewardship


- 100 - Category FiveAQIP Systems Portfolio

Category OverviewThe College’s knowledge management and resource stewardship processes have improved significantly since the last Systems Portfolio. Our current processes can be described as both reactive and systematic. Since 2011, the Institutional Effectiveness and Executive Finance Committees have been formalized and meet bi-weekly. Executive decision making is data driven.

The College has improved the way that we collect and use student data. In 2012 we declared an action project to revise and implement electronic data-entry standards for academic records. This involved setting up processes and streamlining data standards for the academic records modules of our Student Information System (SIS). Upon completion of this project, the College has documented standards for building all pieces of program layout in our SIS including but not limited to the following: programs, program versions, course groups, and academic Catalogs. These processes made it possible to create and populate various modules in the Gateway, which is our online portal used by students, faculty, and staff. Each Program Director has user-friendly, customized reports within the Gateway that allow more efficient tracking of each student throughout the student lifecycle. Additionally, administrative personnel use Gateway reports for managing all facets of the faculty and staff.

In 2013 the College reformulated our Institutional Research (IR) department. IR personnel are vital to the success of the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, and they provide data support for all departments.

As a result of the action project titled Evaluating Data Systems and Defining Needs for Measuring Effectiveness, in 2014 the College established a dashboard of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with metrics and definitions crucial to fulfilling the Mission of the College. KPIs were created after researching the best practices from similar institutions. Once established, faculty and staff were engaged to identify the target goals for each KPI. Subsequently, the Board of Directors approved said KPIs and targets. We publish our core KPIs through our Student Achievement dashboard as part of the College Overview on our website. Review of and desire to improve this data drove the establishment of the Retention and Completion action project currently underway.

Since our last Systems Portfolio, the College completed the Improvement of Academic Program Review Cycle action project. In the 2014-2015 academic year, we implemented the Academic Program Review Cycle for a select few programs, including timelines and processes for that cycle. In the 2015-2016 academic year, using lessons learned during the pilot, the revised Academic Program Review was rolled out for all programs. Finally, we eliminated the financial indicators from the Academic Program Review and moved them to Administrative Program Review, which is managed by the Executive Finance Committee.

The Executive Finance Committee is responsible for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of the College’s financial data. The committee works closely with the President to maintain the financial viability of the College and ensure that the resources are available for the College to achieve its Mission, strategic initiatives, and departmental goals. The committee accomplishes this by overseeing the budgeting process and compiling and analyzing various financial data that signifies the financial health of the Institution.



Subcategory One: Knowledge Management

5P1: Processes

Selecting, organizing, analyzing, and sharing data and performance information to support planning, process improvement, and decision-making:

The College’s knowledge management policies ensure data-driven decision making. The Institutional Effectiveness and Executive Finance Committees provide guidance to top administration through regular sharing of performance data and information. Comparison data, such as KPIs, survey result comparisons, and yearly budget comparisons, assist with budget planning as well as departmental and strategic planning.

Annually, the IR department updates the KPIs, targets, and Dashboard during week four of the summer term. This data is shared and analyzed continuously throughout the year during in-services and full- and part-time faculty meetings. Goals and targets for one year and five years are established based on administrative review and full-time personnel feedback. Each KPI has two targets: a five year goal and a percent increase to achieve every year. Review of annual KPI data results drive strategic planning initiatives when opportunities for improvement arise.

The College uses multiple internal tools to gather relevant data to gauge stakeholder satisfaction and to rate its overall performance. The following is a list of some of these tools: Student Orientation Survey, Student Opinion Survey (SOS), Graduate Exit Survey, technology ticket system, faculty self-assessment, Employee Communication Survey, and in-service feedback.

The Institution has established processes for completing two external surveys that allow for benchmarking student and employee feedback. The Noel-Levitz Adult Learner Inventory (ALI) is completed on a five-year cycle to give the College student feedback that is benchmarked against comparable institutions. This survey was completed in 2009 and 2014. The Noel-Levitz College Employee Satisfaction Survey (Employee Satisfaction Survey) is also completed on a five year cycle and allows for comparable institutional benchmarking. This survey was completed in 2012 and is scheduled to be completed again in 2017.

Determining data, information, and performance results that units and departments need to plan and manage effectively:

The Institutional Effectiveness Committee is instrumental in setting performance targets and data collection results that individual departments need for decision-making and departmental planning. (5.D)

Academic Performance Indicators (APIs) are the College’s KPIs broken down by program and disseminated to Program Directors for Academic Program Review. Starting in 2015, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee mapped APIs to be added each year to the Academic Program Review.

Course Evaluations are another tool which have performance targets. Poor reviews are sent to Program Directors, and meetings are scheduled with the Dean of Academics for “repeat offenders.”

Every department is assessed by our customers (students) annually using the Student Opinion Survey; the College sets goals and makes improvements every year based on these results. Graduate Exit Survey results assess many elements of the College in regard to the Mission, program objectives, departments, and overall satisfaction. This year the Graduate Exit Survey was added to the same annual cycle of review and analysis as the Student Opinion Survey.



Making data, information, and performance results readily and reliably available to the departments that depend upon this information for operational effectiveness, planning, and improvements:

The College maintains data electronically in the SIS, Learning Management System (LMS), and the file system browser. Data permissions are setup by department groups and based on job requirements.

The KPIs are posted on the College website and updated annually. The KPIs, KPI targets, and APIs are readily available on our file system browser. As part of ongoing student retention efforts, enrollment and drop numbers are displayed prominently on-campus in real-time. Internal and external survey data results such as the Student Opinion Surveys and Employee Communication Surveys are shared at the next in-service after the survey completion.

The Gateway contains dedicated reports that are compiled for all departments. Typically, the Department Director of a functional area is the “owner” of the reports accessed through the Gateway. Permission to access specific Gateway reports must be given by the report “owner.” New reports requested by a specific academic department are typically made available to all departments. Gateway reports allow users to access the information either on- or off-campus.

The IR department saves all ad hoc analyses in a requested folder or, more commonly, emails it directly to the requester. The IR department prepares regular reports for administration in the following areas as requested: pass rates by course and delivery method, course completion rates by instructor and by course, instructor drop analysis report, student counts per course, three-year course scheduling projections, entrance exam score comparisons, and annual transfer credit reports that list the number of students who transferred from which colleges.

Ensuring the timeliness, accuracy, reliability, and security of the institution’s knowledge management system(s) and related processes:

There are processes in place to help ensure reliability and accuracy of data that is reported to the public, accreditation agencies, and state and federal agencies. All accreditation-related information reported to academic program accrediting agencies is reviewed by the IR department. All non-financial data reported at the federal, regional, or state level by the Institutional Accreditation Officer is verified and checked for accuracy by the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, including all new program applications and institutional update reports. When cross-functional data requests are made from the state or federal level, such as gainful employment, an ad hoc committee of department heads, IR, and administration is called together to work on compiling and producing the data request results.

The IR department works in conjunction with the Registrar and Senior Developer to gather datasets, and measures are in place to verify that data output is accurate. The IR department is informed of any idiosyncrasies that exist with the pool, when applicable.

Security policies and procedures ensure the safety and privacy of all confidential information according to FERPA guidelines. The structure of private group-accessible folders allows for teams to work on confidential information privately. Employee-only private drives allow for saving information securely. The SIS is located on a separate server, and users must log-in to the server and then log-in to the software. Within the SIS, each user has access rights assigned based on their job duties. Typically, direct access to the SIS is limited to on-campus only. Remote access from off campus is only provided to specific individuals, and the President must approve access. The Senior Developer installs the remote access software on a college-provided laptop.



5R1: Results

The College was a pioneer user of the Campus Management SIS in the 1980’s and is currently using the most recent update to CampusNexus. Gateway reports pull directly from the SIS, and the number of reports existing for employee use is internally tracked. The College uses the Employee Satisfaction Survey to gauge how employees view accessibility to the data they need to be able to carry out their job duties.

Survey results show employees are satisfied with the ease and information available to perform their job duties. [See Figure 5R1.1] The number of reports accessed and the number of faculty and staff using the Gateway has increased significantly since the inception of the reporting module. At that time, there were four users; in 2016, all faculty and many staff use the Gateway on a consistent basis. [See Figure 5R1.2]

Figure 5R1.1: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Information

Work Environment

Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialIt is easy for me to get information at this institution 3.88 3.20 +0.68

I have the information I need to do my job well 4.11 3.62 +0.49Ratings regarding understanding employee satisfaction are on a 5.0 scale.

Figure 5R1.2: Reports Available on the Gateway

Gateway Reports 2011 2016Percentage

IncreaseDepartments represented 3 28 833%Average reports per department 7 17 143%

5I1: Improvements

In December 2012, the Evaluating Data Systems action project was declared. As noted in the declaration, the action project stemmed from a need to more clearly demonstrate a “…direct link between our system for measuring effectiveness and our Institutional goals. The President and Board of Directors have also expressed a desire for a dashboard-style system of key performance indicators (KPIs) that they can use to assess the financial and academic health of the College.” The action project was divided into two parts. The first was to “…clearly define how we currently measure effectiveness and tie these measurements to our Institution’s goals.” The second part was the establishment of the KPIs. The action projects were closed in May 2014 after the establishment of 12 KPIs, 10 of which are included on the Midstate College Dashboard. [See Figure 5I1.1] The action project defined in detail the methodology used to compute each KPI. The methodology denotes the definition, decided frequency of data collection, period of review, rationale for inclusion, procedure for collecting relevant data, and the process by which each associated metric is calculated for each of the twelve KPIs.



Figure 5I1.1: Midstate College Dashboard

Midstate College Dashboard 2011-2012 2012 - 2013 2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015

Retention Rate*: Percent of new start cohort groups actively enrolled three terms after initial enrollment. 64.7% 57.7% 60.7% 59.7%

Graduation Rate: Six year average of graduates divided by unduplicated headcount. 42.1% 46.0% 48.5% 51.1%

Job Placement Rate: Percent of Midstate College graduates that are employed, in a profession aligned with their earned credential, within one year of the last day of classes.

92.6% 91.6% 96.0% 94.0%

Annual Headcount: The annual unduplicated headcount of students served. 864 815 761 707

Completion Rate*: Percent of all credit hours scheduled each term that are earned. 79.1% 74.9% 75.8% 74.5%

Student Satisfaction (5 point scale): Overall student satisfaction with Midstate College, as assessed annually by the Student Opinion Survey.

4.46 4.43 4.40 4.41

Graduate Satisfaction* (4 point scale): Overall graduate satisfaction with Midstate College, as assessed quarterly by the Graduate Exit survey.

3.56 3.68 3.64 3.53

Default Rate (2 year): Percent of Midstate students that defaulted on student loans, within 2 years of graduating. 7.4% 4.3% 6.9%** 7.8%**

Fiscal Reporting (90/10): Percent of tuition and fees derived from Title IV funds 86.9% 85.2% 82.6% 83.7%

Persistence Rate: Percent of new start cohort groups that are consecutively registered from one term to the next and one year to the next.

1 Term 71.8% 69.5% 63.6% 66.2%1 Year 52.5% 53.3% 45.7% 48.3%

*Statistic is calculated quarterly. Yearly average is shown.

In 2013, the College determined that we needed restructuring in the area of data analysis and reporting. IR was restructured to transfer data analysis from the individual department level to a centralized department. The IR department oversees centralized data collection and analysis and also serves on the Institutional Effectiveness Committee.

The process to request new reports from either the IR department or the Senior Developer is currently being updated. It is anticipated that this will assist both areas to prioritize workflow. The new request format allows for the collection of request details, tracking results, and request follow-up and evaluation.

The majority of Gateway reports extract information from our SIS. This allows users to access the necessary information using the College’s website. The Gateway is also a tool for faculty to post attendance and grades, and the number of reports available on the Gateway has increased significantly since 2011.



Subcategory Two: Resource Management

5P2: Processes

Maintaining fiscal, physical, and technological infrastructures sufficient to support operations:

Midstate College has processes in place to ensure that there are sufficient fiscal, physical, and technological resources available to deliver all of its academic programs both on-campus and online. The Executive Finance Committee oversees the budgeting process and fiscal planning for all operations including academic programs. This committee monitors finances and updates budgets to ensure that resources are available to offset any unexpected occurrence. (5.A, 5.A.1, 5.C.5)

Retired in 2008, the Develop a Master Course Schedule that Supports Sequential Learning action project resulted in the process for assigning resources and creating a long-term schedule. It was revised in 2014. In addition, another three-year schedule by department was created. In 2017, the current process will be evaluated and modified and another three-year schedule by department will be created. Using the three-year scheduling information, the Dean of Academics works with Program Directors to determine annual and term-based course needs, including space, human resources, and equipment. The Student Records department works closely with the Dean of Academics to determine classroom needs for each term. Multiple shared room usage calendars are used to record and reserve classroom and boardroom space for meetings or events. Each term, faculty are asked if they need any resources as part of the self-assessment survey. Program Directors review the self-assessment results and discuss any needs in quarterly departmental faculty meetings. If needs are immediate, the Dean of Academics takes action to get approval. Long-term requests are placed in the department’s budget for the following year.

The Director of Student Affairs oversees student affairs, facilities, and security. This department works closely with Human Resources to determine on-boarding needs and also works with the Registrar to address any classroom needs. Additionally, the Director of Student Affairs manages the resources needed, including space requirements for the College’s Co-curricular Activities. Annually the SOS provides input regarding the College’s facilities. The results, where applicable, are used in the Strategic Planning SWOT analysis to determine immediate and future needs and goals. (5.A.1)

Technological infrastructure and resources are managed by a cross-functional Information Technology (IT) committee which includes eLearning and IT staff, the Business Manager and a member of the Executive Finance Committee. This committee is responsible for the Technology Plan which addresses current and future needs in the areas of hardware, software, and networking infrastructure. Prior to the beginning of each term, the eLearning and IT staff work with the Program Directors to ensure technological program needs are met, both on-campus and online. (5.A.1)

Setting goals aligned with the institutional mission, resources, opportunities, and emerging needs:

As described in 4P2, the College has a strategic planning process in place to ensure that the goals, both strategic and departmental, are aligned with the College’s Mission. The strategic planning process encourages the individual departments and the College as a whole to create goals that address both opportunities for improvement and growth and current and future needs. As part of the planning process, department heads and administration review the resources needed to accomplish those goals. If additional resources are required, they are included in the annual budget request. With input from the Executive Finance Committee, administration works to review the proposed goals and makes decisions based on resources. (5.A.3, 5.C.1)



Allocating and assigning resources to achieve organizational goals, while ensuring that educational purposes are not adversely affected:

All revenue is re-invested in the College and not distributed to a superordinate or outside entity.

The Executive Finance Committee, along with the President, reviews the available resources and determines fiscal allocation to support organizational goals and maintain financial viability. As described in 5P3, the annual budgeting process allows for department heads to request the resources necessary to accomplish departmental goals. The requests are reviewed both individually and as a whole. (5.A.2)

The Dean of Academics works closely with Program Directors on the course schedule to ensure that student’s needs are met and resource allocation is strategically planned to accommodate enrollment numbers. The Program Directors, with input from the Dean of Academics, assign the necessary faculty to courses. Adjunct faculty are assigned as needed.

The College defines student services such as Financial Assistance, Student Accounts, Student Affairs, and Student Success as integral to the student’s educational experience. We recognize that making student services more accessible, both on- and off-campus, is an important and essential part of the students’ experience. Therefore, the allocation of resources through budgeting for the improvement of student services is an example of supporting a holistic approach to the educational process. (5.A.2)

In regards to the overall instructional costs for academic departments, faculty is the largest financial investment. The Executive Finance Committee reviews the HLC’s non-financial indicator ratio of full-time faculty to number of programs offered to ensure that the College is compliant and has the academic resources to be operationally effective. This is part of the Administrative Program Review which is completed annually by the Executive Finance Committee. (5.A.2)

5R2: Results

The College uses the Employee Satisfaction Survey to assess the employee’s satisfaction with the availability of resources.

Employees are satisfied with the resources available, both budgetary and staffing, which are needed to perform their jobs and to meet important objectives. The College prides itself on receiving a significantly higher score than the comparison group in the areas of resource availability and budgeting. [See Figure 5R2.1]

Figure 5R2.1: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results Related to Resources

Campus Culture and Policies / Work Environment

Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean DifferentialSection 1: Campus Culture and Policies

This institution makes sufficient budgetary resources available to achieve important objectives

3.94 2.99 +0.95

This institution makes sufficient staff resources available to achieve important objectives

3.95 2.94 +1.01

Section 4: Work Environment

My department has the budget needed to do its job well 4.05 2.92 +1.13Ratings regarding understanding employee satisfaction are on a 5.0 scale.



5I2: Improvements

In 2016, Program Review was divided into two areas: Academic and Administrative. They include Midstate College’s financial and non-financial indicators. The Administrative Program Review is completed annually in the fall. The first year began with basic information, such as revenue by department and faculty costs by department. In each subsequent year, additional information and detail will be added to provide a more in-depth look at the financial viability of each department and the programs offered within each department. It is anticipated that it will take three to five years to fully implement the Administrative Program Review cycle.

The Executive Finance Committee will review the results each year and make recommendations as needed. Each subsequent year will include the prior year’s results, and the committee will examine the variances between years and will request additional documentation as deemed necessary. These results are again reviewed at the time of annual budget requests so that data-driven recommendations are made in terms of budgetary and resource approval in accordance with strategic planning initiatives.

Subcategory Three: Operational Effectiveness

5P3: Processes

Building budgets to accomplish institutional goals:

The Executive Finance Committee works closely with the President to ensure strategic planning and budgeting are aligned. Per term enrollment projections, based on historical data and anticipated new offerings, are used to make tuition projections annually and on a term-by-term basis. Each academic and functional department submits an annual budget request based on immediate and projected needs and goals. By July 1, each department receives a spreadsheet with the following columns: actual expenses for September to May, actual expenses annualized, final budget for current fiscal year, budget requests for the next fiscal year, and methods used to arrive at the next fiscal year budget (current year expenses, detail tab). Each department completes the next year’s budget request and includes supporting documentation. Budgets are reviewed by upper administration prior to submission to the Executive Finance Committee. The Executive Finance Committee reviews budget requests, both individually and combined, and makes necessary changes to ensure financial viability. The final information is returned to the department.

Monitoring financial position and adjusting budgets:

The Executive Finance Committee meets weekly to review and discuss the Institution’s financial statements, enrollment projections, and other pertinent data. Financial statements are prepared on a monthly basis, typically by the 15th of the following month. The monthly financial statement packet distributed to the Executive Finance Committee includes: current year actual to prior year actual for both monthly and year-to-date, monthly actual to budget, year-to-date actual to budget, and the annual projected budget. At the beginning of each term, the committee compares actual enrollment numbers to enrollment projections and makes adjustments to future term projections as needed. In addition, the actual average tuition per student per term is compared to historical trend data and current projections. Projections for future terms are adjusted as needed. (5.A.5)



In order to maintain an accurate projection of the remaining fiscal year, the Executive Finance Committee monitors the College’s projected budget on at least a monthly basis. (5.A.5) The projected budget is based on the annual budget and is updated each month as the actual financial statement numbers become available. The projected budget is also updated as significant changes occur.

Before a term begins, the Dean of Academic works with all Program Directors to review class size and student scheduling needs to determine if any classes need to be cancelled. Variable costs are projected annually for each academic department and include items such as costs for adjunct faculty. These costs are updated each term when exact course planning and instructor course loads have been established. These budgeting updates are shared with the Executive Finance Committee. (5.A.5)

Maintaining a technological infrastructure that is reliable, secure, and user-friendly:

Midstate College’s technological infrastructure is maintained by IT staff and monitored through the IT committee which reports directly to the President. The committee is responsible for a technology plan which address the current and future needs in the areas of physical infrastructure, web services, technical support, and eLearning. In addition to network infrastructure upgrades, there are processes in place to upgrade hardware and software in labs and faculty and staff offices on an ongoing basis. Long-term technology requests are placed in the following year’s budget, but the technology budget has built in flexibility to accommodate unforeseen needs. The College’s small size allows for quick response to changing needs.

Security measures monitor the number of attempted and successful logins, remote access, and data usage. Virus software is constantly updated and monitored. All users must login to access network resources.

The College makes every effort to ensure its technology is user-friendly. All new student and employee users of the Gateway, Learning Management System (LMS), email, and network are fully trained through extensive orientations and have options for additional trainings if necessary. Technical Support is available on-campus, by phone, or online by submitting a support ticket, and support is available after hours. Additionally, free computer repair, upgrade services, and software needs are provided through Technical Support.

Each user is assigned a personal electronic drive. This drive is accessible from either on- or off-campus. Students are also able to access a number of College services, such as viewing the student ledger activity and class schedule by using the student Gateway.

Maintaining a physical infrastructure that is reliable, secure, and user-friendly:

The Facilities Management Team, comprised of the Director of Student Affairs and the Business Manager, oversees the College’s physical facilities and security. A third-party security company provides a presence on campus throughout the day and for the entire evening when the College is open. The College uses a third-party company to provide general maintenance and cleaning. Email groups and direct communication (cell phone and handheld radio) for both security and maintenance are used to make requests and initiate immediate response when appropriate. The Facilities Management Team also monitors those emails. The Director of Student Affairs maintains contracted services that regularly check the College’s physical infrastructure, such as elevators and fire systems.

Annually, the Student Opinion Survey (SOS) provides input regarding the College’s facilities and security. The results are used to provide feedback for strategic planning in regard to adequacy of the College’s physical infrastructure and to adjust services as warranted.



The College has a Facilities Improvement Plan to address on-going facilities maintenance and upgrades. The Facilities Management Team works with the Executive Finance Committee to schedule major repairs and upgrades.

Managing risks to ensure operational stability, including emergency preparedness:

Emergency Preparedness is managed in the areas of technology, facilities, and personnel. Employee cross-training occurs so that minimal disruption takes place in the event of an employee absence, whether short- or long-term. The College also maintains insurance policies which cover both physical and fiscal losses. In addition to campus-wide drills, annual training is provided to faculty and staff on security protocols and updated procedures. Several weather radios are maintained on campus in key areas for immediate notifications of impending weather alerts. Comprehensive information on health and safety procedures is provided in the Student Handbook, Consumer Information and Campus Security Handbook, and the website.

The College’s IT department has plans in place to ensure operational stability. All critical operation software, including the SIS and the College’s financial data, is housed on a network drive. Backup protocols are in place for daily backups both onsite and to a Cloud Service. The College’s LMS is hosted by a third party vendor who is responsible for its stability. An emergency backup generator provides power to the network servers in case of a power failure. IT has 24/7 service agreements on network components.

5R3: Results

We use results of our annual SOS to track the student’s satisfaction with Facilities, Security, and Technical Support Services. As of 2011, the College added a customer feedback survey for all technical support tickets in areas such as hardware, software, network, email, and technology resource requests. The Executive Finance Committee monitors the College’s Composite Financial Score, which is reported in the annual financial audit.

The Department of Education (ED) requires an institution receiving Title IV Aid to demonstrate that it is financially responsible. One of the components is the Composite Score Standard. The ED requires a score of at least 1.5 for a school to be financially responsible. This score is generated from three ratios: primary reserve, equity, and net income. The College has maintained a strong financial position. [See Figure 5R3.1]

Figure 5R3.1: Midstate College’s Composite Score for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011-2015Metric 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015Composite Score 2.7 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.6

Ratings regarding the composite score are on a 3.0 scale.

Based on the results of the SOS since 2011, students are generally satisfied with the physical and technological infrastructure. [See Figure 5R3.2]

Figure 5R3.2: Student Opinion Survey Results Related to InfrastructureSection VIII: Facilities and SecuritySection IX: Technical Support Services 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016Facilities 4.52 4.44 4.43 4.38 4.55Security 4.50 4.33 4.49 4.39 4.49Technical Support Services 4.50 4.51 4.46 4.49 4.53




Requests for technical support are tracked by category within the Gateway. The request categories are reviewed to determine if trend patterns within categories indicate a need for change. These requests trigger communication and spur action to resolve any issues in a timely manner.

The majority of staff, faculty, and students strongly agree that Technical Support staff are courteous and resolved their issues quickly. [See Figure 5R3.3]

Figure 5R3.3: Technical Support Ticket Survey Results 2011 - 2016 Courteous Quickly Resolved

Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

The figure below illustrates the high usage of this process internally as well as the type of requests received. [See Figure 5R3.4]

Figure 5R3.4: Types of Technical Support tickets (November 1, 2011 – October 1, 2016)Type of Technical Support request Ticket Count Percent of Overall Ticket CountAcademics 1100 16.3%Account Administration 335 5.0%CampusNexus (SIS) 76 1.1%Email 169 2.5%Hardware – Midstate PC 189 2.8%Hardware – Personal PC 101 1.5%Hardware – Printer 287 4.2%Hot Spot 23 0.3%Network 73 1.0%Other 315 4.6%Software – Midstate 166 2.5%Software – Personal 1222 18.1%Website 98 1.4%eLearning – Administration 1112 16.4%eLearning – Instructor 229 3.4%eLearning – Student 1267 18.8%TOTAL 6762 100%

93% 95%

91%

6% 4% 4%

1% 1%

0%

0%0%

4%

0%0% 1%



5I3: Improvements

Based on feedback from faculty, staff and students, the College has re-opened the eLearning Lab. The lab provides a specific location for training of faculty in online courses and processes. The eLearning Coordinator uses this space to assist students in a hands-on, individualized setting.

In 2011 the College moved from a centralized budgeting process to a more decentralized process in which the individual departments submit budget requests that support their immediate and future needs and goals in a more formalized manner. As discussed in 5P3, department directors are provided information in a standardized format. This template is used by them to submit their budget requests. Each year, the overall process is reviewed at an in-service or budget kick-off meeting.

As our budgeting process has matured, we are recognizing that some areas are still in need of improvement. Once departmental budgets have been approved by the Executive Finance Committee, feedback is given to the individual departments. However, the departmental budgets are currently maintained in a spreadsheet outside of the financial accounting software, so numerous steps must be performed in order to provide actual-to-budget information to the department heads. Before the next budgeting cycle, the Executive Finance Committee will explore what steps are necessary to integrate department budgets with financial accounting software. If it is determined that integration would be more efficient than the current process, the Executive Finance Committee will work with finance personnel to accomplish the change.

The College has become more responsive to the ever-changing financial atmosphere. In conjunction with the decentralized budget process, finance personnel expanded the level of detail used to allocate expenses to individual departments. This has allowed the College to more closely track departmental expenses. Even though more departmental detail is available, the monthly reporting to the Executive Finance Committee has become more concise. This has allowed the committee to stay focused on the College as a whole and not be distracted by departmental details.

As the College has faced declining enrollments in the past few years, the Executive Finance Committee has worked closely with the President and other administration to be responsive to declines in revenue while maintaining the resources necessary to support the College’s Mission, financial viability, and governmental requirements.

AQIP Systems PortfolioCategory Six - Quality Overview


- 112 - Category SixAQIP Systems Portfolio

Category Six Overview Midstate College completed a systems portfolio in 2007 and a second in 2011. Each time the College moves through the accreditation cycle, we increase our systems maturity. As we embark upon completing our 2016 Systems Portfolio, we found our processes to be more aligned and our results have moved toward being systematic.

The College’s quality improvement program drives our commitment to continuous improvement, a healthy maturation of our institutional processes, and data-driven results for providing a culture for quality.

Midstate College’s quality improvement program is managed by the AQIP Core Team and is directed by the President with assistance from the College’s Higher Learning Accreditation Liaison Officer (Dean of Academics). The organization has embraced continuous quality improvement as paramount to the improvement and success of the institution. The AQIP Core Team is comprised of leaders from all major departmental areas. This cross-functional team meets regularly to facilitate progress in the quality improvement program and provides a forum for on-going communication.

The College uses action projects, in conjunction with our Strategic Initiatives, to promote continuous quality improvement. Our processes and results for declaring and retiring action projects are deeply intertwined throughout our culture, and, because of this, employees are motivated to create positive change.

We have many strategies and processes in place to ensure that continuous quality improvement is widely understood and is impacting our internal operations. The College continues to learn from our continuous quality improvement initiatives.

We are proud to share our results of the Employee Satisfaction Survey, which display that our focus on continuous quality improvement is well understood and valued within our institution. Further, our results show that employees feel that our Mission and Institutional Objectives are aligned and that their suggestions help to make improvements to the College. This information supports our aligned maturity level for quality improvement processes.

Our Strategic Plan, action projects, budget, Academic and Administrative Program Review, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Academic Performance Indicators (APIs), and accrediting bodies are all aligned through our continuous improvement program to promote a culture of quality.

While our processes for the aforementioned entities are at the aligned maturity level, as we grow as an Institution, our results are systematic. Data in regard to our quality culture is collected and archived, and the results are beginning to break down silos in our Institution.

Subcategory One: Quality Improvement Initiatives

6P1: Processes

Selecting, deploying, and evaluating quality improvement initiatives:

Action projects serve as the foundational vehicle for our system of continuous improvement. Midstate selects quality improvement initiatives related to action projects in the following ways: strategic planning, budgeting processes, reviewing accreditation recommendations, garnering feedback from stakeholders, and using Academic and Administrative Program Review data. The Midstate action project development



process is also driven by feedback via the accreditation process as well as internal formal and informal communication processes, while the AQIP Core Team manages project implementation and progress. Quality improvement initiatives are deployed as part of the formal strategic plan and through the declaration of action projects. Departmental goals encompass more targeted quality improvement initiatives.

In Figure 6P1.1, we demonstrate the alignment of our planning process with an on-going cycle of assessment and feedback. Using the collaborative processes referred to in the Strategic Planning Cycle in Figure 4P2.1, as well as the Strategic Planning Framework in Figure 4P2.2, we are able to coordinate and align planning processes and strategies with our Mission and Institutional Objectives. The continual work of the AQIP Core is vital to keeping each of these components connected and in facilitating improvement throughout the Institution. [See Figure 6P1.1]

Figure 6P1.1: Alignment of Planning Processes

Strategic Planning initiatives and goals related to action projects are evaluated and reviewed in strategic planning in-services, and progress levels are assigned to each area. Action projects are discussed and progress is reported regularly in these in-services. Annually, as part of in-service activities, feedback is requested from departments to determine if key functional areas have any challenges, threats, needs, or opportunities which would benefit from declaring an action project. This

information is reviewed and processed by the AQIP Core team before new action projects are declared or recommendations are made for new strategic planning initiatives. Action project updates are reported to internal constituencies through e-newsletters and at in-services. (5.D)

6R1: Results

Action project retirement and declaration occurs on an ongoing basis in synchronicity with strategic planning and continuous improvement efforts. As a part of our process through 2013, the Category Improvement Teams convened to work on processing the feedback from the 2012 Systems Appraisal Feedback Report. As part of this work, the following action projects were declared: Faculty Growth and Development, Establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Student Retention, and Meeting Stakeholder Needs.

As of 2014, we engage all faculty and staff and request their recommendations for future action projects as part of annual strategic planning; this information is processed and becomes part of selecting and creating action projects. We’ve aligned action projects with our strategic initiatives to communicate the role of quality improvement in our Institution. To date, Midstate has initiated 19 action projects, 16 of which have been successfully completed and three are currently active. [See Figure 6R1.1] Action projects serve as the key continuous improvement activities for the College; thus, the effort put into planning, supporting, and maintaining the best practices that come out of the projects is critical to the Institutions planning processes. We are a lean Institution, with AQIP incorporated deeply in our culture.

Quality Improvement

Strategic Initiatives

Institutional ObjectivesA

ssessment and E

valuation CycleMission



Figure 6R1.1: Current and Retired Action Projects

New AQIP Category

Old AQIP Category Action Project 20

0420

0520

06

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

1 - Helping Students Learn


Develop a Master Course Schedule That Supports Sequential Learning

D A A A R

4 - Planning and Leading

5 - Leading and Communicating

Leading and Improving Communication Processes Throughout the Organization

D A A R

6 - Quality Overview

8 - Measuring Effectiveness

Comprehensive Evaluation and Improvement of Assessment Processes

D A A A R

2 - Meeting Stakeholder Needs

9 - Building Collaborative Relationships

Fostering Relationships with Area Businesses and Organizations

D A A R


9 - Building Collaborative Relationships

Developing Educational Initiatives in Collaboration with Other Institutions

D A R



Faculty Orientation Program that Supports Good Teaching

D A A R



Implementing a Revised Assessment Evaluation, Reporting and Feedback Cycle

D A R



Define and Initiate an Academic Support System Promoting Student Success

D A R



Aligning Course Objectives D A R



Developing a Prior Learning Assessment Program

D R

3 - Valuing Employees

4 - Valuing People Faculty Growth and Development D R

5 - Knowledge Management

6 - Supporting Institutional Operations

Revising and Implementing Electronic Data-Entry Standards for Academic Records

D R

6 - Quality Overview

7 - Measuring Effectiveness

Evaluating Data Systems and Defining Needs for Measuring Effectiveness

D A R



Improvement of Academic Program Review Cycle

D R



Refining General Education D A R


3 - Understanding Stakeholder’s Needs

Defining Key Community Partners’ Needs and Strategies for Action

D A R



The Growth and Diversification of the Student Population through the Enrollment of International Students

D A



Defining and Improving Retention Strategies

D A



Improving Academic Assessment D

D = Declared A = Active R = Retired



6I1: Improvements

We have made many improvements to our culture of quality improvement over the last five years. Quite significantly, we have seen an increase in employee awareness of AQIP and the importance of quality improvement in our Institution. Midstate continues to facilitate planning activities to purposefully engage our staff, faculty, students, Board of Directors, and stakeholders, both internal and external, in continuous improvement.

Through ongoing continuous quality improvement efforts of the AQIP Core committee, retired action projects continue to drive process improvements. [See Figure 6I1.1]

Figure 6I1.1: Examples of Retired Action Projects: ImprovementsAction Projects Examples of ImprovementsDevelop a Master Course Schedule That Supports Sequential Learning

Revamped process in 2014 and setup another three year scheduling by department; scheduled for another process revision and setup of another three year schedule by department starting in 2017.

Leading and Improving Communication Processes Throughout the Organization

Completed annual employee communication surveys. Surveys were completed annually for several years; after seeing duplicative results the process and results were analyzed and the decision was made to change the survey cycle to every three years; the last survey was completed in 2016.

Fostering Relationships with Area Businesses and Organizations

In 2016 revised business outreach plan and set targets.

Developing Educational Initiatives in Collaboration with Other Institutions

Processes in place to meet up to four times annually to review and update educational relationships and articulation agreements.

Faculty Orientation Program that Supports Good Teaching

On-going training annually in faculty meetings.

Define and Initiate an Academic Support System Promoting Student Success

Setup processes for the Student Success department; continues to expand impact, measure success, and expand services.

Aligning Course Objectives Process put in place to ensure that all course and program changes received approval through the curriculum and assessment committees after submitting Course and Program change forms; in 2015 the College updated Course and Program change forms.

Developing a Prior Learning Assessment Program

Prior Learning Assessment Program implemented and revised several times since program instituted in 2012; program has been updated annually within the Catalog update cycle.

Faculty Growth and Development Revised several times since the 2013 pilot was initiated; the following faculty ranks have been bestowed: Professor (1), Adjunct Professor (1), Associate Professor (3), Adjunct Senior Instructor (1).

Revising and Implementing Electronic Data-Entry Standards for Academic Records

Created a process and set standards which created a foundation which allows for easy creation of other electronic modes in the Gateway; processes continue to improve and new data sets are created quarterly.

Improvement of Academic Program Review Cycle

Increase in curriculum updates and improvements since pilot was started in 2014.



Subcategory Two: Culture of Quality

6P2: Processes

Developing an infrastructure and providing resources to support a culture of quality:

The College’s process for supporting a culture of quality begins with showing how we promote continuous improvement for institutional effectiveness. Figure 6P2.1 demonstrates how the College uses the Strategic Plan, action projects, budget, Academic and Administrative Program Reviews, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Academic Performance Indicators (APIs), and accrediting bodies’ metric targets and requirements to promote a culture of quality. (5.D, 5.D.1)

Figure 6P2.1: Continuous Improvement for Institutional Effectiveness

A large portion of the infrastructure that supports our quality improvement culture is the annual strategic planning process and cycle, as outlined in 4P2; our budgeting process, as outlined in 5P3; action projects, as outlined in 6P1; and KPIs, as outlined in Figure 5I1.3. Additionally, functional areas that tend to be more ancillary to our process for continuous improvement for institutional effectiveness include program review, accrediting bodies, and APIs, as further described in Category 1. (5.D.1)

As noted in 5I1, the College formalized the Institutional Research (IR) department when we determined that we had a need for a central location in the area of data analysis and reporting. 5P1 outlines many of the reports and processes currently used by the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, administration, and individual departments within the College to make data-driven decisions. It also describes how individuals and departments are able to request additional data as the need arises. 5P2 and 5P3 explain the processes the College uses to allocate available resources in order to support the College’s Mission and Strategic Plan. 6P1 outlines the importance and use of action projects

in the College’s system of continuous improvement. We recognize that not all improvements need to be accomplished as a formal action project, and we encourage individual departments to set goals and achieve them in the manner that is best suited to the goal and department.

Ensuring continuous quality improvement is widely understood, making an impact on culture operations, and learning from continuous quality improvement initiatives:

The College implements the following strategies and tactics to integrate quality improvement into everyday operations (5.D.1):• Encouraging employees in areas where processes were improved or created from action projects to

continue that growth and improvement;

APIs

ProgramReviewAccrediting

Bodies

Budget

StrategicPlan

ActionProjects

KPIs

Continuous Improvement forInstitutional Effectiveness



• Categorizing Strategic Planning Initiatives to show the areas of focus for all strategic goals. Culture supports regular discussion of strategic goal progress. Our process promotes improvements through regular reporting to internal stakeholders of process levels;

• Promoting quality review and updates annually for the Catalog and Student Handbook;• Convening academic and administrative program review; • Conducting AQIP/Strategic Planning In-services combined to keep focus on the alignment of the two

and work toward ensuring facutly and staff understand AQIP and our continuous improvement program;• Promoting a culture of data driven decisions through the leadership of the President, Institutional

Effectiveness Committee, and Executive Finance Committee;• Encouraging a quality culture through the effective process of “Plan-Do-Review”.

Reviewing, reaffirming and understanding the role and vitality of the AQIP pathway:

Due to our strong culture of quality improvement, all in-services and employee newsletters feature information about AQIP. As displayed in our in-service survey results, 71 percent of our staff and faculty feel they have a better understanding of AQIP, which shows that continuous quality improvement is widely understood throughout our Institution. Further, our action project cycle, as outlined in Figure 6I1.1, reflects that continuous improvements occur through the format and structure of retired action projects. (5.D.2)

6R2: Results

We use the Employee Satisfaction Survey to determine our quality improvement endeavors are understood by our employees and whether they feel their suggestions are used to improve our Institution. When benchmarked against comparison groups, Midstate College employees are significantly more satisfied with their understanding and alignment of Institutional goals with the Mission. Additionally, employees at our Institution feel that their involvement in quality improvement is making more of a difference when compared to employees at our peer institutions. [See Figures 4R1.2, 6R2.1]

Figure 6R2.1: Employee Satisfaction Survey Results as Related to Quality


Midstate College

Comparison Group

SAT Mean SAT Mean Differential

Efforts to improve quality are paying off at this institution 4.08 3.31 +0.77Employee suggestions are used to improve our institution 3.85 2.93 +0.92

6I2: Improvements

Due to the nature of our continuous improvement program, the improvements in the context of our culture for quality improvement are reflected throughout this document. Our quality culture and operations improvements in regard to our annual strategic planning process and cycle are outlined in the improvements section in Category 4; our budgeting process in the improvements section of Category 5; our action projects are outlined in Category 6; and our KPIs are outlined in Figure 5I1.1. Additionally, as shown in Category 1, improvements have been made through academic program review and academic assessment, use of Academic Performance Indicators by program, and increased program accreditation approvals. (5.D.1, 5.D.2)



While the College tends to be systematic for our processes in reviewing, reaffirming, and understanding the role and vitality of AQIP at Midstate, we are interested in improving in order to make our results aligned. As we grow as an AQIP institution, we learn the importance of repeatable processes with measurable, explicit goals. As such, this is an area of growth and improvement.