Academic Quality Improvement Program/AQIP
Iowa Valley Community College District (which operates Marshalltown Community College, Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Valley Continuing Education, and Iowa Valley Grinnell) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. IVCCD is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and is approved by the Iowa Department of Education. IVCCD and its colleges have articulation agreements with Iowa’s Regent universities and numerous private colleges.
Beginning in 2001, IVCCD chose to pursue its Higher Learning Commission re-accreditation through the Academic Quality Improvement Program/AQIP process. AQIP infuses the principles and benefits of continuous improvement into the culture of colleges and universities by providing an alternative process through which an already-accredited institution can maintain its accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. With AQIP, an institution demonstrates it meets accreditation standards and expectations through sequences of events that align with ongoing activities which characterize organizations striving to improve their performance.
IVCCD's AQIP Systems Portfolio
AQIP calls upon institutions to maintain a Systems Portfolio. Reviewed and updated annually, the portfolio is an opportunity for an institution to document its own particular institutional context for developing processes, results, and areas for improvement for the entire institution. AQIP institutions focus improvement efforts on nine categories related to student learning. Additional information about the nine categories, including IVCCD activity reports, can be obtained by clicking on the links below:
Organizational Overview – Explains the District's history, structure, and current configuration. Includes information on mission, programs, faculty and staff, students, collaborations and competition, as well as strengths and opportunities.
Category 1 Helping Students Learn – Identifies the shared purpose of all higher education organizations, and is accordingly the pivot of any institutional analysis. It focuses on the teaching-learning process within a formal instructional context, yet also addresses how IVCCD contributes to helping students learn and overall student development. Examines IVCCD's processes and systems related to learning objectives, mission-driven student learning and development, intellectual climate, academic programs and courses, student preparation, key issues such as technology and diversity, program and course delivery, faculty and staff roles, teaching and learning effectiveness, course sequencing and scheduling, learning and co-curricular support, student assessment, analysis of results, and improvement efforts.
Category 2 Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives – Addresses the processes that contribute to the achievement of IVCCD's major objectives that complement student learning and fulfill other portions of the District's mission. Examines IVCCD's processes and systems related to identification of other distinctive objectives, alignment of other distinctive objectives, faculty and staff roles, assessment and review of objectives, analysis of results, and improvement efforts.
Category 3 Understanding Students' & Other Stakeholders' Needs – Examines how IVCCD works actively to understand student and other stakeholder needs. Examines processes and systems related to student and stakeholder identification; student and stakeholder requirements; analysis of student and stakeholder needs; relationship building with students and stakeholders; complaint collection, analysis, and resolution; determining satisfaction of students and stakeholders; analysis of results; and improvement efforts.
Category 4 Valuing People – Explores IVCCD's commitment to the development of its faculty, staff and administrators since the efforts of all are required for institutional success. Examines District processes and systems related to work and job environment; workforce needs; training initiatives; job competencies and characteristics; recruitment, hiring, and retention practices; work processes and activities; personnel evaluation; recognition, reward, compensation, and benefits; motivation factors; satisfaction, health and safety, and well-being; analysis of results; and improvement efforts.
Category 5 Leading & Communicating – Addresses how IVCCD's leadership and communication structures, networks, and processes guide the District in setting directions, making decisions, seeking future opportunities, and building and sustaining a learning environment. Examines IVCCD's processes and systems related to leading activities, communicating activities, alignment of leadership system practices, institutional values and expectations, direction setting, future opportunity seeking, decision making, use of data, leadership development and sharing, succession planning, analysis of results, and improvement efforts.
Category 6 Supporting Institutional Operations – Addresses the variety of IVCCD's support processes that help to provide an environment in which learning can thrive. Examines IVCCD's processes and systems related to student support, administrative support, identification of needs, contribution to student learning and accomplishing other distinctive objectives, day-to-day operations, use of data, analysis of results, and improvement efforts.
Category 7 Measuring Effectiveness – Examines how IVCCD collects, analyzes, and uses information to manage itself and to drive performance improvement. Examines IVCCD's processes and systems related to collection, storage, management, and use of information and data (at the institutional and departmental / unit levels); institutional measures of effectiveness; information and data alignment with institutional needs and directions; comparative information and data; analysis of information and data; effectiveness of information system and processes; analysis of results; and improvement efforts.
Category 8 Planning Continuous Improvement – Examines IVCCD's planning processes and how strategies and action plans are helping the District achieve it's mission and vision. Examines IVCCD's processes and systems related to institutional vision; planning; strategies and action plans; coordination and alignment of strategies and action plans; measures and performance projections; resource needs; faculty, staff, and administrator capabilities; analysis of performance projections and results; and improvement efforts.
Category 9 Building Collaborative Relationships – Examines IVCCD's relationships (current and potential) to analyze how they contribute to the District's accomplishing its mission. Examines IVCCD's processes and systems related to identification of key internal and external collaborative relationships; alignment of key collaborative relationships; relationship creation, prioritization, building; needs identification; internal relationships; analysis of results; and improvement efforts.
Institutional Effectiveness Committee
– Provides overall guidance for the continuous quality improvement process at IVCCD. Purposes of the committee are to oversee review process for Systems Portfolio, monitor progress on QAPs and propose new areas for action projects, review ASAP process/form and monitor usage, identify content for AQIP website, implement content management tool for use in updating Systems Portfolio, determine appropriate trainings/new employee orientation on AQIP, oversee development of biannual "InsideAQIP" newsletter, and periodic reporting to Cabinet and IVCCD Board of Directors.
IVCCD Strategic Agenda 2010-2013 (pdf)
IVCCD's current status as an AQIP institution
IVCCD has completed a full cycle within the AQIP process and received its reaffirmation of accreditation in January 2008. In addition to annual updates to the IVCCD Systems Portfolio due each November, District administrators attended an AQIP Strategy Forum in fall 2009 to determine areas of focus for the future.
More information about IVCCD's participation in AQIP can be obtained by contacting IVCCD AQIP Liaison Dr. Lisa Breja. Ph: 641-844-5576, E: Lisa.Breja@iavalley.edu.