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CCSSE in Action: Institutional Examples
CCSSE in Action: Institutional Examples
Blinn College (TX)
Accrediting Region: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Blinn College's Quality Enhancement Plan focuses on increasing student engagement in 17 high-risk, core-curriculum courses through enhanced academic support and continued assessment. The college plans to use CCSSE and CCFSSE data to help faculty and administrators understand student perceptions and make informed decisions about improving academic and support services offered to students. The college implemented SENSE in 2008 with the kick off of its First Year Experience program and is correlating those results with in-house pre- and post-perception surveys. As an Achieving the Dream college, Blinn College plans to incorporate CCSSE, CFSSE, and SENSE data into other investigations of effectiveness as the college identifies its institutional strengths and weaknesses.
Community and Technical College at West Virginia University Tech (WV)
Accrediting Region: Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA)
CCSSE is part of the Community and Technical College at West Virginia University Tech's institutional assessment program. As such, the college's results were highlighted in many areas of its self-study. The accreditation evaluators referred to this work in the assurance report to the college, stating of Core Component 3C (The organization creates effective learning environments.): "The CTC is justifiably proud of the 2005 and 2008 results from CCSSE. The institution analyzes CCSSE results and makes changes based upon this analysis. The survey revealed that student and faculty interaction is a major strength of the institution. … Several measurements from 2008 showed significant improvement over the 2005 survey." The college will continue to evaluate its progress in the areas noted by CCSSE for continuous improvement.
Itawamba Community College (MS)
Accrediting Region: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Itawamba Community College (ICC) focused its Quality Enhancement Plan on improving writing. The college's 2006 CCSSE results were used in the formulation and focus of the plan, "Raising the Bar: Improving Student Writing Through Early Intervention." ICC established three writing centers for improving student success in the use of grammar, mechanics, content, and organization in writing assignments; increasing the amount of writing required; improving the quality of writing required; and improving student satisfaction and engagement with instruction.
Kingsborough Community College (NY)
Accrediting Region: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
In its recent self-study document, the College Assessment Committee at Kingsborough Community College developed a plan to assess the achievement of Kingsborough's mission, goals and objectives, and student learning outcomes. One of these goals is "To offer an excellent general education to all degree students." To determine attainment of this goal, the college monitors the CUNY (City University of New York) Proficiency Exam (CPE) pass rates and students' responses to CCSSE. The effectiveness of general education is assessed in two ways. The CPE provides a direct measure of student skills, while CCSSE provides indirect but confirmatory information on those skills and other aspects of general education outcomes that are difficult to measure directly.
Lower Columbia College (WA)
Accrediting Region: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Lower Columbia College is currently preparing for its 10-year full scale accreditation visit in 2010 by researching and writing its self-study. The college will use CCSSE data in its self-study and will house it in its documentation room. CCSSE data is one piece of a large body of work the college draws on to assess its 25 Key Performance Indicators, which also include data from the National Community College Benchmarking Project. The college takes annual assessment of the entire list of performance indicators very seriously: Seven teams of a dozen people research and analyze the institution's performance each year and prepare monitoring reports that are reviewed by the college's board of trustees. Lower Columbia College just completed its 10th annual cycle of this intensive monitoring process, which feeds directly into its annual and strategic planning cycles.
Martin Community College (NC)
Accrediting Region: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Martin Community College used several years of CCSSE data as supporting documentation for its SACS work and in developing the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The college's QEP focus is on "improving reading comprehension through cross-curriculum strategies" and "increasing students' reading practice outside of class in all courses offered." One specific survey item the college used to inform its accreditation work is "About how many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, rehearsals, doing homework, or activities related to your program)." Because they were particularly interested in the time students spend reading outside of class and preparing for classes, the college also focused on the CCSSE item that asks students how often they come to class without completing readings or assignments; they compared their scores with the national mean on this particular item. Further, the college's SENSE data will allow them to gain information about students being required to enroll in developmental reading courses; therefore, this data will be used in conjunction with the CCSSE data (and data from instruments such as GRADE, the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation) as supporting documentation in assessments.
Nashville State Community College (TN)
Accrediting Region: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Nashville State Community College has used its CCSSE results in a variety of ways in its accreditation work. The data were used as supporting documentation in the college's compliance certification to document student perceptions of use/satisfaction with advising and other student services, and to document student perceptions of progress on general education outcome competencies. CCSSE data were also used to set benchmarks and assess the effectiveness of the college's Quality Enhancement Plan on Critical Thinking. For this effort, the college utilized items from the Academic Challenge benchmark, as well as other isolated CCSSE items. Nashville State Community College has set benchmarks for CCSSE progress and QEP progress and is now monitoring this progress on an annual basis.
Patrick Henry Community College (VA)
Accrediting Region: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Patrick Henry Community College used CCSSE and Achieving the Dream data to develop and implement its Quality Enhancement Plan required for SACS reaccreditation. In its plan, the college makes a strong commitment to enhancing students' critical thinking skills through cooperative learning. Job descriptions and evaluation plans for full-time faculty were updated to include the required use of cooperative learning. Workshops are provided for new and returning adjunct faculty over the course of the academic year, and those who attend will be eligible for a pay increase over their per credit hour rate.
Piedmont Virginia Community College (VA)
Accrediting Region: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Piedmont Virginia Community College's (PVCC) CCSSE results were one of many sources of information considered in selecting the focus for the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) required by SACS. CCSSE results indicated that PVCC students do not write and revise as often as is needed to develop writing proficiency, and while students are being given assignments requiring them to organize, synthesize, and integrate ideas and information, they spend little time outside of class actually doing so. These findings—together with the results of direct assessment of student writing ability, other student surveys, and input from PVCC's faculty, staff, board members, and students—led the college to select "improving student writing" as the focus for the QEP.
PVCC's QEP will prepare graduates to meet the writing expectations of four-year institutions and the workforce by providing increased and deliberate opportunities to expand the breadth and depth of student writing experiences at the college. PVCC plans to administer CCSSE in years one, three, and five of its QEP implementation. The CCSSE results will be used by the college to examine the extent to which students use writing-to-learn and writing process activities as a means to explore and articulate ideas, and whether students perceive themselves as improved writers.
River Valley Community College (NH)
Accrediting Region: New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
In fall 2008, River Valley Community College was granted accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges with a fifth-year interim report due for consideration in spring 2013.
During the college's accreditation work, 2006 CCSSE results, along with results of the college's Graduate Satisfaction Survey, were presented to the College Advisory Board, the President's Council, and the college community at large. The self-study refers to the college's use of CCSSE and includes the recommendation that an ad-hoc assessment team continue to review, evaluate, and make recommendations from the results of these tools. The college also participated in CCSSE in 2008, and those results—like the ones gathered in 2006—will be collated and combined with the Graduate Satisfaction Survey and presented to the college community in fall 2009, and will then be used in the process of finalizing a College Strategic Plan.
Skagit Valley College (WA)
Accrediting Region: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Skagit Valley College just completed a comprehensive 10-year self-study and accreditation site visit. The college used CCSSE data from 2003, 2004, and 2005 as evidence to support statements made in the self-study document, especially those related to instruction and student services. Benchmark data were used in the introductory chapter, and individual survey item results were discussed throughout the document. The college plans to administer CCSSE again in 2010 and will use those results to monitor effectiveness.
Trinity Valley Community College (TX)
Accrediting Region: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) began preparing for reaccreditation with the establishment and implementation of a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Faculty focus groups raised the issue of student engagement and, within the same time frame, the college participated in CCSSE. Alarmed by the institution's scores on four of the five CCSSE benchmarks, TVCC's QEP Task Force, later to be named the Learning Initiative Council, used these results as a catalyst for change. Projects were developed to shift the institutional culture from a teaching-learning institution to a learning-focused institution, including a year-long faculty and staff Learning Academy focused on increasing student engagement in and out of the classroom.
Windward Community College (HI)
Accrediting Region: Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
An accreditation team from WASC will visit Windward Community College in 2012 for reaffirmation. The college has begun preparing for its Midterm Report in anticipation of the visit. The Midterm Report looks back at the last Self-Study Planning Agenda items to see what the college has accomplished. The college is using CCSSE data, particularly from the Active and Collaborative Learning and Support for Learners benchmarks, in its strategic plan as evidence of improvements in institutional effectiveness and student achievement. The college will examine the effectiveness of its accreditation plan through monitoring achievement of the strategic plan performance objectives and through responding to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Annual Report as well as to ACCJC recommendations. ACCJC is one of three commissions under the corporate entity known as the WASC.
How is your college using CCSSE results?
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