AQIP Action Projects
Northark began work on three action projects in fall of 2005. Click each title below to see a summary of the Action Project, or visit AQIP’s Action Project Directory to see the status of each Action Project.
1. Launching and Sustaining Student Success
2. Launching and Sustaining Employee Success
3. Develop a comprehensive coordinated recruitment program
Launching and Sustaining Student Success
Goals:
This project focuses on student success. We wish to assess our current student success rates and factors that promote or hinder success and then design strategies to enhance student success which may include:
1. a “Student Success Center” that will consolidate our current efforts and encompass tutoring, mentoring, learning seminars, and study groups;
2. creation of a “track” of courses for groups of students with similar needs to allow them to move through courses together, thereby creating camaraderie;
3. activities to enhance students’ sense of commitment to their education such as orientation events, freshman convocation, and club initiatives.
Rationale:
Accomplishment of this project will foster an overall sense of success for the institution. We believe the administration, faculty, and staff will strongly support this project because propositions related to student success were ranked 1, 2, 6, 7, and 14 among 24 projects, demonstrating its importance to faculty and staff, who share a concern about a portion of our student population that has significant developmental needs which hamper successful completion of college level courses and degrees or certificates. This project focuses on success, not failure; it will help all students learn and persevere to their intended goals.
Process measures that you plan to track
academic advising by faculty and student services; orientation programs; tutoring services; supplemental instruction; development of multiple opportunities for learning; learning communities
Outcome measures that you plan to track
- Persistence from fall to spring and fall to fall
- Graduation and goal attainment rates
- success in subsequent courses
- success in college level courses for developmental starters
- transfer rates
- transfer success
- success rates in courses
- course withdrawal rates
- increased student engagement as measured by CCSSE
- success in employment.
Launching and Sustaining Employee Success
Goals:
This project will create a process to facilitate:
1. assessment of present and future staff development needs
2. a common meeting time
3. staff mentors
4. improvement of campus-wide communication
5. standardized hiring procedures
6. provision of adequate office space
7. more opportunities for regular on-campus faculty development
Rationale:
On Conversation Day, Northark faculty and staff expressed concern about improving the orientation and support of new part-time and full-time employees. Four propositions mentioned plans to enhance new employee success. An essential, initial requirement for any staff development project involving our three campuses (with at least two different time schedules) is a common time for meetings and staff development, which will have the added benefit of promoting unity between campuses and departments. With the opportunity for a more open exchange of ideas, we will all take a more active part in the long-range planning for our institution. The Employee Success concept should lead to a lower turnover among employees and a higher sense of connection to the institution, which should in turn lead to heightened community support for the college. Enhanced training and ongoing professional development will benefit everyone, especially our students. We anticipate a better student success rate. This in turn will benefit the business community as we provide a more qualified workforce. As an institution, we will work more effectively and efficiently and with improved morale.
Process measures that you plan to track
1. common meeting time developed
2. number and type of professional development opportunities offered throughout year
3. orientation/mentoring plan created and used for new hires
4. incentives to participate in development and other Northark work documented.
Outcome measures that you plan to track
- % participation in development by FT & PT employees each semester
- % participation in development by FT & PT employees each semester in areas identified in professional growth plan
- employee satisfaction with professional development programs
- # of development opportunities offered
- employee satisfaction with Northark
- completion of orientation for all new employees
Develop a comprehensive coordinated recruitment program
Goals
This plan will improve the delivery of information about the educational offerings and benefits of attending North Arkansas College to prospective students and employers. The college will develop a comprehensive coordinated recruitment program that will:
1. Coordinate recruitment 2. Train recruiters 3. Identify target groups
4. Share communication
Rationale
Northark staff actively spend time in area high schools and workplaces. However, with little or no coordination of this effort we are duplicating and overlapping our recruitment efforts in some cases, missing recruitment opportunities in other cases, and not always on the same page with the information we provide about Northark. The Student Services area is identified as the main coordinator of recruitment and the main repository for recruiting information, but personnel in this area seldom know when others from the college have recruitment opportunities.
Process measures that you plan to track
Clearinghouse created with coordinator, calendar, common tools.
Recruiters trained.
Recruitment activities tracked.
Database of prospective students developed.
Outcome measures that you plan to track
Number of visits by recruiters
% of recruitees who enroll at Northark
Number of recruiters trained