Policy Statement
The mission of Washtenaw Community College is "...to make a positive difference in people's lives through accessible and excellent educational programs and services." This mission is made concrete through the provision of a caring, open-door teaching and learning environment; through excellent teaching, counseling and support services; through reaching out to those with limited incomes or other barriers; through partnership with communities we serve. WCC enables people to progress in their academic or career pursuits.
It shall be the policy of the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees to assess whether or not it is achieving its mission. The results of this assessment shall be conveyed to students, faculty, staff and the for purposes of continuous improvement and responsiveness to changing external and internal conditions.
The institutional effectiveness process shall include:
- the assessment of student academic achievement in and of credit and noncredit academic programs and services
- the assessment of non-academic programs and services
- the assessment of student and employer/community satisfaction
- the assessment of whether or not students perceive themselves as successful
The assessment of student academic achievement is driven by the faculty, with appropriate support form other staff members, program advisory committees and other groups. It is institution-wide in scope and concept. It is linked to the mission, goals and objectives of the College and its divisions, departments and disciplines for student learning, including that of general education, students' major areas of study and students' personal goals. The assessment of student academic achievement results in the improvement of student learning.
General Guidelines
The process of assessing the institution's effectiveness is driven by the College's vision of student, community and staff success.
Student Success
Students are successful at WCC if they learn the skills they desire; if they acquire the knowledge they need; and if they process the attitude conducive to the life they want to lead. The assessment of this success hinges on a partnership between student and faculty with appropriate support from other staff members.
Student success is measured by the assessment of student academic achievement; the assessment of student satisfaction; the assessment of the degree to which students themselves feel successful; the assessment of the satisfaction of employers of WCC students; and the assessment of the quality, currency and responsiveness of the curriculum through ongoing curricular review and other means.
Assessment of student academic achievement results in the improvement of student learning. WCC is successful if students' learning requirements guide the work of all staff.
Community Success
Community success is measured by an assessment of how responsive WCC is to community needs. WCC engages in continuous improvement and redesign of programs, services, systems and staff skills with the goal of matching learning outcomes with the educational requirements of businesses and communities.
WCC is also successful in the community when it is well used for diverse purposes such as solving social and economic problems and providing opportunities for cultural and social activities.
Staff Success
Staff success is measured through personnel evaluations, the assessment of responsiveness to student needs and surveys of staff learning, satisfaction and success.
Staff members are successful at WCC when students' learning requirements guide their work. The college has the goal of enabling all staff regardless of employee group or status, to work in a caring environment of empowerment, participation, diversity, fairness, respect, outcomes-orientation, accountability, innovation, and entrepreneurship, where learning is important and the contributions of all are valued.
Outcomes
As an outcome of this policy, all instructional and support units of the College shall establish a mission, vision, and goals, and indicators of effectiveness and multiple measures of same. All units shall regularly engage in a process of outcomes measurement and continuous improvement and redesign. All units shall in addition contribute information from this process to an institutional accounting to the staff and community. Units are, therefore, responsible for improving themselves and accounting for their improvement to the Board of Trustees as representatives of the community.
Adopted: February 25, 1997
Administrative Review: May 2002
(8050)